Any experience with External GPS for iPad (GAIA GPS) (1 Viewer)

[GordJ]

I run Navionics on my iPad for sailing and was confused at first because I had location from when tethered to my non-apple cellphone and then lost location at some point and even when tethered and getting data I could not get a location.

That’s another reason I‘m glad I got the gps iPad. It’s the cheapest 10” chart plotter you can buy and the Navionics app is a lot better than the old chip on my sounder with live routing and tide charts while in cell service.

 

[CharlieS]

I just road tested it, and the iPad connected to the iPhone hotspot does work with Gaia. On my short test, it seems to be very "jerky" and inaccurate, with some of being off by 1/4 mile-ish. It might have been some setting I didn't have right on the iPhone or iPad? It'd do in a pinch.

 

[bloc]

O/T but something else to consider is ODBII support if you're interested in displaying metrics. I've only read that folks tend to prefer an Android device for that since it's purportedly easier to configure than an iPad. So if then getting a new tablet it may be as easy as just getting one with a GPS rather than trying to pair with a satellite receiver.

I’ve had zero issues using OBD doctor, OBD fusion, or carista on 3 different modules, with three different iPhones, an iPad mini, pro, and 6th gen.

OBD not working with iOS devices seems to be a myth

 

[cboyd]

Another vote for the inreach. I’ve had three generations of the inReach and they’ve all worked with the iPad. I don’t see why they’d say it wouldn’t work as pairing for messaging is one of the key selling features of the mini.

These days I also have a cellular iPad (no service enabled) that i bought off of eBay when my earlier iPad mini ran out of gas to do updates. But I still pair it with the inReach for messaging.

 

[kcjaz]

Anyone use this:

Amazon product ASIN B07X59RH7T

 

[Omega3651]

Any of these GPS units that don't require a subscription in order to use the GPS?

 

[RET2]

Any of these GPS units that don't require a subscription in order to use the GPS?

If you're talking about the external Blue Tooth GPS pucks the Bad Elf and the Dual 150-160 series do NOT require any subscription service.

 

[greynolds]

My brother used a Bad Elf for several years with his iPod Touch (essentially equivalent to a non GPS iPad, nut smaller) and it worked very well. After he bought an iPhone, he sold the iPod Touch and Bad Elf.

 

[BlackMammoth]

OBD not working with iOS devices seems to be a myth

The problem was that most early OBDII adaptors only supported serial over Bluetooth .... Which IOS did not*.

As the OBDII adaptor market expanded & IOS capabilities expanded this has largely been a moot point.

*if you had a jailbroken device there were ways to enable bluetooth serial communication but honestly they were never very good.

 

[bloc]

The problem was that most early OBDII adaptors only supported serial over Bluetooth .... Which IOS did not*.

As the OBDII adaptor market expanded & IOS capabilities expanded this has largely been a moot point.

*if you had a jailbroken device there were ways to enable bluetooth serial communication but honestly they were never very good.

Makes sense and I’m glad they sorted it out. Would have been a significant handicap.

 

[dcs111]

Thanks. The Gaia site said that the Garmin devices may have issues with the iPad, so I had written that idea off. Your real world positive experience is good to hear.

Note: Garmin devices (such as the Garmin inReach) may have issues pairing with iPads. Because of this, these devices are not recommended for use as external GPS receivers in conjunction with Gaia GPS.

Using External GPS Devices with Gaia GPS (Dual XGPS, Bad Elf, etc.)

Gaia GPS can use external GPS devices such as the Dual Electronics XGPS and Bad Elf. This is especially useful for users that have devices without built in GPS chips, such as Wifi-only iPads. Exter...

help.gaiagps.com

Mine pairs! Two votes

 

[dcs111]

I just road tested it, and the iPad connected to the iPhone hotspot does work with Gaia. On my short test, it seems to be very "jerky" and inaccurate, with some of being off by 1/4 mile-ish. It might have been some setting I didn't have right on the iPhone or iPad? It'd do in a pinch.

Did you download the maps before setting off?

 

[Oakleyguy]

I've been using the Bad Elf Pro with my wifi only iPad Pro + Gaia, works flawlessly. Strongly recommend.

EDIT: I used this combo for LCDC and was really happy with the Bad elf's battery life. I only charged it once the entire trip which was Tuesday through Saturday of trails for me.

 

[reddog90]

I have an inreach mini and a wifi only ipad, never thought of connecting them. Do I have to use earthmate on the ipad? All my data is in gaia.

 

[1world1love]

I have an inreach mini and a wifi only ipad, never thought of connecting them. Do I have to use earthmate on the ipad? All my data is in gaia.

Once you have the inreach paired with your ipad, it will work fine with Gaia. We use it all the time with both apps.

 

[CharlieS]

Any troubleshooting tips for using the ipad with Garmin Inreach mini2?

I had been using a Dual gps puck that worked well, but picked up an Inreach mini2 for the texting and sos features.

I can pair the devices, and I appear to be connected from inside the Garmin Explorer app. If I enable tracking, I can "see" my tracks (blue line on the explorer app map) when it refreshes (set at every 2 min for testing), but the arrow icon doesn't move once I am off wifi.

The arrow icon never moves, neither in Garmin Explorer, nor in Gaia.

If I turn on wifi and use my phone hotspot the arrow icon follows me on the map.

I've tried rebooting both and re-pairing and no change.

I was hoping to retire the Dual gps unit in favor of the Garmin, but can't if I can't get it to work right.

Everything that I read says that you pair them and then can use the gps signal from either app (Explorer, Gaia, or any other map that uses the gps signal).

 

[RET2]

If you are still using the I pad why not run the Dual or similar and run the Garmin as backup? Bad Elf is a similar product to Dual but can also access the Glonas. satellites (soviet).

 

[CharlieS]

If you are still using the I pad why not run the Dual or similar and run the Garmin as backup? Bad Elf is a similar product to Dual but can also access the Glonas. satellites (soviet).

Yes, I can definitely do that. I was trying to pare my setup down by a device, but won't if that means I lose functionality.

 

[RET2]

Yes, I can definitely do that. I was trying to pare my setup down by a device, but won't if that means I lose functionality.

This is a situation where redundancy won't pay a large size price. Personally since most of my travels are solo I carry and use both. The Garmin provides out of vehicle use and SOS if hiking or losing cell/ electric power.

 

[CharlieS]

Makes sense.