Using a vehicle's USB port to charge GPS

 

I recently asked this forum about using a USB port in my car to power and charge my Nuvi. I received the following from Garmin support. It seems like the definitive answer from the source and I thought it might help others.

Thank you for contacting Garmin International. I am glad to assist you. It is not recommended to use any USB port in the vehicle. You will want to use the vehicle power cable that came with the unit in the box connected directly into the adaptor. This will allow the device to power and any left over power will go to the battery.

If you use the USB port it will charge the battery but it will enter a mass storage mode where you will see only an image of a computer tower attached with a cable to the device and not usable in a navigation mode.

With Best Regards,
xxx
Customer Care - Automotive Team

Garmin International

Thanks for that.

That would go for TomTom (any brand of GPS) users as well I would say. wink

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Freedom isn't free...thank you veterans! Heard about the tests to detect PANCREATIC CANCER? There aren't any! In Memoriam: #77 NYPD-SCA/Seattle Mike/Joe S./Vinny D./RTC!

Just keep in mind that ....

Keep in mind that Garmin's boiler plate answers to email requests are not always accurate or complete information. I use a generic USB connection on my 3597 all the time because I don't like the bulky power cable that comes with the traffic receiver (my area does not have traffic service). It works fine with the generic USB adapter and usb cable, That said, I have several USB power adapters ... some work, some go into mass storage mode, some give an "incompatible charger" error. You just have to try it to find out what works and what doesn't.

Edit: The USB adapter I use with my 3597 is similar to this one: http://www.ebay.com/itm/3-1A-Aluminum-2-Port-USB-Car-Charger.... Interestingly, if I Plug my 3597 into the 2.1A port it starts out in mass storage mode, then switches to navigation mode but gives the "incompatible charger" error. If i plug into the 1.0A port, it goes directly into navigation mode and works just fine.

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Alan - Android Auto, DriveLuxe 51LMT-S, DriveLuxe 50LMTHD, Nuvi 3597LMTHD, Oregon 550T, Nuvi 855, Nuvi 755T, Lowrance Endura Sierra, Bosch Nyon

Same as PC

Using the vehicle USB port is no different than using a PC USB port, except you cannot manipulate files.

Bflotom2 wrote:

I recently asked this forum about using a USB port in my car to power and charge my Nuvi. I received the following from Garmin support. It seems like the definitive answer from the source and I thought it might help others.

Thank you for contacting Garmin International. I am glad to assist you. It is not recommended to use any USB port in the vehicle. You will want to use the vehicle power cable that came with the unit in the box connected directly into the adaptor. This will allow the device to power and any left over power will go to the battery.

If you use the USB port it will charge the battery but it will enter a mass storage mode where you will see only an image of a computer tower attached with a cable to the device and not usable in a navigation mode.

With Best Regards,
xxx
Customer Care - Automotive Team

Garmin International

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NUVI40 Kingsport TN

Power Cord & 12v Vehicle Power Outlet...

As I stated in the subject area of my post... I use the power cord that came with my 1300WT Nuvi... and plug it into the vehicles 12v power outlet. That's what it came with, so that's what I use... after all, I paid for it... so why not use it.

Nuvi1300WTGPS

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I'm not really lost.... just temporarily misplaced!

Car USB port

The owner's manual on my 2012 Nissan Altima says that the USB port should only be used with a flash drive for mp3 files to be played by the stereo. The port is unable to power any device.

My guess is that the port does have 5vdc to power the flash drive, but its capacity in milliamps is unknown. Nuvis draw more power than PC USB ports can supply when operating and charging the battery at the same time.

Since the USB port is connected to a board which is not only a stereo but also HVAC control and backup camera, I am not comfortable using it as a power supply. It literally costs thousands of dollars to replace this board, and the entire dashboard has to be removed.

Alandb is right. Get a 12v cigar lighter USB adapter. Avoid using the built-in USB port.

dobs108 smile

Traffic

On some models the traffic receiver is built into the cigarette lighter power cord. Even if you can use the USB cable per OP's request, such models would not receive traffic if so powered.

And

Even if the receiver is built in you need to use the original power cable as that is also the antenna for the receiver, without it you won't get traffic.

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Where there's a will ... there's a way ... DriveSmart51LMT-S, DriveSmart50LMT-D, Nuvi 2508LMT-D, 1490LMT, 1310, Montana 650T, Etrex 20

I use a dual USB charger as

I use a dual USB charger as I recive traffic from my garmin app on my cell anyway. Now I can charge the phone and use my garmin at the same time.

USB Port

The car USB port will charge your gps but it will take longer as the current rating is low. The suggestion to buy a cigar lighter USB adapter is the safest and smartest way of charging your gps if you're not going to use the factory cable. They're inexpensive so why burden your communications system with a heavy load when your cigar lighter is already designed to do the job?

Charging

Most likely the cars USB port only puts out 500 MaH which is not enough to run a Garmin it requires a 1000Mah or 1 amp output.

But lets say it will go to the "connected to a compute mode", sometimes unplugging it and right away replugging it may bypass the computer connection icon.

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Nuvi 2797LMT, DriveSmart 50 LMT-HD, Using Windows 10. DashCam A108C with GPS.

Thanks for the clarification on usb version differences

Thanks for the clarification. Good to know if the regular cord is lost or misplaced.

iPhone cube

Interesting response. I just checked my 2595 with the chargers for my phone. When I plug in the small Apple cube charger, the GPS boots to the computer (mass storage) mode for a few seconds, then continues to boot all the way up, and charges while running. If you get the "computer screen" when plugging into your usb port, just leave it and see what happens. It very likely will boot all the way up.

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Drivesmart 66, Nuvi 2595LMT (Died), Nuvi 1490T (Died), Nuvi 260 (Died), GPSMAP 195

cable

however, i thought that the heavy cable has the traffic receiver antenna built in to pick up real time traffic. if you're bypassing this aren't you getting less features?

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jaycoe

Traffic antenna.

jaycoe wrote:

however, i thought that the heavy cable has the traffic receiver antenna built in to pick up real time traffic. if you're bypassing this aren't you getting less features?

Yes, that is true … but many Garmin users no longer use the traffic receiver, opting for Garmin's Smartphone Link for traffic information. Smartphone Link arguably has more accurate and wider coverage than the traffic receiver.

Incidentally, welcome to the forum. There is a lot of good information available here. Note that this thread is about 3 1/2 years old, but sometimes it is interesting to resurrect an older thread.

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Alan - Android Auto, DriveLuxe 51LMT-S, DriveLuxe 50LMTHD, Nuvi 3597LMTHD, Oregon 550T, Nuvi 855, Nuvi 755T, Lowrance Endura Sierra, Bosch Nyon

Yep

alandb wrote:

Incidentally, welcome to the forum. There is a lot of good information available here. Note that this thread is about 3 1/2 years old, but sometimes it is interesting to resurrect an older thread.

Definitely, it means I've managed another 3 1/2 years of life smile

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Where there's a will ... there's a way ... DriveSmart51LMT-S, DriveSmart50LMT-D, Nuvi 2508LMT-D, 1490LMT, 1310, Montana 650T, Etrex 20

I definitely,

sussamb wrote:
alandb wrote:

Incidentally, welcome to the forum. There is a lot of good information available here. Note that this thread is about 3 1/2 years old, but sometimes it is interesting to resurrect an older thread.

Definitely, it means I've managed another 3 1/2 years of life smile

Like your way of thinking! laugh out loud

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With God, all things are possible. ——State motto of the Great State of Ohio

powering vs charging

Melaqueman wrote:

Most likely the cars USB port only puts out 500 MaH which is not enough to run a Garmin it requires a 1000Mah or 1 amp output.

But lets say it will go to the "connected to a compute mode", sometimes unplugging it and right away replugging it may bypass the computer connection icon.

Melaqueman, I guess you meant 500 mA, as capital M means "mega" and that's millions. That will be quite unusual USB outlet smile

Opening post is asking about charging. So if car's USB outlet will supply only 0.5A it may be not enough to power up Garmin, as Melaqueman said. But it still will charge its battery, just charging process will take much longer than with USB with higher power output. Of course device must be able to charge through its USB port.

Another Charging Problem

Dating my self by have had a brain fart. I used to be able to charge my 660 with a usb cord. Now it will only charge when using it while driving and the traffic cord in a 12 volt plug When I use the usb alone to charge the battery it shows a storage symbol on the screen. It doesn't go into charge mode. I won't be on line for a couple of days as Monday I need to go into the hospital to have a valve in my heart checked to see if it needs to be replaces. Will check back as soon as I get home. I also done a reset but that didn't do any good.
Thanks for any help you can give.

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johnm405 660 & MSS&T

USB Cable

The pinout configuration of the USB cable you use will determine whether it will charge / power the GPS or go into USB mode. "Charge only" cables generally have just two active pin connections.

Another Charging Problem

I used the cable that came with the gps when it was new. Funny I left it plugged in and late yesterday afternoon it was fully charged. Must be the gremlin's at work

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johnm405 660 & MSS&T

Charge-only from USB port

Something that works for me on my 51LM is to give it a Destination prior to plugging in the USB cable. I usually just hit Recent destinations, or Home, or anywhere and hit Go. Seems like once its in the traveling mode the USB won't go into data mode. And then it stays in charge-only mode the rest of the day. Of course to do this there needs to be enough charge already in the battery to turn it on.

Worth trying on other models. The charge/data behavior of mine seems to vary depending which cable and port I use in the vehicle.

Now that I'm reading some comments here, the very thin charge cable I'm trying to use might not have been handling 1.0 Amp very well, causing voltage drop and a depleted battery and reboots. I'll try a heavier cable.

I personally don't use the Traffic feature so I like using a short USB cable to the radio face. Its a much neater appearance than the long bulky Garmin cigarette-lighter plug cable.

My opinion is Garmin should include a charge-only USB cable with new GPS's for this purpose. I'm not even sure if they make and sell one.

No fuse

Another advantage of using the OEM supplied charger is it is fused. My first GPS, a TomTom One, started smoking and the fuse in the car cable blew. Admittedly, this was before the days of USB ports in cars, but the TomTom GPS was shot. I wonder what would happen with a non-fused USB cable and a GPS with some issue. I for one leave my GPS on when I go to a rest stop, fast food restaurant, etc.

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John from PA

.

John from PA wrote:

Another advantage of using the OEM supplied charger is it is fused. My first GPS, a TomTom One, started smoking and the fuse in the car cable blew. Admittedly, this was before the days of USB ports in cars, but the TomTom GPS was shot. I wonder what would happen with a non-fused USB cable and a GPS with some issue. I for one leave my GPS on when I go to a rest stop, fast food restaurant, etc.

There are criminal gangs who look for GPS left on at rest stops. If they can access the "Home" address, they arrange a break in at your home, figuring you're on the road. Good idea to not use actual home address as your GPS "Home".

"Home" will only get you close in my case

perpster wrote:
John from PA wrote:

Another advantage of using the OEM supplied charger is it is fused. My first GPS, a TomTom One, started smoking and the fuse in the car cable blew. Admittedly, this was before the days of USB ports in cars, but the TomTom GPS was shot. I wonder what would happen with a non-fused USB cable and a GPS with some issue. I for one leave my GPS on when I go to a rest stop, fast food restaurant, etc.

There are criminal gangs who look for GPS left on at rest stops. If they can access the "Home" address, they arrange a break in at your home, figuring you're on the road. Good idea to not use actual home address as your GPS "Home".

My "Home" address happens to be the parking lot of the nearby (about a mile away) police department. It is good enough to let me know an approximate arrival time when headed home.

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John from PA

??

perpster wrote:

There are criminal gangs who look for GPS left on at rest stops. If they can access the "Home" address, they arrange a break in at your home, figuring you're on the road. Good idea to not use actual home address as your GPS "Home".

Has anyone seen verified reports of this actually happening? I suspect it is largely an urban myth. There are lots of FOF (friend of a friend) reports on the web but with few verification's

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/gps-burglary/

How would a GPS thief pull this off? Would he jump in his car and try to beat you home hoping not to be caught in the act? Does he have a network of cronies spread out across the country waiting for his call? How does he know the house is really empty and not occupied by a friend or relative?

I'd be willing to bet that more lost or stolen GPS units are returned to their owners via accurate home addresses than homes burgled by thieves.

You have more to fear from leaving your garage door opener and your vehicle registration in your glove compartment. This is especially true if the vehicle itself is stolen.

The average car thief isn't

The average car thief isn't smart enough to work this. He's looking for something to sell for a couple bucks for drugs. The person buying the stolen unit is probably also looking to turn a quick profit.

In the archives are pages of posts on this subject, and I cannot recall any saying that the theft of a GPS form the car resulted in a house breaking,

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Frank DriveSmart55 37.322760, -79.511267

Similar case

bdhsfz6 wrote:

Has anyone seen verified reports of this actually happening? I suspect it is largely an urban myth. There are lots of FOF (friend of a friend) reports on the web but with few verification's

Here's one verification...
http://pugetsoundblogs.com/roadwarrior/2015/01/01/obscuring-...

Somewhat related...I first saw something similar reported in a Baltimore newspaper, perhaps as much as 20 years ago. The Baltimore police had stated that gangs were watching cars in movie theater and shopping center parking lots. After sighting someone going into a theatre, the vehicle would be stolen. Often times the vehicle had a GPS and a garage door opener, providing the thief with the best of both worlds as far as a break-in. These days the thieves have smartphones so little need for the GPS if paperwork in the vehicle gives away an address (nothing does in my car!).

The way I look at it is what harm is done by setting “Home” as some nearby point?

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John from PA

Spoofing home address.

John from PA wrote:

The way I look at it is what harm is done by setting “Home” as some nearby point?

No harm at all! If it makes you feel more secure, by all means set it up that way. Just realize that unless you also clear the trip log on every use, a "smart" thief can probably figure out your home address by looking at that. Also, if you have other places (favorites) that contain real locations for friends and relatives, you probably should spoof their locations as well to protect them.

For me, I am in the same camp as bdhsf6. The convenience of using real locations outweighs the potential risk for me, so I keep my home home address and favorites set to the real location, and only clear the trip log if and when I find some other reason to do it.

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Alan - Android Auto, DriveLuxe 51LMT-S, DriveLuxe 50LMTHD, Nuvi 3597LMTHD, Oregon 550T, Nuvi 855, Nuvi 755T, Lowrance Endura Sierra, Bosch Nyon

Bflotom2 wrote: I recently

Bflotom2 wrote:

I recently asked this forum about using a USB port in my car to power and charge my Nuvi. I received the following from Garmin

There USB adapters that only allow power to flow and not data. This adapter is very useful as a security device so you can charge your phone with someone's USB port (in public, hotel, etc) and not have to worry about malware or data access to your phone. The same adapter would prevent your navigator from going into "Mass Storage" mode.

There is also an undocumented so-called "Ethernet mode" on many Nuvi's that allow you to use the GPS even when connected to a USB device without going into mass storage mode. Generally that requires you to first make that option appear in the settings menu. To do this, go into the screen with a speedometer, hold the speedometer for a few seconds until a debug screen appears. Then exit the debug screen (don't be tempted to make changes which may or may not be reversible). Voila, there is a new button in the settings mode that will persist until the next reset.

A Very Fine Point

John from PA wrote:

The way I look at it is what harm is done by setting “Home” as some nearby point?

It really is a very minor point. The only thing you give up by using a false home location is the possibility of your unit being returned if it were lost.

In my case, it's a moot point anyway. I live in a rural area on a private road. My actual house number is not shown in the HERE database so I use a number that's close as my home location. A potential thief would have several houses to choose from.