RV navigation systemsl
Looking to update our rv gps system, an aging Garmin. Your thoughts please.
Forum Discussion
LouLawrence wrote:
Throw out the Garmin style GPS. Your smartphone and Google Maps and/or WAZE is all you need. Additionally, the information on Google Maps is years ahead of anything available on the standalone GPS's. As an example, I-70 here in Denver was closed for the weekend and Google Maps showed that closure and the correct route to avoid it. This would be impossible with a Garmin.
We traveled out west earlier this year and many places had spotty or no cell service. If you're going to use only a smartphone for navigation then you'd better use a program like CoPilot or Sygic where larger map databases can be loaded directly onto the phone so that a cellular connection isn't needed.
As to the traffic reports, all three of my various Garmins have a data link to my smartphone and receive immediate traffic updates so it IS possible to get dynamic traffic updates with a Garmin GPS. I have a Garmin DriveAssist 50 in one vehicle and a Garmin DriveAssist 51 in another. I use a Garmin dezlcam 785 LMT for my RV. It's a GPS that's designed for commercial vehicles and I have it because I drive charter motor coaches but it will support multiple vehicle configurations.. All three of these GPS units not only access dynamic traffic data but all three also have built-in dash cams.
An added bonus is that I have Garmin's free Basecamp program installed on my PC. The program lets me design trips and then upload them directly to my Garmin so the GPS will then contain custom designed routes already installed and ready to go. If I encounter unplanned construction or traffic delays, the Garmin will automatically plot a detour around it if I want the device to do so.
And then there's that problem when you're using a smart phone for navigation in a big city with numerous, fast approaching set of instructions and then you get a text or phone call at the worst moment possible. I have the above programs installed on my cell phone but they're only there for backup purposes or if I'm traveling on a boat or train and want to know my location.
