Using phone as gps: guide for dummies

[velosam]

Is there a dummies guide to this somewhere which also explains how to use off line maps, to save on data and download gpx routes onto it?

thanks

PS I can use android or iphone

[hbunnet]

Don't know about such a guide, but a purpose built GPS is liable to be better at these things, not least for battery life.

[yoav]

There are a few things to consider:

1. Mounting your phone on the handlebars - buy a mount.
2. Waterproofing your phone (unless it's a Sony Experia) - put it in a case.
3. Powering your phone - continuous use of the GPS and display will eat into battery life so consider an external battery or dynamo USB charging.
4. Mapping and routing: this is a big topic;

Firstly, I only have an iPhone so I cannot comment about what Android has to offer. Choices include:

A) Google maps. Now that you can download Google map segments in the App, you don't need a data connection but you have to plan ahead to download the area you want - FREE. Another newer alternative is Nokia Here which I have been playing with and seems to be as good as Google. Also features downloadable maps and also FREE. Both of these offer cycle routing in addition to driving. Apple maps not so good.

B) A dedicated Satnav app. Plenty of those on the AppStore. Range from free to quite expensive. Some come from unknown companies and others from big names such as Garmin and TomTom. Garmin's offering include full European mapping and you can buy other countries too. However, these apps seem to be geared for cars, not bicycles.

C) For the UK, can can buy OS maps for the iPhone. The Bikehub app is also quite good but needs a data connection.

As far as I know, none of these iPhone apps will allow you to download your own GPX file to the phone, at least the free ones I've tried don't. Also, you have to accept the app's suggested route as you can't design your own one or modify the given route on the phone.

So having said all that, I freely admit that I use a Garmin 810. So why use a phone? Because you've already got one and it's free or cheap to do so. But there are compromises to be made.

Hope this is useful to you.

[frankly frankie]

A) Google maps. ... Both of these offer cycle routing in addition to driving.

But cycle routing (from any provider) must come with a huge health warning.  Google Maps in cycle mode is quite useful for showing you places where you can take a bicycle, but 'can cycle' is not at all the same thing as 'best route'.   This is not a dig at smartphones - much the same is true of a Garmin in 'cycle' mode.

[Ningishzidda]

Any provider offering a ‘cycling’ route on their mapping will be vary careful to keep the cyclist away from busy roads.
Children use these devices.

[fuaran]

For simple offline maps, I recommend Maps.Me. http://maps.me/en/home
Its a free app, for Android or iOS. It uses OpenStreetMap, you can download whole countries to use offline.
It is very quick and easy for scrolling around the map. It can do basic routing, but only in car mode. Still quite useful for cycling anyway. But there's no way of loading a GPX route.

[velosam]

cheers all, think I am stuffed on this idea 

[Wobbly John]

I have the Viewranger app (free), and it can do most things a GPS can do, and more. It is possible to import and export GPX files. Their maps can be expensive, but I downloaded a basic UK 'road atlas' map when they had a free offer. 

Issues are:

 Battery life
 Waterproofness-ness
 Operating a touchscreen on the bike.

I could use the phone with Viewranger, but I just bought a hardly used Garmin Venture CX (for a fiver  ) and put OSM on a MicroSD (£2) 

[MikeFromLFE]

cheers all, think I am stuffed on this idea 

It'd be interesting to know why you have come to this conclusion.

I am increasingly using an Android phone (1st Gen MotoG) with an external battery pack; I log & plan my rides using RideWithGPS; for on line mapping I use OsmAnd (because I'm too tight to spend on the RWGPS offline mapping),  but Google Maps using a data connection seems better.
I have used Komoot for live routing, but the paid version of RWGPS will do this as well, it's not something I need particularly.
The biggest issue is the waterproofness of the phone if you need to see it for mapping (I don't as I seem to have a brain that stores sufficient map data (!) and, I stop far too often)

[velosam]

cheers all, think I am stuffed on this idea 

It'd be interesting to know why you have come to this conclusion.

I am increasingly using an Android phone (1st Gen MotoG) with an external battery pack; I log & plan my rides using RideWithGPS; for on line mapping I use OsmAnd (because I'm too tight to spend on the RWGPS offline mapping),  but Google Maps using a data connection seems better.
I have used Komoot for live routing, but the paid version of RWGPS will do this as well, it's not something I need particularly.

I am not too bothered right now about waterproofness because if I go out its going to be dry and I am not planning on new routes when commuting and it raining.

However, what I don't understand is once I download a gpx from RWG how does that work offline with Osmand?

cheers

Edit - I have now downloaded Maps Me -  but it does not do GPX files, and OsmAnd, but in the latter I cannot figure out how to turn off the vector bit as apparently that makes it very slow.

[BikinOn]

I've got to admit that while I think a stand alone GPS will largely go the way of the Dodo, in the same way that Calculators have largely been superseded by phone apps, the article in the current Arrivée makes me think there's a way to go yet.

I couldn't help but note the number of fails he had.

[Kim]

I've got to admit that while I think a stand alone GPS will largely go the way of the Dodo, in the same way that Calculators have largely been superseded by phone apps, the article in the current Arrivée makes me think there's a way to go yet.

True enough.  If you're touring or audaxing, then a dedicated unit wins hands-down on reliability and battery life.  But most cycle journeys aren't tours or audaxes, and if you're just using the device to log short rides or find an address, or can't justify the expense of a dedicated unit, or absolutely have to have voice prompts, then it's reasonable to want to use the smartphone you've already got.

Which means it's reasonable to want to know how to do it.

[Ningishzidda]

A couple of comments about dedicated Satnav devices versus Mobile phones.

If I put my SatNav in my back pocket and stupidly sit on it, the screen doesn't crack.
If I unintentionally drop my SatNav on the cafe floor, the back cover doesn't go shooting across the room to end up under a Welsh dresser.

I have witnessed both these happening to mobile phone users.

[Kim]

To be fair, mobile phones built to the same sort of standards of ruggedness as GPS receivers do exist.  They tend to be optimised for voice calls and SMS and not a lot else.

[BikinOn]

So, looking to the future, the obvious questions that I have are:

1) What mount is the best?
2) What case is the best? Phones can range in size quite a bit and as we all know, one size never fits all!
3) I've seen pics of some cases with a built in extender battery, are they as useful as I'd imagine? I'd expect my phone to go through it's charge at a fearful rate when used as a speedo / GPS.

Obviously I'm thinking more about general usage rather than audax at this point.

[velosam]

I was thinking of having the phone in a small bar bag.

[Pickled Onion]

For simple offline maps, I recommend Maps.Me. http://maps.me/en/home

Thanks, that looks good!

So, looking to the future, the obvious questions that I have are:

1) What mount is the best?
2) What case is the best? Phones can range in size quite a bit and as we all know, one size never fits all!
3) I've seen pics of some cases with a built in extender battery, are they as useful as I'd imagine? I'd expect my phone to go through it's charge at a fearful rate when used as a speedo / GPS.

Obviously I'm thinking more about general usage rather than audax at this point.

I don't know about "best" but I recently bought a quad lock. They are specific to the phone model, and fit really well - at least as well as the most expensive non-bike cases. The socket for attachment is unobtrusive enough to leave the case on all day. It locks on to the bike mount easily and seems pretty secure. There's also a substantial looking waterproof cover, I'm not sure I'd risk experimenting with it in a total downpour, but it's fine in light showers. I only entertained the idea after adding usb power to the hub dynamo, GPS does drain phone batteries fast.

[Kim]

In my experience, it's having the screen on that drains the battery fast, rather than the GPS receiver itself.  Obviously you need both for navigation, but if you're just logging for Strava or something, the battery life should be a bit better.

The important thing to avoid is anything that relies on downloading map data over the cellular connection on the fly (Google Maps etc).  This will eat power (and data allowance) and inevitably let you down when you need it most, as there's a strong correlation between the middle of nowhere and poor phone signal.

[woollypigs]

I have used this one - http://osmand.net/ - for walking and driving. I might have a look at maps.me just to have a backup. As said elsewhere, have extra power at the ready. Not really a problem when in a car, but on foot or on bike that can be a problem.

[freeflow]

I've been using a Sony Xperia Z Ultra for Audaxing for the last 18 months.

Its a large phone with a 6.4 inch screen.   Sony do smaller phones which have the same properties.

The phone is water proof.

I have a relatively lightweight mount which sits on my handlebars.  The phone clips in and out of the mount in a couple of seconds.  The mount itself is quick release so can easily be removed or moved between bikes. The phone has never become detached from the holder by accident.

The phone battery will last for 4-5 hours when following a gpx route.  This is because of the large screen.  A 10,000 mah external battery pack easily allows a 200 km Audax with upwards of 50% charge left in the phone.

I use the ipbike app for route following (downloadable maps) and sensors.   I also use osmand for voice instructions if I want them.  The two apps can run simultaneously with very little impact on battery life.  ipbike can also do the training bit if you want it.

Recently I've also been using GPS tracking, again with little impact on battery life, so Mrs Freeflow can see where I am, and more importantly, if I'm moving!!!

I start with the phone fully charged and connected to the external battery.  You cannot charge whilst it is raining, but by starting with the phone charged and connected to a battery you always have a fully charged phone if and when it starts to rain.

I now have an external battery holder that takes 4x18650 batteries and connectors for USB and magishine type lights.  This allows the use of quality batteries (more charge) and means it is relatively easy to carry spare batteries.

I have owned and used a garmin 305, 705 and Bryton 50.  I wouldn't go back.  I know many Audaxers favour etrex/montana garmins.  Personally I can't understand why but I don't decry their use.

More recent Sony Xperia phones have much better battery lives.  The author of the ipbike app has reported that he can get 12+ hours using a Sony Xperia Z3 compact with the screen on continuously and will a full ANT+ sensor load.

I plot routes using my laptop usually using mapmyride, but any app that will download a gpx track to your pc is fine.  Its then just a matter of copying the gpx to the correct subdirectory on your mobile.  Last week , at the start of a 200k permanent, I found that I hadn't copied the gpx to the phone.  I just used my mobile to log onto the mapmyride site, downloaded my route to my mobile, moved the gpx to the correct subdirectory and I was good to go.

The two minor downsides I've encountered is that most gloves don't work the screen, but once started you generally don't need to touch the screen anyway except at stops.

In very bright sunshine the screen can be difficult to see, but stopping and shading the screen with your hand is usually sufficient.  This is where voice instructions from osmand can be useful.

Ipbike allows you to have the screen on permanently, or to be activated by proximity.  It also allows the screen brightness to adjust based on ambient lighting so transitioning from day to night riding is not an issue.

The Xperia Z ultra was expensive when it first came out but can now be had unlocked for around £220.  More expensive than a garmin touring, but cheaper than an 810 or 1000.  Given the size of the Ultra, I obviously get a lot more use from it than just using it as a bike computer as it can be used very easily as a compact tablet.

I had some issues initially running in airplane mode so now just leave the data connection open.  There may be some impact on battery life but I've not noticed it being significant.

I also use the same phone with google maps in the car for  'Take me to x' type navigation.  In that scenario the phone battery can last less than two hours due to the data traffic generated by google maps.