confused- what do Tomtom Live services actually do?
Discussion
So, over Xmas, needing a new Satnav and sick of having 2 or 3 devices stuck to my windscreen with the associated wires, I was persuaded to buy a TOMTOM 950 LIVE. I read that the tomtom would be using the Road Angel camera database which was updated over the air, as were fuel prices and traffic. So, this one device would replace my Road Angel Prof Connected and a separate satnav.
Well, having driven past 10 speed cameras in central London that the Tomtom didn't warn me about I decided to try and work out how it really works... Obviously it is NOT updated over the air! What have I paid £80 per year for!?!?!?!?
Can someone explain what Tomtom Live DOES do?
Having dug a little deeper, Road Angel provide only the MOBILE warnings to Tomtom. The fixed speed camera warnings come from Tomtoms rubbish database AND you have to connect your Tomtom to your computer to get them...
I feel like I've been conned.
J
Well, having driven past 10 speed cameras in central London that the Tomtom didn't warn me about I decided to try and work out how it really works... Obviously it is NOT updated over the air! What have I paid £80 per year for!?!?!?!?
Can someone explain what Tomtom Live DOES do?
Having dug a little deeper, Road Angel provide only the MOBILE warnings to Tomtom. The fixed speed camera warnings come from Tomtoms rubbish database AND you have to connect your Tomtom to your computer to get them...
I feel like I've been conned.
J
Where did you read all these falsehoods - was it the TomTom site or some 3rd party site which TomTom are not responsible for.
I know the mobile cameras are updates over your phone connection, as are current traffic conditions - but the major speed camera database (which is crap anyway and you might as well get the pocketgpsworld.com one) and fuel prices are via your home computer, probably due to the fact that these files will be quite large and not suitable for downloading over a bluetooth internet connection.
BTW, the camera warnings will only alert you when you're going close to the limit, so if you don't hear them it may confusingly mean that 1) you're going too slow; 2) the system's broken ;-)
I know the mobile cameras are updates over your phone connection, as are current traffic conditions - but the major speed camera database (which is crap anyway and you might as well get the pocketgpsworld.com one) and fuel prices are via your home computer, probably due to the fact that these files will be quite large and not suitable for downloading over a bluetooth internet connection.
BTW, the camera warnings will only alert you when you're going close to the limit, so if you don't hear them it may confusingly mean that 1) you're going too slow; 2) the system's broken ;-)
Edited by mmm-five on Saturday 23 January 16:27
jackliebling said:
"Your TomTom GO receives advanced warnings from Road Angel, including fixed safety cameras, mobile safety cameras, black spots and more, to get you there safely"
Doesn't state how it receives them though, although you could say that the 'advanced' bit meant either you are warned in advance, or they are downloaded in advance - that sort of ambiguity is common everywhere.Anyway, you can always add cameras to the database yourself when you see a new one that isn't recorded - don't know how as I don't use the Live services as I thought they were crap anyway.
Surprised you were surprised. I bought a 950 Live without being at all confused. If I decide to continue paying my £8 pm, it will be for the benefit of the HD Traffic. My son who has been using it for 15 months in the London area (on a 940 Live) thinks it is very good. (Sorry if I sound dismissive, perhaps I knew from my son that the fixed camera database was only updated via a PC connection).
I think I am getting fuel prices two different ways - and that they are not reliable.
You have not mentioned the benefit of Google local search - can be quite useful.
I think I am getting fuel prices two different ways - and that they are not reliable.
You have not mentioned the benefit of Google local search - can be quite useful.
They're all screwed once Google Navigation launches on Android products - for free...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGXK4jKN_jY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGXK4jKN_jY
size13 said:
I can't understand why the satnav companies are now charging for traffic. I thought TMC was over the air.
It used to be free and is free in my Civic.
TMC is still free with a TMC receiver.It used to be free and is free in my Civic.
Unfortunately that's as current as the traffic news on any particular radio station.
The one you have to pay for (HD Traffic) combines the TMC info with other people using HD Traffic and calculates jams based on their info, which is then distributed through the network via the built-in SIM in the TomTom.
You can view it in real time on their website - http://www.tomtom.com/hdtraffic/
TomTom said:
TomTom uses multiple up-to-the-minute sources to determine the speed of a traffic jam.
- Data from Vodafone's GSM network. Vodafone knows when and where telephones are linked to a mast and where they are moving. This information is anonymised and sent to TomTom. TomTom uses this information to calculate the speed with which every telephone in a car is moving. In the case of traffic jams, cars move more slowly and thus the telephones move more slowly too.
- Data from TomTom users. Certain TomTom devices send anonymous information about their location and speed once the user has given permission to do so. Certainly when information from many different users is combined, this results in reliable traffic jam information.
- Data from third parties such as national and local governments and commercial traffic information providers.
- On the device and the Traffic website, the speed at which every traffic jam is moving is indicated by a colour. The table below shows which colour represents each traffic estimation.
Funk said:
They're all screwed once Google Navigation launches on Android products - for free...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGXK4jKN_jY
The software looks quite nice, but I just don't understand how it gets the data fast enough. Using Google Maps on the iphone with a portable data connection is really slow. What sort of data connection do they have in California which gives a fast enough transfer rate to transfer the map data, let alone satellite and streetview?http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGXK4jKN_jY
By the way, with voice address input, HD Traffic and Google Local Search, a large part of what was shown is available today on Tomtom.
Most models do not include the TMC aerial as standard - I am not sure if any current models do so - but most models will be compatible with the system if an aerial is purchased. For example, XL IQ Routes Regional says: 'TMC ready'.
My experience of TMC is that the info is not good enough for me to want to use it.
My experience of TMC is that the info is not good enough for me to want to use it.
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