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SuperNet
Go Ninja,Go Ninja Go..
Premium Member
join:2002-10-08
Hoffman Estates, IL

SuperNet

Premium Member

Garmin GPS and realtime traffic

So I am thinking of getting a Garmin GPS...

I want real time traffic,
So the Lifetime traffic included, does that mean it has REAL TIME, traffic updates or do I have to hook it up to a computer 1st?

I seem to like the nüvi® 2455LMT model, I believe that is the cheapest with real time traffic?

Thanks

DanHo
Premium Member
join:2002-05-20
Seattle, WA

DanHo

Premium Member

It's as real time as it gets. Sometimes it will be a little off. I've run into situations where my Garmin says there is traffic ahead and there actually is none when I get there and vice versa.

For the most part it does a great job. If you are using the navigation to get somewhere it will reroute you around the traffic if it will take too long to go through the traffic.

BKayrac
Premium Member
join:2001-09-29

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they use a FM receiver that uses TMC

»en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tr ··· _Channel

it's meh, traffic at it's current stage is always meh

waze for smartphones also uses TMS, along with user base reports, might want to give that a shot first as it's free, as you don't need to pay anything and you can review the information it will give you from the garmin receiver without having to buy one

my suggestion? don't buy a gps based on assuming the traffic info will be relevant at all, because at this stage of the game, it's just not

PhoenixDown
FIOS is Awesome
Premium Member
join:2003-06-08
Fresh Meadows, NY

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Some of the better models will use cell phone transmission (not your personal phone) over FM transmission for faster updates.

Also everything I've been reading on the Garmin's is that the lifetime traffic comes with advertisements so I've been looking into TomTom Go's.

BKayrac
Premium Member
join:2001-09-29

BKayrac

Premium Member

said by PhoenixDown:

Some of the better models will use cell phone transmission (not your personal phone) over FM transmission for faster updates.

Also everything I've been reading on the Garmin's is that the lifetime traffic comes with advertisements so I've been looking into TomTom Go's.

you also need to pay a monthly fee for the cell service ones

PhoenixDown
FIOS is Awesome
Premium Member
join:2003-06-08
Fresh Meadows, NY

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I thought those were included in certain "lifetime" models, at least in so far as the TomTom Go #### TM series are concerned.

BKayrac
Premium Member
join:2001-09-29

BKayrac

Premium Member

said by PhoenixDown:

I thought those were included in certain "lifetime" models, at least in so far as the TomTom Go #### TM series are concerned.

well looks like some are giving you a year free

Connectivity
Live services connectivity yes, 1 year for FREE

which is an improvement at least

printscreen
join:2003-11-01
Juana Diaz, PR

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Member

The "Lifetime" part is for the map updates, not the traffic. Updates come out quarterly and you have to purchase them if your Garmin unit is not one of the "Lifetime" models. Or you can purchase a "Lifetime" subscription for the models that don't come with it.

PhoenixDown
FIOS is Awesome
Premium Member
join:2003-06-08
Fresh Meadows, NY

1 recommendation

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TomTom VIA 1505TM 5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator with Lifetime Traffic & Maps

Outsmart delays with Free Lifetime Traffic Updates, without advertising

»www.amazon.com/TomTom-Po ··· 0&sr=1-3



Coolguy2
@optonline.net

Coolguy2

Anon

If you want the best traffic reports, do not get a gps with an FM receiver. Instead get one with a cellular connection to the Internet.

I have both kinds and I never use the FM receiver unit. The cellular unit gets the traffic from the internet. When you type in the destination, you can hear the interference on the radio which means the gps is going out and chatting. It also updates frequently on the trip.

That being said, the traffic reports still lag a few minutes. But its better than nothing and you get an estimate of delay in minutes.

It is quite evident that whoever is gathering the traffic data is measuring cell phone travel somehow without using the cell phone gps.

I saw a yellow splotch (meaning slowdown) on a perfectly clear rural road around Bear Mountain NY, and when I got there, it was a scenic overlook.

The bad side with a cellular unit is that Garmin gathers all your data, where you stop, where you shop, etc. As I recall you sign your life away when you agree to the terms of service.

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join:2003-11-01
Juana Diaz, PR

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Member

said by Coolguy2 :

If you want the best traffic reports, do not get a gps with an FM receiver. Instead get one with a cellular connection to the Internet.

Then you would have to pay extra for that. It would be better to use a smartphone instead but you would be sacrificing the much better functionality of a dedicated GPS device.

Coolguy2
@ashcroft.com

Coolguy2

Anon

Unless you get a windshield dock, using a smart phone to monitor traffic is almost like texting and asking for an accident, imho.

The screen is not the greatest unless its close to you.
The screen saver kicks in and if you have password protection after a certain amount of time, thats another distraction.

You may have to change your back light timer settings just for use in the car. GPS with map updates on a smart phone is also a battery killer.

Calls come in at wrong time and the screen changes...the display may slow down when auto-updates are downloaded. In weak areas the map does not update.

...all this is my experience of having to use my droidx when I left my GPS at home.

If you want to put with all of that, then sure, you can use a smart phone. Its really more convenient to have something that does not create all of these distractions.

Hopefully smartphones will pull down the prices of dedicated GPS's.

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join:2003-11-01
Juana Diaz, PR

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You have written the entire book on why a smartphone will not fully replace a dedicated GPS device. I don't have a smartphone but do have a Garmin GPS device but there are people that swear smartphones will replace them. You added even more reasons I never thought about other than non-optimal interface, small screen and incoming calls.

But I did mention the use of smartphones because using a GPS with cellular connectivity means that there is yet one more bill to pay or at least one more device in your cell phone account.

Coolguy2
@optonline.net

Coolguy2

Anon

Its an individual decision. After 24 months I have to pay $5 a month to get GPS traffic, to find out what the gas prices are at the 20 nearest gas stations, and to access google local search, the weather forecast as well as bunch of stuff I never use.

Its a small price just to know that there is a major accident on the highway and to get a detour so I wont have to stay too late at work or get stuck on the way home.

I have a 90 mile round trip commute and it sucks 2 hours out of my life every week day. But for someone who just needs to find an address once in a while, its probably not worth it.

EGeezer
Premium Member
join:2002-08-04
Midwest

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I own a Garmin 1490LMT.

The traffic slowdowns and incidents are provided through an FM receiver built into the power cable.

The LMT designation means Lifetime Map and Traffic.

It tends to show slowdown areas that are gone by the time I get to them. I did find it handy for deciding whether to go through Orlando or take the tollway around.

See here for screen shots and a demo of the function.

Actually, I just sent it back under warranty for repair or replacement
due to some freeze-ups and reboots caused by data retrieval errors according to the the diagnostic logs.

The Garmin support people were very responsive and I recommend them for their customer support.