1490 Traffic rerouting

 

We have had 1490s for most of the year. Latest one stolen in Philly by an elbow smashing PS window. Setting up new one. Have had the problem of not knowing when the unit reroutes because she thinks that traffic is ahead. Used it many timnes when she wants you to leave an interstate or other primary road to go down a back road because (I guess) she thinks it is a shorter milage distance). I ignore times like that but sometimes she reroutes when she senses a problem. How do you tell when that is happening? Also I am finding that the area I am now in seems to have some routes that are historical traffic problems so she alerts to traffic and shows red when there is no problem now but over the last week there was probably rush hr traffic. How to be sure you are getting real time?
Thanks
Jim

Mine does that once in a while.....

I have a 1490T also, and once in a while "Sheila" will send us in a different way than usual...but I usually find that it was actually faster due to traffic (heard it on the radio after we had already passed it). Overall, she's usually pretty consistent.
We have the same issue around here with the historical traffic backup (Orlando - around the "Tourist Trap" areas). I sometimes see the "traffic en route" warning come on - but if it's more than about 10-15 miles away, by the time I get there, it's cleared up. I very rarely use the "Avoid" feature unless I'm within about a mile of the backup.
Since the traffic patterns are done using FM radio signals from FM stations that report traffic data, there are delays in the traffic updates - it's not always "Real Time" - but better than nothing at all.

You might want to do the latest updates from Garmin - there is an update for the Traffic firmware - you load it on your 1490, and the next time you plug your unit in to the car, it will update the firmware on the traffic unit (the box on the power-cord). I've found it's a little more stable since I did mine (doesn't "gray out/loose signal" anymore).

I also find that setting the unit up for "Fastest Route" works much better with the traffic feature than "Shortest Distance".

Those are just some of the observations I've had. I've only had mine for a couple of months, but I love it - though the documentation for the unit really sucks - I'm still finding new features every time I use it.
Have fun ☺

--
"Everything in excess! To enjoy the flavor of life, take big bites. Moderation is for monks" ~ Excerpt from the notebooks of Lazarus Long, from Robert Heinlein's "Time Enough for Love"