Inmternal Traffic Receiver

About the only thing that comes to mind is a smartphone with the proper app. Speaking of apps for displaying maps and traffic, I like the AASHTO app, AASHTO Mobile. It mashes Google maps with a live INRIX feed. The AASHTO app is on both iTunes and Android Marketplace. It does run up the data usage though because of the live traffic feed.

I've found that however they do it, the navi on the android has a realistic arrival time based on traffic.

I have found the XM Traffic in our GM to be very accurate. The nuvi seems to miss 1/3 to 1/2 of all traffic events. Being a lay person and not knowing all the ins/outs, these are observations. If internal means accuracy, then Garmin ought to do it...

The issue of accuracy and timely data delivery of traffic information was discussed about a month or so ago. Some sources are doing a better job with delivering better traffic report. The providers of traffic reports to Garmin users seem to be doing a poor job. I have no clue if Garmin is aware of how poor that service aspect is.

Most traffic antennae's are built into the cord.

Traffic and traffic receivers have been discussed in great detail over the last year on this site. Even though traffic reporting is getting better it is still years away from dead on.

Think of it in production/inventory terms--

If you build-in the traffic receiver, you still need a separate unit without the traffic receiver for customers who don't want traffic.

Do you need different traffic receivers for different markets (US, EU for example)?

Each different one represents a different type of box in inventory.

By keeping the traffic receivers separate, you can also use the same set of receivers over multiple GPS receivers.

Gives the manufacturer a lot more flexibility -- one basic GPS receiver, with or without traffic, with or without lifetime maps -- a lot of variety (and market coverage at different price points) with one box and two options.

Thanks for everyone's info. k6rtm makes some very good points and I can understand why manufacturers choose to put the traffic receiver in the power cord, but I want to be able to view local traffic info away from a power source (not to mention preserve battery life/capacity).

My need is to view traffic while on the train and plan my driving route around congestion. Turning right or left as I leave the parking garage can make a significant difference on how long it takes to get home, depending on the traffic situation. I do not want to take the time needed for a GPS to boot, find my location, and display traffic before I leave. I was hopping someone knew of a unit with an internal receiver. Garmin tells you up front that the receiver is in the power cord, but others aren't so considerate.

I recently faced that dilemma, riding with a friend who doesn't have a GPS. Which of two routes do we take? Which will suck less?

INRIX Traffic is a free app for the iPhone that seems to give pretty good real-time traffic-coloured maps, and flags for major incidents.

You'd probably still need an external FM antenna, I don't think an internal FM antenna would be enough.

I don't know how much of a power drain traffic would be. I suspect battery life would be unacceptable.

Maybe something will change if the HD traffic becomes more popular. Even then I agree with the PP, keeping it external makes it easier to market units with different features and in different countries.

From my research all traffic receivers are still external and require a power source. So hopefully the technology will change soon not only being internal but more predictive of actual driving times.

Many of you will recognize that as being short for Garbage In, Garbage Out. All traffic reports received by your GPS are delayed by many minutes. Just how much delay depends on so many things you cannot calculate it. First off, traffic counts are received from sensors, sent to the aggregator, processed and counts measured to approximate an average speed from the number of vehicles crossing the sensor in a given amount of time. From there they are then distributed along the network for whichever company gathers the data to some outlet, which just may be a radio station in your area. The station will, assuming the data was received without error, schedule it for transmission when they get around to processing it. It's then sent out over a low power signal as part of the station's normal programming where the signal is then picked up by your receiver.

You can't (and neither Garmin or Tom-Tom have any control over the process) do anything about it except complain, not to us but to your local station responsible for transmitting the data. And guess what, they will tell you they have no control over it either.

Jim,
Did you ever find a clear answer to this? I have received conflicting info from Tom Tom.

I want to hardwire a unit into my car and I don't want to use the bulky cigarette lighter receiver plug either.

Perhaps you have more information now.

Thanks.
Dan

I'm not Jim, but I can answer your question.

TomTom offers two different forms of traffic data reception. One is the RDS-TMC system, which uses an FM receiver built into the power cord. That is how I get traffic with my XXL540T. The other - relatively recent system - uses a cell phone built into the GPS unit itself. That is how I get traffic with my GO LIVE 1535.

Each of these systems has some positive aspects and some negative aspects. The RDS-TMC cables originally included a chip that would turn the system off after a given period of time and require re-subscribing to continue working, but in recent years the units they sell have included "lifetime" cables that require no additional expense. On the negative side, the frequency of updates depends upon local data providers, and typically runs about 10-15 minutes between updates.

Some of the more recent GPS models include a dedicated cell phone system called HD Traffic, that receives updates at intervals of about 2-3 minutes. (Not all TomTom models offer this. Check the specs before making a decision.) The first year of service is included with the purchase, but after that you have to pay for the cell phone service, which currently costs $60 per year in the US. In addition to the traffic info, these models also include some other services such as Yelp, Trip Advisor, and broadcast updates of Speed Cameras. (Personally, I think that the Camera POI files from here are better, but YMMV.)

In addition, I've heard complaints that the AT&T service for the data transmission to the GPS units is sometimes spotty at rush hour in some of the major metropolitan areas. However, my personal experience with reception in the Los Angeles area has been acceptable so far.

With best wishes,
- Tom -