Android 8" tablet for navigation
If you've been looking for a small Android tablet to use in an RV for navigation, I also have been looking for a long time but I finally found a great one. I wanted a 8" Android tablet which is pret...
Forum Discussion
curious as to why you wanted a odd ball 8" size as opposed to the 10" variants that have more features but are lower in cost because of the popularity of that size? it is a space factor or some other reason? I thought about using my 10" Samsung but I already have built in nav in the truck so it would just be more clutter, and in my car I have been forced to use android auto but I found waze and really like that one, why isn't that on you app list, have i settled for a lower level nav app in the car?
Yes, it's a space issue. The Ford Transit has the perfect spot to mount a tablet but it's a very tight spot. The lower dash, the air vent, the grab handle and the door create a pretty tight spot. Plus the 10" tablets tend to be pretty heavy so they bounce a lot more. I also don't want to cover that AC vent.
I am not a fan of Waze. Personal preference. I don't think the crowd sourcing of traffic results in very accurate traffic except in the largest major cities. I use an RV-specific navigation app that take the dimensions, size and existence of propane into account in the routing.
Curious why you need an RV specific GPS. If you're Rving in a Ford Transit based RV, they're pretty small and your route shouldn't be at all affected by road constraints. I've been Rving most of my life in everything from a Class A, to FW to our current sprinter based Class C. I know my height/weight etc. I have never been in any situation that would have made any difference with an RV specific GPS vs Waze (which I find far more accurate in in up to date info than most of the others). I pay close attention to road signs, bridge warnings etc. but it's really never been issue. I feel like you are developing solutions in search of a problem.
Everyone has different experiences. I'm not a fan of Waze. I've run it alongside other apps, mainly TomTom, for thousands of miles and have never been impressed by their crowd sourced traffic except in the largest cities. I realize the user base of Waze is sharply divided on that issue.
The main reason that I use an RV specific navigation app is because Google Maps doesn't have a filter to avoid unpaved roads. Most RV nav apps do. On major traffic days, this dirt farm path is Google Maps' suggested route home from work to avoid traffic. I don't want to find myself backtracking from a similar issue in any RV. This is a mere 10 minutes outside of a metro area with 750,000 people.
This is a problematic road/bridge within 100 miles of my home. If you're unfamiliar with it, by the time you can see the bridge height sign at the far east end of the road, to actually be able to read it, you've made the turn already. Now you get to back up a city block on a divided road and into a 4 lane divided highway, to go a different route.
Lastly, I've been detoured around traffic in Atlanta and Nashville more times than I can count. This neighborhood in Atlanta is particularly problematic if it's on the quickest route around traffic.
Do I think I'm going to make a mistake and have an accident or be stranded on a dirt path because I blindly followed my GPS? No.
But when we often travel 8 or 9 hours in a day to get where we're wanting to go, I also don't have time to deal with figuring out a manual reroute because Google Maps routed me somewhere I shouldn't be.
actualy you can avoid dirt roads in waze and you can always change it from fastest route to shortest route if you don't want it to recalculate. My concern is hight of overpasses and such. its not to much of an issue ion Canada but from what I read there are lots of low ones in the US, unless its just people making it sound worse than it is.
ok so is there any free nav apps that work on android auto that are rv specific?
Not that I know of, that are RV specific. That is valuable data and the companies aren't going to give that away for free.
