GPS: Dedicated or Phone?
June 18, 2013 10:27 AM Subscribe
I'm tired of getting lost and need better GPS than the one I am getting on my LG Optimus V.
The GPS on my phone works only intermittently. It frequently can't find my location, and when it manages to tell me to turn, I've likely already passed the street. Is this a problem with the Virgin Mobile network or is it the phone itself? Am I better off with a dedicated GPS, or can the problem be adequately solved by upgrading my phone? And if I go the phone route, should I switch to another carrier for better GPS?
The GPS on my phone works only intermittently. It frequently can't find my location, and when it manages to tell me to turn, I've likely already passed the street. Is this a problem with the Virgin Mobile network or is it the phone itself? Am I better off with a dedicated GPS, or can the problem be adequately solved by upgrading my phone? And if I go the phone route, should I switch to another carrier for better GPS?
Response by poster: I've used Google Maps and Waze, and have the same problems with both.
posted by Wordwoman at 10:35 AM on June 18, 2013
posted by Wordwoman at 10:35 AM on June 18, 2013
I use (and am very happy with) VZ Navigator on my Droid Razr.
posted by michellenoel at 10:36 AM on June 18, 2013
posted by michellenoel at 10:36 AM on June 18, 2013
GPS doesn't use any signals from your phone carrier; your phone GPS would work as well as it ever did if your phone had no service at all. A different phone on the same carrier should not have this problem.
posted by zjacreman at 10:36 AM on June 18, 2013
posted by zjacreman at 10:36 AM on June 18, 2013
GPS quality varies from phone to phone and you may even have a bad unit. It's not the network though. I'd suggest trying another phone.
posted by GuyZero at 10:42 AM on June 18, 2013
posted by GuyZero at 10:42 AM on June 18, 2013
If your phone is relying on cell towers for geolocation, though, that could explain the imprecision you're experiencing. Double-check that your GPS chip is turned on in the phone settings.
If GPS is turned on, and it still isn't fixing your position correctly, then it's time for a new phone.
posted by zjacreman at 10:42 AM on June 18, 2013 [1 favorite]
If GPS is turned on, and it still isn't fixing your position correctly, then it's time for a new phone.
posted by zjacreman at 10:42 AM on June 18, 2013 [1 favorite]
There's a free Android app that provides raw GPS data, and that might be a good way to tell whether your phone is on the blink or whether you're just in an area where it's hard to get a good lock on the satellites. I've used it on an Optimus V in situations where the navigation lost track of where I was -- woody areas, downtown Atlanta on the maze of slip roads alongside the connector.
(The Optimus V does have a magnetometer, so it should be able to work out your orientation. Try the compass included with that app to see if it needs recalibrating.)
posted by holgate at 10:43 AM on June 18, 2013 [2 favorites]
(The Optimus V does have a magnetometer, so it should be able to work out your orientation. Try the compass included with that app to see if it needs recalibrating.)
posted by holgate at 10:43 AM on June 18, 2013 [2 favorites]
I've used the Optimus V for a while (over a year) and have had no problems with the GPS. All GPS devices do better in the suburbs than in the "urban canyons," but even in San Francisco it managed to lock on and navigate just fine with the native Google Maps. Could be your phone.
zjacreman makes an excellent point; it is possible to do coarse geolocation without GPS turned on, so make sure that is on, as well as WiFi (the locations of WiFi networks are also used to assist the GPS lock).
posted by wnissen at 10:48 AM on June 18, 2013
zjacreman makes an excellent point; it is possible to do coarse geolocation without GPS turned on, so make sure that is on, as well as WiFi (the locations of WiFi networks are also used to assist the GPS lock).
posted by wnissen at 10:48 AM on June 18, 2013
GPS doesn't use any signals from your phone carrier; your phone GPS would work as well as it ever did if your phone had no service at all.
This is not true. Nearly all phones use Assisted GPS to provide faster and more reliable position information than would be possible with GPS alone.
posted by ryanrs at 11:03 AM on June 18, 2013 [6 favorites]
This is not true. Nearly all phones use Assisted GPS to provide faster and more reliable position information than would be possible with GPS alone.
posted by ryanrs at 11:03 AM on June 18, 2013 [6 favorites]
check out ting.com....like virgin, they're an MVNO on the Sprint network...they have MUCH better phones and INSANELY MUCH BETTER customer service...also, depending on how much service you actually use, your bill can be MUCH cheaper (I get almost all my data over wifi at home/work and my bill works out to ~25$/mo) check them out.
I had the optimus V myself and loved it, but yeah, it's well out of date. The main problem with virgin is that their phones themselves SUCK A**. DO NOT GET the motorola triumph..the gps in it just plain does not work...ditto with the cellular antennas in the evo v 4g (if there's any hiccup in service (as happens all the time on all networks) it doesn't get back on it (as all other phones do) so you can go all day with people trying to contact you and your phone never ringing and no texts coming through...avoid!)
after numerous virgin headaches, i took a 'nuke it from orbit' approach and got the (pricy but WORTH IT) Galaxy Note 2 on Ting and haven't been happier. Check them out...and check out their customer reviews too.
posted by sexyrobot at 11:18 AM on June 18, 2013 [3 favorites]
I had the optimus V myself and loved it, but yeah, it's well out of date. The main problem with virgin is that their phones themselves SUCK A**. DO NOT GET the motorola triumph..the gps in it just plain does not work...ditto with the cellular antennas in the evo v 4g (if there's any hiccup in service (as happens all the time on all networks) it doesn't get back on it (as all other phones do) so you can go all day with people trying to contact you and your phone never ringing and no texts coming through...avoid!)
after numerous virgin headaches, i took a 'nuke it from orbit' approach and got the (pricy but WORTH IT) Galaxy Note 2 on Ting and haven't been happier. Check them out...and check out their customer reviews too.
posted by sexyrobot at 11:18 AM on June 18, 2013 [3 favorites]
I've had that phone. Google Maps for Android is very nice (way better than what comes with the iPhone) but you if you often use a GPS to drive, I really recommend just buying a dedicated GPS. Whether I had an iPhone for my job or my own Android phone, phone GPSes seem slow to find your location, drain your battery and are clunky.
A dedicated GPS unit wouldn't be that expensive, maybe like $100 for a basic one. And if you take trips or have it in your car, it's super convenient. I leave mine in the trunk or glove box, and when I use it, I suction it to my windshield by the rearview mirror so I'm not looking down off the road while I drive. I'd had mine for maybe 6 years now and it works fine. Phones you need to keep upgrading, but a GPS, you really don't need to. You can pay for map upgrades for the GPS, but it's very rare that I've ran into issues. I've had Magellan and Garmin, both are fine. I'd recommend finding one with a "most use of freeways" option instead of just shortest time and shortest distance.
Once you have a GPS unit, you will wonder how you went so long without one.
posted by AppleTurnover at 11:48 AM on June 18, 2013 [1 favorite]
A dedicated GPS unit wouldn't be that expensive, maybe like $100 for a basic one. And if you take trips or have it in your car, it's super convenient. I leave mine in the trunk or glove box, and when I use it, I suction it to my windshield by the rearview mirror so I'm not looking down off the road while I drive. I'd had mine for maybe 6 years now and it works fine. Phones you need to keep upgrading, but a GPS, you really don't need to. You can pay for map upgrades for the GPS, but it's very rare that I've ran into issues. I've had Magellan and Garmin, both are fine. I'd recommend finding one with a "most use of freeways" option instead of just shortest time and shortest distance.
Once you have a GPS unit, you will wonder how you went so long without one.
posted by AppleTurnover at 11:48 AM on June 18, 2013 [1 favorite]
There are such things bluetooth gps receivers. My boyfriend tried one to see if it was better than the built in ipad gps, but it turned out to be about the same. However, if you're concerned that something is wrong with your phone, it might be a cheaper option than buying a new phone or a dedicated gps. I forget what brand he has but it's this idea.
posted by carolr at 12:27 PM on June 18, 2013
posted by carolr at 12:27 PM on June 18, 2013
Google Maps for Android is very nice (way better than what comes with the iPhone)
No, it's not. In fact, google maps on android just caught up with the iPhone version. Google even admitted that until recently the iPhone version was much better.
Am I better off with a dedicated GPS
I use my iPhone and Apple Maps and I've never had a problem receiving GPS, and only once got less that optimal directions. Whatever phone you have, with todays tech, you shouldn't have this problem.
That said, if my job involved a ton of traveling, I'd get a standalone GPS unit just for convenience.
posted by justgary at 1:30 PM on June 18, 2013
No, it's not. In fact, google maps on android just caught up with the iPhone version. Google even admitted that until recently the iPhone version was much better.
Am I better off with a dedicated GPS
I use my iPhone and Apple Maps and I've never had a problem receiving GPS, and only once got less that optimal directions. Whatever phone you have, with todays tech, you shouldn't have this problem.
That said, if my job involved a ton of traveling, I'd get a standalone GPS unit just for convenience.
posted by justgary at 1:30 PM on June 18, 2013
oh...and it might not even be the gps unit in the optimus per se making it run slow, but just due to the fact that it's an older phone and they have updated Google maps a few times since it came out. They probably optimize the app for the 'average phone out there' so it might just be demanding more processor/memory than you have available. Time to upgrade! (I will admit to being sad upgrading from the optimus v...it was a great ittle phone for its time)
posted by sexyrobot at 4:34 PM on June 18, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by sexyrobot at 4:34 PM on June 18, 2013 [1 favorite]
As someone hinted, your compass might be uncalibrated. Look on youtube for proper calibration techniques for smartphones (search for iPhone compass calibration)...
It's not as easy as you might think to calibrate the compass, and it gets wonky surprisingly often on every phone.
posted by Yowser at 4:48 PM on June 18, 2013
It's not as easy as you might think to calibrate the compass, and it gets wonky surprisingly often on every phone.
posted by Yowser at 4:48 PM on June 18, 2013
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posted by kickingtheground at 10:34 AM on June 18, 2013