Is there much point in a standalone sat nav these days?

robatwork

I drive across Europe regularly. I have google maps on my phone and the car Satnav and use both. Google's maps are really unclear for car navigation, but the routes are doubtless the best. The car satnav knows a lot more about speed limits and which lane to be in.

You've never really experienced fear until your 2 satnavs disagree at a major Autobahn junction.

JustAnotherSaver

How does a sat nav (or even google map) choose to direct you? Is it supposed to be the fastest route possible? That's what i always thought but when i started just putting maps on on the way home from work i started to question that.

Maps constantly wants to take me the A road home. Part way along my journey i cut off for the B road as it does away with traffic lights and dawdlers. It's a little longer route but i can get home 5-10mins earlier than if i take the A road (unless i get behind a back lane dawdler or a tractor). When there were road works going on, Maps redirected me the B road so i know it does consider it as an option but 99.9% of the time it wants to take me the A roads, even though i know that isn't the fastest route - i've timed them both a number of times and never been quicker on the A road.

RumRat

JustAnotherSaver said:

How does a sat nav (or even google map) choose to direct you? Is it supposed to be the fastest route possible? That's what i always thought but when i started just putting maps on on the way home from work i started to question that.

Maps constantly wants to take me the A road home. Part way along my journey i cut off for the B road as it does away with traffic lights and dawdlers. It's a little longer route but i can get home 5-10mins earlier than if i take the A road (unless i get behind a back lane dawdler or a tractor). When there were road works going on, Maps redirected me the B road so i know it does consider it as an option but 99.9% of the time it wants to take me the A roads, even though i know that isn't the fastest route - i've timed them both a number of times and never been quicker on the A road.

Google maps give you choice of routes. Route is often dependent on traffic and as you found out, will redirect to avoid traffic build up.
I

EssexExile

JustAnotherSaver said:

How does a sat nav (or even google map) choose to direct you? Is it supposed to be the fastest route possible? That's what i always thought but when i started just putting maps on on the way home from work i started to question that.

Maps constantly wants to take me the A road home. Part way along my journey i cut off for the B road as it does away with traffic lights and dawdlers. It's a little longer route but i can get home 5-10mins earlier than if i take the A road (unless i get behind a back lane dawdler or a tractor). When there were road works going on, Maps redirected me the B road so i know it does consider it as an option but 99.9% of the time it wants to take me the A roads, even though i know that isn't the fastest route - i've timed them both a number of times and never been quicker on the A road.

I've found the opposite, Google will take you down some pretty narrow & difficult lanes just to save a minute or two. At least it's better than the built in satnav in my old Honda which would try to take you down footpaths & bridleways.

TadleyBaggie

JustAnotherSaver said:

HOWEVER, i notice that it puts annoying adverts at the top of the screen that get in the way of crucial information at crucial points on your journey. For this reason alone i don't use Waze as it's bloody dangerous! 

I've not really used Waze long enough to see if it re-routes you like Google Maps does. It's never tried re-routing me though.

I've only seen adverts when stopped at lights etc, never when moving. It does reroute.

Nick_C

Google Maps will learn your shortcuts if it is running. And tell others about them in due cours ! 

debitcardmayhem

Why do you need a satnav or phone app at the moment?

JustAnotherSaver

debitcardmayhem said:

Why do you need a satnav or phone app at the moment?

You appear to have missed the entire point.

Or created your own.

Not sure which

shaun_from_Africa

DoaM said:

shaun_from_Africa said:

The Garmin I have came with lifetime updates ...

... until Garmin decide that your model is now too old to support so it's "life" has ended.

When that happens, I think Garmin will be doing me a favour as the one I have now is about 12 or 13 years old (it's on its 3rd battery). It's getting a bit long in the tooth but it's very reliable and easy to read which is why I've stuck with it for so long but it's not going to go on forever.

Uxb1

If find Waze is too "aggressive" on finding short cuts - which are not.
You are approaching a junction ahead in a few miles and are going to turn left - there is a narrow road which links the two - so Waze tells you go take it to cut the corner. Well don't - it may be quicker on paper but it is narrow and you 'will' meet someone and have to stop/backup etc and so no, it is not quicker.
A long route that I take regularly Waze want me to take the motorways - it seems to think you can travel at the max motorway speed all the time - you can't especially when the speeds are limited as its a smart motorway. I've taken the route and its far longer both in time in distance: why the fk it keeps on insisting this is the best route I've no idea. I could switch its preferences to avoid motorways but the real best route involves a 1 junction hop on hop off of a motorway so that would not help me.
When you go the route you want Waze seems to take ages to figure out what you are doing and constantly wants you to turn off at every opportunity to re-join its favoured route.  Eventually some 30 miles later it figures it out and then recalculates the new route (well done Waze you finally got there) and provides an estimated time of arrival that is now quicker than the wretched route it wanted to you go in the first place.     I suppose I should regard all this is an advantage as everyone is being directed down the longer routes by the sat navs while I can use the real life "best" route free of all the traffic!