The pros and cons of a iPhone as a satnav

[AlanQ]

The iphone makes an excellent sat nav but you really need to rig a power cable for it as it will kill the battery pretty quickly. As long as you've got power the gps works extremely well with or without a cell signal. As others have mentioned HERE maps is great but also Copilot is as good as (I think better) than tomtom but you do need to pay. For off road stuff have a look at MotionX gps, You pay for the app but the maps are free and you can download whichever section you need. Garmin Montana is a good bit of kit but I find its on-road routing is a bit chaotic sometimes so increasingly use the iphone these days.

[chrisjk]

There are several, plenty really, more apps that work offline and allow you to see a route you plotted before hand on the computer. Some also provide turn by turn instructions like a Satnav.

I have used most that are available for the iPhone and have navigated some complex routes in this way. However, after a deal of experimentation and expense, I have come back to using a Garmin (Nav V and a 590). The hassle factor is much less than a phone and now with the improved capabilities of those devices such as the ability to display tracks as well as routes, they are just more generally useful to me than the phone apps.

I do still have a bunch of navigation apps on the phone with downloaded maps etc. both as backup and for looking at upcoming/possible routes etc when off the bike.

[Simon_100]

You also don't want to put all your eggs in one basket Al (thumbs)

Regs

Simon

[-Ralph-]

The iphone makes an excellent sat nav but you really need to rig a power cable for it as it will kill the battery pretty quickly. As long as you've got power the gps works extremely well with or without a cell signal. As others have mentioned HERE maps is great but also Copilot is as good as (I think better) than tomtom but you do need to pay. For off road stuff have a look at MotionX gps, You pay for the app but the maps are free and you can download whichever section you need. Garmin Montana is a good bit of kit but I find its on-road routing is a bit chaotic sometimes so increasingly use the iphone these days.

Battery life and overheating aside. How do you waterproof your iPhone, the USB charger, and the lightening connector? Does the lightening connector get a loose connection, fall or get pulled out of the phone charging socket on occasion, without you realising so the battery goes flat? Does your waterproof case steam up at all? If not which one are you using? Can you use your touch screen through the case with your gloves on? Does the iPhone never lock it's screen or crash?

If you have found a setup that makes the iPhone an excellent sat nav, I'm sure lots of people would love to know what your setup is, because lots of people are struggling to the extent that they give up and go spend £300 on a motorcycle sat nav.

[DaveCon]

I'm sure a lot of people will counter this but; I read that using a phone as a SatNav was not good for the phone because the display is not designed to be run continually for long periods like is needed for a SatNav and (as others have commented) the battery can get very hot which is also not good.

I took the plunge and bought a Garmin 390 motorcycle Sat Nav and honestly think it's well worth it (and I'm very tight with cash). Waterproof, use with a gloved finger (which I have had to), easy to read (why I stopped using a map in a tank bag cos my eyes are crap close up) and covered in rubber so it bounces (which I have seen :pinch: ). As well as all the other SatNAv benefits.

You also get to use Base Camp :pinch: It's not brilliant or particularly easy to use especially if you have an older computer (it uses quite a lot of processing power) but with a bit of patience you can plan routes and keep waypoints and all sorts (thumbs)

(thumbs)

[Diesel Pete]

You can't beat a proper designed for the job, waterproof motorcycle sat nav IMO. Most people who say a phone in a waterproof case is just as good have never had one. I've never known anyone go back to a car sat nav or a phone having bought one. You get what you pay for.

What Ralph said (thumbs)

I use a Garmin 550 plugged into an Autocom unit so happy days with music and navigation (thumbs)

[AndyB]

Battery life and overheating aside. How do you waterproof your iPhone, the USB charger, and the lightening connector? Does the lightening connector get a loose connection, fall or get pulled out of the phone charging socket on occasion, without you realising so the battery goes flat? Does your waterproof case steam up at all? If not which one are you using? Can you use your touch screen through the case with your gloves on? Does the iPhone never lock it's screen or crash?

If you have found a setup that makes the iPhone an excellent sat nav, I'm sure lots of people would love to know what your setup is, because lots of people are struggling to the extent that they give up and go spend £300 on a motorcycle sat nav.

Lifeproof cases will do the job but they're expensive and on top of the cost of an iPhone that will almost certainly overheat and shut down when you're in the middle of a city it's probably best to buy a proper bike orientated sat nav.

http://www.lifeproof.co.uk/

I've had my Garmin Zumo 500 for 7 years and the built in odometer is showing just under 60k miles now. It just works and that's all I want it to do (thumbs)

[Simon_100]

Horses for courses. I use a GPSMap 62S partly because I use it for hiking too but mainly because it has buttons rather than being entirely on-screen.

The downside it that the screen is quite small for 'trail up' bike use - but I like to look where Im going anyway! (thumbs)

Regs

Simon

[jonny955]

You can't beat a proper designed for the job, waterproof motorcycle sat nav IMO. Most people who say a phone in a waterproof case is just as good have never had one. I've never known anyone go back to a car sat nav or a phone having bought one. You get what you pay for.

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

I totally agree, Ralph.

The other advantage is that a properly designed outdoor navigation unit (I use the Montana) is cross-disciplined and will be user-friendly enough for a cosy car yet rugged enough for pretty extreme winter sports. I can't imagine my frozen digits fumbling in my pocket and trying to use a 'phone when visibility has failed during galeforce blizzards up in Snowdonia. Sure, not everyone goes to that extreme but let's take mountain biking. Sooner or later, you'll take a tumble or get swiped by tree branches etc. If you are unlucky, that's the end of your 'phone.

Of course, I'm a self-confessed technophobe and that really means I'd rather only have the technology if it's (a) fit for purpose and (b) doesn't de-skill me! :laugh: :silly:

Jon

[Peirre]

For my iPhone 6+ I use an otterbox defender case