TomTom traffic updates

[Mojooo]

How reliable and quick are the tom tom traffic updates?

if there is a crash on the motorway does it actually tell you what it is etc or does it just show that its busy there?

is it worth the extra money?

[GingerRob]

is it a live version or not because the live versions have a built in sim card so that they can get the updates over the mobile phone network, which is better than the tmc channel

[thetapeworm]

I think my "Live" updates every 3 minutes, generally fairly accurate on major routes too. Kicked in tonight and diverted me around a bit of a queue on one motorway and onto an alternative with a smaller queue. No idea how bad the other queue was though obviously so it could be a con

[GingerRob]

only thing with the "live" versions is that after the 3 month trial period you have to pay for the updates but you do get quite a few things with it

Have a look here:

http://www.tomtom.com/services/service.php?id=14

[Mojooo]

havent chosen one yet, but i aint paying £8 a month for the updates!

[thetapeworm]

Mojooo said:

havent chosen one yet, but i aint paying £8 a month for the updates!

It gets cheaper if you buy in 12 month blocks but not by much.

I used the Google search a lot and it's handy to get the latest traffic cameras and things but not essential if you get them elsewhere and know the address you want to get to rather than the vague ramblings I usually rely on.

TMC might be your cheaper option but I don't think it has great coverage in the UK yet.

[lescombes]

I use ITIS for my Nokia phone for Traffic Updates, refreshes usually every minute or two......... I do have an unlimited internet package on my contract and my Nokia has GPS inbuilt.....
superb product, free and it always gives me the heads up before the TA on the radio....

http://www.itisholdings.com/article.asp?id=417

http://devzone.itisholdings.com/mobileclient

http://devzone.itisholdings.com/mobileclient/mobil...

[Deva Link]

ITIS is used for the Mercedes OEM system and it's rubbish.

It used transponders or something on Eddie Stobart trucks to see if the traffic is stopped or moving. So it shows traffic stopped - you carry on and there's a driver having a kip in a layby!

[lescombes]

works fine for me.......and I live on the A14/A1/M11 corridor.... The system is always ahead of the radio/TV & internet updates..... horses for courses.....you pays your money ....

[Deva Link]

lescombes said:

works fine for me.......and I live on the A14/A1/M11 corridor.... The system is always ahead of the radio/TV & internet updates..... horses for courses.....you pays your money ....

You'd be pushed to pay much more than the MB system costs - around £2K by model. The yearly updates alone cost more than any entire TomTom unit.