Garmin Digital Traffic service will end June 2021

MichaelCahill · Regular Visitor Joined: May 23, 2008 Posts: 132

Garmin Express tells me today that there is a software update available for my device to "provide improved support for DAB digital broadcast traffic in Germany".

This suggests that it is only dropping the service in the UK.

Kremmen · Posted: Wed Feb 10, 2021 12:58 pm Post subject:

Correct

I think It's DigitalUK that's pulling the service.
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Kremmen · Posted: Wed Feb 24, 2021 10:07 am Post subject:

After some investigation and with a new car pending later this year I think my preferred route is to use Google Maps via Android Auto that my first choice car has.

That'll save having a dashtop PND and avoid both Garmin Smartlink and what seems like an unreliable TT connection if user reports are accurate.

By all accounts Google mapping, routeing and traffic is top notch.
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walkerx · Posted: Sat Mar 13, 2021 4:52 pm Post subject:

@Kremmen, the reason for the 2 apps is because they can say the older products are end of life and thus no longer need to support them or provide updates - they last updated the original smartlink app in 2019 which is required for the older models to be able to receive the live updates otherwise you have to rely on the tmc adaptor.

If you are going with a car with builtin Android Auto or Carplay then yes the Google Maps is great for a free product, otherwise you could get the TomTom app which is £12 a year which includes map and traffic updates as well as the cameras.

Waze is also owned by Google and works with Android Auto. Sygic uses the TomTom maps, mobile cameras and traffic, you can pay a one-off fee usually around £20 to get this for lifetime and you can then subscribe yearly for other features.

Good thing is that you can use another app that can do the speed cameras from PGPSW, but trying to get them to work with AA is hit and miss.

Kremmen · Posted: Sat Mar 13, 2021 5:41 pm Post subject:

Thanks

I'll work something out as and when I change cars.

It won't be till after the June cutoff so I will have some time to evaluate Smartlink. If it performs the same as it did the last time I used it then the Garmin won't get installed in the new car.

At the moment my preference is Google maps and STA in the background.
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walkerx · Posted: Sat Mar 13, 2021 7:20 pm Post subject:

its not been updated since 2019 so it will probably perform the same.

it was very buggy last time i used it and if you subscribed to cameras on your pnd the smartlink app overrode them with what it had

I've been trialling TomTom on Android Auto and it works but still has a few issues, not sure if some are due to Google as non can be used with touch for moving the map or picking location on map.

Kremmen · Posted: Sun Mar 14, 2021 5:44 am Post subject:

My issue with Smartlink, and I am talking nearly a decade ago, was that the traffic had a buffer of 200.

Where I am near London there are also lots of roadworks. These roadworks were filling the 200 buffer (I counted them) and the result was that newer incidents that would cause yellow or red sections on your route were not getting displayed.

Being as I used the M25 that was causing issues when I thought I was joining a flowing motorway only to be met with a long jam.

At the time, maybe still, the Smartlink traffic was supplied by viaMichelin via telltale text when traffic was displayed. The text had some short 3 letter notation in brackets that I found to be viaMichelin.

If viaMichelin would keep roadworks under control then the problem would maybe go away. There was some crash barrier repairs. on the M4 that lasted only a few days. viaMichelin had them but they were still being reported 6 months later !
I looked online and on the Garmin to see if I could report them as gone but no joy.

I agree about TT, they are also not fully reliable. I've been watching Google Maps on my journeys and so far it's very accurate.

Update: I'm due to be driving from Reading to London in a few hours. The M4 is shut between J7 and J6, which Google maps are showing ......... so why are they routing me through the shut motorway ?
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cjay2412 · Lifetime Member Joined: Jun 30, 2008 Posts: 103

if the incident is more than 40 minutes away it will ignore the incident for routing purposes as you drive the route and it comes within 40 minutes ofthe event it will then reroute you if needed

Kremmen · Posted: Mon Mar 15, 2021 5:45 am Post subject:

If only that worked near London.

Sadly it didn't and I wasn't rerouted because of the 200 buffer being filled with roadworks, all probably within 40 minutes.

I will re-evaluate when TA gets turned off.
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walkerx · Posted: Wed Mar 17, 2021 1:36 pm Post subject:

after my last use of the smartlink software i never really used it again as you have to get this connected at specific time for it work otherwise no traffic comes through, also once you in a not spot for mobile signal the garmin won't switch back to its built-in traffic features.

why not see if can get on the tom tom trial for android auto, i've only used locally as not really driving that far and it performs well for that side. not seen what its like for cameras, etc

ideally need to get out driving so i can get the STA working properly as now using Samsung S20 FE with Android 11

BigJohnD · Posted: Mon Apr 12, 2021 12:04 pm Post subject:

I had an email from Garmin, which said:

Kremmen · Posted: Mon Apr 12, 2021 12:55 pm Post subject:

Sounds like it. If you can't connect to a phone to get the traffic data...........
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BigJohnD · Posted: Mon Apr 12, 2021 9:09 pm Post subject:

Kremmen · Posted: Tue Apr 13, 2021 4:13 am Post subject:

That's my plan as well. Aiming for Sep.
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sussamb · Posted: Tue Apr 13, 2021 7:37 am Post subject:

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