Satnavs or what?

[Doggy]

Just like to know what everybody's using these days, (other than the built-in variety).

I've had several Tom Tom's over the years, dabbled with Google Maps & Co-Pilot on smartphones, but neither seems great.

What do you use / any recommendations?

[PeterN]

I have an old Tom Tom and apart from the fact that it gets lost on new roads its fine. Which magazine did a report on Sat Navs and came up with three best buys and they were some of the cheapest. If you want any more info I will try and find the magazine, it seems to have dissapeared at the moment.

Peter

[fattail95]

If you have a decent modern smartphone, Waze is undoubtedly the way to go. Free, has live traffic information and will inform and re-route you round accidents and roadworks, speed camera alerts, etc. Give it a go, and you'll never use a standalone satnav again.

[highlander]

Google Maps is superb, really.

When I first started driving, I bought a basic TomTom. Was pretty decent, definitely got us places.

Later on, when Google Maps got decent turn-by-turn navigation function built-in, it could do everything my basic TomTom could. Over the years since then, it's only got better - it now does *useful* lane guidance, can be used to find any place of interest on Google Maps near your destination or along the way (not just the few "Places of Interest" categories you get on offline satnav units), can tell you about traffic jams and road closures along your planned route and offer you alternatives, and for those worried about their data plan, you can get it to download the map data while you're still at home on WiFi. It even integrates with Google StreetView so when you get to where you're going, it can show you a 360 degree photo of your destination.

As Android phones got better, I also found myself pairing it up to my car stereo (after-market Sony CD player with built-in Bluetooth hands-free and streaming media) and playing music to it from my phone (those of a streaming-generation mindset can also use Spotify, etc, to do this if they want). Then my mind was blown - as I was driving, the satnav directions would play through the speakers in the car. And when it wasn't speaking, music would play through the car speakers. And when it was speaking, the music quietened down a bit so you could hear the satnav voice. It had all become so seamless!

Later on I got an email saying TomTom were discontinuing map updates for my model of satnav device because it didn't have enough storage built-in for new map versions, and I realised that I don't actually know where the bloody thing is...

Nowadays, however, I've been using the satnav built in to the BMW iDrive system. It's based on map data from Navteq, but despite my car being 9.5 years old, the discs are still being produced. The iDrive system is a bit cumbersome, to be honest. I still prefer Google Maps. Data entry is a right bloody pain, and there's no way I can see that would let me install destinations into my address book other than using the iDrive control knob. I have been thinking about getting another dashboard suction-cup mount and using my phone as satnav again, but generally the iDrive helps me get to where I need to go, and on the odd occasion I need more up-to-date maps or the iDrive disc doesn't contain a new road, I can always drag out my phone and use that.

In other news, I saw my old Coupe out and about last week, and I still bloody miss it At least the new owner hasn't taken it banger racing or wrapped it round a tree or anything.

[PeterN]

I don't have a smartphone, only a TomTom

Peter

[fattail95]

Google Maps is superb, really.

When I first started driving, I bought a basic TomTom. Was pretty decent, definitely got us places.

Later on, when Google Maps got decent turn-by-turn navigation function built-in, it could do everything my basic TomTom could. Over the years since then, it's only got better - it now does *useful* lane guidance, can be used to find any place of interest on Google Maps near your destination or along the way (not just the few "Places of Interest" categories you get on offline satnav units), can tell you about traffic jams and road closures along your planned route and offer you alternatives, and for those worried about their data plan, you can get it to download the map data while you're still at home on WiFi. It even integrates with Google StreetView so when you get to where you're going, it can show you a 360 degree photo of your destination.

As Android phones got better, I also found myself pairing it up to my car stereo (after-market Sony CD player with built-in Bluetooth hands-free and streaming media) and playing music to it from my phone (those of a streaming-generation mindset can also use Spotify, etc, to do this if they want). Then my mind was blown - as I was driving, the satnav directions would play through the speakers in the car. And when it wasn't speaking, music would play through the car speakers. And when it was speaking, the music quietened down a bit so you could hear the satnav voice. It had all become so seamless!

Later on I got an email saying TomTom were discontinuing map updates for my model of satnav device because it didn't have enough storage built-in for new map versions, and I realised that I don't actually know where the bloody thing is...

Nowadays, however, I've been using the satnav built in to the BMW iDrive system. It's based on map data from Navteq, but despite my car being 9.5 years old, the discs are still being produced. The iDrive system is a bit cumbersome, to be honest. I still prefer Google Maps. Data entry is a right bloody pain, and there's no way I can see that would let me install destinations into my address book other than using the iDrive control knob. I have been thinking about getting another dashboard suction-cup mount and using my phone as satnav again, but generally the iDrive helps me get to where I need to go, and on the odd occasion I need more up-to-date maps or the iDrive disc doesn't contain a new road, I can always drag out my phone and use that.

In other news, I saw my old Coupe out and about last week, and I still bloody miss it At least the new owner hasn't taken it banger racing or wrapped it round a tree or anything.

If you think google maps is good, as I mentioned above try Waze. The company was actually bought by google a few years ago and they continued development and shoehorned a lot of money into it. Maps is better for public transport and walking, but when it comes to turn-by-turn there is no competition.

[trufflehunt]

A few years back, to earn some money, I bought and sold a variety of second hand sat navs. I'd check and
test each before selling them on. In terms of ease of use, and least annoying ideosyncrasies, I found that
the best were Garmin, and then Tomtom.

I stopped using dedicated sat nav devices when I realised that I was spending money on things that
spent 99% of their life in the house, or in the glovebox.

Nowadays, depending on the phone I'm using, I use Google Maps, or Apple Maps on the iPhone.
Google Maps is very powerful, but I dislike the navigation voice, and can't be bothered with the
buying an alternative voice thing. I like the Apple Maps navigation. It presents itself clearly, the voice
doesn't grate, and it doesn't seem to make weird route choices.

I keep a proper UK route map in the car, for when I need to see the bigger picture.

[Doggy]

Thanks for the info guys.
I tried Co Pilot's free 7-day trial which seemed OK and has the advantage of using a map downloaded on your home broadband and the i-phone's built-in GPS receiver.
(so it doesn't need a phone signal or use any data). This also gives you an actual speed readout, which I like to use for setting the cruise in average speed check areas.

I've got Mrs Doggy's cast-off i-phone 4S on a scrooge special £5/month SIM-only rolling contract which doesn't have much data, (still have a work-provided Nokia relic).
Looks like I've either got to cough up for more data to use Google Maps or Waze or pay for Co-Pilot. The car version is a 1-off £15. Later on I will need the campervan/truck version of something.

[GingerMagic]

Try one called Maps.me
It's free, just download the maps onto your phone at home using your WiFi - and your mobile will only use the location service, no data used.
Truthfully I haven't tried it yet, it's on my list of jobs once I've scrounged an old smartphone.

[Doggy]

Thanks for the tip Kelv, I'll give it a whirl.

[Welly]

~~~~~~~~I remember when I would take a look at my intended route on the AA road atlas before travelling and 'pen' a simplified version onto plain paper with single-line biro indicating the main motorways and junction numbers required. I remember this was very effective and certainly focused the mind as to where you were heading

Shat-nav makes you lazy, and can mess up your route sometimes [see: Citroen C4 factory sat nav*]

We have a not-so updated Tom Tom plus? large? thing that lives in the glovebox. That's been pretty decent so can't complain. I love Google Maps on my phone but have been too CBA to buy an in-car charger so the phone battery lasts about 11 minutes, I like the way Googly maps can steer you around busy traffic up ahead, once avoided a MASSIVE hold up thanks to that.

Seems to me that unless you buy a 2017 car then built-in sat navs are shite? [see: 406 CD ROMS] the shitrun has an SD Card for the Nav and weirdly seems to know about traffic up ahead and tries to find a better* route. I wonder if it came with a lifetime subscription to some sort of live update service I dunno.

[highlander]

weirdly seems to know about traffic up ahead and tries to find a better* route. I wonder if it came with a lifetime subscription to some sort of live update service I dunno.

The BMW has this also - it's a service called Traffic Message Channel (TMC):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traffic_message_channel

Seems to be broadcast using FM radio and is piggy-backed into the signal from most commercial radio stations - sort of like how SMS is tucked into cellular transmissions, or how Ceefax/Teletext was tucked into television transmissions. Your car has a special RDS decoding unit that listens out for the TMC data packets, then throws them in the general direction of your satnav unit, which plots it on to the map and works out how best to avoid it.

No subscription necessary, this is one of these things that will continue to work until analog radio broadcasts are turned off - presumably DAB radio will have something similar as a replacement for this.

[Welly]

That's it! is says TMC on the display I never knew about this, thanks.

[piglet]

just download the maps onto your phone at home using your WiFi - and your mobile will only use the location service, no data used.
.

This is the nub with phone based Satnavs. Most of them rely on a live data connection which can be lost if you go through poor signal areas. Also some of us are on tight wad restricted data bundles.