What do you all do for sat-nav these days?

[WorkerBeeeee]

Hello

I've always relied on a TomTom mounted on my dashboard. I liked that it was separate to my phone. But TomToms seem to becoming obsolete with everyone just using Google Maps?

Google Maps doesn't give you speed trap warnings does it? Is it any good for real-time traffic updates eg avoid certain routes? I suppose it must be good for having up to date maps eg when new roads are built.

How does Google Maps link it with What 3 Words which I've just discovered?

Interested in what you all do.

Thanks

I have waze, never failed me, gives speed and camera warning etc I love it, I use it on a phone mount on my dash, if I’m really bothered about battery then I just plug the phone charger into the usb port of my radio and charge my phone, I have an older car and this works great

DH just grunted 'Automobile Association' at me. So that's what we use. They come on big sheets of paper. We call it AA though and not TomTom. Who is Tom?

I use this belkin mount, I’ve attached it to my dash rather than windscreen (comes with both attachment options) used it for almost 2 years without fail. Only issue I had was the sun melted the adhesive on the mount but easily solved by buying a new sat nav holder from Halfords for £3. Car Universal Mount (Car Mount Compatible with iPhone 14/14 Plus, 14 Pro, 14 Pro Max, 13, 13 mini, 13 Pro, 13 Pro Max, 12, 11, XS, XR, X, SE, 8, Devices From Samsung, LG, Sony, Google and More) amzn.eu/d/a2btfmf

In-car sat nav. I like the screen size, plus the “secondary” info screen on the panel behind the steering wheel. The secondary screen also shows the speed limit of the road you’re on which is also helpful.

I still have an occasional chuckle over how some road names are pronounced!

Not had that issue - drove from Kent to Glasgow and back the other week using it and was fab. Used different routes there and back.

Love Waze, prefer it to Google Maps because of all the additional info. When in unknown place, finding nearest car parks etc, and the road hazards thingy is great. At Christmas, I love the Santa voice, it’s hilarious 😆. Was with friends one year driving back from a wreath making workshop and Santa warned us about police on a upcoming roundabout “be careful! You don’t want to get put on the naughty list” etc

Key extras you’ll need - a decent mount for your phone and an in car charger to stick in your car cigarette lighter socket. I got both from Amazon for less than a tenner.

It would depend on how much you drive and what roads you use I think.

I drive a lot for work and although I know where I'm going, I use Waze as i need to know if the road I want to use is clear ahead. It it detours me, I know there is an issue ahead. And if i unfortunately get stuck in traffic, it will estimate a time that I will be there.

If I'm popping out locally to the shop or wotnot, I don't use it then.

^ Quite. Which was why I didn't mention this. Not only is driving at the speed limit or below safer, but it's generally more economical too.

I love Waze but do wish it had a “simple” option- just take me on the main, obvious route unless it’s going to take more than 5 minutes extra.

It will usually pick the quickest route.

If you go into Routes option, you can view the other routes and change it.

My Google maps does all that, except for the santa voice!
The other week, I went from Glasgow straight into the carpark at Liverpool arena.
It's got me through diversions/accidents etc too.
I'm tempted to give Waze a go anyway though to see if it's better.

Mine bings when there's a speed camera I think (Google maps) and it takes into account live traffic conditions. You could always not speed - radical I know!

I love Waze for town and motorway driving, I just wish I could persuade it that the shortest route (via single track lane with hardly any passing places) is not the fastest route unless there’s no-one coming the other way. Reversing half a mile round corners and up a hill adds a lot more time, more often, than Waze thinks!

It should give an ‘easy route’ option, that prioritises A roads and wider lanes, over minimising distance travelled.

Yes, given that it calculates alternative routes anyway, you'd think it would be simple to have an option to default to "don't take me round the houses unless it's really worth it".

It should have a "minimum time saving I'm prepared to reroute for" button.

I don't drive so I operate Google maps on my phone. When it tries to divert us on the fly, and where the right choice isn't blatantly obvious I'll ask DH "Do you fancy a two mile diversion on B roads to save five minutes in a jam?" and he'll decide according to his mood and the journey. Satnavs should be better at that.

Am I the only person that doesn't use a satnav

No, I don't generally, either. I use these things called "maps" and "road signs". If I get lost or realise I've gone the wrong way, I pull over and check on my phone, or just turn round where I can.

I'll occasionally put Google maps on for the very last section of a journey as it can be helpful to reassure you that you're going the right way, or where the location is on the folds of the map! Or where the road system has changed or otherwise does not resemble in any way the layout on the map.

We can navigate perfectly well using maps and road signs. It's the traffic info which makes the satnavs invaluable nowadays. At least it is if you live anywhere near motorways, an accident, roadworks or heavy holiday traffic can foul up both them and the alternative routes.

Pulling over to sift through map pages is a right clart on.

My phone links into the screen in the car, android auto system. So I do get alerted about speed cameras.

Not sure if anyone has said this already but you can download the route before you set off on Google maps in case you loose signal at any point.

Like others have said, I use Google maps with my phone charging in the car on the screen via Android Auto and it live updates the routs and does show traffic, diversions and speed cammers it you have it configured to do so. DH uses Waze in the same car as he prefers the interface, not sure if you can pre download on that.

Lose not loose!

Waze definitely. Its got us out of Paris through the back doubles when we seemed doomed to never escape, which I found amazing. Have SatNav in the car but can't get on with it. Sometimes the car one refuses to locate postcodes or locations. Waze never seems to have that problem.

Quite. There’s about 6 ways I can drive to DD’s nursery. The fastest by far is going one junction on the M25, if there’s an accident or lane closure it can turn a 10 minute journey into an hour+. When there’s an issue on the motorway it snarls up the local roads and so the best route can be any of the other 5 options. So despite knowing the journey from home to nursery like the back of my hand, I always set google maps before I go.

Incidentally my mum does the same journey to work and always marvels that I don’t get caught up in the traffic on bad days, but insists her car’s sat nav is just as good as my using Google Maps 😂

I can read a map and plan a route as well as anyone, and DH still does the thing of writing a note of the junctions that he needs to take and taping them to the dashboard. But SatNavs come into their own when trying to navigate an unfamiliar city on your own, in the dark, in the rain, with an impatient bus driver up your boot. You can’t pull over to get out the A-Z and you can’t read the road names anyway.

Thanks y'all.
Do you find people phoning or texting interrupts Google Maps or Waze? Can you put a "do not disturb" function on?

My car is a 2014 model and although the in-car satnav is good, it's increasingly out of date (and can't be updated because the model is obsolete in the UK now). It has conniptions every time I drive over the Queensferry Crossing (opened in 2017) because it thinks I've gone for a swim in the Firth of Forth.

I'm increasingly using Waze. It is good, although I've found on some phones it drains the battery rather quickly.

Do you find people phoning or texting interrupts Google Maps or Waze? Can you put a "do not disturb" function on?

Not really, you just get the notification banner on the screen but it disappears again after a few seconds. If you don't want notifications you can switch off notifications from (for example) Messages or WhatsApp in the phone settings but I never bother.