Does Nuvi 200 support speed alerts?

The nüvi 200 supports POI alerts, but I don't think it supports speed alerts. If the speed data is encoded into the maps, it might be possible for Garmin to add that feature to the firmware.

I have a 200W and it does support speed alerts. I have many. Especially where I know the speed limits are rigorously enforced.

In a csv file you add @25 for a 25 MPH or KPH speed zone. If you have your 25s in one file you can also use a bmp to get a POI icon (like a speed limit sign).

Hope this helps!

n8tyv

can you explain more on the how to's for inputting this into the nuvi

There has been some excellent discussion of Speed Alerts for your nuvi -- including the 200 series here in various threads of the POI Factory.

For additional information and directions you might want to check out the article:

FAST CARS AT RIDGEMONT HIGH
- Souped-up Speed Alerts

over at the GARMIN NUVI TRICKS, TIPS, WORK AROUNDS, HINTS, SECRETS AND IDEAS

http://home.comcast.net/~ghayman3/garmin.gps/pagepoi.htm#fas...

The link to the site in general is

http:snipurl.com/garmin_gps_tricks

Gary Hayman
Greenbelt, Maryland

I hope that Mr Hayman's references have helped you. If not I'd be happy to give it a whirl.

I have a file named speed25.csv with contents that look like:
-81.566328, 41.542326, East Cleveland@25
-81.559459, 41.538759, East Cleveland@25

and I copied the Icon file
http://www.poi-factory.com/files/Speed%20Zone%2025.bmp
as
speed25.bmp

I put these in my load directory and use POI Loader.

And, if you see a need, you can add sounds to the alerts. Even though the 200 does not have MP3 capability, Gary has a section on his site that explains how the Nüvi Series 200 can have music, sound and voice alerts. Here's a link to that section:

http://home.comcast.net/~ghayman3/garmin.gps/pagepoi.02.htm#...

Worked great for us and the instructions were easy to follow!

Are people confusing speed alerts with POI alerts? I thought speed alerts are when the map data provides the speed limits for the road.

The Speed Alert I'm familiar with is a custom POI; it's not part of the map database in the unit. The POI is set so that your Nüvi warns you when you near an area that is speed controlled.

Gary uses the following description on his site:

"The simplest Speed Alert will announce a warning via a 'ping ping' sound, a portion of the your display screen turning red and providing you with a text alert as you approach an area that you have established that you want to be warned about possible excessive speed such as a school zone, construction zone, or a known radar or speed camera site."

Gee-- if the system could respond to speed information embedded in the units map database, then anytime you'd go over the posted speed limit in a section of road, you'd get an alarm. A full-time, real-time GPS monitoring your speed against the map data...interesting.

Please excuse me if that's not what you meant my speed alerts in map data. Maybe someone can shed more light on map data providing speed limits. We're running a Nuvi260 with some limitations, of course.

From the fact that the Garmin gives you a (very accurate, in my experience) estimate of the time of arrival, I assume that it is programmed with the speed limit on roads. An alert warning you that you are over the speed limit would certainly be possible if my assumption is true.

No, not really. The routing algorithm uses the average road speed for classes of roads when calculating the route. It does not use speed limits. For the most part, the maps do not contain speed limit data.

MM,

Where do the new nuvis get the data to display speed limits on the screen?

The new nuvis have speed limit data for some (possibly most) interstates. But that's all. No speed limits on other roads.

As I have stated before, it would be nearly impossible to create and maintain an accurate database for speed limits on all roads in the country. Even on the interstate, it's difficult. The interstate between my city and a major city about 100 miles to the north has the speed limit change at least 6 times in that span.

And for local roads, the speed limits are set by the local government (city council, etc). So what happens when they decide to change the speed limit on a particular road or on part of a particular road?

The speed limits would have to collected, verified, programmed, and maintained for every single road segment. I can't imagine how much they would have to charge for the maps if they tried to include this data.

Look how hard it is for the roads themselves to be updated, not to mention the POIs. Speed limits would be mind boggling. IMHO

I was driving around town today testing the Nuvi 205 and it did show speed limits in the city, but it was a hit or miss. Some were Highways, some were parkways and the expressway.

I hate to digress but I have a Garmin 255W with the latest map update and it seems to have very accurate speed limit information. I was driving through downtown Raleigh, NC (mostly sidestreets) yesterday and it knew when the speed limit changed from 45 to 35 and then to 30 mph, all over about a 3 mile distance. I was very impressed.

As for the question at hand, using this data to set real-time map speed alerts, I don't think it is yet possible on the Garmin series. If anyone finds a way, please let me know too.

Hi Rogersgj

I also use a 255W with 2010.30 maps and just came back from Florida which is 1625 miles away from home. I noticed SEVERAL speed limit errors heading north on I-95 between Lake Worh and Jacksonville in the state of Florida. (I'm of course excluding the work zones)

As for the other states I went through (Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virgina, West Virgina etc) there were some errors but overall quite accurate.

That being said as others have said in other threads, the speed limit shown on the GPS should be followed or used with great caution.

I figure the reason for the errors is that there has been alot of road work done in the last few years in Florida and as Motorcycle Mama states just look how long it takes for new roads to be added !

Where I live they built an onramp to a major highway approximately 2 1/2 years ago and even though several neighbours and I have emailed the info it's still not in the maps.

Cheers

I have a new 1490 with 2010.20 maps and am amazed at how much speed limit data there is now in the Nuvi.

My wife and I are in the Palm Springs, CA area for the winter and even on city streets in places like Desert Hot Springs the speed limit information shows and for the most part is accurate. We also have a TomTom 540s with us, loaded with the newest version of their maps, and the city street speed data is nonexistent for the most part. For interstates and other highways the data is similar on both units but its miles ahead on the Nuvi for city streets.

I can only assume that version 2010.30 of the maps has even more speed limit information included.

I have a Navigon 2100 that gives me the option for a warning if you go over the speed limit on any road (5 or 10 miles over). I don't see why the Nuvi doesn't have that option.