TTN6 and GPRS traffic

elevonic · Regular Visitor Joined: May 19, 2004 Posts: 69

Hi, I am planning to buy a Mio p550 with TTN6. I have heard that you can get real time traffic info and rerouting when used with a mobile phone and gprs. Is this correct? If so has anybody had any experience of this, good or bad? And also is it expensive, ie Tom Tom subscription needed, or phone charges? Many thanks in advance

elevonic · Regular Visitor Joined: May 19, 2004 Posts: 69

Hmmmmm...... sounds like a bad idea then, it seems nobody has any experience of Tom Tom and gprs traffic................

mikealder · Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2006 9:48 pm Post subject:

It does work when connected via a compatible mobile phone which is fed with a suitably enabled true GPRS internet connecton (WAP doesn't work) if your phone is on contract this is quite easy to do, if you are a Pay as You Go user then things get a tad more muddled see HERE for some on going work on PAYG.

Even with a contracted phone check with your phone provider as to the cost associated with GPRS traffic it can be quite high, consider a monthly bolt on to provide the level of data you will need, the traffic downloads are quite small but depending upon how you set the update rate will determin the true cost in traffic - 4MB per month should suffice unless you drive 8 hours per day every day!

The information supplied has improved of late, OK it still gives the wrong calls from time to time, but overall if used with a sensible approach it can be quite useful. Heading South on the M6 recently early morning, bad weather the traffic was showing a 75 min delay, its chosen re-route was via the M61/ M60 which I know from experiance to be bad for congestion at this time of day - simple option stay on the M6 and put up with the delay. Other times the Traffic has saved me considerable time M62 closed due to accidents, M1 closed due to similar problems - you need to read the data it offers then make a decision as to what you feel the best option is. Some you call correct, others you sit in a hold up - not bad if you cover hight mileage, but I don't need the TTT to inform me the Manchester end of the M61 is congested - it is every morning and I accept that as the norm - Mike

elevonic · Regular Visitor Joined: May 19, 2004 Posts: 69

Thanks for the reply. Very informative, and the link is excellent. I plan to use T mobile payg so it's very applicable. Cheers.

mcwarre · Regular Visitor Joined: Mar 25, 2004 Posts: 157

jimbo_hippo · Frequent Visitor Joined: May 18, 2005 Posts: 444

McWarre

Interesting you feel that way. I think traffic has taken a big leap in the last few months. I would go with Mike on it and use it for guidance in conjunction with a bit of knowledge. I don't feel confident enough to use the automatic reroute yet but it certainly has helped me avoid a few hickups over the christmas period. Christmas and bank holidays tend to bring out people who crash into each other on their annual use of a 3 lane road. So even on the quiestest days there are big hold ups while they sweep up the bits of cars and christmas presents strewn down the M1. These cropped up on the screen and saved me some time. As for congestion I agree with Mike. Experience counts for a lot.

I did a test plot earlier this evening for a drive to Switzerland and although I know European roads ok-ish I really couldn't say if its worth re-routing around any roadworks or lane closures beyond the tunnel as I don't know the alternative roads well enough.

And lets face it, if the radio says there's an incident it doesn't often give you an alternative route. At least with traffic you can make your own decision by calculating both.

Through 2006 I did a lot of London - North yorks runs mainly on a Friday afternoon. I can think of at least 5 occasions in that period (before I went back to TomTom) where I crept up to the back of a traffic jam on the A14 or A1 wishing I knew what it was and more importantly (which traffic helps you with) how long it is. I've yet to use a program tha reliably routes around an incident without a guess at how long it is. Just turning off is a nightmare because you're never sure if it's returning you to where you came from. I've done that before I'm embarrased to say. Traffic (obviously if the incident appears!) does this well.

For what it's worth I wish i could find a program which allowed me to open a box and type in a junction number when they read it out on the radio as to where it ends. At least in the event of a non-TomTom reported incident I could navigate quickly around it without endles scrolling around maps and trying to figure it out.
_________________
Tom Tom GO 720
Orange M3100, Orange SPV M5000
TomTom Navigator 6, Destinator 6
Holux GPSslim

jimbo_hippo · Frequent Visitor Joined: May 18, 2005 Posts: 444

The last month or so has had me wondering about one thing though: In certain cases I wonder if they purposely don't issue details of delays so the surrounding areas aren't swamped with people taking a diversion. Those roadworks for the new specs cameras and widening at Luton have been there for at least 7 months and are always rammed. Perhaps the bloke who governs TT Traffic lives in one of those tree-lined villages? :-)

McWarre, I know this kind of proves your point about TT Traffic but I really only take notice of the accidents and big stuff as mentioned before. Although a 7 month old set of roadworks not appearing does add some weight to your argument I concede!!!

I'm Libra......I'm allowed to contradict myself every 5 minutes! :-)
_________________
Tom Tom GO 720
Orange M3100, Orange SPV M5000
TomTom Navigator 6, Destinator 6
Holux GPSslim

mikealder · Posted: Thu Jan 04, 2007 7:04 am Post subject:

A1Dox · Posted: Tue Jan 09, 2007 1:41 am Post subject:

I've run Traffic for quite a while now, first over GPRS on a Bluetooth connected phone on my iPAQ and latterly on a WM5 Phone edition device. It's very useful, but you do need to think about what it's telling you.

As several posts have said, picking it's alternative isn't always the best idea. Side roads get swamped, other motorways are always busy at that time, there are lots of issues. Where I do find it useful is on longer journeys where roadworks are going to be a pain for ages. For example, I can plan a 50mile route to Manchester and be told it'll take four hours if the M62 is closed and it probably will. I can also be told, the normal two hour run will take three hours because of lots of little hold ups, and know full well, that most of them are due to the volume of traffic at peak time, and when I get there in an hour or so, it'll have gone away...

It helps, but isn't the panacea for all travel woes... I posted my thoughts in the TMC forum about this time last year and, after another year's use of traffic, my views haven't changed and I'm still using it...

HTH...

Dox...

jimbo_hippo · Frequent Visitor Joined: May 18, 2005 Posts: 444

This'll be a shot in the dark but thought I'd try it. On Sunday (7th Jan) about 5pm I came to take my boys back to Newcastle from North Yorks and Traffic told me there was a huge hold up on the A1, somewhere near Catterick I guess, and that the delay was long (over 2.5hrs) so I rerouted and it took me up the A19 which was a clear run. However, no traffic updates on the radio and on my return 90mins later I came back down the A1 with no sign of even a clear-up in progress. Anyone experience that one? Would be good to see if this incident was genuinely worth avoiding. Without Mystic Meg in the passenger seat you can't always tell.
_________________
Tom Tom GO 720
Orange M3100, Orange SPV M5000
TomTom Navigator 6, Destinator 6
Holux GPSslim

Mikeact · Posted: Tue Jan 09, 2007 12:51 pm Post subject:

This is my ongoing complaint...typical of todays so called live traffic info...waste of time.

jimbo_hippo · Frequent Visitor Joined: May 18, 2005 Posts: 444

To be fair though, I'm not saying there wasn't an incident. I might well have missed a delay of some time which was cleared as i returned. Something like a broken down artic straddling both lanes wouldn't take much clearing so was just wondering if someone had sat in it. I'm impartial at the moment and finding traffic useful as often as I doubt it. Just wanted to use a known incident as a test. Could go either way.
_________________
Tom Tom GO 720
Orange M3100, Orange SPV M5000
TomTom Navigator 6, Destinator 6
Holux GPSslim

Mikeact · Posted: Tue Jan 09, 2007 1:03 pm Post subject:

Maybe a good test would be to pick up a delay on TT today somewhere and somehow get somebody to check it immediatley....might be a bit difficult though.

A1Dox · Posted: Tue Jan 09, 2007 1:18 pm Post subject:

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