Can I Unplug my Garmin when doing map updates?

If you're that fussed why not use the cloning method, but there shouldn't be any issues leaving it connected.

You must though have a very slow connection, my updates take about 30 minutes

Having said that I suspect you mean MapUpdater not MapInstall, as the latter simply copies maps from the computer to your device, it doesn't update maps

When running Garmin Express, even though the map is being downloaded to the computer and not the GPS, the Garmin server knows when the GPS is connected. The fact that it is connected is your credential for deserving a download. I predict that when the GPS is unplugged, the download will stop.

No harm will come to the battery if the GPS is connected for a long time.

dobs108

I meant Garmin Updater. My download speed is 100K. My internet provider is AT&T. They are one of the worst. It currently says 16 hours to complete update.

I disconnected the unit and Garmin Express is still downloading. Maybe it will finish sometime tomorrow morning. I will post if it works.

The map update failed.

From Garmin. Note: It is important to keep the device connected to the computer, and to not shut down the computer, until the Updates complete! message appears in Garmin Express. Disconnecting the device or shutting down the computer before the update is completed will cause an error in Garmin Express, and it may render the device's maps or software unusable.

Try doing it again with the GPS plugged in. It might take less time since part of the map may already be on the computer.

I have found that Garmin Express can continue on after the job is half done.

dobs108

I have been downloading for a few hours each day. I am only at 30% now. It will download for a while and then disconnect. When it disconnects I just continue the next day. I think my usb hub was defective. The download seems a little better now. I notice that the download speeds, time remaining and percentage done are never correct. Garmin should hire some programmers that know how to code and fire the ones they have now.

I have tried installing the North America and the Europe Maps on my Nuvi 2559. The North America Map does not even begin to install. The Europe Map hangs at 30.2%. I am giving up for now. I will try again in a few months. Maybe Garmin will fix their software and server problems by then. My hard drive has plenty of space. I just installed an empty SD card in my Nuvi. No luck.

Garmin Support says never use a USB hub. Connect the GPS to a USB port on the computer itself, using the Garmin USB cable that came with the GPS.

Slow internet does not explain the slow download, but the condition of Garmin's servers is still in doubt.

dobs108

I really doubt that the Garmin programmers are at issue but having said that we don't know much about your hardware. But you have several things that need to be addressed, starting with your connection speed, which you say is 100K (? units). That is exceedingly slow, even for AT&T. AT&T with a DSL connection claims almost 800Kbps minimum!

You mentioned a possible bad hub; try plugging the Garmin directly into a USB port. Like many USB devices, hubs have speed characteristics. Is your hub USB 1,2, 3 or some sub-category of these like 3.1? Personally, I don't a hub should ever be in the transfer "path" if speed of transfer is a serious consideration.

On the subject of ports, do you know what the ports are on your computer? Again they can be USB 1, 2, 3 or a sub-category.

USB cables; there are no less than four types, versions 1, 1.1, 2, and 3. Each of these are capable of transferring at different speeds. sometimes you can tell what you have by the color of the plastic on the rectangular end; USB 1.x = White; USB 2.0 = Black, sometimes white; USB 3.0 = Blue.

What can you tell us about your PC? Make, model, RAM, hard drive size, how much free space is on the hard drive, etc.?

I have in my hand two USB cords. Both are branded Garmin. One is th shorty that comes with the DriveSmart models, and one is the cable with the ferrite filter inline that came with the 3597.

The shorty has a while slug in it and the long one has the black slug. I don't have any way to check if the white one is 1.x or 2. Garmin unit connectors are supposed to have been USB 2 for quite a while.

The cable that came with the Garmin GPS must be the same speed as the GPS is capable of. If the GPS is USB 2,the cable must also be USB 2.

USB 1 is ancient history. If Garmin designed a recent GPS with a USB 1 port, that is a big failure. Also, I don't think there are any USB 3 Garmins.

dobs108

I suspect the cable with the White slug is USB2, despite the color. Both units work with both cables. (DriveSmart55, Nuvi 3597) I've never updated the DS with the computer, Mac. I can't get a reliable connection with GE since Garmin won't support C3 on Mac.

I don't think Garmin has produced a USB 1.x unit since the very early days. My original 200 series unit back about 12-13 years ago was a 2.0 interface.

I'm pretty sure my Street Pilot C330 had USB2 also. I think that unit was released circa 2005.

USB 1.0, was finalized in January of 1996 and included specs for two speeds: Low-Speed (LS), which supported 1.5 Mb/s and Full-Speed (FS), which supported 12 Mb/s.

In 1998, USB 1.1 was developed and added some clarifications and improvements to the USB 1.0 specification.

USB 2.0 came along in April 2000 and added a new speed, High-Speed (HS), to the specification making it capable of 480Mb/s. This specification revision is backward-compatible with USB 1.1 and 1.0.

USB 3.0 was announced in November 2008, providing speeds up to 5 Gb/s. With USB 3.0 came a new physical connector as well. USB 3.1, fairly recent, has speeds up to 10 Gb/s.

Pretty much everything is backward compatible. But that doesn’t prevent people unknowingly connecting a USB 3 capable device to a USB 3.0 port with a USB 1 cable. There can be problems! I get many an individual in my shop with issues and the dead giveaway to the problem is the inline filter, what is called a “choke” in the cable they use. Two connected USB 3 devices can force transfer rates high and create issues that the filter can’t adequately handle.

Many people aren’t even aware that different cables exist. They throw away an old or defective device and decide to hang on to the cable; “nice to have a spare”. I’m guilty of that myself, having a USB 1 cable from a very early Canon digital camera.

What is with the choke? I know it's on a Garmin cable that I have gotten in the last few years. What is it? Why is it?

It is a specie of filter.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Choke_(electronics)

USB operates with a radio frequency (RF) signal. USB cables have a grounded shield that covers the length of the signal-carrying conductors in order to confine the signal to within the cable.

This does not operate perfectly. The shield acts as an antenna to radiate part of the RF energy. This can interfere with the operation of parts of the computer system like wireless mice and keyboards.

In order to minimize this, a ferrite RF choke is used. It contains iron. This stops the shield from radiating to the surrounding devices. High quality USB cables have a ferrite choke. They are also available in a split configuration that snaps on to an existing cable.

https://www.amazon.com/Mflying-40pcs-Ferrite-Magnetic-Suppre...

dobs108

The impact of USB transmission can be an issue. USB 3.0 is known to affect devices that also use 2.4 Ghz, particularly computer pointing devices (mouse). See https://www.usb.org/sites/default/files/327216.pdf for a study that has been done by Intel.