Waypoints or POI?

To force a route, it's best to place your POI or waypoint in a position that you will actually pass on your way. That way, it will know that you passed that point and will continue to your destination. It sounds like you just picked something far enough north to where it was a shorter distance to the Tappen Zee bridge instead of the Washington bridge.

If you ever get something like that again, just cancel your route and restart it again, but without the point that you missed, of course.

You could save the bridge as a favorite then when you set a destination add it as a via point.

Gosh, some things are so obvious when someone says it that one wonders how one could have not thought of it.

Thanks charlesd45. That is a tip I can use when I know I want to take a particular route.

Elegant and simple.

thank you, this happened to me

When I come down to FL the GPS wants to take me down some roads where you pass through some small towns.Speed limits up and down.I prefer to come off I-95 in FL and catch I-10 to I-75. A little longer but to me faster.I have two favorites for I-10 I use as via points depending on what direction I am headed.

One is Tappanzee NB lanes and Tappanzee SB Lanes.
I just used Google Earth to get the coordinates and inputted to favorites.

There is actually a file here Bridges in NYC area that I use that has all the bridges in the NY area and I select the Tappanzee bridge as a via point when either heading to or from the area as want nothing to do with the GWB area. I really just should put it my favorites to make it a little easier.

Glad that someone else had not yet figured out charlie's tip. Thanks again charlesd45.

In short about POI versus waypoint.

Both are just pair of coordinates on map that can be use to find exact location. Difference will be in amount of information they contain and how they are recognized by gps.

Waypoint is simple pair of coordinates with name attached to it for human convenience. For gps it is exact point that must be reached (with some tolerance). They are used to plan route from point to point, and this is best way to force device to use specific route. But they should be placed exactly on road we will be traveling, they can't be placed on side of road, parking, etc. because you will be directed off your road to drive "through" waypoint.

POI is waypoint with additional data attached to it (like place type, name, phone, etc.). They are organized into database and you can search them by different categories. They are treated differently when you are reaching them. They can be counted as reached in far bigger distance than waypoint, you can assign alarm sounds when you are near them (like speed cameras for example). You can use them in manner of waypoint, but as they are usually located on side of roads, when you pass by you can be directed back to POI as gps will treat point as "not reached". And you can't plot route using PIOs.

If you are planning route it is better to use waypoints, as they are by definition used for via points by gps. Just remember that unit will recalculate route using this points so it can look differently than in MapSource. Only remedy is to make enough waypopints so unit will have no choice but to plot road as you want. But don't go overboard, as some units have limited number of waypoints that can be use to plot route to destination. It need some practice, but once you get use to it it works fine.

In your case it should be enough to place waypoint on the bridge to get route directed as you want. Just be sure to place it on the road, and if this is multiline road: on the side you will be driving.

I use the "Favorite" approach for a route I take for work. When I'm coming back home from several of the offices I support, I head north on I5. The GPS always wants to route me in a "normal" manner but I like to take a turn off that leads me down back roads. To make that happen I simply set a Favorite for Norman, CA which doesn't really exist any longer but is/was located right at the freeway exit I want to take to get to the back roads. I can set the GPS to go to my Favorite - Norman - and it reminds me to pay attention and turn off at the right place. At that point I don't need further routing help to get home - it's just a convenient reminder to get off the freeway at the right place.

The biggest difference between Waypoints vs. Custom POIs are this (at least in my mind):

Favorites can be edited on the GPS unit.
Custom POIs cannot.

Favorites can have a built in icon set for them on the GPS unit.
Custom POIs can have a custom icon loaded with them at the time of loading from the computer.

Custom POIs can have a proximity or speed alert.
Favorites typically cannot on auto units.

Custom POIs can have a lot of data/information loaded with them from the computer.
Favorites typically have a small limit of additional information that can be associated with them.

Favorites typically show on the map screen at several miles zoomed out.
Custom POIs typically only show when you are zoomed in very close (200 - 300 feet) on the map screen.

Favorites can be transferred to and from the GPS unit and a computer in software such as MapSource, BaseCamp, etc.

And in certain situations, it can be beneficial to have some locations loaded as both a Favorite and as a Custom POI.

Nicely outlined, MM.

And I also agree that was well done, MM.

when setting a waypoint to get onto say an Interstate you must set the waypoint far enough past the on ramp or the GPS will try to route you back to the waypoint.

I usually set several hundred yards past the on ramp and in the correct lane.

... for that very clear explanation, grzesja.

Very helpful, indeed.

Gunni

POI, Waypoint, Via Point are all the same. Each one is a position with coordinates.

Charlie D's explanation about a favorite used as a via point on the bridge you want is exactly how I do it! Just like MrKenFL says, the position has to be accurate since, going eastbound, the favorite must be in the eastbound lanes of the bridge. To go in the opposite direction, another favorite has to be saved in the westbound lanes!

dobs108

Anyone passing through New York using the George Washington Bridge (route I-95) would be well advised to find another way. It is not the bridge itself causing the problem but just east of the bridge for about 5 miles is the Cross-Bronx Expressway (also known as the Twilight Zone!)

It is because of roads like this that every GPS should have the Avoidances feature! I predict we will have the Avoidances POI file which will beat out Rest Areas for Number One!

dobs108

Blasphemy !

I would respectfully disagree. Each one being a "position with a coordinates" is really the only thing they have in common.

They all can be used in routes, but they all function somewhat differently on the GPS unit.

They are not "all the same" in most aspects.

They each have some very distinctive properties.

MM, you are correct!

dobs108

MM knows her stuff.

They are all close enough, with such subtle differences that they tend to be used interchangeably.

A POI is a Point.Of.Interest, that is, a place somewhere in the universe that people may be interested in learning about, observing, or visiting. They may be defined several ways, such as an address, intersection, or in the case of GPS, by geographical coordinates.

A waypoint is a point along the way, or along a route. It could be an intersection, a POI, a pile of rocks on a trail, or a point defined by its geographical coordinates. "To get to the MTS centre for the Jets game, turn left at Portage and Main" uses an intersection as a waypoint.

A via point the same as a waypoint, but in Garmin's case it is used to indicate a waypoint that is manually added to a route to pass by or stop at a location the GPS would not normally route you past on the way to your destination. "Go to work via Starbucks."

A favourite is a POI or waypoint that has been saved to easily reuse later.

is with field sizes. On my nuvi 500, the comment field is ignored in favorites (probably why Mapsource just duplicated the description field...), but in POIs it can be over 1000 characters. Likewise the description field is a measly 49 characters, where in a POI again, you get over 1000. For my "Harriman Parking Areas" POI file , I like to put in the exact route in the description field. Can't do that in a favorite. Using the comment field I can also add some history about the location. Doesn't exist in favorites. Granted, favorites are usually reserved for stuff you do regularly, still it would be nice to add some more feature rich content...

Nice description of the subtle difference between a POI and a WayPoint. You must be coming from St. B to make a left turn at Portage and Main.

But I would never try to drive to the MTS Centre - I'd take the bus

I like to keep my favorites to a bare minimum. I create a Custom POI file that has the points I use to force the Garmin to a specific route. These points can't be accidentally erased...
If I think I might use it more than once on a trip, I can easily save it to a favorite, making it easier to access.