GPS for city driving - what would you recommend?

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Originally Posted by trout1105

Your Smartphone is an "OK" solution But the screen is very small, it uses data when in GPS mode AND it can be a distraction if you get an SMS or a call.
A dash mounted GPS is Not that expensive these days and is a better option to using your phone, You can also pay a little extra to get one with Off road maps as well as the road maps on it.
Another reason a phone is an inferior GPS option is that if there is NO phone reception it won't work.

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Fair points

I travel a lot for work

Screen size isn’t a problem, it’s not like I need to stare at it, left or right or straight ahead.

Data isn’t an issue...as I don’t pay

You can turn notification off so no texts.....and if a call comes through the name of the caller pops up straight away giving you the choice to answer....hands free at its best.

I have off road maps but rarely use them as everywhere is sign posted pretty good these days.

Re: no reception......if your route is locked in before you go out of reception than it continues to work just fine....the only issue is starting from a no reception area which is rare given I normally know my way back to reception. In the cases where I don’t I load the phone up with all my travels for the day before leaving reception.

Personally for me, I don’t need to buy another device to hang off the windscreen.

Most of us would probably recommend the one we have become accustomed to.

For several years I have been using a cheap Chinese 7" GPS with IGO Primo and maps updated a few times from the fixmygps forum.

I swap it between the Camry and the Defender and swap between Primo for on-road and Oziexplorer for off-road.

That is probably about as cheap an approach as you can get. It does everything I want, so have never considered any of the hundreds of alternatives.

In the City I use Google maps, because Google maps knows how fast the traffic is moving and can plan the fastest rout to your destination. You don't have to hold it in your hand so you are not breaking any laws by using it. It can give you directions via Bluetooth or USB if your Phone speaker isn't loud enough.

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Originally Posted by vnx205

Most of us would probably recommend the one we have become accustomed to.

For several years I have been using a cheap Chinese 7" GPS with IGO Primo and maps updated a few times from the fixmygps forum.

I swap it between the Camry and the Defender and swap between Primo for on-road and Oziexplorer for off-road.

That is probably about as cheap an approach as you can get. It does everything I want, so have never considered any of the hundreds of alternatives.

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Been using Igo for a few years on different devices, currently using Igo Primo on a Nexus 7" tablet with latest 2017 maps.
Also been a fix my gps member for a while.

I have a Garmin 6" unit inn my car - works great - free maps updates and tells me when they are ready - $180. Works well and fits inside my cubby so looks OEM. POI updates are not free though. Also with the Garmin you can get a reversing camera kit but it is not the cheapest but is fully integrated into the unit.

The phone is OK but the screen is too small - as far a legality is concerned most States allow the use of a phone as a sat nav but clearly Vic is the exception

I notice a few people saying that you need data to use mapping on your phone. You don’t. You can even download map tiles for google maps and not have to use your 3G/4g connection at all. All major smart phones have gps’s these days and they are just as accurate as a normal GPS.

A lot of guys on the ADV forum are using the Kyocera DuraForce Pro as a GPS. It’s a phone but it’s waterproof and shockproof and has a gorilla glass screen. You can use it without worry of dust ingress etc. Perfect for a 4wd.

just a thought for those saying phone screen is too small.

why not turn on the turn by turn voice (turn left in 200m) and you can keep your eyes on the road.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by trout1105

Your Smartphone is an "OK" solution But the screen is very small, it uses data when in GPS mode AND it can be a distraction if you get an SMS or a call.
A dash mounted GPS is Not that expensive these days and is a better option to using your phone, You can also pay a little extra to get one with Off road maps as well as the road maps on it.
Another reason a phone is an inferior GPS option is that if there is NO phone reception it won't work.

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Sorry, but not so.

1. My iPhone 7 Plus screen is easily big enough.
2. Why aren't you distracted when you get a call or message on your phone even when you are using a standalone GPS?
3. It does NOT use data when in GPS mode. I have maps downloaded to my phone, and they work even if the phone is in Airplane mode.
4. GPS works on the phone when there is no reception. In fact, I use MudMap on my non sim iPad, anywhere I go.

Please try and stick to facts.

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Originally Posted by gusthedog

I notice a few people saying that you need data to use mapping on your phone. You don’t. You can even download map tiles for google maps and not have to use your 3G/4g connection at all. All major smart phones have gps’s these days and they are just as accurate as a normal GPS.

A lot of guys on the ADV forum are using the Kyocera DuraForce Pro as a GPS. It’s a phone but it’s waterproof and shockproof and has a gorilla glass screen. You can use it without worry of dust ingress etc. Perfect for a 4wd.

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Not quite true - you can navigate via GPS using the "current google map" that the phone is using when not on 3g/4G and you can download an extra map (obviously before you lost connection) but that is it. You certainly could not drive say from Brisbane to Melbourne on google maps with no mobile connection (Data).

However there are other apps that provide maps with the app and are usable with the smartphone GPS and off grid.

I saw one of the latest in 2017. You may want to look at it if it will work. Try a Magellan SmartGPS bridges a gap between connected navigation apps and car-friendly GPS. It can be sync with the cloud and connect to the Web via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.