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Sat-nav assistance

blossomchris

I feel better than James Brown
We are after a sat-nav, new or secondhand,? UK and Europe.

We do have a hand me down one, but is well out of date and does not cover Europe.

Any suggestions please, prefer mid price range, but have no idea re quality/cost/installation

Bloss
 
We are after a sat-nav, new or secondhand,? UK and Europe.

We do have a hand me down one, but is well out of date and does not cover Europe.

Any suggestions please, prefer mid price range, but have no idea re quality/cost/installation

Bloss

Phone and Google Maps, or if you can't bear Google knowing where you're going, Waze maps.

No need for a standalone sat nav in this day and age.
 
If your phone package does not support roaming data - or not enough of it, then the app route is not much help and a old fashioned Sat Nav will do the trick.
 
Hi Bloss, I had many SatNavs since when they became available for the public. My recent cars have had built-in SatNav but the most astonishing SatNav I have come across (as mentioned above by Rob998) is the WAZE Map. It updates traffic conditions quicker than other SatNavs I have had. This is due to the WAZE quickly feeding back data about road conditions, accidents, traffic etc. WAZE then adjusts to the traffic and finds a quicker way to the destination. I am totally gobsmacked at some of the routes it takes me on to avoid traffic congestion and it works - accurate arrival times etc. I have no connection to WAZE but I can strongly recommend it. It has shaved at least 30 minutes off my current commute to and from work. Download the App to your 'phone and away you go.

Tom
 
Waze belongs to Google, so I'd double check if you're concerned about Google knowing where you're going/been. Regardless, if you have a decent data connection/contract, I'd use a phone and one of the existing apps. You can use Google Maps offline if you prefer not to have the data connection part. I'm not sure buying a satnav unit - new or used - is worth it given the quality of the phone-based systems.
 
Blimey - I didn't know Google owned WAZE either - thanks for letting me know - that's disappointing but I will keep using it for reasons stated above - it's giving me at least an hour a day of my life back away from traffic.

Tom
 
I’ve never been able to get Waze to work beyond WiFi. I live in a poor signal area, but should that make any difference?
 
Tomtom has offline maps so doesn’t use up your data allowance (other than a small amount for live traffic updates). They’ve moved to a subscription model which costs £8.99 for six months - the app itself is free.

Waze and TomTom now support Apple CarPlay and with CarPlay Waze doesn’t display any ads.

I’ve switched from Waze back to TomTom as if there’s no phone signal Waze relies on what maps are cached, and eventually that can run out.
 
I love Waze. It is a proper example of crowd sourced data. Anonymised data from everyones phone is used to track average speeds on a road and that can be used to help all users.

I see that London Underground are proposing to collect similar data to help understand passenger flows and routing and that was 'outrage' at privacy concerns. But in fact this sort of thing is the wonder of collecting data from zillions of users to the benefit of all.
 
It is great - be interesting to see what direction the SW might take, and what Google will want to do with the data.
 
It can be good to have a proper map too, I usually get something from Roger Lascelles or Michelin.

Currently planning with a big Michelin for Canada.
 
I use Google Maps on the IPhone and it works ok. I'd like to see the speed limit feature included, because that's one thing I miss from not using a conventional sat nav. Apparently, it is being rolled out, but this was news from the beginning of the year, so I have no idea how long we have to wait.
 
You have to be careful with the likes of Garmin dedicated satnavs that you have your settings correct.

Ours almost got smashed with a jack handle and left to rot after getting us lost in the backstreets of Bordeaux 2 years back, and I mean seriously lost, my Mrs has no sense of direction but she was better than that thing.

Switched to Google Maps on the phone and no issues, it got us back to civilisation.

Started last years road trip with just the Phone but played around with the Garmin in the hotel room.....switched from shortest route to quickest route, switched toll roads "on" and another option or 2 enabled, perfect operation after that.

We'll even use it again this year but now may run Waze as well to compare.

Totally agree with the comment above too, a fold up paper Michelin map is great..........love sticking it on the roof when we stop for a brew and looking like an explorer:) Seriously though it does help seeing exactly where you are on the map rather than a 5" screen, plus you find good things on the map the SatNav won't tip you off about!!
 
If you know the areas you are going to you can download map areas in Google Maps and use them off-line, using no data.
The maps stay on your phone for 30 days then auto-delete.
If travelling in Europe you can download the maps at the hotel for the next days journey.
 


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