Garmin Smart Traffic/Weather

 

Is there any one using Garmin's5 Smartphone Link for weather and or traffic? Are they worth the price? Any connectivity issues?

I Recommend it

I use Smartphone Link with Weather and Live Traffic on my Iphone 5S. IMHO, it is well worth the price. As posted elsewhere at the Factory, both are now on sale at 40% off thru 10/17.

Although there are better weather apps available for smartphones, notably Intellicast, the convenience of having the information instantly available on my GPS screen without having to fumble with the phone makes it worth the price.

In the relatively rural area where I live, Garmin’s Live Traffic is the only service that provides reliable and up to date information.

Of course, these apps do require a smartphone data plan. In my case, using it on average 3 times per week, or about 500 miles, the data usage is less than 400MB per month.

I do occasionally have connectivity issues using Smartphone Link with my RV760 and 3597 GPSr’s. On several occasions, weather and sometimes traffic fail to display on the phone and GPSr’s. I’ve had to download the app twice in the 6 months I’ve been using it. There is no additional cost to do this, just some aggravation and a little time. I suspect that Garmin, as is the case with much of their software, will eventually work out the bugs in future releases of the product.

I find it to be a great

I find it to be a great deal. The traffic is much more comprehensive and reliable than what comes with the Garmin and it is handy to have the weather visible on the screen. I have found it necessary to "reconnect" to the GPS if I have the phone and GPS out of range from each other. I sometimes forget to do that when getting back into the vehicle. It is easy to reconnect......just a hassle.

To add one additional

To add one additional question to the OP's post, anyone know or can estimate how much data is uses? Does it use a lot due to the weather radar image downloads? Does it use a lot for the traffic?

I see a post above estimated less than 400MB per month when used 3 times a week (500 miles approx). Anyone else have any estimates on data usage rates?

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Nuvi 2598 | Nuvi 350 | eTrex Vista | eTrex 30x

It does not use much data from your phone

bennor3814 wrote:

To add one additional question to the OP's post, anyone know or can estimate how much data is uses? Does it use a lot due to the weather radar image downloads? Does it use a lot for the traffic?

I see a post above estimated less than 400MB per month when used 3 times a week (500 miles approx). Anyone else have any estimates on data usage rates?

It does not use much data from your phone. I use it everyday in my car. I use it two to three hours everyday and the data usage is not more than 10 MB per month. It is very minimum. Weather radar does not load weather pictures everyday. It shows some animation only when there is swear weather.

Here is the link from Garmin site about data usage:
http://iqc.garmin.com/eCustomer/KODSelfService/request.do?create=kb:garmin&report()=p%7B40853090-37be-11e1-4d0e-000000000000%7D

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Iphone XR, Drivesmart 61,Nuvicam, Nuvi3597

Reliable?

How reliable and up to date are the traffic and weather data?

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Tuckahoe Mike - Nuvi 3490LMT, Nuvi 260W, iPhone X, Mazda MX-5 Nav

I have found it very

I have found it very reliable for traffic flow info. Where ever it shows slow traffic, it is usually slow in that area. I will not say that traffic info is perfect but very good. Weather is pretty good too. I noticed their swear weather warnings to be quite accurate. The daily temps and forecast is very good.

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Iphone XR, Drivesmart 61,Nuvicam, Nuvi3597

Re: It does not use much data from your phone

rookie8155 wrote:
bennor3814 wrote:

To add one additional question to the OP's post, anyone know or can estimate how much data is uses? Does it use a lot due to the weather radar image downloads? Does it use a lot for the traffic?

I see a post above estimated less than 400MB per month when used 3 times a week (500 miles approx). Anyone else have any estimates on data usage rates?

It does not use much data from your phone. I use it everyday in my car. I use it two to three hours everyday and the data usage is not more than 10 MB per month. It is very minimum. Weather radar does not load weather pictures everyday. It shows some animation only when there is swear weather.

Here is the link from Garmin site about data usage:
http://iqc.garmin.com/eCustomer/KODSelfService/request.do?create=kb:garmin&report()=p%7B40853090-37be-11e1-4d0e-000000000000%7D

Thanks for the info. Was looking around on the Garmin website for info on amount of data usage but didn't see that link.

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Nuvi 2598 | Nuvi 350 | eTrex Vista | eTrex 30x

Purchased weather/traffic, not showing up on Smartlink

Crud. Just bought both the traffic and weather through the Smartlink app on my Moto Mini. My Google account was charged and received emails confirming purchase, but now the Smartlink app doesn't show the apps as purchased. Off to trouble shoot. Edit: For some reason the charges to the Google account show pending and that's why its not active yet on the Smartlink app. Edit 2: Purchase no longer pending, shows completed but the Smartlink app doesn't indicate the two paid subscriptions. sad

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Nuvi 2598 | Nuvi 350 | eTrex Vista | eTrex 30x

Sorry to hear this. It must

Sorry to hear this. It must be some glitch with Google play store. I don't see any other reason.

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Iphone XR, Drivesmart 61,Nuvicam, Nuvi3597

Re:

rookie8155 wrote:

Sorry to hear this. It must be some glitch with Google play store. I don't see any other reason.

Don't know why its a glitch but it is. Have emailed Garmin Support and am awaiting their response.

Its possible, total speculation, because I had a Google Store credit (via Google Wallet) that may have caused the glitch. There was about a 12 hour lag between when I ordered the two add on's and received the email confirmation, and when the orders went from pending to completed in the Google Wallet account. Perhaps there will be the same lag before the two apps are shown as authorized on the Smartlink app. (shrugs)

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Nuvi 2598 | Nuvi 350 | eTrex Vista | eTrex 30x

From Alaska to Kansas

I purchased both of these add ons for use for my drive to KS from AK. My biggest problem was the lack of cell service through my route, but once I had coverage it was great. It let me know of road closures due to flooding in Alberta, CA and rerouted me to a safe route. Now that I am in KS, I use it a bunch to get around until I learn the area and how to get around. I have yet to be in a "parking lot" situation due to garmin routing and I get on I-70, 35, 435, 635 etc, major interstates as well as state and US highways. Hope you can take full advantage of what it has to offer in your area. It has been great for me, especially since I am in a new area.

Minor update to my issue

Minor update to my issue posted above. Garmin is now looking into why I am not seeing the subscriptions active within the Smartlink program on my Verizon Motorola Droid Mini. They can see that I purchased the Live Traffic and Weather subscriptions on their end but for some reason that information isn't being pushed to the phone despite various troubleshooting steps they had me try while on the phone with them yesterday. They've sent my case to the developers and it could take up to 10 days or more to troubleshoot and get back to me with a fix. sad

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Nuvi 2598 | Nuvi 350 | eTrex Vista | eTrex 30x

re update to your issue

bennor3814 wrote:

Minor update to my issue posted above. Garmin is now looking into why I am not seeing the subscriptions active within the Smartlink program on my Verizon Motorola Droid Mini. They can see that I purchased the Live Traffic and Weather subscriptions on their end but for some reason that information isn't being pushed to the phone despite various troubleshooting steps they had me try while on the phone with them yesterday. They've sent my case to the developers and it could take up to 10 days or more to troubleshoot and get back to me with a fix. sad

It's a user error I tell ya,

You tried to use it, it didn't work, so it's a user error! smile

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Never argue with a pig. It makes you look foolish and it anoys the hell out of the pig!

What happens when you change phones?

It's not unusual for me to have a new phone every year (the company I work for upgrades them regularly). Any idea if the subscription is 'portable' to a new phone? I didn't think about this before I bought the subs, I may be getting a new phone soon...

Larry

Yes, it is portable.

larry_larry wrote:

It's not unusual for me to have a new phone every year (the company I work for upgrades them regularly). Any idea if the subscription is 'portable' to a new phone? I didn't think about this before I bought the subs, I may be getting a new phone soon...

Larry

Yes, it is portable. It is not tied to your device. It is tied to your login ID Google or Apple.

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Iphone XR, Drivesmart 61,Nuvicam, Nuvi3597

Garmin Smart Link Traffic Weather Parking & Photo Cameras Value!

The Garmin Smartphone Link / Smart Link application is well worth the price. I have used it on my iPhone 5 and now my iPhone 6 and while it's not perfect (nothing is) and ocassionally needs to be restarted to connect, it's a great tool to improve your GArmin. Much better than FM traffic which really only works in major metropolitan cities. I've noticed that the smart link app has much more expansive coverage even outside of cities. I also suspect it has some trending built in - like when certain roads are known to be heavy like during rush hour (although that could be in the GPS itself). I have a 2798LMT and it works great with that and my iPhone.

Thanks

Thaks for all the great comments. However, I have another question. Does the information provided by these apps appear on the GPS or only on the Phone?

There seem to be two sides

There seem to be two sides when I read if Smartlink Live Traffic is an improvement over HD Traffic. When I used HD Traffic before in the past, I was not happy with it.

I'm interested in the Smartlink Live Traffic but only if it shows traffic/congestion on streets around me as opposed to just major highways, etc.

Does the Smartlink show traffic like Google Map does for local streets?

You can traffic coverage on:

You can check traffic coverage in your area on: http://here.com/traffic
Whatever you see on this web site is reflected in Smartlink app.

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Iphone XR, Drivesmart 61,Nuvicam, Nuvi3597

Using traffic and it is more accurste

Pairing it with my 2598lmt

I've found the traffic to be a noticeable improvement over the standard traffic that comes with the nuvi.

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Nuvi 3597 LMT

Thanks for the Link

rookie8155 wrote:

You can check traffic coverage in your area on: http://here.com/traffic
Whatever you see on this web site is reflected in Smartlink app.

Good find!

It's portable but...

rookie8155 wrote:
larry_larry wrote:

It's not unusual for me to have a new phone every year (the company I work for upgrades them regularly). Any idea if the subscription is 'portable' to a new phone? I didn't think about this before I bought the subs, I may be getting a new phone soon...

Larry

Yes, it is portable. It is not tied to your device. It is tied to your login ID Google or Apple.

I believe this is true as long as you stick with a platform. If you were to switch from Android to Apple I think you would have to repurchase but as long as you stay in the family you should be good as Rookie says.

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"There's no substitute for local knowledge" nüvi 750, nüvi 3597

Garmin Support Website Information

TXRVer wrote:
rookie8155 wrote:
larry_larry wrote:

It's not unusual for me to have a new phone every year (the company I work for upgrades them regularly). Any idea if the subscription is 'portable' to a new phone? I didn't think about this before I bought the subs, I may be getting a new phone soon...

Larry

Yes, it is portable. It is not tied to your device. It is tied to your login ID Google or Apple.

I believe this is true as long as you stick with a platform. If you were to switch from Android to Apple I think you would have to repurchase but as long as you stay in the family you should be good as Rookie says.

From the Garmin support website...

https://support.garmin.com/support/searchSupport/case.faces?...

Can I transfer my purchased Garmin/Navigon application from one mobile platform to another?

Unfortunately, you cannot transfer purchased Garmin/Navigon applications from one mobile platform to another. Our applications were made specifically for each mobile platform, as each operating system is different. For example, even though the Navigon USA application exists for Android, iOS, and Windows Phone devices, the application was developed to work specifically for its respected mobile platform. This means that the Navigon USA application for Android would not function properly on an iOS or Windows Phone device, as it wasn't developed for those platforms.

In addition, our applications are purchased through separate application stores varying on which platform you're using. Android customers purchase their applications from Google Play; iPhone customers purchase their applications from the App Store (iTunes); and Windows Phone customers purchase their applications from Marketplace. Each of these application stores require an account to be set up before customers can purchase or download any application for their mobile device. Purchased applications are then tied to the customers respected account and cannot be accessed by or transferred to a different mobile platform.

This applies to all paid applications and in-app purchases developed by Garmin and Garmin Digital Cyclone, Inc.

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Nuvi 2598 | Nuvi 350 | eTrex Vista | eTrex 30x

I've looked and looked but

"This means that the Navigon USA application for Android would not function properly on an iOS or Windows Phone device, as it wasn't developed for those platforms."

It's not available for Windows phones

Typical surprised

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Never argue with a pig. It makes you look foolish and it anoys the hell out of the pig!

Yes, Garmin Support site is

Yes, Garmin Support site is saying exactly we said here. You can not switch service from one mobile platform to other. If you have android phone, you can switch phones and it will work but if you switch from android to iphone, then you have to buy the service again. I am switching from Android to iphone and still waiting for iphone 6 plus to arrive. But Garmin traffic and weather service was on sale couple of weeks ago. I bought the subscription using my ipad. When I receive my iphone, it will work on it.

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Iphone XR, Drivesmart 61,Nuvicam, Nuvi3597

Subscription issue resolved by Garmin

bennor3814 wrote:

Minor update to my issue posted above. Garmin is now looking into why I am not seeing the subscriptions active within the Smartlink program on my Verizon Motorola Droid Mini. They can see that I purchased the Live Traffic and Weather subscriptions on their end but for some reason that information isn't being pushed to the phone despite various troubleshooting steps they had me try while on the phone with them yesterday. They've sent my case to the developers and it could take up to 10 days or more to troubleshoot and get back to me with a fix. sad

Another update. After not hearing anything from Garmin for 10 business days and the Smartlink app still not showing the two subscriptions I contacted Garmin again this morning and the customer service person I spoke with escalated my issue after the call and low and behold the two subscriptions are now showing as active on my end. For others who have a similar problem be persistent and pester Garmin to elevate the issue to push them to activate the subscriptions on their end. The reason why I waited 10 business days was the email I received from Garmin when I filed the initial complaint indicated it could take up to 10 days to resolve the issue after being sent to the development/programming group.

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Nuvi 2598 | Nuvi 350 | eTrex Vista | eTrex 30x

Wow, good news..

Wow, good news..

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Iphone XR, Drivesmart 61,Nuvicam, Nuvi3597

BarneyBadass wrote:"This

BarneyBadass wrote:

"This means that the Navigon USA application for Android would not function properly on an iOS or Windows Phone device, as it wasn't developed for those platforms."

It's not available for Windows phones

Typical surprised

Actually, it will not work at all on IOS if it was purchased on Android phone.

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Iphone XR, Drivesmart 61,Nuvicam, Nuvi3597