Less expensive satnavs

[Xian's Shelby]

Hi all, does anyone have any experience of the less expensive units such as Lovpol or Safegoo ( silly name ) available on Amazon for £80 ish. They seem to be good for motorhomes as vehicle data can be entered for avoiding unsuitable roads and bridges. They have 4 out of 5 stars - similar to the more expensive Garmins etc. Any reviews would be helpful - thanks

 

[Jane And Rog]

Looks like you should ignore the reviews, many of them are fake.

That said, nav technology is pretty mature and OSM maps are high quality so there’s no reason why someone cant make a cheaper nav unit. Just not this one

 

[dpsuk999]

You get what you pay for, I wouldn’t trust a cheap one when driving my motorhome, I’d rather pay the extra and have peace of mind, especially in Europe where certain mapping algorithms try and send you down inaccessible routes!

 

[BouncyBoatFolk]

Smart phone Apps, they're generally free," Roadlords " for example, a truckers sat/nav app programmable for height, length, and weight.
Mike.

 

[suavecarve]

If they are still about the chinese lorry satnav did the business for about 50 quid (8 or 9 years ago)

It got you from a to b and you could put heights and weights in. A little slow occasionally and graphics could be better but in terms of value for money (appreciating it will last 3-4 years) was the economical way to go until we could afford the Garmin and Tomtom.

I believe it was also designed by the entrepreneur Wong Wei

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[kevenh]

Looks like you should ignore the reviews, many of them are fake.

That said, nav technology is pretty mature and OSM maps are high quality so there’s no reason why someone cant make a cheaper nav unit. Just not this one

Just from one check, the AI Fakespot use needs some more machine learning.
They’ve launched before their AI is taught/ready.
The Lovpoi had a typical spread of reviews. I scanned & read a few at Amazon
Even a flagged fake one:

Least authentic review

This satnav is very good value for money. Easy to use. I drive a lorry,this device finds the right route avoiding low bridges and width restrictions. I simply cannot fault it! Read Less

Though Fakepot do drop it a couple of *
Maybe the IP address & location of the reviewer is used to decide if a review is less honest - rather than just the text.
If I get a lot of free time later I’ll have to look at more products

 

[PP Bear]

Still swear by my iPad or iPhone apples map, it’s free, updated and hasn’t let me down in the past 10 years and only gets better. As to bridges etc, I wouldn’t rely on a satnav, no matter how good. A bit of route preplanning if I’m heading anywhere that may be a risk.

Covers all speed cameras as well, with a verbal warning if you are over the speed limit.

Few screenshots from the iPad.

 

[headlight]

I've got a cheap Chinese truck sat nav, a 7' XGody, £50 on eBay. Had it for a year, works fine so far.

 

[Langtoftlad]

Nothing wrong with Xgody and Nozatech units... plenty of support & updates from the Facebook group.

 

[dpsuk999]

Still swear by my iPad or iPhone apples map, it’s free, updated and hasn’t let me down in the past 10 years and only gets better. As to bridges etc, I wouldn’t rely on a satnav, no matter how good. A bit of route preplanning if I’m heading anywhere that may be a risk.

Covers all speed cameras as well, with a verbal warning if you are over the speed limit.

Few screenshots from the iPad.

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View attachment 719922
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It's just not bridges that cause problems, Apple and Google, obtain their data usage and traffic from other users (which the vast majority are car drivers) amongst other data feeds and thus will navigate you the most appropriate route based on these users. I personally wouldn't want to rely on such route planning.

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[Xian's Shelby]

Thanks all for your responses, suggestions and warnings ! Maybe I shan't chance the cheaper satnavs. I shall use my car satnav for my spring trip through France, Spain and Portugal. As I have a specific date for meeting friends in Portugal I'll probably use major routes rather than wander the side roads. The homeward trip will be a meander. I'm not worried about bridges as I know my height and if necessary, can check some roads on line before chancing them. I'll also take an old mobile 'phone on which I'll load the maps and use its gps route finding as a back-up. Happy motorhoming everyone.

 

[rf9ridrer]

We`ve just travelled back from Southern Spain to the UK using my old Garmin Nuvi 50, i had to buy a large memory card to install the updates, but still going strong!

 

[POH]

Try truckman a guy called Chris from lancaster
Sponsored
trucknavs.co.uk
https://www.trucknavs.co.uk › truck › navs
HGV, Truck & Coach Sat Navs - UK/European Maps + Backup Map worked OK for us until we got Avtex tourer 2 ( garmin) .

 

[Nanniemate]

Try roadlords free app many truckers ate using it there ate.manu free truckers app out there if you have the data why pay twice some of course you do get ads subscribe to avoid them

 

[GJH]

Nothing wrong with Xgody and Nozatech units... plenty of support & updates from the Facebook group.

The units work (though cheaply built) but it's the pirated (i.e. stolen) software that I object to.

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[Wingingit#1]

I might have to look at xgody used my phone for the last couple of months over in france and spain but the screen is just too small .
Failing that i'll have to look at what i can do with my tablet .

 

[125BEER]

I use Copilot gps on my Tablet. Works......


Cheers

 

[shrek snr]

I us my smart phone Google Maps all around euroland and here down under.Only time I've come unstuck was in London when width restricted barriers.

 

[headlight]

When I first got the XGody I used it in conjunction with Waze on my phone as I wasn't sure how good/accurate it would be for £50.
After a few trips I stopped using Waze as I didn't have any problems with the XGody.
They also do a 9' screen version for £70 or £80.

 

[the1andonly]

Any comments on Maps.me Android mapping Ap

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[ManTheVan]

Shame roadlords isn’t available for i-gadgets!

 

[Nanniemate]

Shame roadlords isn’t available for i-gadgets!

Loads of others out there is that apple