SatNav doesn't work in London?

[Swifte]

Hi everyone,

I've been considering SatNav either a TomTom Rider or Smartphone with app + blue tooth headset.

I was recently speaking to someone employing london couriers who said that SatNavs couldn't handle the streets in London whether iPhone app, Android, XDA or TomTom Rider and that they would make several errors such as not handling one way systems etc. so that often you are better with a conventional map.

I find this difficult to believe and I wanted to hear it from the horses mouth, anyone from London and especially London couriers have any experience of this?

[Marmalade]

You do get the odd hiccup but not enough that a paper map would be better.
If you are in London a lot you'll learn your way around and only use sat nav for last bit of trip and if you're not it won't matter anyway.
I use a rider2 and rarely have problems but like i said, they do occur.
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[Peirre oBollox]

its a common problem in major cities due to the tunnel effect created by the huge number of high rise buildings blocking out the line of sight for the GPS signal to the satnav receiving unit your using
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[G]

I've found mine Zumo 660 fine in London.
If you don't keep them up to date, you will eventually find bits that have changed.

I've found decent GPSs are fine even around central London, but they may start to become a bit less accurate as they have more trouble locking on to satellites.

[doggone]

Just the more complex nature of tightly packed streets and buildings plus dense traffic is going to mean more errors are likely.
Whenever I've been in London half of it seems to be getting dug up at anyone time.

[AngelGrinder]

Never had an signal problem, only problems seem to normally be caused by the aforementioned roadworks, one way streets or no left/right turn junctions.

Just use common sense. Also, on the tomtom (other makes may have the same feature) you can tell it to point an arrow in the direction of your destination. This way, whenever you have to deviate from the intented route, you can try and head in the right direction!!
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[calyx]

As an ex London courier I must say they do work fine. Garmin was worse than the tomtom.
Signal bounces from tall building in some areas but it is very rare and you learn those areas in a month or so.

A tomtom should take you to point B 95% of the time with no problems. Just use the "shortest route" option.
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[Swifte]

Ok so Tom Tom rider is ok.

I wanted to combine my SatNav with a phone it would save me carrying a phone and a GPS around at the same time, and if I'm going to spend £200+ I might as well get one of these smart phones instead.

Any experiences of these phones, iPhones or Androids? Do they really work in London?

How about having Android with a TomTom app and then hooking this up as well for extra connectivity? Would this work?

https://catalog.ebay.co.uk/TomTom-Navigator-5-GPS-Receiver-/55976724?_pcatid=121&_refkw=tom+tom&_trkparms=65%253A12%257C66%253A2%257C39%253A1%257C72%253A3444&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14#pbe-rvws

Forgot to add I'm not to interested in a flashy phone a cheaper one would be fine, just want one that has decent SatNav, good internet and is a phone nothing else required.

Having said this there looks to be a bloody good deal on an HTC Desire Z on contract.

[Cheeseybeaner]

[AngelGrinder]

[calyx]

[Cheeseybeaner]

[Walloper]

No problem with Satnav in towns.

I use mine in London loads of times.
It will get you there but sometimes the Satnav routing is suspect.
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[Swifte]

Yea I'm one of those people whose lived in London for over a decade, but due to using the tube so much still can't connect the dots.

I've specifically transferred to a bike to finally learn the roads of London.

I've just been using a TomTom in london with a car, and it was absolutely fine, I take it the TomTom rider will respond the same.

I have the london rider pocket map.

Although it needs updating as some of the parking spots have moved, a bigger map would be much better.

If I was to get a sat nav the only option would be to get it on one of these smart phones anyone have any experience of how these would work in London?

I reckon a TomTom could make me lazy, so perhaps the way to do it is to have a large london map, and a smart phone app with blue tooth just as support. Then I'd actually learn london I reckon.

[multijoy]

I've no problem getting gps to work on my blackberry in the middle of town, and the only real difference (actual mapping aside) between a standalone unit and a smartphone is the GPS receiver. These days, there is bugger all in it- I've never struggled in lahndahn to get a lock, although my garmin 550 (or possibly earlier) takes a bit of time getting going if you've parked up underground for the day.

The obvious caveat is that whilst a garmin/tomtom bike unit and a sim-free smartphone (contract costs aside) might cost the same, the former tend to have fairly robust mounting solutions out of the box.
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[Paivi]

Please don't rely on satnav to get around in London. There are too many people who do that and have no idea where they are or who's around them, they're too busy staring at the little screen.

The best way to find a good route it to ask a cabbie. I've now got three alternative routes to get home.
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[G]

Probably better than people trying to do the same with maps, however .

[Cheeseybeaner]

[hellkat]

I guess I'm just used to it, but I would think if you were following a satnav, you might as well be one of the people coming up from underground on the tube for 20 years and never really having a clue where anything is.

You'll never learn how to get about in London until you get PROPER lost and have to find your way out

I [still] do it all the time.
I simply cannot find my way out of the City of London.
So I skirt the edges (Puddle Dock, Holborn, Lower Thames St, Old St, etc) and avoid the middle for fear of getting lost and never getting back out again.

I've got a Satnav for my car, never used it yet, and I just wing it on the bike.

Still got a big A-Z, and rely on that, on random checks on Google prior to departure, and on luck/bad judgment/a trail of breadcrumbs...

hellkat
West End Girl
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[Mr Hammers]

I used to courier (in a car) into London, using the A-Z at first until the boss bought us all sat-navs, which were the next big thing at the time. It was so much easier with the sat-navs, especially as I don't have a good sense of direction, and while sometimes it would lose the signal, I'd just pull up and wait till it picked up a satellite and carry on. Using maps was a pain as I can only ever remember a handful of directions at a time, and then I'd get paranoid I was going in the wrong direction or had missed a turn, so I'd be stopping every 10 minutes to double check.

It's true they can make you a bit lazy, but I never really had any interest in learning London anyway, but even so, eventually I'd learn roughly where things were after doing the same in/out roads again and again.

If you fancy the mental challenge to keep you on your toes, use a map. If you just want to get where you're going easily, without too much thinking and enjoying the scenery, get a sat-nav.
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