Interesting (Waze traffic)

so far I have found Waze to have better routing than the Nuvi.

Waze doesn't necessarily need drivers to input data as they drive. Just having it running as you drive contributes to Waze traffic info. If people are driving 25 mph on a road with a 65 mph speed limit Waze will figure out that there's a problem there and route cars around that stretch of road.

I do not have traffic on my Nuvi and I do not have a traffic cord, so I know nothing about traffic except for my Accord built in unit and have not used that much.

What is Waze?
Who sells it or is it Free?
Does it cost to use?
Do I need a specific GPS to use it (I have Nuvi 2450)?
Does it work with a smartphone?
Any thing else I need to know about Waze?

I downloaded waze a week ago,i like it sofar

Waze is a smartphone app from Google.

The app is a free download.

The app requires a wireless connection to the Internet, so yes, there is a cost in that it uses any data you may have in your phone's plan.

It is a smartphone app and does not connect to your GPS.
Does it work with a smartphone?

You will need to keep your phone on charge while the app is running as it does keep the display on while it is up and is continuously downloading data from the Internet over your cellular connection. The amount of data used will depend on how long you have the app up and running. Waze will function as a GPS in that you can set routes and it will offer detours based on Google maps. It will also provide spoken directions but all those come with increased data usage.

An alternative program is INRIX traffic which does not do spoken directions. INRIX is also a free download.

When using waze for extended periods, continuously charging the cellphone/device in the vehicle's lighter socket makes sense.

As for the accident not being there by the time you get to the approx. spot, I try to look at how many minutes ago the report/alert was posted. 15 to 30 minutes ago may mean the issue has resolved by the time you enter that vicinity.

At least, that seems to have been my experience.

You sure know how to answer questions so I will understand.
This is just what I wanted to know. I will download it and see.
I have see Waze talked about a lot on here but always thought it was something for the Nuvi. Thanks again, Mary

Drains my iPhone 4S pronto.

Also, seems that to get spoken warnings, Waze has to be the on-top application on the iPhone.

I've pretty much have given up on my Garmin for directions as I usually use Google maps/Waze. I do however enjoy keeping the Garmin on the dashboard just to see a live map and which roads are approaching. It's very inconvenient for me to mount/unmount my phone all the time.

I generally use both. I prefer Waze for traffic as generally the Garmin seems to show green when I'm sitting in a highway parking lot.

Points taken in this thread but...

It may depend on what city you are in as to accuracy, since the data comes from differing sources in each city.

WAZE comes from real time users so I would imagine it would usually be the most accurate. For me personally, it drains my iPhone battery like nobody's business. That's a huge negative for me and I've deleted the app for that very reason.

I was driving through Los Angeles a couple of times this past holiday week and my Garmin traffic was pretty darn spot on, more so than Inrix Traffic and Beat The Traffic apps I have on my phone.

Not to say that Garmin traffic is always the most accurate for me. Sometimes it is and sometimes it's not. When in L.A., I also tune in to KNX AM radio, which runs traffic every ten minutes. You'd think that since they were making traffic part of their business and part of the attraction to tuning them in that they'd be VERY accurate. However, not in my experience. They are too vague and not up to date.

The point of all of my blather in this post is just that my experience is that no one source is more accurate than the others all of the time. And for me personally, WAZE is too much of a load on my battery.

Please don't lump me in with "people who like the product". I'm quick to to dump something that doesn't work for me.

WAZE is indeed a power hog. I use a smartphone car charger to solve the problem.

You have to remember, Waze is a good as the Wazer near an incident entering the information. If no Wazer is reporting an accident for example, it won't show up! Probably won't on Garmin either.

Personally, I use both on long distance travel. And, I have a cig plug adapter that allows the Garmin and my iPhone to be plugged in. Never have to worry about battery power for the device!

Now all we have to do is get Garmin to talk with Waze (Google)and see if they can work together. However, it may be too late now that Google bought Waze.

Waze does not always rely on user reports to generate traffic warnings. Since it knows where its users are located, when two or more Wazers in the same area show a pronounced decrease in speed, the system automatically highlights the road in red and posts the indicated speed of traffic. Sometimes, but not always, it will ask you if you are in traffic.

https://support.google.com/waze/answer/6078702?hl=en

Definitely. The ability of Waze to automatically sense and report back a traffic problem within a minute or two gives it a key advantage over traffic reports on GPS or AM radios, one-way devices that don't automatically report problems, usually causing a 10-minute-plus delay in a traffic update reaching users.

For AM-radio traffic reports, the limited advice for rerouting and the challenge to travelers from out-of-town to know the locations mentioned in AM-radio traffic reports are additional issues.

All this makes Waze worth a try for the curious equipped with a smartphone, even if you like your Garmin.

But say lanes are blocked and traffic is backing up rapidly. Even Waze tends to under-report the location where the slowdown begins--they may show it slowing a quarter-mile ahead when you're already in it. Within a minute or two, though, it will update to reflect the advancement of stop-and-go to where you were.

That's what I tend to do, use Waze for traffic reports and my Garmin for routing and directions ...

The routing on Waze and Google Maps are pretty amazing.

my experience with WAZE routing have not been very good.

Since I use Smartphone Link to feed data to my 3597 when travelling, it makes sense for me to keep Waze booted on the smartphone as well. That way, I have simultaneous access to multiple traffic information sources.

I drive +/- 1000 miles per month using both and have never come close to exceeding my 2 GB / month data plan. This may not work for those who are on a strict “data budget” however.

an extra $20/mo. because I have unlimited with VZ. So I let them have it and consumed 24 gb. last month.

It's like a game of chess.

I don't get to this area often, but when I have this part of Ontario, near Toronto Garmin Traffic seems to be pretty close. I live in Kitchener, and no traffic reports here yet and I know my way around so well, I never use the GPS.

Yeah *that'll* teach 'em.

Did you get grandfathered in? This VZ customer had forgotten they once offered unlimited data... before my wireless time I guess. Have they done what other wireless services do and throttled you back to 2G once you have used a certain amount of data?

Yeah. Echoes of cable ISPs trying so hard to push Triple Play packages (cable broadand ISP, which many people want, plus cable TV, which some people want, plus cable phone, which is superfluous in this day and age compared to cell phone, even if it's better than landline phone for the money. Throw in the towel, Garmin. Smartphones do traffic faster and better than you, also for free. Time marches on, and tech is a merciless winnower.

It would be nice if you my Garmin which I prefer for map/directions could get real time info from Waze via Bluetooth.

I'd love to see Garmin buy Waze. Then I would use my GPOS for traffic all the time.

Problem is that Garmin would have to buy it from Google who now owns it. That would probably be an expensive purchase.

Part of the allure of Waze is its user contributions which allows for more real-time revisions. Even if Google were persuaded to sell, Garmin would end up killing the project by locking it up.

Can't agree more. I only use Garmin where there's no cell signal at all.

Garmin Traffic is fairly accurate when there are stations around to update. I drive the I-95 corridor from about Charleston to Miami and the only update I get is around Jacksonville. Other than that...crickets.Some updates if I head Tampa way.
Something needs upgrading.

I said in a post at the bottom of page one of this thread that I would do a real-world test of Waze's wireless data use during a long drive this month. I can now report the results.

We drove 2900 miles over five days, about nine hours of using Waze per day. The total wireless data use Waze consumed was 113 MB, or about 2.5 MB per hour. Not bad at all.

I should note that I did not report stuff on Waze and only occasionally confirmed problems such as a vehicle on the side of the road. I did not exchange messages with other Wazers. Those things could make data use a bit higher, though I doubt it would be a big hit.

Also I did this on major interstate highways with a basic iPhone 6 and Verizon. Different locations, phones, cellular providers could certainly register different rates of data use.

Granted, if your data plan limits you to one or two GB of data per month, you might need to be concerned about even this level of data use. But most people, driving fewer hours in a week than I did and with larger data plans, can absorb this hit without getting into a data overcharge situation. If you're driving in an area without cell phone coverage from your provider (primarily an issue out West or in other rural areas away from interstate highways), be sure you've turned off data roaming on your phone before Wazing back roads so you don't get charged for roaming data use. This is not a problem on main drags or urban or suburban areas at least with Verizon.

Thank you for the report.

With the whole Snowden/NSA privacy revelations, it makes one wonder how much privacy one has regarding one's location and also WAZE usage.

A plain Garmin Nuvi is a receiver and not broadcasting one's location and velocity.

of Waze is hard to beat !

of Waze is hard to beat !

I use waze all the time

When travelling, we rely on Garmin plus the Google Maps App (plus Inrix if traffic is really bad). Haven't tried Waze, although I understand that some Waze info is now integrated into Google Maps. My wife navigates, so these are largely her choices, not mine. From my POV, the biggest challenge is not route finding, but instead adjusting the route for traffic. The cell phone data on my plan with Ting is sufficiently affordable and flexible that I would prefer to consume data to spend less time sitting in traffic; so if the apps help, I don't hesitate to use them.

This thread inspired me to look for more info on Google Maps and Waze:

This article from last September compares the features and function of Waze and Google Maps:
http://maphappy.org/2015/09/is-waze-really-better-than-googl...

This January 2016 article is an analysis of best GPS for in car navigation--recommends Garmin over smartphone apps: http://www.supergrail.com/best-car-gps/

Likely from someone with a bias point of view and a flawed testing strategy and methodology!

Even cooler than that, I've had it send me an alert that I need to leave earlier than planned because of developing traffic I wouldn't have known about until too late.

I couldn't agree more. I don't even bother to turn on my Garmin traffic anymore. It's useless compared to Waze, and so are the re-routes. I love that big 7 inch screen on my Dezl-760 and how it shows all the lanes and graphics of the exits. I love that it is not my phone and does not require a cell connection in addition to GPS signal. Otherwise, I can't rely on it for the heavy traffic I navigate nearly every day.

As for data, I use Waze at least 3 hours a day, and often all day so I'm as heavy a user as you will find. I have a 3GB plan I share with my son and I've never exceeded it. My phone shows I used 30.95 MB last month makingit the 4th largest user of data.

When I'm stuck in traffic, I'm not the least bit sympathetic about Garmin's issues with their traffic providers. I paid a lot for a service that is basically worthless compared to a phone app that's free.

Remember that Garmin Live Traffic is now free using your Garmin Smartphone link. This service is light years beyond the regular FM traffic and even HD traffic receivers.
I know not all Garmins are compatible, but if yours is, compare it to Waze and see how it goes!

That's great that it's free, after I paid for it. For me, it's so useless in traffic I don't even use it anymore. It doesn't begin to compare to Waze.

Been Using Waze on my smartphone for 6 months now, its close to accurate on traffic. You also have the option to report Traffic Jams, Police, Accidents, Hazard , Camera and Map Chat. Find it very useful. You could download it from Google Play. just search for WAZE.

..a few months back and didn't like it. So, I deleted it. I prefer using the HD traffic on my GPS and have found it to be adequate for my use. I also use Smartlink. But, if you like Waze, use it. If not, don't. It all depends on what you like and what works for you.

That's a shame, it works great for me!

When using my Nuvi 3795 and encountering traffic issues, I have used Waza but now I will try Google Maps. Would never have thought of it before seeing this post. It seems Google has improved the app tremendously and added new functions.

Garmin or XM Radio. Hard to beat Waze for real time traffic.

WAZE is an amazing crowd sourcing app. Its big downfall is it requires a data service or cell coverage. GARMIN is still the best all around since it doesn't require ANY ground link and is always getting its data anywhere you go sort of a tunnel or very serious interference. BTW it IS GARMIN's problem as they are responsible for their "sub contractors" performance. In short can to call up the traffic provider to express you concerns?? But your able to call up GARMIN.
Hope this helps

Since Google Maps bought WAZE, it is using WAZE for its traffic reports. It is interesting to see how things are tied together.