Sat Nav Recommendations

[Die_hard]

Any advice appreciated (sorry if it's been done to death )

. Have been paying £15 p.m. on 2 mobiles for Orange maps for 3 months lol, so think I'd best buy one really but know nowt about them and there's hundreds out there. Deffo want a TomTom but which one to get? As it will be used maybe once/twice a week (all in the UK except MAYBE on holiday once a year) so don't see the point in paying loads of money for one (thinking £150 max).

Also, and pretend you're explaining to a 4 year old what's all this 'map updates' / 'traffic' / 'camera' mallarky? Do you have to pay extra for these or what? Keep seeing people talking about getting map updates but when having a look at TomTom it's about £35 a year! And is that for the pleasure of it having a new road on it 200 miles away from you?

All I want is a TomTom with Speed Cameras on and don't have to mess about updating things all the time as I'm rubbish with computers. So, any help would be great.

Edit - Was looking at a TomTom XL IQ EU 2 from John Lewis as I have J.L. vouchers for £60 which could go towards it. Don't know if it'd be what I need though lol.

[scottg2540]

hi i have just bought a tomtom go live 520 and paid around £160 for it they are about £200 in the shops plus if the offer is still on you get the live updates free for a year instead of paying £7.99 a month they tell you about all the traffic jams and accidents etc it updates every 3 mins and tells you how long the delays are and if they are getting longer also asks if you would like to take a different route which might be 10 mins longer than the original route but is 10 mins quicker because of the delays i have had 3 tomtoms know and cant fault them

[Die_hard]

How's that live updates thing work then? Am I right in saying that it's just on in the background all the time and if it 'knows' there's a queue ahead, it pipes up telling you?

Money's really tight atm with weddings, babies, poo maternity pay and honeymoons, so anymore monthly subscriptions are painful lol.

[kebaros]

Think there are a couple of sat navs in the for sale section.

UK only ones are generally cheaper and the later ones from tomtom and some others have lane guidenance so you know which lane to get into on the motorway. Map updates are just as they sound, updates to the map so when a road changes (i.e. roundabout added or new road built) you'll be able to download the new map. Traffic usually needs a mobile phone connected through bluetooth or a traffic aerial to get the latest traffic information on your map - the unit then reroutes you around the traffic. Camera warnings are worthwhile as they tell you where fixed and some mobile speed cameras are (mobile ones are where they usually are).

If you go into Halfords they let you play with them and you can see what features you might need. The speed camera updates from tomtom are expensive but easy to update where you can subscribe to somewhere like gpsworld and download there copy but you have to install yourself.

Finally you can add points of interest (poi) to pretty much any sat nav, i've got locations of bp and shell garages, travelodge hotels and for some reason the location of the major supermarkets.

Hope this helps

[scottg2540]

i think you can run it in the backgroud but i have it showing as a road up the side off the screen it shows you at the start and shows you a sign further up for delays and tells you how far away they are and how long the delay is i got 12 month free but think you only get 3 months now but you only have to pay if you want to take it out for longer and i think its the tomtom go live 540 i have got not the 520 got mixed up

[scottg2540]

Think there are a couple of sat navs in the for sale section.

UK only ones are generally cheaper and the later ones from tomtom and some others have lane guidenance so you know which lane to get into on the motorway. Map updates are just as they sound, updates to the map so when a road changes (i.e. roundabout added or new road built) you'll be able to download the new map. Traffic usually needs a mobile phone connected through bluetooth or a traffic aerial to get the latest traffic information on your map - the unit then reroutes you around the traffic. Camera warnings are worthwhile as they tell you where fixed and some mobile speed cameras are (mobile ones are where they usually are).

If you go into Halfords they let you play with them and you can see what features you might need. The speed camera updates from tomtom are expensive but easy to update where you can subscribe to somewhere like gpsworld and download there copy but you have to install yourself.

Finally you can add points of interest (poi) to pretty much any sat nav, i've got locations of bp and shell garages, travelodge hotels and for some reason the location of the major supermarkets.

Hope this helps

the new tomtoms dont need the phone connected or anything its all built in to the unit now

[Die_hard]

Ok, thanks both. Am a bit wiser now Think I'll just get the one I said above. Doesn't have the Live Updates thing on it, according to this ( http://www.find-tomtom-deals.co.uk/ ) but I'll live without it.

[Die_hard]

Do they not all come with 12 months speed cameras on them? http://www.johnlewis.com/230936760/P...x?source=46387 doesn't mention it, except for the bit at the side that says Pay another 20 flaming quid

[scottg2540]

the tomtom go live 550 from handtec is £169 and comes with the live services free for 12 month it also has the lane guidance and hands free calling etc if its not much diff in price i would pay the bit extra plus you can update the map free of charge to the latest one out for first 30 days

[Die_hard]

That sounds good, except I really wanted to use the J..L. vouchers lol. Plus I don't need hands free calling on it tbh. Cheers anyway.

[scottg2540]

can you not sell the vouchers and buy one the live service alone is about £90 for a year and its free and the go live 550 is alot better model than the xl i sold my xl to buy one of these better locking mounts that cant fall of the windscreen and the tomtom clips in and has to be realesed by a button so defintely better

[Die_hard]

I suppose I could sell them. I actually have £80's worth of vouchers which are actually split into J.L., Next and Debenhams vouchers. I was thinking about selling the Next and Debenhams then buying from J.L. but suppose I could just sell them all really.

After 12 months of having that Live Update, is it then ging to cost another £90 a year to have it? Are the speed cameras actually included in that btw?

[scottg2540]

speed cameras are included and you only need to pay the £7.99 a month if you want to renew it you dont have to give any bank details or anthing for the free 12 months

[Die_hard]

Okeydoke. Been reading about that one.You've talked me into it now lol, will order it in a bit when I've erm done some work I'm meant to be doing The joys of night shifts

Thanks for all your help

[scottg2540]

no probs mate happy to help dont think you will be dissapointed going to bed now before the baby wakes me up the joys of being a parent