Satnav with live traffic, but...
Discussion
I may need to buy a standalone satnav (6" screen would be ideal). I'd also like live traffic if possible. However, because I'm a Luddite I don't have a smartphone, don't want one and have no intention of buying one. Surfing stays at home!
Is it possible to buy a satnav that can do live traffic but without the internet? I'm sure they used to exist.
Thanks!
Is it possible to buy a satnav that can do live traffic but without the internet? I'm sure they used to exist.
Thanks!
I guess the expense is the built in element rather than using phone. This article may help but still looks like Tom Tom meets your needs.
https://www.t3.com/features/best-sat-nav
https://www.t3.com/features/best-sat-nav
Wonderman said:
I guess the expense is the built in element rather than using phone. This article may help but still looks like Tom Tom meets your needs.
https://www.t3.com/features/best-sat-nav
I actually found that page while trying to figure it out. But it still doesn't tell you whether a phone is needed to get live traffic data. It's just always ticked 'yes' regardless.https://www.t3.com/features/best-sat-nav
Garmin advertising is distinctly misleading because their units claim live traffic when they can't do it unaided. In fact the marketing of TomTom and Garmin seems to be utterly shambolic because the features are so inconsistently described you can't make accurate comparisons. I spend half an hour googling to sort out what does what then give up in confusion.
For example, does this have built in traffic? https://www.amazon.co.uk/TomTom-GO-Classic-Congest...
It says 'comprehensive traffic information and real-time updates, all via your TomTom GO Classic Sat Nav' - but if so why isn't it £200+ like the Halfords ones?
I thought the TomToms with live traffic have a built-in sim card, so don't need a smartphone to connect to.
On my TomTom it's got live traffic but is not connected to my phone. The only dependency on a connection is the home WiFi to do map updates.
Although, that said, I've not looked at their latest range for a few years now
On my TomTom it's got live traffic but is not connected to my phone. The only dependency on a connection is the home WiFi to do map updates.
Although, that said, I've not looked at their latest range for a few years now
emperorburger said:
I'm just curious why surfing stays at home...A smartphone with Waze is the most sensible option albeit you will need a data plan on your SIM card.
Well, I prefer not to look at the internet on a tiny screen when I can see it properly at home. I prefer not to have another thing to carry round, or remember, or lose, or have to charge up every day, or drop. I see no point in paying hundreds of pounds a year for a gadget that will rarely get used. I have no children to keep tabs on. I organise stuff before I go out. I don't need to carry photos and music with me. That's why I'm not buying a smartphone just to get live traffic 
Mind you at this rate, soon you'll need an app to take a s
t, then I'll be forced into it.Kinky said:
On my TomTom it's got live traffic but is not connected to my phone. The only dependency on a connection is the home WiFi to do map updates.
Ideal!I had a TomTom ONE years ago, a titchy 4:3 screen and it was brilliant.
Edited by Simpo Two on Sunday 31st October 13:24
Simpo Two said:
Well, I prefer not to look at the internet on a tiny screen when I can see it properly at home. I prefer not to have another thing to carry round, or remember, or lose, or have to charge up every day, or drop. I see no point in paying hundreds of pounds a year for a gadget that will rarely get used. I have no children to keep tabs on. I organise stuff before I go out. I don't need to carry photos and music with me. That's why I'm not buying a smartphone just to get live traffic
I do understand what you are saying, however you can buy a perfectly reasonable smartphone with a 6" screen for around £100, which is probably not much more than a decent standalone satnav. Both devices will need charging regularly or plugging in to the car. If you are prepared to stick your existing SIM card in it or buy a cheap PAYG SIM, you will be rewarded with a plethora of satnav apps such as Google, Waze , Nokia Here, etc, which will be far more up to date and functional than a tomtom or Garmin. And you don't need to spend hundreds of pounds a year to get that functionality.Personally like suggested I would buy a smart phone just a cheapy and a £6 or £7 a month card. Just because you have a smart phone does not mean you have to use it for internet when you are out and about. But having it could sometimes save a lot of trouble. Waze or google maps is the answer as it has a wide user base and the traffic info is normally very good. And google tends to know where everything is, unlike tomtom or such like they just rely on you knowing the postcode or someone having written the location into a poi file.
Simpo Two said:
I actually found that page while trying to figure it out. But it still doesn't tell you whether a phone is needed to get live traffic data. It's just always ticked 'yes' regardless.
Garmin advertising is distinctly misleading because their units claim live traffic when they can't do it unaided. In fact the marketing of TomTom and Garmin seems to be utterly shambolic because the features are so inconsistently described you can't make accurate comparisons. I spend half an hour googling to sort out what does what then give up in confusion.
For example, does this have built in traffic? https://www.amazon.co.uk/TomTom-GO-Classic-Congest...
It says 'comprehensive traffic information and real-time updates, all via your TomTom GO Classic Sat Nav' - but if so why isn't it £200+ like the Halfords ones?
If you scroll down for the comparison it has TomTomTraffic....VIA SMARTPHONE...so it is not built in. I'd assume you'd find the model you want and google it for the best price, the Halfords site was for example from quick search. The article also goes through the specs in detail.Garmin advertising is distinctly misleading because their units claim live traffic when they can't do it unaided. In fact the marketing of TomTom and Garmin seems to be utterly shambolic because the features are so inconsistently described you can't make accurate comparisons. I spend half an hour googling to sort out what does what then give up in confusion.
For example, does this have built in traffic? https://www.amazon.co.uk/TomTom-GO-Classic-Congest...
It says 'comprehensive traffic information and real-time updates, all via your TomTom GO Classic Sat Nav' - but if so why isn't it £200+ like the Halfords ones?
Do yourself a favour. Use the TomTom with built in SIM. Lifetime maps and live traffic. Nothing is infallible, but they are seamless, accurate, and you can start to build confidence the more you use them. Linking to a smartphone is tedious, clunky, and nowhere near as user friendly. Ive been using them since time began, including commercial databases added to the earlier models, and reliable height and weight restriction data for larger vehicles.
I have been through this process recently and completely agree with OP
I do not want my phone on a phone holder for waze/ other
I really like the TomTom format
I don’t want to link a TomTom via my phone as it is a pain
However, TomTom make it very difficult to tell which units require a link to your smart phone for traffic updates and which do it in their own. What you need to look for as said by another poster is that the unit needs to have an in-built SIM. They are basically the more expensive ones as you effectively have free data for the life of the unit.
Once I had worked out which one to order, traffic updates didn’t work when it arrived. I went through all the menus and did factory resets and was tearing my hair out. In the end I had to ask TomTom to enable the SIM card. I think it is because it needs UK network connection and they ship from the Netherlands. Once they got it sorted it works brilliantly. Feel free to message me if you need any more info.
I do not want my phone on a phone holder for waze/ other
I really like the TomTom format
I don’t want to link a TomTom via my phone as it is a pain
However, TomTom make it very difficult to tell which units require a link to your smart phone for traffic updates and which do it in their own. What you need to look for as said by another poster is that the unit needs to have an in-built SIM. They are basically the more expensive ones as you effectively have free data for the life of the unit.
Once I had worked out which one to order, traffic updates didn’t work when it arrived. I went through all the menus and did factory resets and was tearing my hair out. In the end I had to ask TomTom to enable the SIM card. I think it is because it needs UK network connection and they ship from the Netherlands. Once they got it sorted it works brilliantly. Feel free to message me if you need any more info.
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