Navigation Question on VTAB

[bc3737]

Just received my (wife's) VTAB. So far so good. Question regarding the use of the Navigation App. It seems that to choose a route to drive you have to be able to access the internet via a Wifi site?? OR should I be able to define a route while NOT hooked up to the internet?? Are all the GPS Apps this way??
Bill

 

[ktackel]

Because there is no 3G like a phone (unless you have hotspot capability) you need to set your route before you leave and cache the maps or use another app more suited to this type of set up like Co-Pilot that lets you download all the maps to the device. There are others also and there are other posts covering this in more detail just do a search.

 

[bc3737]

Just so I'm clear on this - If I purchase Co-Pilot I will be able to set a route (Specific points A to B) WITHOUT a connection to the internet??

 

[pbrauer]

GoogleMaps does now support offline caching of the maps you will need for navigation as well. Go to Maps->settings->Automatic Caching and make sure it is turned on. Then just be sure to view the route you will need.

 

[marvin02]

Google Maps can cache maps on your device. While in Maps tap the Menu button->More->Settings->Labs. Make sure that the Pre-chache map area is on (has a check mark by it). While you are there turn on Bubble Buttons also, we'll use it in the next step.

If you want to cache a specific area search for it. This can be a city name or an address. Tap the pop-up bubble and you will be taken to a screen with options on it, one of which is "Pre-cache map area". When I did this for my home town it then Pre-Cached a map area that included (according to the pop-up) a map area within 10 miles. You will see an outlined area that has been cached.

Another option is to use a nav app with offline map storage. I have Co-Pilot Live Premium USA. You want one that allows you to save a region or to choose which states (if you are in the US) so that you don't have to have the entire country map stored.

If you search for navigation here in the forum you will get a number of threads where this is discussed.

 

[marvin02]

Just so I'm clear on this - If I purchase Co-Pilot I will be able to set a route (Specific points A to B) WITHOUT a connection to the internet??

Yes - that is accurate. There are other nav apps that do this. You want one that stores maps offline and that allows you to choose an area or region so that you don;t eat up all of the space in the VTAB.

 

[pbrauer]

Marvin - thanks for the much more detailed explanation of the caching in GMaps!
Peter

 

[bc3737]

Thanks Marvin but I still have questions - I did cache a specific area(10 miles from my current location). The caching process seems to be fine. So I next took a drive (I have NOT defined a route yet) to get outside my WiFi area. I tried to plan a route (Current Location - to a town nearby) - A pop-up said "Searching for driving directions"???? Just kept searching. So do I still have to define a route while connected to WiFi (using the cached map) or should I have been able to create a route on the fly??
Sorry that I seem confused - I am

 

[marvin02]

Marvin - thanks for the much more detailed explanation of the caching in GMaps!
Peter

Your welcome.

The steps I outlined allows you to cache specific areas. If you plan a route while connected to WiFi the map areas for that route will be cached if you have the automatic caching turned on as you wrote.

 

[marvin02]

You can view the maps you cached - but I think that a server connection is needed to plan a new route. The cached maps are like the old fold up maps you keep in the glove box, they provide reference, but you have to plan the route.

 

[bc3737]

Clearer now - So the same would be true with Co-pilot - That is, I would still have to pre-plan at trip while connected to a server??

 

[marvin02]

Clearer now - So the same would be true with Co-pilot - That is, I would still have to pre-plan at trip while connected to a server??

No Co-Pilot (and some other nav apps) does not require a network connection once the maps are downloaded.

Google, I believe, uses the Maps/Nav app on your phone to display the route but the "planning" is done on Google's server.

 

[pbrauer]

I believe you can reroute on locally cached maps, but yes, new route planning is done on the Google Server I think

Sent from my gTablet using Android Tablet Forum

 

[bc3737]

Marvin - I can't thank you enough for your help. I'm so glad that people are so willing to help on this forum. One last question (for today anyway). My VTAB "Application Storage" indicates 109 MB Used and 647MB Free. I have installed most of the APPS that my wife uses, so I am planning to purchase Co-Pilot Live Premium USA. Do you know if that app will fit on the VTAB without the use in the Micro-SD card??

 

[bill2]

On my android phone the CoPilot Premium app uses 34MB, but that doesn't include the maps. For the maps you can either download the entire country (1.3GB) or specific regions which range from 20MB to 387MB.