Google Maps instead of Pratt-Nav

[Elen Sentier]

Advice very welcome please ...

On the way back from Britton Wood my damned Pratt-Nav got me onto the M6 and I had to pay the wretched toll. This was quite unecessary of it but there I was trusting the thing having told it NO TOLLS. Anyway, I would love to know if anyone uses Google Maps through bluetooth/radio and if it works. I've seen some good reports on the net ...

I often map my route through Google, choosing the way I want to go, but the bloody Tom-tom in the car seems incapable of reasonable direction :aargh4:.

 

[bilmo-p5]

It's a while since I've used Tom-tom, but IIRC you should be able to make it avoid certain routes.

 

[BearInTheWoods]

They all have their funny little ways. The one built in to my truck is called a 'birdeye' I think, I've always referred to it as the 'browneye'. Specialities include it telling me to turn right onto a road that was on a flyover about 100ft above me, taking me down insanely narrow lanes, apparently for the sheer hell of it, and not allowing postcodes or lat/long to be entered.

I now buy a road atlas every year, one of the AA ones usually with the latest updates.

 

[HHazeldean]

I dont know about using google maps through bluetooth or radio, but I always use the google maps app on my phone now as, to me, it is a far superior service and is better than pretty much all other satnavs I've used.. Not this if this is what you mean though..

 

[Elen Sentier]

I dont know about using google maps through bluetooth or radio, but I always use the google maps app on my phone now as, to me, it is a far superior service and is better than pretty much all other satnavs I've used.. Not this if this is what you mean though..

Sounds like it. Apparently you can get it to talk through the radio speakers. I've not learned how to bluetooth into my car yet, is that what you do?

 

[HHazeldean]

Sounds like it. Apparently you can get it to talk through the radio speakers. I've not learned how to bluetooth into my car yet, is that what you do?

Oh right I think you could do that if you connected it with an Aux cable potentially.. I haven't heard about bluetoothing it into the car though.. You can get things which are like a satnav holder, except for the phone so it is on the windscreen, then I presume you'd be able to get an aux cable so that it speaks through the cars speaker system..

 

[bushmatt]

Works fine. Only problem is you will likely have to have the radio set to the Bluetooth or aux input setting which will mean having no radio.

However something I often do is connect the phone over Bluetooth and stream the music off my phone to the car whilst also having Google navigation on, it will lower the music volume when the Google man talks! Its a very effective setup.

Be sure to have your phone charger plugged in as it will use a lot of battery on GPS and Bluetooth

Hth

Matt

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4

 

[Elen Sentier]

Works fine. Only problem is you will likely have to have the radio set to the Bluetooth or aux input setting which will mean having no radio.

However something I often do is connect the phone over Bluetooth and stream the music off my phone to the car whilst also having Google navigation on, it will lower the music volume when the Google man talks! Its a very effective setup.

Be sure to have your phone charger plugged in as it will use a lot of battery on GPS and Bluetooth

Hth

Matt

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4

I'll give it a go, sounds like the business. I don't do radio/music in the car so that's fine

 

[swright81076]

Google navigation works perfectly via a parrot system. Use mine all the time.



Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 2

 

[BearInTheWoods]

Google navigation works perfectly via a parrot system.

Don't you find that it keeps trying to direct you towards the fjords?

 

[dwardo]

Google Navigation used to be much better than it is now they "updated" it. Now its all part of Google maps and it no where near as easy to use.

Sorry never had a car with bluetooth but i would image it would take over the radio completely. Loud speaker should be ample.

 

[g4ghb]

google maps is ok to a point..... I don't use it in the car but any route I look at on the computer takes me along a 3mile BOAT (bridleway) instead of the 1mile tarmac drive just because it is private! so whatever you use you need to keep an eye on it and not just blindly follow.

 

[Zingmo]

Google Navigation used to be much better than it is now they "updated" it. Now its all part of Google maps and it no where near as easy to use.

I agree. I drive a lot in my work to places I have never been before. I used to rely on Google Navigation. I really like the way I could click on an address on Google maps on the laptop and it would appear in my list of "Starred places" on my phone. I could also pre-load a map of an area onto my phone when I was on wifi so it would be available when I was driving through the middle of nowhere.

Now they have broken it to the point where I am looking for an alternative. Away from areas with good 3G signal it is pants, and somehow now it is not as good at finding you with the GPS. The battery use on my Samsung GS2 is now so bad while it is running that the car charger cannot keep up.

The worst part for me is that you have to agree to let any Google app track your location at any time (even when you are not using the app, or even the phone) in order to use the maps app.

Z

 

[dwardo]

I agree. I drive a lot in my work to places I have never been before. I used to rely on Google Navigation. I really like the way I could click on an address on Google maps on the laptop and it would appear in my list of "Starred places" on my phone. I could also pre-load a map of an area onto my phone when I was on wifi so it would be available when I was driving through the middle of nowhere.

Now they have broken it to the point where I am looking for an alternative. Away from areas with good 3G signal it is pants, and somehow now it is not as good at finding you with the GPS. The battery use on my Samsung GS2 is now so bad while it is running that the car charger cannot keep up.

The worst part for me is that you have to agree to let any Google app track your location at any time (even when you are not using the app, or even the phone) in order to use the maps app.

Z

You can un-install all maps updates and get the old navigation app back Just need to find a way of stopping it autoupdating and going back to the rubbish version.

 

[ged]

I like to know where I'm going before I start off. That means planning the route, then writing it on sheets of A4 paper in big letters with a black chisel point marker.

If there are any places (generally junctions) where I think I might be even slightly unsure of my bearings when I get there I look at the satellite view and form a mental picture of the place with landmarks such as road markings, buildings, trees, whatever so that I don't have to guess when I get there.

I always take a map, a pair of binoculars and at least one compass with me.

Throw that Tom-Tom in the bin.

 

[ADz-1983]

Advice very welcome please ...

On the way back from Britton Wood my damned Pratt-Nav got me onto the M6 and I had to pay the wretched toll. This was quite unecessary of it but there I was trusting the thing having told it NO TOLLS. Anyway, I would love to know if anyone uses Google Maps through bluetooth/radio and if it works. I've seen some good reports on the net ...

I often map my route through Google, choosing the way I want to go, but the bloody Tom-tom in the car seems incapable of reasonable direction :aargh4:.

One of the biggest/easiest mistakes people make is not updating their offline sat-navs. When was the last time you updated the maps/files etc?

 

[Tengu]

How about those nice pink OS maps?

I used them extensively on holiday, never went wrong.

 

[John Fenna]

I aint got Sat Nav and have never used it. When I have been with folk using Sat Nav we have gone wrong....
I do not use Google Maps either.
I use OS maps, plan the route in advance and write my basic directions on a piece of paper...
AA Route finder helps out in areas I do not have the maps for

 

[Bowlander]

You can pick OS maps up at the library as well, ok for walking but not so good on a long car journey.

I use Google Maps Navigation app and haven't gone wrong with it yet. I do always have a back up road atlas, compass, sextant, telescope and specially trained pet raven to find the way though.

If we use common sense and don't drive into quarries or down green lanes, what is the worst that can happen? In the UK, a mild inconvenience of being late.

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Xparent Green Tapatalk 2

 

[presterjohn]

I have GPS on my phone and have found Waze (a free app) more reliable than my sat nav.