Sat Nav Gps And Mobile Map Apps

[tali1]

How is it that a sat nav does not need mobile data to operate , whereas mobile phone Map apps do , given that they both have GPS ? I assume they use different GPS perhaps ?

[barry1010]

Because the maps on a sat nav are pre loaded, always on the satnav.
On your mobile phone it has to connect to the route as you travel

[bhg481]

It depends which sat navs you are talking about. The likes of TomTom. Garmin etc are free-standing and need a GPS signal to know where they are; if they lose signal eg, in a long tunnel, they can get confused. Sat navs which are built into the vehicle by the manufacturer are linked to the car speedo and, if they lose the GPS signal, use that information to calculate where they are from their last known position.

[sunny-dave]

You can get satnav apps for mobile phones which use downloaded maps and don't need mobile coverage during the journey - try mapsme

https://maps.me/

You can also ask google maps to download all the data needed for a planned route whilst still at home on wifi - it then only needs mobile data during the journey if you go too far off route.

[Maydup]

But without the GPS you won’t have live traffic information.

I always use a map app connected live for the best route at the time.

[nero2024]

and all courtesy of the American defence system
came into public use in 1983