iPhone app: problems with GPS reception

[Pedro2NR]

Well I installed this yesterday at work and the software looks nice but the GPS reception from the iPhone is poor. It detects where I am at. However, when I plan a route, it says poor gps reception and it doesn't do anything. LOL.

 

[Pedro2NR]

Anyone else know how to get a good signal out of the iPhone app?
I can't navigate anywhere. LOL

 

[mikealder]

What car have you got and does it have an Athermic windscreen? - The iPhone is far from average when it comes to GPS performance from the built in receiver (its pathetic TBH) but even so it should work, even if its not as good as what you are used to from other hardware.

To be honest I don't rely on the iPhone for GPS derived speed as its too far out to rely upon, the navigation applications are like toys in comparison to what the real kit has to offer - So far only Sygic has got my interest and turns in a solid performance dispite the poor quality hardware its expected to perform on.

If it were possible to couple a Bluetooth SiRF-II or SiRF-III / MTK receiver to the iPhone then the device would perform correctly, this will be down to Apple though, SPP support will be needed and probably an update to most of the GPS based applications but at the end of the day Apple have supplied a pathetic GPS receiver in the iPhone - Mike

 

[Pedro2NR]

I dont think its my car. I even tried it outside in front of my work. The street is a dead end so I can stand in the middle of the road. LOL
looks like people will need the car mount which will help the signal.

 

[gatorguy]

Pedro, some of the nav apps seem to have better success using the iPhone's gps than TomTom does. It would be a shame if a $99 app then required a $75 or more piece of hardware to work properly. I've read more than one post that Navigon significantly improved their performance with their latest free update, and Sygic users have reported significantly better satlock than some others. As far as why the gps performance is not up to pnd standards, I think that has as much or more to do with the antenna design than the Hammerhead chip. Apple tuned the reception for phone service, not gps signal. There's an science, (in fact a specific engineering degree) required in antenna design for specific uses.

 

[brucel]

GPS reception problems...

Hello...

I am experiencing poor GPS reception. This is when cloudly, previous used it and later today it worked fine as the cloud cover disappeared. I could assume the same facts as around Satelite TV experiencing lost of signal during weather changes i.e. rain etc...

I would be the first to admit, well worth the money spent, works like a dream and I am also not keen to spend double the cost on a bracket which can't be used with a cover / casing..

Any views, please reply to my post, thank you in advance.

 

[Abdul]

I'm facing the exact problem , my friend and I installed it at the same time, my friend never complained about it and he uses it to travel around UK,

and for me never worked


any thoughts please ?!!!

 

[mikealder]

The GPS receiver chip in each iPhone will be slightly different in terms of sensitivity, some will be better than others although they all have to be above a certain standard.
I originally had my iPhone in a Brodit active holder low down on the dash where reception was dire


I moved it to the central airvent which is much better by swapping the 940 and iPhone over.


Although it now gets clipped in to the TomTom iPhone car kit and doesn't have a problem at all with reception.


Not the cheapest option at all and the TomTom car kit is intended to be used with a screen sucker, I don't like these or having power cables strewn all over the car so I modified the car kit to fit securely to a Brodit Pro-Clip using a Garmin Nuvi 310D Brodit "Ball" - Mike

 

[squarewheels]

Poor GPS fix (for jailbroken iPhones)

What car have you got and does it have an Athermic windscreen? - The iPhone is far from average when it comes to GPS performance from the built in receiver (its pathetic TBH) but even so it should work, even if its not as good as what you are used to from other hardware.

To be honest I don't rely on the iPhone for GPS derived speed as its too far out to rely upon, the navigation applications are like toys in comparison to what the real kit has to offer - So far only Sygic has got my interest and turns in a solid performance dispite the poor quality hardware its expected to perform on.

If it were possible to couple a Bluetooth SiRF-II or SiRF-III / MTK receiver to the iPhone then the device would perform correctly, this will be down to Apple though, SPP support will be needed and probably an update to most of the GPS based applications but at the end of the day Apple have supplied a pathetic GPS receiver in the iPhone - Mike

You can pair the iPhone up with a GPS receiver if it is jailbroken with an application called roqyBluetooth. Application license is 8 euros and I can confirm that it works flawlessly with my SiRF-III GPS receiver and TomTom v1.2.

 

[mikealder]

Yes, I have used RoqyBT for connection via bluetooth to one of my HoluxGPSlim236 receivers which is a handy way to improve accuracy but the TomTom car kit is a much neater solution negating the need to jail break the iPhone - Mike

 

[limp]

I've also bought the TomTom app for my iPhone (1.2 originally I think, now upgraded to 1.3) and have found the inbuilt GPS reception a bit hit and miss. I've got it mounted in a simple vent mount thats fairly high and central with good 'visibility' of the windscreen/sky.

My iPhone has a thin Incipio Feather case and on a recent journey where I was experiencing more miss than hit on the GPS I took the case off and found the situation improved noticeably. Not perfect, but very much improved, so that would be something else to check if you're having problems.

Now I've just got to solve the issue of the battery draining quicker than it charges when using GPS (even with Wi-Fi disabled)!

Mark.

 

[johnfretwell]

TomTom IPOD car kit problem with GPS

Hi

This problem is with the TomTom software speaking with the IPHONE not the GPS reception, my ap shows it can see many sats but still the TomTom map will not kick in. I had the same problem with IPOD, IPHONE 3GS and IPHONE 4 with or with out the cradle (no cradle for IPHONE 4 yet).

I thought it was poor reception at first but now i realise it is the software. I fix it by restoring the IPHONE then it works fine, however, i have to do this every time i enter either Canada or UK.

I carry around the IPHONE 3GS and the IPHONE 4, one for business one for private. I travel between Canada and the UK and when i first installed the TomTom Canada map in Canada it was fine, then i bought and installed the TomTom UK map while i was in Canada, Canada map still worked. When i arrived in UK though the IPHONE said poor or no GPS reception even though the AP showed many sats it was seeing, i restored the IPHONE and the map worked fine.

When i arrived back in Canada the Canadian map said the same thing.

I see 4.0.2 is out now, hopefully that will fix it.



Regards

John

 

[xenolalia]

I have not had a chance to work with my iPhone 4, but this summer I used TT on my iPhone 3GS and iPad 3G and the iPad was more consistent in working correctly. That is, I had frequent alerts to poor GPS reception on the iPhone. This was mostly on I-40 in the southeast USA.

I have a factory nav in my SUV (that never complained about poor GPS reception) but was trying out the TT app to see if it would work when I fly domestic trips and am using rental vehicles.

I was also curious about TT's traffic feature but with the other thread here about it not working I did not even give it a try.

 

[johnfretwell]

Hi

One of the updates must have fixed something because now my UK and Canadian maps work all the time so i don't have to format c and try again anymore.

As for the GPS reception the IPHONE 4 is far better than the 3GS but no idea why, once the 3GS is in the cradle it is fine but if i take it out it is very bad.


Regards

John

 

[daveoftruro]

I had a problem just a few weeks ago with my 3GS where GPS had worked fine for 200 miles, including driving through sunken Cornish lanes with tree cover, then it suddenly switched off. I could still get a good fix with GPS on the Map app. Eventually I found a system power cycle got it going again although still not very well.

I have an air vent holster, but now always use the phone in the portrait mode, with the phone protruding as far upwards as I can fix it, so that most of the phone is above the level of the front shelf.

If the Map app works OK, it must be a TT software problem - it's no good passing the buck to Apple.

 

[rac1979]

Its defenitley software....

I used to used Tomtom 1.0 on my Iphone 3G 3.1.2 and it worked great. Awesome response, it never went "Poor GPS signal". when i switched it on, it almost instantly went active......

Then i updated to IOS4, and i was forced to move to 1.4 and then 1.4.1. Since then, i will sometimes wait 3 -5 minutes before it goes active, and also get "Poor GPS signal" alot.


1.0. did not nearly have a smuch features as 1.4.1, but the functionality was great......