Tablet for Navigation

Clunegapyears

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So we've been using an old old old iPad with Co-Pilot for caravans for our main navigation. The iPad has died. Dead as a dodo. Kaputt.
We downloaded CoPilot to one of the iPhones, but the screen is too small for James.

Looked at refurbished iPads, but silly money. So thinking Android, but I know nothing about anything except Apple :(. Suggestions please for an alternative large screen tablet. That works well without a SIM.

Obviously it needs to have built in GPS i.e. slot for a SiM card, but we do not want to have to put a SIM card in it OR have an external GPS device.

It will not be used for anything else, so small memory is fine.

Hopefully someone has experience of using one so knows how well the GPS works without a SIM.

And cheap, of course!
 
I have a Samsung which I use with a dongle. I guess that you could tether your phone to something similar. Lovely big screen.
 
I have a 7" Samsung, I pay £15 for a year of Tomtom Go which works perfectly apart from you don't get truck/motorhome or caravan options, you can of course use other sat nav apps and there is a 10" version

I will have it with me at Hereford if you want to see what is like
 
Clunegapyears said:
So we've been using an old old old iPad with Co-Pilot for caravans for our main navigation. The iPad has died. Dead as a dodo. Kaputt.
We downloaded CoPilot to one of the iPhones, but the screen is too small for James.

Looked at refurbished iPads, but silly money. So thinking Android, but I know nothing about anything except Apple :(. Suggestions please for an alternative large screen tablet. That works well without a SIM.

Obviously it needs to have built in GPS i.e. slot for a SiM card, but we do not want to have to put a SIM card in it OR have an external GPS device.

It will not be used for anything else, so small memory is fine.

Hopefully someone has experience of using one so knows how well the GPS works without a SIM.


And cheap, of course!
Click to expand...

We use android phones like that but with a sim. I am sure our samsung Tab S and S2 would work fine except our system for holding phones on the dashboard is the wrong size. A tablet should work without a sim, but if not You can easily put in a pay as you go sim and not spend any money apart from perhaps a small data use every 6 months or what ever the small print says. We have large SD cards to hold downloaded copilot and orux (openandromaps) for offline use but may be other ways to save memory. Cheap depends on the tablet price. Co pilot europe cost me 24 pounds a while ago. Orux (mapping for walking not car navigation) is free as is andromaps.
 
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Have a look in CEX shops

An electronics 2nd hand/exchange chain of shops.
My preference would be a 7in screen and samsung or the like.
Get a good and newish 2nd hand one and make sure it can be mounted and powered off a cigarette lighter /USB plug.

You should be able to download apps and maps by tethering it to a phone and/or using wi-fi.
My preference is that once all is loaded it should work without "tinternet" except for the occasional update/refresh.

You may find CEX also have 2nd hand SatNavs which would be my preference IF they have a big enough screen

I have given up on new stuff and either buy good items from CEX
Or re-furbished items form laptops direct.
I have an Asus hybrid laptop/tablet from Laptops direct
It cost me £500 about half the price of a similar new Microsoft surface (eg pro) and I did not have to fork out Extra foe the keyboard
It has a 13in screen and is ideal for the motorhome
At home I can use and HDMI lead for a bigger (TV) screen
It also has USB 3 or C (ie the latest)
 
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I use an old Tesco Hudl on magnetic mounts and use CoPilot as sat nav
 
I use the aguri 7 inch which is a tablet ,dash cam , motorhome sat Nav, free speed camera and map updates .
 
All Android devices have GPS built-in.

You do not need a SIM in order to use satnav. In order to load apps onto a tablet you need a wi-fi connection, this can often be provided by enabling a hotspot on your mobile phone.

Older Android devices may not have access to the Glonass satellite constellation. Check the specs because access to both the US and Russian satellites greatly increases accuracy.
 
Tezza33 said:
I have a 7" Samsung, I pay £15 for a year of Tomtom Go which works perfectly apart from you don't get truck/motorhome or caravan options, you can of course use other sat nav apps and there is a 10" version

I will have it with me at Hereford if you want to see what is like
Click to expand...

Yes please Terry, you can always show me yours!
 
Derekoak said:
We use android phones like that but with a sim. I am sure our samsung Tab S and S2 would work fine except our system for holding phones on the dashboard is the wrong size. A tablet should work without a sim, but if not You can easily put in a pay as you go sim and not spend any money apart from perhaps a small data use every 6 months or what ever the small print says. We have large SD cards to hold downloaded copilot and orux (openandromaps) for offline use but may be other ways to save memory. Cheap depends on the tablet price. Co pilot europe cost me 24 pounds a while ago. Orux (mapping for walking not car navigation) is free as is andromaps.
Click to expand...

Thanks, we spend more time in Euroland and heading to Turkey and beyond on our next trip, so using a SIM or tethering is not an option. We won CoPilot for Caravans so didn’t have to pay for it 🙂 and have gotten used to it. We also use Maps.Me for finding car parks, walking and cycling routes.
 
POI Admin said:
All Android devices have GPS built-in.

You do not need a SIM in order to use satnav. In order to load apps onto a tablet you need a wi-fi connection, this can often be provided by enabling a hotspot on your mobile phone.

Older Android devices may not have access to the Glonass satellite constellation. Check the specs because access to both the US and Russian satellites greatly increases accuracy.
Click to expand...


Thanks Chris - Two things I didn’t know. That all android have GPS built-in. And about the GSC. Thank you.
 
We used to use a Tesco Hudl, which was good, but then support for it was stopped.
Now very happy with a Samsung Galaxy TAB A (2016).
Built in GPS and also a slot for SD card for a bit more memory.

We use navigation apps:
  • Maps.me
  • Sygic
  • Magic Earth
  • Also a couple of site finder apps.

Fairly easy to add our own sets of POIs, but Sygic has a new mapping setup that wont accept most POIs.

Biggest problem was trying to find a holder/cradle, but managed to make up one.
 
Bargain 4 gig of mem and its a fablet which also means you can use as a phone and download things when of line or no hotspots,has built in nav as others have told you and you can download maps me which works of line.
 

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deckboy said:
We used to use a Tesco Hudl, which was good, but then support for it was stopped.
Now very happy with a Samsung Galaxy TAB A (2016).
Built in GPS and also a slot for SD card for a bit more memory.

We use navigation apps:
  • Maps.me
  • Sygic
  • Magic Earth
  • Also a couple of site finder apps.

Fairly easy to add our own sets of POIs, but Sygic has a new mapping setup that wont accept most POIs.

Biggest problem was trying to find a holder/cradle, but managed to make up one.
Click to expand...
Hi I’ve got the tab A which is just the job, recently I’ve been trying to come up with ideas to make a holder for it, any chance of some photos of yours and what you’ve made it from please?
Thanks
 
gypo said:
Hi I’ve got the tab A which is just the job, recently I’ve been trying to come up with ideas to make a holder for it, any chance of some photos of yours and what you’ve made it from please?
Thanks
Click to expand...

I have recently offered a screen mount tablet holder which will easily take up to a 10" Samsung--------------It's still available
 
Hi, do you have any photos please, also how much are you asking for it?
Thanks
Dean
 
Just curious, I have the Samsung tab A which has cellular so no problem using it as a sat nav.
Do other Samsung tabs that don’t have phone facilities still work as a sat nav without tethering them to a phone?
Thanks
 
It depends what you use for satellite navigation.

Assuming you use an app with offline maps you don't require an internet connection other than to load the app and maps.

That said many of the apps now provide real time traffic information and for that you need the internet, either using a tethered connection or on-board SIM.

If you use Google Maps to provide directions you will need an internet connection.
 
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