Which POI files should I download for nuvi 255wt

Whatever you want to. Just go down the POI list and start downloading to your heart's content. One thing though; you will have to be an active member before you can download the Redlight camera file, unless you want to send Miss POI a few bucks to pay her and all of her minions for the nice work they do on this file. (All in all, this is a great site and I think you will find a great deal of enjoyment from it.)

If you travel much I would download the reststop combined file.

I have bookoos of POIs on my GPS. Some with alerts, some without. Like Johnm405 said, the rest stops file is good. I also like the offbeat tourist attraction POI. I have the rest stop file set with an alert of 3 miles or 16,000 feet. Download the sound file, the icon, and the csv file. Name them the same exact file name, except for the extention. Then when it askes for the csv file, the bmp and mp3 file will copy in too. Be sure to use Poiloader to load them in manual mode.

that's the first one I grabbed, since believe it or not, redlight cameras are pretty rare here in Pittsburgh.

I would also highly recommend the great instructions provided by another member here, Gary Hayman, on his site.

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

Great complement to what you can learn here at poi-factory.

See http://www.poi-factory.com/node/25721 for process to load custom pois.

Download any POI File You Want Just as long as it is a CSV File For Garmin

GPX files often contain more information than the limited four fields available in a CSV file. You only need one copy of a particular file, but I would lean toward a GPX version if available.

Ask yourself that question what kind of POI I often look for when I travel?

I answer to myself when I travel, since have young children they like McDonald's, Wendy's, Burger King, etc.. for food.

I need rest area for check my car & give my dog a walk.

I need inexpensive logging like RedRoof Inn & Super8 Motel.

I only put Shell V-Power on Car. So I need Shell Gas Stations.

I & my wife also belong to 2 wholesale clubs, Costco and Sams Club (Of course Walmart & Target are the places if you need to get something for our trip such as snacks, diapers, sodas, etc,....

One great thing about Red Light Cameras file here is even if you know your route without using GPS it will remind you when you approach them.

Trust me, I hate to browse the POIs on my Garmin, I just want to find it right away when I need them. So, I loaded a bunch of custom POIs fits my criteria on my Garmin since most of them are free in here.

Thanks to the contributors, maintainers and users of this great site.

I would download a few interesting files and then try and work out a folder structure that allows you to update certain poi files easy and leave others pretty much static.

There are several discussion here outlining this approach but because something like the redlight file changes often (2 week intervals) you do not want to have to reinstall every other POI file you have just to update that one....

I use four folder in my SD card POI folder

Manual
RedLight
POI's
More POI's

Manual I put the things like the rest stop POI's so I can manually choose the alert distance. I do not modify this folder set much, but everything in it has a custom alert distance set.

Redlight...every two weeks I update this one, so all is has is the redlight files. I can use POIloader on this folder alone..takes a few seconds and I don't have to worry about all my other files at all.

The next two are for food, grocery and other interesting stuff like national parks, state parks and forests etc.

These folder load in order...so I put the more needed stuff in the first one, like Costco and Costco gas, and much more esoteric stuff in the second one.

Just playing around with these folder sets and watching how your unit loads them to pick from can help you decide which POI files you want and use.

Fun stuff and the waiting weeks fly by as you read and try out the files.

Make sure you grab the outhouse ahead sound file for the reststops...that makes everyone in the car smile when it goes off.

Thank you
Looks like a good place to learn even more

I travel a lot and knowing where the nearest Flying J is located is a great help.

Here is an Example how crazy I am with these Custom POIs fit my need. ( As I mentioned in my earlier post - most of them are free anyway)

http://img3.imageshack.us/i/mypois.jpg/

Here is a screen shot of how many POIs I've loaded to my Nuvi.

http://img31.imageshack.us/i/poisloaded.jpg/

Thanks again to POI Factory.

I get all the POI's for any restaurants, hotels, campgrounds or stores that I may have an interest in going to when away from familiar areas.

Thanks for the replies!! I added a couple. Really want the traffic lights one. Are there any free ones? The different formats are a little confusing to me. Is there a way to make stuff automatically come up on the map? Also is putting sound alerts on complicated? I read about it but was confusing. Thanks!

Your unit can not use mp3 for alerts but you can do the same thing with wav files to get the voice alerts see http://www.poi-factory.com/node/25730 .

You can download csv or gpx files for custom pois.

To see your bmp or icons on the map you will have to zoom in to see them.

Once you become active member you can download the redlight files or for a small fee you can get them now. http://www.poi-factory.com/node/262

See http://www.poi-factory.com/node/25721 for custom poi installation.

Johnm405,

Hi,
I downloaded a bunch of POIs for my new nuvi and it went ok, and they are in a list under POIs on the GPS, but the satellite can't find them. Is there a step in downloading I missed?

thanks in advance,
usmc3405

On your Nuvi Tap on;

Where to?
Scroll down (Tapping the Down Arrow)
Tap On Extras
Custom POI

Your Loaded Custom POIs are there.

charlesd45's picture

charlesd45 had answered in above post for you.

FREE - "Nearly all of POI Factory's content is free, but enforcement camera locations are reserved for users who are currently helping support the web site."

PAID - "Help support POI Factory with a $5 or $20 membership"

You can get the RLC files for FREE if you become an active member that takes some time.

If you can't wait, PAID is the only option.

Thanks for the good tips. I like the folder idea. I'll have to try that one.

I'm new also, does adding the custom poi's have any kind of effect on the poi's that come with the unit?

Thanks

No, they are completely independant of each other. As users, we have found no way to alter/edit/delete/add the built-in POIs that come pre-loaded.

I also just recently purchased the 255WT and after updating the maps found that it is still missing many stores that have been open for 3 years. In addtion to everyones recomendation of the rest area file, I would download any store & restruant files (walmart, etc) that you visit often, to ensure you have a more up to date list.

Even if the POI's included with the maps in your unit cover some of the files available here, I would recommend you download the POIFactory files. Because each POI Factory file has an "owner" I have found them to be much more up-to-date, adding new stores, deleting closed ones, accurate addresses etc that all comes from someone who actually cares about maintaining the files.

I almost never even both using the built in POI files if I know I have downloaded a POIFactory version.

How do you guys get up distance alerts?

POI Loader in manual

Thanks.

If a user supports the site by uploading a POI file, will that gain him access to the RLF?

I have downloaded sets of POI's, wav's and icons. What do folks do, just keep updating the ones on their PC and then reload all again using the loader? Honestly I forget what the original names were when I pulled them. Is this what the batchloader does? or does that just stop me from accepting each file every time?

Also, I found some local BBQ joints that are not in a POI, do I just post to a POI thread? Will that count towards making me active? Where is the lat/long coordinates, in the parking lot or on the street if I do submit entries/corrections.

Great site, thanks

I've used numerous POI files over the years, many I have updated on my own as I find it a hobby to do.

I find sharing on this site is unique as each user shares a somewhat same passion as I do.