Are you talking about the mounting bracket? It has a suction cup that is meant to stick to glass. I usually mount it to the left of my steering wheel on the windshield. That way, I don't have to reach too far to touch it while I am driving. Sometimes, you have to make changes while you are driving like looking for a gas station, so keeping it in reach is important.
Short answer, you may have to update the software.The way these things work is there is actually a database of satelites and scheduled locations based on the time in the software. When it tries to figure out where it is, it starts with where it last knew its own location. If it is not where it thinks it is, then it starts a search branching out from it's last known location. It can take hours depending on how far away it's last known location was from where it is now.
@dhat1987 The problem is that it is marketed as a traffic unit, and is about 50% more than a non traffic unit. This unit is not exactly cheap. I think it was $200 regular price. Not sure where they are selling $400 Garmins, but the most expensive one I found on Amazon is $280. I have had problems with the traffic feature in 4 different states, that pretty much tells me that it sucks and I didn't get what I paid for. Glad you are having good luck with ours.
thx 4 the review, i own this same product, bought it back in August, works pretty well, but is there really a way to turn off ads? from the other reviews i've read online, ppl say you can't. plus, it's getting pretty annoying when i drive to the supermarket down the street, an ad for Best Western pops up, it seems like thats the only ad the gps knows.
@jv3600 oh and btw- the traffic feature works ok, i didnt read the instructions either (im a guy 2) but if u dont wanna keep pressing that button to avoid/see traffic on your route, go to tools>settings>navigation>Enabled(under Avoidances)>then check the box next to traffic and hit OK. Now the gps will automatically reroute you when it finds traffic. the little button will stay green when there is no traffic, yellow when slow traffic, and red when stop and go/standstill. Hope this helps!
Okay, thank you. I was looking through the manual and it says for the first time setup you need to be outside not near tall trees or buildings. I'll give it a try.
If there is no better route, it will take you through the traffic. If you think that you know better than the GPS, it gives you the option to manually override and avoid the traffic, even if it is telling you to go through it. In my experience it works pretty well.
your presentation is clear and helpful, thanks! I going to buy this gps, and I found one which on sale at London Drugs, but it's discontinued by Manufacturer, I would like to know could it affect the warranty or updates? THX.
If you mean when you hook it up to a computer and download new maps, then it takes about 20-30 minutes because it goes through other updates as well as the maps and restarts at least twice. If you mean how long does it take to refresh the map screen every time I zoom in and out on the map mode, it can take up to 3 seconds every time I zoom in or out once. It is much faster now that it has gone through 2 software and map updates since I bought it, but still not as fast as my old Nuvi 200.
i just got 2 of these for $25 each from a recently closed down taxi service! map/software updates still working! one for my personal vehicle and another for my work van... it's way better than my magellan units
i can feel you, my garmin has traffic avoidance and i just turned it off so that it wont automatically reroute me but i want traffic on so it just warn me if theres traffic ahead without rerouting me without my knowledge.
i have nuvi 2455LMT and it has traffic trend options where it reroutes you whenever the route is usually traffic but not necessarily traffic but guessing that time will be traffic and it's my first time using garmin so didnt know that can lead u extra hours to drive by rerouting unnecessarily so i turned off everything that relates to mapping and just turn on the traffic warning only. lol i have magellan for years which I love but they cant keep up with their map updates so i switch to garmin. hows ur garmin so far?
Thanks. I am actually using an older model GPS now just to get arround places in town I am not familiar with. When I bough the lifetime map updates, it cost $99, and I was always getting error messages after updating. They tell you to call tech support, but I always get put on hold. Not too happy with Garmin these days.
@jv3600 Yes you can turn off the ads, but you also have to disable the traffic feature. To do that, you have to be plugged in and be receiving a GPS signal (like in your car). Go to settings, traffic, and disable. Something to that effect. Maybe I will do a video on that. Good luck
@dhat1987 Yup, it costs $120 now, but I got it about 6 months ago online at walmart for $147 and it was in the store for $200. I wanted to get it in the store for the online price and they were supposed to price match but, well, it's walmart. $200 is the top end for most GPS units, not just Garmins. I have a FREE GPS in my phone that is much better than any Garmin and it is always updated. Only thing I like about a standalone is that I don't suck all the juice out of my phone when I need a GPS.
This one is actually doing better after a couple of updates. You may have to update the maps a few times after you buy it. THey also update the operating software and it does go a little faster.
The traffic incident clearly states a lane is closed, which was clearly accurate -- the right lane was closed and people were hitting their brakes in front of you. The green line was also accurate - there wasn't much of a slowdown. The 'touch the map to set a waypoint' feature *IS* actually useful, for instance if you want to aim at a particular parking lot of a building which wouldn't be found by punching in its main address.
You are probably right, it just was not very intuitive to use. The GPS on my cell phone was much easier to use and I have not had it as long as the Garmin. I have tried using the traffic feature a few times after this and it still sucked. Even if it was accurate, it really didn't help me avoid the traffic. Sometimes the detour took longer than if I had just kept my original route. I just turned it off and kept it off.
You will not get a signal indoors because the GPS needs a direct "line of sight" to the sattelites. That is why they do not work in tunnels. You may get a weak signal near a window or something in your house, but will probably not get a full signal. As far as outside, if you are under a lot of trees, you will get a weak signal and it will take a while to update its location. If you are not under a lot of trees, then your receiver may be bad and you may need to exchange your GPS.
@jv3600 Thanks. I am so fed up with this unit, that I will probably just dust off my old unit and buy the lifetime updates for it. I like the old unit because it is faster, and I can understand it better. It doesn't have the synthesized speech, but I find that the synthesized speech can be more confusing than the per-recorded phrases. Sometimes more is NOT better :-)
I just bought the device and connected it to my computer via USB and updated the software with the latest maps. When I am indoors, there is no signal, but when I step outside there is only one bar of signal strength. How do I get it to work properly?
Have you ever been trough Chicago? There is a traffic jam somewhere there 24/7....lol If I did not know that, and I assume that the Garmin is wrong, or if I assume that the traffic is light, but the Garmin happens to be right, I am screwed either way. I am not the only one who has experienced that the traffic feature on te Garmin is terrrible. Have you seen my video response to this video? It says there is no traffic on the road I am on, but the actual traffic is just creeping along.
everything that you mentioned in your video I have experienced the same issues, but the only thing that I like about it is that it is so cheap right now it is 100 on e-bay
Yeah, at first I thought it was neat, and then after using it for a while and discovering that it is hit or miss between what the Garmin says and what the actual posted speed is, I have reverted to keeping an eye on the posted speed limits. I actually got a ticket because I depended on the Garmin to show me what the limit was, but it didn't show one, so I just kept the same speed as when it did show, and it turns out the actual speed had dropped 10 MPH lower :-(
I am trying to use this GPS as a pedestrian since there is a pedestrian mode built in. However, the unit is having trouble acquiring satellites, how can I get a better signal?
Not the case at all. This was originally a $200 unit. I have a cheaper lower end unit (Nuvi 200) that is much faster and gives just as much data. I would expect that if I spend more money on a unit that the speed would not be worse, although look at Windows; the newer the version, the more processing power and space it needs to run efficiently. The speed is important when you are trying to reroute or determine if taking a closer exit is more logical than what the GPS has calculated.
This one just has choices for fastest route or shortest distance. My old on had a choice for major highways when possible. This one sucks the big one :-(
the person said the same thing you said but once he went to Tools > Settings > Navigation > Avoidances he found it, let me know if you do. EDIT* according to walmarts website this model is capable of avoiding toll routes thanks for the video dude.
Don't make such harsh reviews about the traffic feature without reading the manual first. The traffic feature worked just as it should have in your case. There are three types of arrows that can be shown when traffic data is available: green (indicating normal flow), yellow (indicating slight congestion) and red (indicating) severe congestion. If you have your Garmin set to find the shortest route, it will automatically avoid traffic, if that gets you to the destination faster.
I am not sure how it is programmed in. I imagine it can be updated, but I have just turned the traffic feature off because it is pretty much useless for where I drive.
WHAT?! Read the manual?! I'm a guy! I don't read manuals!...lol All kidding aside though, I did give the traffic feature a fair run, but it was inaccurate and if I have to read a manual to figure out why it is not set correctly out of the box, I don't want it. My phone GPS is more intuitive and user friendly without the ads. I posted another video where the GPS said it was smooth sailing, but I was sitting in gridlock. I love my old Nuvi 200. I think Garmin tried to do too much with this one
traffic feature is dead on with me here in va, iv also noticed yall are really picky, remember, you get what you pay for so if you dont like it then go out and buy a $400 unit
I use the Garmin Nuvi 1350 LM only because my boss provided for the van that I Drive to deliver Freight around the country this should not be used in nappies for delivering Freight this thing has stirred me in the wrong direction many many times many times it will tell me to turn left when I should be turning white vice a versa trust me it's better to get the more expensive JPS is a built for TRUCKING in delivering Freight
@saltyshellback lol you got ripped off, here in va i just bought this unit for $119.99, cheapest one they had in stock and i didnt say go out and buy a $400 garmin, i said unit, come on, even if you did spend $200 its still a cheap unit, garmin is a good average unit, deff not high end, the fact is you bought cheap so thats what you got, btw the traffic update is only as good as the people who reports the backed up traffic at that time
At 8:00 It was not distress, but more of an annoyance. Your explanation of that feature is absolutely useless to about 90% of people who would use a GPS. The whole reason I would get a GPS is because I do NOT know where I am going, but DO know what the address is. Even if I did use that feature, manipulating the map zoom in and out is such a pain, and to try to pinpoint a location would be murder depending on how much manipulation of the map you have to do.
I bought this unit, got about 3 days of trouble free use out of it, then it developed a software glitch that locks it and renders it a paperweight. The reset function does not work when this happens. What a piece of absolute garbage.
Are you talking about the mounting bracket? It has a suction cup that is meant to stick to glass. I usually mount it to the left of my steering wheel on the windshield. That way, I don't have to reach too far to touch it while I am driving. Sometimes, you have to make changes while you are driving like looking for a gas station, so keeping it in reach is important.
An exact actual user review from a user perspective.. Your video is real helpful
Thanks! Glad it helped.
Short answer, you may have to update the software.The way these things work is there is actually a database of satelites and scheduled locations based on the time in the software. When it tries to figure out where it is, it starts with where it last knew its own location. If it is not where it thinks it is, then it starts a search branching out from it's last known location. It can take hours depending on how far away it's last known location was from where it is now.
@dhat1987 The problem is that it is marketed as a traffic unit, and is about 50% more than a non traffic unit. This unit is not exactly cheap. I think it was $200 regular price. Not sure where they are selling $400 Garmins, but the most expensive one I found on Amazon is $280. I have had problems with the traffic feature in 4 different states, that pretty much tells me that it sucks and I didn't get what I paid for. Glad you are having good luck with ours.
thx 4 the review, i own this same product, bought it back in August, works pretty well, but is there really a way to turn off ads? from the other reviews i've read online, ppl say you can't. plus, it's getting pretty annoying when i drive to the supermarket down the street, an ad for Best Western pops up, it seems like thats the only ad the gps knows.
@jv3600 oh and btw- the traffic feature works ok, i didnt read the instructions either (im a guy 2) but if u dont wanna keep pressing that button to avoid/see traffic on your route, go to tools>settings>navigation>Enabled(under Avoidances)>then check the box next to traffic and hit OK. Now the gps will automatically reroute you when it finds traffic. the little button will stay green when there is no traffic, yellow when slow traffic, and red when stop and go/standstill. Hope this helps!
Okay, thank you. I was looking through the manual and it says for the first time setup you need to be outside not near tall trees or buildings. I'll give it a try.
Garmin Nuvi 1350LMT
Voice:
American English-Jill (Female) (Spoken Street Names) 🇺🇸
If there is no better route, it will take you through the traffic. If you think that you know better than the GPS, it gives you the option to manually override and avoid the traffic, even if it is telling you to go through it. In my experience it works pretty well.
your presentation is clear and helpful, thanks! I going to buy this gps, and I found one which on sale at London Drugs, but it's discontinued by Manufacturer, I would like to know could it affect the warranty or updates? THX.
If you mean when you hook it up to a computer and download new maps, then it takes about 20-30 minutes because it goes through other updates as well as the maps and restarts at least twice. If you mean how long does it take to refresh the map screen every time I zoom in and out on the map mode, it can take up to 3 seconds every time I zoom in or out once. It is much faster now that it has gone through 2 software and map updates since I bought it, but still not as fast as my old Nuvi 200.
i just got 2 of these for $25 each from a recently closed down taxi service! map/software updates still working! one for my personal vehicle and another for my work van... it's way better than my magellan units
+Earl A. Good deal! I just turn off the traffic feature because the detours it gives you suck even more than just staying where you are....lol
+saltyshellback yea, that traffic version in other models suck in general and I also ignore it for the most part. oh uber killed their taxi business
i can feel you, my garmin has traffic avoidance and i just turned it off so that it wont automatically reroute me but i want traffic on so it just warn me if theres traffic ahead without rerouting me without my knowledge.
Sometimes it is just easier to sit it out because everyone else is trying to reroute...lol
i have nuvi 2455LMT and it has traffic trend options where it reroutes you whenever the route is usually traffic but not necessarily traffic but guessing that time will be traffic and it's my first time using garmin so didnt know that can lead u extra hours to drive by rerouting unnecessarily so i turned off everything that relates to mapping and just turn on the traffic warning only. lol i have magellan for years which I love but they cant keep up with their map updates so i switch to garmin. hows ur garmin so far?
Thanks. I am actually using an older model GPS now just to get arround places in town I am not familiar with. When I bough the lifetime map updates, it cost $99, and I was always getting error messages after updating. They tell you to call tech support, but I always get put on hold. Not too happy with Garmin these days.
@jv3600 Yes you can turn off the ads, but you also have to disable the traffic feature.
To do that, you have to be plugged in and be receiving a GPS signal (like in your car). Go to settings, traffic, and disable. Something to that effect. Maybe I will do a video on that. Good luck
great review just bought a referb last week to replace my nuvi 265wt
Thanks! I still have this one. I just turn off the traffic feature because even if it did work right, it is pretty much useless where I live.
@xcrfty Thanks. I still like it, but really disappointed with the traffic and ads.
@dhat1987 Yup, it costs $120 now, but I got it about 6 months ago online at walmart for $147 and it was in the store for $200. I wanted to get it in the store for the online price and they were supposed to price match but, well, it's walmart. $200 is the top end for most GPS units, not just Garmins. I have a FREE GPS in my phone that is much better than any Garmin and it is always updated. Only thing I like about a standalone is that I don't suck all the juice out of my phone when I need a GPS.
My old one is a Nuvi 200. Not sure if you can even get one any more.
This one is actually doing better after a couple of updates. You may have to update the maps a few times after you buy it. THey also update the operating software and it does go a little faster.
The traffic incident clearly states a lane is closed, which was clearly accurate -- the right lane was closed and people were hitting their brakes in front of you. The green line was also accurate - there wasn't much of a slowdown. The 'touch the map to set a waypoint' feature *IS* actually useful, for instance if you want to aim at a particular parking lot of a building which wouldn't be found by punching in its main address.
You are probably right, it just was not very intuitive to use. The GPS on my cell phone was much easier to use and I have not had it as long as the Garmin. I have tried using the traffic feature a few times after this and it still sucked. Even if it was accurate, it really didn't help me avoid the traffic. Sometimes the detour took longer than if I had just kept my original route. I just turned it off and kept it off.
Where is the receiver supposed to go? Do I just stick to the side of the windshield? Where do I stick it?
You will not get a signal indoors because the GPS needs a direct "line of sight" to the sattelites. That is why they do not work in tunnels. You may get a weak signal near a window or something in your house, but will probably not get a full signal. As far as outside, if you are under a lot of trees, you will get a weak signal and it will take a while to update its location. If you are not under a lot of trees, then your receiver may be bad and you may need to exchange your GPS.
@jv3600 Thanks. I am so fed up with this unit, that I will probably just dust off my old unit and buy the lifetime updates for it. I like the old unit because it is faster, and I can understand it better. It doesn't have the synthesized speech, but I find that the synthesized speech can be more confusing than the per-recorded phrases. Sometimes more is NOT better :-)
great review, alot of help. thanks.
What model was your old gps? Im looking for a gps with a easy touchscreen and map browsing ability.
I just bought the device and connected it to my computer via USB and updated the software with the latest maps. When I am indoors, there is no signal, but when I step outside there is only one bar of signal strength. How do I get it to work properly?
Have you ever been trough Chicago? There is a traffic jam somewhere there 24/7....lol If I did not know that, and I assume that the Garmin is wrong, or if I assume that the traffic is light, but the Garmin happens to be right, I am screwed either way. I am not the only one who has experienced that the traffic feature on te Garmin is terrrible. Have you seen my video response to this video? It says there is no traffic on the road I am on, but the actual traffic is just creeping along.
@VrasuKk Thanks. Getting ready to do a quick update about the traffic feature. It ain't good :-(
@caraudioman16 Thanks...lol..I don't look at the viewfinder. I kinda know what the field of view is from using the camera a lot.
everything that you mentioned in your video I have experienced the same issues, but the only thing that I like about it is that it is so cheap right now it is 100 on e-bay
Yeah, at first I thought it was neat, and then after using it for a while and discovering that it is hit or miss between what the Garmin says and what the actual posted speed is, I have reverted to keeping an eye on the posted speed limits. I actually got a ticket because I depended on the Garmin to show me what the limit was, but it didn't show one, so I just kept the same speed as when it did show, and it turns out the actual speed had dropped 10 MPH lower :-(
I am trying to use this GPS as a pedestrian since there is a pedestrian mode built in. However, the unit is having trouble acquiring satellites, how can I get a better signal?
@mohammedlabeeb Yup, I am torn. It will cost $100 to get lifetime updates for my small garmin, but I like the little one better because it is faster.
OK, I will wait for you to do a review on it.
Not the case at all. This was originally a $200 unit. I have a cheaper lower end unit (Nuvi 200) that is much faster and gives just as much data. I would expect that if I spend more money on a unit that the speed would not be worse, although look at Windows; the newer the version, the more processing power and space it needs to run efficiently. The speed is important when you are trying to reroute or determine if taking a closer exit is more logical than what the GPS has calculated.
how long does it take to update the maps?
on the google maps on the andriod phone it has an option to take highway toll routes off and ferries off does this have it?
This one just has choices for fastest route or shortest distance. My old on had a choice for major highways when possible. This one sucks the big one :-(
i googled it and they say you have to go here Tools > Settings > Navigation > Avoidances
but for a Garmin Nuvi 255W
the person said the same thing you said but once he went to Tools > Settings > Navigation > Avoidances
he found it, let me know if you do.
EDIT* according to walmarts website this model is capable of avoiding toll routes thanks for the video dude.
Don't make such harsh reviews about the traffic feature without reading the manual first. The traffic feature worked just as it should have in your case. There are three types of arrows that can be shown when traffic data is available: green (indicating normal flow), yellow (indicating slight congestion) and red (indicating) severe congestion. If you have your Garmin set to find the shortest route, it will automatically avoid traffic, if that gets you to the destination faster.
is that traffic feature something garmin could maybe update at some time or is is it hard coded?
I am not sure how it is programmed in. I imagine it can be updated, but I have just turned the traffic feature off because it is pretty much useless for where I drive.
ok then; thank you!
WHAT?! Read the manual?! I'm a guy! I don't read manuals!...lol All kidding aside though, I did give the traffic feature a fair run, but it was inaccurate and if I have to read a manual to figure out why it is not set correctly out of the box, I don't want it. My phone GPS is more intuitive and user friendly without the ads. I posted another video where the GPS said it was smooth sailing, but I was sitting in gridlock. I love my old Nuvi 200. I think Garmin tried to do too much with this one
traffic feature is dead on with me here in va, iv also noticed yall are really picky, remember, you get what you pay for so if you dont like it then go out and buy a $400 unit
I use the Garmin Nuvi 1350 LM only because my boss provided for the van that I Drive to deliver Freight around the country this should not be used in nappies for delivering Freight this thing has stirred me in the wrong direction many many times many times it will tell me to turn left when I should be turning white vice a versa trust me it's better to get the more expensive JPS is a built for TRUCKING in delivering Freight
I'm using the force...lol
@saltyshellback lol you got ripped off, here in va i just bought this unit for $119.99, cheapest one they had in stock and i didnt say go out and buy a $400 garmin, i said unit, come on, even if you did spend $200 its still a cheap unit, garmin is a good average unit, deff not high end, the fact is you bought cheap so thats what you got, btw the traffic update is only as good as the people who reports the backed up traffic at that time
Stupid GO button!! i hate it already:)
At 8:00 It was not distress, but more of an annoyance. Your explanation of that feature is absolutely useless to about 90% of people who would use a GPS. The whole reason I would get a GPS is because I do NOT know where I am going, but DO know what the address is. Even if I did use that feature, manipulating the map zoom in and out is such a pain, and to try to pinpoint a location would be murder depending on how much manipulation of the map you have to do.
I bought this unit, got about 3 days of trouble free use out of it, then it developed a software glitch that locks it and renders it a paperweight. The reset function does not work when this happens. What a piece of absolute garbage.
*car crash*