Forum Discussion

trnfla's avatar
trnfla
Explorer
May 17, 2014

Good GPS APP that works without cell service

Hi, as a part of my job I have to plan for emergencies and contingencies to help the first responders locate where they are if the big storm ever hits.

During my search I located an APP that will only use GPS satellites if the cell system is down. There are numerous apps that will pick up the GPS signals but depend on the cell system for the maps.

CoPilot GPS APP that allows you to download the maps to your phone so you don't need the cell system. FYI you can download the whole country or just regions. I recommend downloading only your region due to the size of the file.

The best part it is free and available for android, I-Phone, and windows.

Check it out.

Thanks,
Terry
  • RetSgt7114's avatar
    RetSgt7114
    Explorer
    May 18, 2014
    Lantley wrote:
    Bill.Satellite wrote:
    I'm not sure what you are looking to accomplish so I may be off here, but doesn't a stand alone GPS solve any cellular issues? I am not a fan of Co-Pilot live for routing and would not use it to get my vehicle from point A to point B when I could have something like a Garmin.

    I agree I have seen and used quite a few gps apps including Navigon and Co Pilot. These apps do work and will get you from point A to point B however I have yet to find an app to work as well as a stand alone GPS.

    In the end the only reason to use a app vs. a dedicated unit is to save a few $$$ which is understandable. However for reliability and effectiveness I prefer a dedicated unit.


    X2. I've tried using many of the mentioned apps on both android and iPhones, but found them to be too cumbersome and I didn't like it at all. I much prefer the stand alone dedicated gps units so I can view a much larger screen and also use the gps to view my rear view camera. Having my iPhone free for calls or other apps, works much more effectively for me. I agree that for reliability and effectiveness, the dedicated unit is the way to go, but to each his own.
  • Lantley's avatar
    Lantley
    Nomad
    May 17, 2014
    Bill.Satellite wrote:
    I'm not sure what you are looking to accomplish so I may be off here, but doesn't a stand alone GPS solve any cellular issues? I am not a fan of Co-Pilot live for routing and would not use it to get my vehicle from point A to point B when I could have something like a Garmin.

    I agree I have seen and used quite a few gps apps including Navigon and Co Pilot. These apps do work and will get you from point A to point B however I have yet to find an app to work as well as a stand alone GPS.

    In the end the only reason to use a app vs. a dedicated unit is to save a few $$$ which is understandable. However for reliability and effectiveness I prefer a dedicated unit.
  • Bill_Satellite's avatar
    Bill_Satellite
    Explorer II
    May 17, 2014
    I'm not sure what you are looking to accomplish so I may be off here, but doesn't a stand alone GPS solve any cellular issues? I am not a fan of Co-Pilot live for routing and would not use it to get my vehicle from point A to point B when I could have something like a Garmin.
  • SCVJeff's avatar
    SCVJeff
    Explorer
    May 17, 2014
    Just FYI that these apps do NOT work on devices that are not equipped for broadband (ie-wifi only), because the GPS chipset is part of the WiFi chipset.

    That said I have many different GPS apps on my 128g iPad, and by far the best of the bunch is NAVIGON. It was developed and came from people that build stand-alone GPS devices, and it's every bit as good.
  • sch911's avatar
    sch911
    Explorer
    May 17, 2014
    Google Maps now allows offline mode. You just have to pick the route or area you want it to download. Then it works without cell service in that area.

    Otherwise I use a GPS product by Sygic (in the app store) for one of my tablets.

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