Bluetooth GPS

[BadElf]

Brett from Bad Elf here. Since all of the external GPS accessories mentioned here are Apple-approved, the iOS device will automatically use the GPS source with the best accuracy. Typically this means it will switch to the external GPS as soon as it has a lock, and shut down the internal receiver to save power.

The Location Services setting is global and affects all apps and both internal/external receivers, so you'll want to keep that enabled.

The Bad Elf works with all models and generations of iOS devices, so it does not matter if you have the 3G or Wifi-only iPad. It isn't Blutooth, but has the advantage of being zero-configuration, plug and play, with no batteries to charge. Downside is that it's not wireless.

Hope that helps!
-Brett

 

[PCUK]

There you go then, Straight from the horses mouth! BadElf works with all Ipads - I must say it is well worth the money. Mine is used for both sea and land navigation.

 

[jsh1120]

Very helpful, BadElf. Thanks for paying attention to forums like this. It reduces the noise of misleading information tremendously.

 

[BadElf]

Very helpful, BadElf. Thanks for paying attention to forums like this. It reduces the noise of misleading information tremendously.

Happy to help! We get these same questions every day, so we know there's a lot of confusion in the marketplace. It's funny because the Apple devices and accessories tend to "just work" due to the strict Made for iPod compatibility testing. We've all been trained by years of experience with other devices and platforms to expect things to be more difficult!

 

[BobDenny]

I just got the Dual XGPS150 for my iPad 2 WiFi. I recommend it highly. After painlessly pairing and allowing it to run outdoors to get the GPS data up to date, it gets 10 sats solid inside my house. It integrates with all of the navi etc apps. It's just like having the 3G GPS. Nicely designed and built solid.

 

[ipadbraincell]

I just got the Dual XGPS150 for my iPad 2 WiFi. I recommend it highly. After painlessly pairing and allowing it to run outdoors to get the GPS data up to date, it gets 10 sats solid inside my house. It integrates with all of the navi etc apps. It's just like having the 3G GPS. Nicely designed and built solid.

Looked it up gets good reports. Amazon charge £74.95 so a tad pricey here, $88 stateside of the pond.

If I got one I'd need an app to switch between navigation and forward camera - so I could see where the dickens I was driving while using the ipad2

 

[JBKokomo]

I have recently bouth the Dual GPS 150 for my iPad2 (wifi only).

Please recommend best apps to use as navigation (mostly vehicle, but golf too).

Would like recommendations for any price range. And does traffic info work with this (without 3G)?

 

[Bingoldsby]

I see several interlocking problems with the directly-attached GPS units.

1. If the GPS unit has to be attached to the iPad, it probably won't work well in a vehicle unless the pad is plastered to a window. I use GPS in the motorhome while driving, and even my expensive Garmin unit sitting on the dash loses reception frequently. I would be viewng the iPad from a postion NOT on the dash. To be fair, most of my travel is in the West, where there are TREES.

2. If one has to attach an extension cord to the iPad so as to get the GPS unit into a better receiving location, then from there have to run a power cord somewhere to keep the battery charged... well, that could be a hazardous lashup. (I don't have kids or dogs, but I'm clumbsy nonetheless.)

3. If while driving, and having to use a map app that fetches maps on the fly (native Maps application), driving from here to there is usually dotted with locations that have no 3g service. I can't figure how that would work very well.

I found, the other day, some writings and comments about an application that passes GPS data to the iPad from the iPhone. I think some of the comments seemed to suggest that the data passed wasn't actually satellite location data, but only Cell Tower Triangulation data. That wouldn't be very good. I'll have to look into that some more... along with some of the other issues that are coming to mind.

It seems, for me, the ultimate solution would be a wireless GPS unit that can be plugged into external power as it runs, interacting with "resident" maps on the iPad. If anyone knows of a solution that sounds like this, it might be instructive to all of us to hear about it.

Thanks,

Brian - Sent from my iPad using iPF

 

[Gabriel1]

I see several interlocking problems with the directly-attached GPS units.

1. If the GPS unit has to be attached to the iPad, it probably won't work well in a vehicle unless the pad is plastered to a window. I use GPS in the motorhome while driving, and even my expensive Garmin unit sitting on the dash loses reception frequently. I would be viewng the iPad from a postion NOT on the dash. To be fair, most of my travel is in the West, where there are TREES.

2. If one has to attach an extension cord to the iPad so as to get the GPS unit into a better receiving location, then from there have to run a power cord somewhere to keep the battery charged... well, that could be a hazardous lashup. (I don't have kids or dogs, but I'm clumbsy nonetheless.)

3. If while driving, and having to use a map app that fetches maps on the fly (native Maps application), driving from here to there is usually dotted with locations that have no 3g service. I can't figure how that would work very well.

I found, the other day, some writings and comments about an application that passes GPS data to the iPad from the iPhone. I think some of the comments seemed to suggest that the data passed wasn't actually satellite location data, but only Cell Tower Triangulation data. That wouldn't be very good. I'll have to look into that some more... along with some of the other issues that's are coming to mind.

It seems, for me, the ultimate solution would be a wireless GPS unit that can be plugged into external power as it runs, interacting with "resident" maps on the iPad. If anyone know of a solution that sounds like this, it might be instructive to all of us to hear about it.

Thanks,

Brian - Sent from my iPad using iPF

Brian,

Just a few thoughts on your post......

1. Isn't the thread Bluetooth GPS, which would suggest that the GPS unit is separate and could be mounted on the dash or windshield and connecting to the iPad by Bluetooth.

2. This can be a problem, my TomTom wires run a tortuous route through my car but I'm used to it now so no worries about catching them.

3. I'm not sure what you mean by this. GPS doesn't use 3G, it uses GPS technology. On 3G iPads it is contained within the 3G chip but the two are completely independent.

The Archangel

 

[jsh1120]

I see several interlocking problems with the directly-attached GPS units.

1. If the GPS unit has to be attached to the iPad, it probably won't work well in a vehicle unless the pad is plastered to a window. I use GPS in the motorhome while driving, and even my expensive Garmin unit sitting on the dash loses reception frequently. I would be viewng the iPad from a postion NOT on the dash. To be fair, most of my travel is in the West, where there are TREES.

2. If one has to attach an extension cord to the iPad so as to get the GPS unit into a better receiving location, then from there have to run a power cord somewhere to keep the battery charged... well, that could be a hazardous lashup. (I don't have kids or dogs, but I'm clumbsy nonetheless.)

3. If while driving, and having to use a map app that fetches maps on the fly (native Maps application), driving from here to there is usually dotted with locations that have no 3g service. I can't figure how that would work very well.

I found, the other day, some writings and comments about an application that passes GPS data to the iPad from the iPhone. I think some of the comments seemed to suggest that the data passed wasn't actually satellite location data, but only Cell Tower Triangulation data. That wouldn't be very good. I'll have to look into that some more... along with some of the other issues that are coming to mind.

It seems, for me, the ultimate solution would be a wireless GPS unit that can be plugged into external power as it runs, interacting with "resident" maps on the iPad. If anyone knows of a solution that sounds like this, it might be instructive to all of us to hear about it.

Thanks,

Brian - Sent from my iPad using iPF

Brian,

Unless I'm missing something the unit below is what you're looking for. It has already been cited on this thread.

Amazon.com: Dual Electronics XGPS150 Universal Bluetooth GPS Receiver for iPad 2, iPad, iPod touch, iPhone and Other Smartphones, Tablets and Laptops: GPS & Navigation

 

[aliman]

for internal gps, a external antenna may help to get a better signal

 

[Bingoldsby]

The thread IS about Bluetooth, alright... but then the Bad Elf unit came up, which is a device that attaches directly to the iPad's connector - thus my thoughts about a device that has to be stuck to the pad.

My comments on the maps issue and 3g are that if using a map application which can only work when 3g is available for gathering map segments as one's position moves into new map "tiles" is obviously going to be a problem. Pre-loaded maps are going to be absolutely necessary, and so far, those "cached" maps seem to come with quite expensive programs. I'm still trying to get a clear picture about map apps that will interact with GPS data. It takes some concentration to figure it all out, and then I forget about it for a while and have to start all over again. (Guess I need to keep some notes.)

Thanks for all the comments.

Brian - Sent from my iPad using iPF

 

[jonPad]

I was also concerned about the maps issue. What application could I use that would have cached maps for navigation, which would work in conjunction with the GPS receiver? Any navigation app that depends on downloading maps from a wifi connection would become useless pretty quickly once I get away from home or the office.