Best navigation app/gadget for driving a specific route?
Discussion
I often go out for a drive for fun, usually a c.90 minute loop on local B-roads.
I set up the route on google maps in a PC browser first by specifying a list of "destinations" until it traces out the route I want to follow. I then send this to my phone, open it before I set off, and it will guide me to the destinations in order.
This way I can focus on driving the road rather than worrying about navigation. It can highlight the road ahead giving warning of sharp bends, and potentially of any coppers looking to spoil my fun.
However there are a few problems
1) The phone gets the list of destinations and works out the route 'live' for each one. This may or may not come up with the same route that I saw laid out on my PC, sometimes causing confusion and disappointment when it decides I'd be better off doing a U-turn to reach my next point.
2) It's inflexible, if I try to start or re-start guidance mid-route, it won't let me as I'm not at the starting point.
3) It's unreliable, occasionally stopping midway (when it cannot be restarted due to point 2)
4) At each destination on the route you have to press Continue on the screen, not convenient while bombing down a B-road.
5) It sometimes zooms out a long way such that I can no longer see the detail of upcoming turns (possibly the zoom level is speed dependent
).
The key thing is that unlike a normal navigation when the aim is to reach a specific goal by the quickest route, in this case I should like to drive a specific set of entertaining roads which bring me back to where I started.
Does anyone else use Google Maps for this purpose, and have ways of making it work better? Or is there another app or standalone sat-nav that's recommended?
I set up the route on google maps in a PC browser first by specifying a list of "destinations" until it traces out the route I want to follow. I then send this to my phone, open it before I set off, and it will guide me to the destinations in order.
This way I can focus on driving the road rather than worrying about navigation. It can highlight the road ahead giving warning of sharp bends, and potentially of any coppers looking to spoil my fun.
However there are a few problems
1) The phone gets the list of destinations and works out the route 'live' for each one. This may or may not come up with the same route that I saw laid out on my PC, sometimes causing confusion and disappointment when it decides I'd be better off doing a U-turn to reach my next point.
2) It's inflexible, if I try to start or re-start guidance mid-route, it won't let me as I'm not at the starting point.
3) It's unreliable, occasionally stopping midway (when it cannot be restarted due to point 2)
4) At each destination on the route you have to press Continue on the screen, not convenient while bombing down a B-road.
5) It sometimes zooms out a long way such that I can no longer see the detail of upcoming turns (possibly the zoom level is speed dependent
).The key thing is that unlike a normal navigation when the aim is to reach a specific goal by the quickest route, in this case I should like to drive a specific set of entertaining roads which bring me back to where I started.
Does anyone else use Google Maps for this purpose, and have ways of making it work better? Or is there another app or standalone sat-nav that's recommended?
I'm sure there is a thread on this sort of thing somewhere in the Roads section of the forum, but I can't find it right now:
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/forum.asp?h=0&...
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/forum.asp?h=0&...
I use the tomtom app for a specific route I want to take - you can set up the exact roads you want and save them as a route.
It works much better than live routing and I can actually beat it with local knowledge compared to the automatic routing suggestion.
You can start it mid route no problem - it asks if you want to go to the nearest point along the route to continue or to the start from where you are.
It works much better than live routing and I can actually beat it with local knowledge compared to the automatic routing suggestion.
You can start it mid route no problem - it asks if you want to go to the nearest point along the route to continue or to the start from where you are.
It’s not Waze that’s for sure, it was desperately trying to push us onto the A31 last Friday where it was nose to tail traffic from Cadnam to Ringwood.
Waze didn’t/wouldn’t let us go via the A35 instead, fortunately local knowledge overruled Waze routing and we must have saved at least an hour, after an 11 hour drive back from France.
Waze didn’t/wouldn’t let us go via the A35 instead, fortunately local knowledge overruled Waze routing and we must have saved at least an hour, after an 11 hour drive back from France.
Cycling apps like Garmin Connect or Map My Ride are great for this sort of planning.
Not sure though if they work on an app as opposed to a cycling computer.
The Porsche ‘Roads’ app is very good too, once you’ve got the hang of it.
Does the My Maps features in Google maps do what you’re looking for?
Not sure though if they work on an app as opposed to a cycling computer.
The Porsche ‘Roads’ app is very good too, once you’ve got the hang of it.
Does the My Maps features in Google maps do what you’re looking for?
Whataguy said:
I use the tomtom app for a specific route I want to take - you can set up the exact roads you want and save them as a route.
This is what I use. There’s a full web-based route planner from which you can create & manage routes. Works nicely on a CarPlay head unit too.Edited to add: No “continue” button when you get to a waypoint either.
Edited by NoTreadLeft on Monday 29th July 07:39
Whataguy said:
I use the tomtom app for a specific route I want to take - you can set up the exact roads you want and save them as a route.
It works much better than live routing and I can actually beat it with local knowledge compared to the automatic routing suggestion.
You can start it mid route no problem - it asks if you want to go to the nearest point along the route to continue or to the start from where you are.
Many thanks for those who've suggested a TomTom app, sounds good.It works much better than live routing and I can actually beat it with local knowledge compared to the automatic routing suggestion.
You can start it mid route no problem - it asks if you want to go to the nearest point along the route to continue or to the start from where you are.
Are we talking here about the free TomTom "AmiGO" app, the £20/year TomTom "GO Navigation" app, or one of their other five apps?
DirktheDaring said:
It’s not Waze that’s for sure, it was desperately trying to push us onto the A31 last Friday where it was nose to tail traffic from Cadnam to Ringwood.
Waze didn’t/wouldn’t let us go via the A35 instead, fortunately local knowledge overruled Waze routing and we must have saved at least an hour, after an 11 hour drive back from France.
I was in the same jam .... Google Maps was no betterWaze didn’t/wouldn’t let us go via the A35 instead, fortunately local knowledge overruled Waze routing and we must have saved at least an hour, after an 11 hour drive back from France.
samoht said:
Many thanks for those who've suggested a TomTom app, sounds good.
Are we talking here about the free TomTom "AmiGO" app, the £20/year TomTom "GO Navigation" app, or one of their other five apps?
Tom Tom Go I used, along with https://plan.tomtom.com/Are we talking here about the free TomTom "AmiGO" app, the £20/year TomTom "GO Navigation" app, or one of their other five apps?
GeniusOfLove said:
samoht said:
Many thanks for those who've suggested a TomTom app, sounds good.
Are we talking here about the free TomTom "AmiGO" app, the £20/year TomTom "GO Navigation" app, or one of their other five apps?
Tom Tom Go I used, along with https://plan.tomtom.com/Are we talking here about the free TomTom "AmiGO" app, the £20/year TomTom "GO Navigation" app, or one of their other five apps?
I've used Tyre for the past 15yrs or so to plan routes for Tom Tom. Probably not the most sophisticated thing around now but does the job. Haven't changed to mobile yet, despite using Google maps for day to day navigation.
https://tyre2navigate.com/?lang=en
https://tyre2navigate.com/?lang=en
Calimoto....
I use this on the bike, you can create a route on your phone of via a browser and as they are stored in the cloud they sync direct to your phone. You add waypoints to create your route, but you can drag each section to suite, likewise within the app you can dictate whether you want to cover the ground in the fastest way, or twisty, super twisty... super twisty can take you down so right clangers though.
If you have carplay etc it works with that also..... the free version give you a limited 100 mile radius I think so plenty for most jaunts, but it's an annual subscription of £40, there may be a one off also. If you just leave it running it will record everywhere you have been also and provide an overview on the map.
I use this on the bike, you can create a route on your phone of via a browser and as they are stored in the cloud they sync direct to your phone. You add waypoints to create your route, but you can drag each section to suite, likewise within the app you can dictate whether you want to cover the ground in the fastest way, or twisty, super twisty... super twisty can take you down so right clangers though.
If you have carplay etc it works with that also..... the free version give you a limited 100 mile radius I think so plenty for most jaunts, but it's an annual subscription of £40, there may be a one off also. If you just leave it running it will record everywhere you have been also and provide an overview on the map.
GeniusOfLove said:
samoht said:
Many thanks for those who've suggested a TomTom app, sounds good.
Are we talking here about the free TomTom "AmiGO" app, the £20/year TomTom "GO Navigation" app, or one of their other five apps?
Tom Tom Go I used, along with https://plan.tomtom.com/Are we talking here about the free TomTom "AmiGO" app, the £20/year TomTom "GO Navigation" app, or one of their other five apps?
I'm investigating exactly this at the moment for the upcoming European solo jaunt that I'm doing.
So far, the best for planning seems to be myrouteonline.com
You can pay for it, but routes with 6 points are free to plan and can then either navigate directly within their own app or via GPX to Garmin etc.
I'm going to play with that part of it shortly.
So far, the best for planning seems to be myrouteonline.com
You can pay for it, but routes with 6 points are free to plan and can then either navigate directly within their own app or via GPX to Garmin etc.
I'm going to play with that part of it shortly.
samoht said:
Many thanks for those who've suggested a TomTom app, sounds good.
Are we talking here about the free TomTom "AmiGO" app, the £20/year TomTom "GO Navigation" app, or one of their other five apps?
It's the Go navigation at £20 a year I use, the amiGo app is the free one but lacking features.Are we talking here about the free TomTom "AmiGO" app, the £20/year TomTom "GO Navigation" app, or one of their other five apps?
With the Go navigation app you can download maps for any countries you want to visit, so you aren't using data for maps when there - only a small amount for traffic information.
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