USB Speed?

[RWS]

Is the usb 1.1 verses usb 2.0 an issue when downloading maps or any other updates from TT Home?

Are the downloads so small that it doesn't make much difference?

 

[dhn]

The speed is an issue for writing to the unit from the computer and vice versa. The speed of the download from the server to the computer is not affected by the unit's USB speed compliance.

 

[RWS]

I looked up usb transfer rates

USB 1.1 = 12 Mbps

USB 2.0 = 480 Mbps

What size are the map downloads? (approximately)

What size is the average download/ maintenance?(approximately)

 

[canderson]

Whether it's a map update or a firmware update, the time spent getting the information from TomTom's servers will be a LOT longer than moving that data to your unit, no matter which of the USB standards applies to your unit.

FWIW, a typical transfer for the NA_2GB version runs around 1.7GB. The application runs about 38MB. Maintenance downloads (MapShare, QuickGPSFix, etc.) take only moments to download.
The day a new map is released, the servers can get well and truly slammed, and the results are also very different based upon where you are geographically. For map 855, some folks in the UK were reporting absurd (>12 hour) download estimates while mine here in Colorado on the same day was about an hour. Go figure.

Those USB transfer speeds are burst maximums. Whether either or both the connected devices can sustain anything close to those speeds will determine the actual time to transfer the data.

 

[RWS]

Thanks to everyone for your answers!
Forgive me for being a simpleton and asking so many questions, They say if you don't ask you'll never learn. I have been researching the internet for info also to keep the questions down.

I am considering the XL 335TM and as you can tell the USB 1.1 is a concern of mine.

My internet download speed is 20 Mbps, so downloading from TT Home is not an issue to me.

Getting the update from the computer to the XL 335TM at USB 1.1 my calculations seem to be too fast, I thinking 5 to 10 minutes or less.

Again forgive me I'm an old man and the old brain doesn't work as fast as it used to

Thanks Roger

 

[canderson]

My internet download speed is 20 Mbps, so downloading from TT Home is not an issue to me.

To clarify again -- won't be your download pipeline size that determines the time it takes to get a map from TomTom onto your unit, either. It'll be the TomTom servers, especially during the week that a new map is released. Whether you've got 5Mbps or 20Mbps won't matter. Figure an hour or so to get a map if the binary constipation at TomTom isn't any worse than normal.

 

[RWS]

maybe I don't understand how TomTom updates work.

I was thinking you downloaded it from TT home to your computer, THEN MANUALLY install it to your TT device.

Or do you select the download you want from TT home and it goes to your computer and TT device without any intervention
automatically?

Sorry to be a pain! I'm confused.

 

[canderson]

When you fire up Home, it inspects the contents of your device, compares those contents to what the server has to offer that might be more current, and presents you with a series of update options from which you may choose (assuming they have anything more recent for you).

If you select any for download/update, the information is first sent to your computer, and when complete, is then automatically transferred to your device. You'll see all of this happening on the progress indicator as it happens.

The transfer to your computer vs. direct transfer to your device saves them having to deal with aborted downloads in a very messy way. It's much simpler to deal with this on the PC side when it's an issue. Once the data is safely in your PC, only then does it get transferred to your TomTom.

So in answer to your question, your latter understanding is the correct one... and again, for full map updates, it will be the speed of TomTom's servers, no matter what bandwidth you can support on your end, that represents by far the largest portion of the total time for the job. The USB transfer rates will be the least of your worries!

 

[RWS]

Thanks for your patience

I am going to get the XL 335TM tomorrow

 

[Rick F.]

FWIW, I have the XL-335TM and just updated my map yesterday. What Canderson is saying about it taking longer to download the data from TT servers than it does to the USB device is correct. It took about 1 hour and 15 mins to download a 1.6xx gig map from the server, then another hour to xfr the files over to the TT itself.

Not sure it helps, but what I do is disable my anti-virus software in hopes of speeding up this download. Also, I don't do anything else on the computer for those couple of hours of download and xfrs. Maybe I'm old school, but don't want to risk corrupting any data.

BTW, I really like the new 335 unit. So far it's working great!! Hope you do as well.