Does the GPRS Traffic Service use same data as HD traffic?

[Greenglide]

I have a Go 520T and subscribed to the GPRS traffic service a couple of years ago. I didnt renew this because of the cost of the GPRS data - my employer's mobile was paying for business trips but that changed.

I have just realised that my Nexus One Android phone (and Nokia 5800 before it) have an "unlimited" data plan (512Mb) so the GPRS cost goes away - shame it has taken me over a year to realise this

My 520 is working fine (touches wood!), I don't want to lose the MP3 player (never use the FM transmitter) so I wouldnt want an x40 or later model.

Since the HD adapter for the x20 and x30 never materialised in the UK (will TT never learn that they will make more money out of services rather than hardware if they get the services right - the map update service is something I suggested in a posting on here years ago and it took them two years to think of it - do they deserve to still be in business ).

Anyway the question is the traffic data supplied by the GPRS service the same as the HD traffic? I see no reason why it shouldnt be for technical reasons but marketing reasons I can understand.

Any ideas? The £27 or so for a year for GPRS traffic is a price I am prepared to pay to replace the TMC data unit which is another wire to connect up when I want to use it (but at least I have it split off the radio aerial and a jack socket on the dashboard so I don't have clothes line draped around the windscreen!).

Will I open the HD can of worms again
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TomTom Go 540 - V9.058, Map GB & Ireland 860.3101
TomTom Go 520T, V8.351, TTS V7, Map GB & Ireland 855.2884
Nokia 5800 with Google Maps & OVI Maps
Google Nexus One with Google Maps & NDrive

[PaulB2005]

It's not the same I'm afraid. The HD service includes the same data the GPRS and FM TMC service receive but the HD service includes extra data from other sources.

[DennisN]

Going back a while, GPRS traffic was considered better than TMC traffic, probably not least because it wasn't FM signal dependant.

Here's a curious for you..

I currently run three devices simultaneously...

GO550 Live (HD Traffic).
GO520 with RDS-TMC antenna (the clothes line round the windscreen).
TomTom Carminat, built in satnav, with TMC via the vehicle aerial.

I often see all three offering different traffic opinions, although the two TMC ones are mostly very similar. Built in vehicle aerial beats the clothes line jobby. I am tending to place my trust in the 550 Live HD traffic (after long scepticism).
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Dennis

If it tastes good - it's fattening.

Two of them are obesiting!!

[Seamaster]

[Guivre46]

HD traffic = most expensive device + £50 pa
Carminat = £14,000 vehicle [if I remember Dennis correctly]
RDS-tmc clothes line = £25 one off payment

If you want the best information you have to pay for it. I'm retired so have more time [though traffic jams wind me up something awful].
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Mike R [aka Wyvern46]
Go 530T - unsupported
Go550 Live [not renewed]
Kia In-dash Tomtom

[DennisN]

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Dennis

If it tastes good - it's fattening.

Two of them are obesiting!!

[Greenglide]

So having shafted x20 and x30 owners over the HD adaptor in the first place they choose not to make the HD data available via GPRS - wonderful

My replacement of choice, currently (if I had to), would be an x30 (TT refurb?) but that wouldnt give me HD.

Of course, if the HD data source comes solely from tracking devices which are HD equipped I suppose they wouldnt want to give the data sourced from HD units "away" to GPRS subscribers. There again it is not rocket science for GPRS traffic units to upload speed and location data to TT which gives "real" movement data rather than trying to sort out the locations of hundreds of thousands of mobile phones with a much lower degree of accuracy (or am I misunderstanding how HD works?).

Thinks ....................
_________________
TomTom Go 540 - V9.058, Map GB & Ireland 860.3101
TomTom Go 520T, V8.351, TTS V7, Map GB & Ireland 855.2884
Nokia 5800 with Google Maps & OVI Maps
Google Nexus One with Google Maps & NDrive

[PaulB2005]

I believe you have it correct. If you have TomTom on the iPhone you can buy HD Traffic even if you are not on Vodafone (the phone carrier used by HD Services). You can even buy it on a daily basis....

[Greenglide]

[mikealder]

IF you want the Live HD Traffic combined with an ability to play mp3 tracks whats wrong with the 940 Live, this was the last true all singing all dancing unit from TomTom before they started to dumb down the cabability of the devices. If you can find one they are well worth considering - Mike

[technik]

I would say the GPRS traffic is virtually the same as HD traffic, but with a delay. There isn't really that much difference in my experience.

I usually monitor the HD traffic from the TT route planner before I make a journey, and if there is a serious traffic problem then both GPRS and HD traffic agree, and I choose a different route.

Also I monitor Google Maps Traffic, and I have never been stuck in traffic for more than a few minutes at the most.


Having said that, I think I will invest in a Live model next, now the price has come down, as my new Nokia E72 does not like pairing with the TomTom 930.
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GO 620, Tomtom Android EU,
Garmin 2548LMT-D; 2599LMT-D

[MrT]

The is a major difference in the routes covered between GPRS traffic and HD Traffic. GPRS traffic covers motorways and major routes and HD traffic covers many times more other A roads and B road as well.

I use both and on motorways and long major routes there is not a great deal of difference, although the HD updates itself far quicker and can catch small moving phantom jams as they moves along the motorway, which are fairly common on the M25.

The HD traffic also picks up the traffic on the rat runs just off the motorways which the GPRS does not such as A1/M25-B556-A5183-B462-A41-M1 or M25. GPRS traffic would send you down this off motorway route and and when there is serious motorway congestion or at peak traffic times there can be up to an hour delay on this rat run. HD traffic shows the delays on this route.
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Drivelux

[Greenglide]

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