Which new sat nav?

[DangerMousy]

At the moment we use Navmii on an old phablet/phone but one of the limitations of this (that's starting to annoy him that does the driving) is that even when you choose truck/RV it still assumes you'll travel at the car speed limits. So your projected arrival time is wrong and on Navmii you don't seem to be able to change your preferred speed.

I know (most? all?) the standalone sat nav units do allow you to set your normal/max speed per road type, but they cost several hundred £££s and I'd really rather not spend that if I can help it Do any of the Android apps allow you to so this? I'd prefer free, but would be willing to pay a small subscription if its worth it. Or are the standalone units worth the extra investment?

 

[eddie]

Google Maps always 100% up to date, free and has live traffic information plus a pretty good search engine "OK Google find me a campsite"

Sat Nav's are dead

 

[mitzimad]

i agree weve had no problems using phones with google just need to get set up with a phone holder and leads

 

[DJA]

Hi @eddievanbitz

Can you set vehicle weights and dimensions in google along with the Max speed you wish to go.
If you can set the Max speed have you noticed whether or not as a result it then ignores the Long motorway type route for a more direct route as you can travel that way in a similar time because you restrict your speed on the Motorway type roads. I have seen this situation on an Old Tomtom unit I used to have. I have not seen it yet on a current model but maybe I have not gone somewhere that it can occur.

Doug

 

[DangerMousy]

Yes Google/Waze etc. is fine when you're travelling in a car, but they only calculate your expected arrival time based on the road speed limit and current traffic conditions. So they don't solve our problem.

I'm looking for a sat nav app (or maybe a standalone unit if its the only way) that allows you to set your preferred/max speed per road type so that it can calculate a reasonably accurate arrival time.

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[DJA]

Hi @DangerMousy

The Tomtom GO Camper and Truck versions only let you set maximum speed overall not for specific road types. Not aware of any that do each type. Beware that the Truck versions can have different inbuilt Speed limits for specific road types as they can differ for Trucks and Motorhomes. Also as happened to use earlier this month we travelled back and were being advised of a 29 minute delay on route. The Tomtom did not do anything about this until it was about 20 miles from where a possibly quicker route occurred. It then offered a 21minute quicker route which we took. I thought this shorter time route may be a way round the problem once I realised where the holdup was. The Tomtom however waits until you near a better route incase the main route clears. Makes sense and worked well.

Also if you use Route planning software and then import you have to be careful that your settings on the Unit don't then override any settings you had in your planned route. For example if you plan no Motorways but your GPS unit is not set similarly then check it has not recalculated the route.

Doug

 

[eddie]

I drive a large camper, very large to some. I have sent thousands on sat nav systems that allow for complicated preference sets. As we sell (sold) sat nav systems we are aware of most on the market and have fitted and played with most

I now use Google maps, it basis your arrival time on the speed limits on the route and the real live data that is uses and is rarely wrong with its arrival time

The Blaupunkt Columbia that is currently £2,499 installed allows you to put so much information in it is boringly eye watering. We had one in our last camper that we changed last August. Driving back from Spain Google maps was more accurate and faster to report traffic issues, which why we haven't bothered fitting one to the new camper

We have also packed up selling satellite navigation systems

 

[TCG]

I drive a large camper, very large to some. I have sent thousands on sat nav systems that allow for complicated preference sets. As we sell (sold) sat nav systems we are aware of most on the market and have fitted and played with most

I now use Google maps, it basis your arrival time on the speed limits on the route and the real live data that is uses and is rarely wrong with its arrival time

The Blaupunkt Columbia that is currently £2,499 installed allows you to put so much information in it is boringly eye watering. We had one in our last camper that we changed last August. Driving back from Spain Google maps was more accurate and faster to report traffic issues, which why we haven't bothered fitting one to the new camper

We have also packed up selling satellite navigation systems

hi Eddie
hear what you say. but is there the facility to put length of vehicle into google maps.. because with the best will in the world google maps will send you the most direct way, which could be down a single dirt track

 

[DJA]

I have just tried a very short route on Google maps on my Phone and the recommended 7 minute route would be fine for a Lorry. The suggested at the same time 3 minute longer alternative, which is a more scenic route, involves single track roads which would worry the side of a big Vehicle, a Weak bridge 3 ton limit and 6' 6" width restriction.

 

[TCG]

I have just tried a very short route on Google maps on my Phone and the recommended 7 minute route would be fine for a Lorry. The suggested at the same time 3 minute longer alternative, which is a more scenic route, involves single track roads which would worry the side of a big Vehicle, a Weak bridge 3 ton limit and 6' 6" width restriction.

umm. i think i will stick with my Tom Tom truck with lifetime map updates, never let me down yet. (he says hopefully)

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[eddie]

Having used expensive navigation software for RV’s and trucks it simply uses the “fastest” route option

I have run side by side tests with Google Maps and the “best” large vehicle software and haven’t seen any preference for a larger vehicle

I was told by a software developer for a major player that they sort the digital mapping available (Google is the only one that does its own mapping) into seven levels

Level seven being a lane with grass down the middle and level one and two being Motorway and A class roads, if you select fastest or your driving a larger vehicle it predominantly only uses levels one and two

Select “shortest” and it will use all seven levels

 

[eddie]

umm. i think i will stick with my Tom Tom truck with lifetime map updates, never let me down yet. (he says hopefully)

Tom Tom truck sends people down a green lane in Taunton en route to our campsite, ignoring the local authority Brown signs along a nice wide main road straight to our entrance, to such a point that Van Bitz customers get sent directions to use for the last half mile in case they are using sat nav

 

[DangerMousy]

We use a combination of Waze and Google maps for traffic and I always have a paper map to hand so I'm not too bothered about automatically re-routing - but the real problem is that their ETAs are never accurate in the MH as they assume that you'll be doing 80mph along the motorways, whereas we tend to sit around 65 so on a long journey that makes for very underestimated ETAs until you get much closer to your destination. Hubby's a bit of a countdown freak (apparently a result of deployments overseas where everyone counted down how long they had to go) so he just wants to know when we set off how long till we get there.

The Garmin satnav we had many many years ago allowed you to set your typical driving speed on different roads: eg. you could set it to 60mph on motorway, 50mph on A roads etc. and it would calculate the ETA on that basis rather than the default speed limit. That's the kind of thing hubby is looking for (sadly we no longer have that old unit or we could run it alongside just to get an accurate ETA).

The Tomtom GO Camper and Truck versions only let you set maximum speed overall not for specific road types. Not aware of any that do each type. Beware that the Truck versions can have different inbuilt Speed limits for specific road types as they can differ for Trucks and Motorhomes.

That sounds like an improvement on what we have today, though I'd prefer not to have to buy a standalone unit - do you know if any of the app based ones allow that? I think we'd even be ok with ETAs calculated on HGV speed limits....we'd just arrive earlier than expected.

I was told by a software developer for a major player that they sort the digital mapping available (Google is the only one that does its own mapping) into seven levels

Level seven being a lane with grass down the middle and level one and two being Motorway and A class roads, if you select fastest or your driving a larger vehicle it predominantly only uses levels one and two

Select “shortest” and it will use all seven levels

That's useful info to know - though we do already usually select the fastest option. And I never trust any of them 100% - every single sat nav system and app I've ever tried has tried to send us off down unsuitable roads or sent us on pointless detours. That's why I always have a paper map to hand

 

[DJA]

Tom Tom truck sends people down a green lane in Taunton en route to our campsite, ignoring the local authority Brown signs along a nice wide main road straight to our entrance, to such a point that Van Bitz customers get sent directions to use for the last half mile in case they are using sat nav

@eddievanbitz Interestly coming from the East the Tomtom Go Camper has your site in as a POI and routes you via the housing and turn left into the site. Using the Post Code which shows as being slightly further long the road directs you via Duddleston which is the way I assume you suggest is avoided. Or is it the Staple Hill section which it uses either way. The Garmin brings you in a longer way via the B3170.

 

[TCG]

Tom Tom truck sends people down a green lane in Taunton en route to our campsite, ignoring the local authority Brown signs along a nice wide main road straight to our entrance, to such a point that Van Bitz customers get sent directions to use for the last half mile in case they are using sat nav

Good old Tom Tom got me to Cornish farm no Problems
What i am going to do is next time out, set Tom Tom truck and also set Google maps on apple car play. and will see if there is any deviation. because to be honest if i could do away with a sat nav, i would be happy. but i am not convinced....Yet

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[gus-lopez]

XGody 886 .Works a treat. Igo mapping with truck measurements ,weight, length, width ,heighth ,etc;
This is the one I bought from a spanish supplier

UK suppliers available

 

[ctc]

Cheap chinese satnav, IGO and a decent map.

 

[PORKSTER]

@eddievanbitz how data hungry is Google maps ?

 

[Robert Clark]

Sat navs are a thing of the past - like paper maps

Google maps is updated continuously
And best of all it’s free

 

[DJA]

Hi @TCG

Tomtom are beta testing Tomtom CarPlay. Don't know if there will be a Truck or Campervan version. I suspect not initially.

Doug

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[Zigisla]

@eddievanbitz how data hungry is Google maps ?

Quick google search and found the following

 

[eddie]

Good old Tom Tom got me to Cornish farm no Problems
What i am going to do is next time out, set Tom Tom truck and also set Google maps on apple car play. and will see if there is any deviation. because to be honest if i could do away with a sat nav, i would be happy. but i am not convinced....Yet

You sound like me 18 months ago lol Happy not to have changed the head unit in the new camper as it does automatic switching to left and right side cameras when indicating and changing lanes

 

[eddie]

Sat navs are a thing of the past - like paper maps

Google maps is updated continuously
And best of all it’s free

Add to that DAB radio and roof mounted satellite TV systems all better via a phone

 

[Robert Clark]

Add to that DAB radio and roof mounted satellite TV systems all better via a phone

In the UK google maps did an update recently so it warns of speed cameras

 

[Robert Clark]

Add to that DAB radio and roof mounted satellite TV systems all better via a phone

Just imagine if Google Maps was taken over by Dometic

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[gus-lopez]

But google maps doesn't work without internet does it?

 

[Robert Clark]

But google maps doesn't work without internet does it?

We never lost our maps during 5 weeks in Spain and Portugal
As a precaution you can download maps if needed

 

[RioRob]

Still waiting for someone to explain how Google maps is "Free".
Don't you have to buy a smartphone and pay monthly for mobile data.
How much does that all cost?

 

[LesW]

But google maps doesn't work without internet does it?

No, furthermore it cannot create multiple complex custom routes.

It's fine if you need to find a location, but for me doesn't come close to to my Garmin units.

 

[eddie]

Still waiting for someone to explain how Google maps is "Free".
Don't you have to buy a smartphone and pay monthly for mobile data.
How much does that all cost?

Well it is free if you have a Smart phone and you have lots of data anyway. My Mother In Law doesn't have either, but there again she still thinks maps are new fangled

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