Article by: RobRed
Applicable Models: 1998 – 2007 / 100 Series Land Cruiser or Lx 470 / Any Overland Vehicle
Updated: 4/14/2016
Lets talk some basics first. There have been many discussions about what makes a great navigation system. Even bigger discussions about what makes a great off-road navigation system. Some functions are certainly the same between the two categories but on-road versus off-road priorities are different. In an on road system mapping of course plays a big role just as it does in off-road but how those maps are used and what type are important differences. For on-road systems; cities, towns, highways, surface street names and more recently traffic data are the top priorities, off-road not so much. For off-road; terrain, topographic and aerial mapping are the key types with detail greater then 10 meters to be considered good. The off-road maps need to include trails and land features but also major points of interest like population centers.
Lowrance 5″ screen vs iPad MotionX GPS HD 7.75″ render (expandable to 9.7″)
A quality on-road system needs to have a tremendous database of points of Interest (POI) and addresses to be effective. As a user you need to be able to enter a street adress in the system and get precise, door-to-door directions to the destination. You cant just enter an address into an off-road Nav system and expect to arrive at the big rock with the cactus next to the barn, because there is not uber-database with that kind of granular data that fits in your Nav. So we have Latitude and Longitude as our “street” addresses. But since an off-road system doesn’t have that rock with the cactus in it’s database we have to create our own database. Creating and managing waypoints (our own points of interest if you will) is a key feature and your off-road system is almost useless without them. Fortunately every off-road system I have reviewed has this ability. The next biggest feature is tracks, also known as bread crumbs or tracking. The ability of your off-road system to display not only where you are and where you’re going, but where you have been. Using tracks gives you the ability to make a virtual trail map of precisely where you have travelled enabling you to return on the exact path you used to get where you are. Additionally many systems allow you to share waypoints and tracks with others so they can know where your secret fishing hole is or the precise path to get to the cabin. These functions are vital to off-road navigation.
Lowrance 5″ screen overlaid on iPad MotionX GPS HD 7.75″
iPad – King of the Navs?
When talking about quality navigation all the usual players are discussed like Garmin, TomTom, Delorme and Lowrance. Each vendor offers features and functions that differentiate themselves only slightly as the core navigation is similar. The one absolute distinction for the iPad is it’s ability to have multiple Navigation software packages installed and running from different vendors. Historically these vendors update the apps several times a year getting more features and fixing bugs that users report. In fact you can run more than one navigation app simultaneously on an iPad giving you the best features from several vendors. Some purists argue that the dedicated GPS units are more rugged or have more sensitive receivers etc. Those are good points but for an in-vehicle off-road system they are wrong assumptions about an iPad. The iPad can be configured with a ruggedized case to make it every bit as tough as any GPS out there. The sensitivity of an iPads GPS chipset is stellar and can be further enhanced with an additional GPS receiver if your installation needs it. Something not many folks talk about when comparing GPS systems is usability. The ace in iPad’s hand is two-fold; 10″ touch screen display and a vendor’s ability to create and update compelling user interfaces. No other system can match this flexibility.
iPad Considerations
When I bought my first iPad in April of 2010 I knew right away that I wanted to use it for on-board navigation. The only problem with that idea was the first release of the iPad was WiFi only and didn’t contain GPS chipsets. So a month later I aquired the just released iPad 3G which has the GPS. I was in heaven as long as I had 3 G coverage to download maps on the fly. At that time there were no dedicated Nav apps, just the built-in Google Maps. This was fine around town but no go for overlanding where 3G coverage was non existant. The GPS functionality of the iPad 3G is NOT dependent on 3G coverage. However the 3G model iPads are the only versions with a GPS chipset. The wifi only models use wifi triangulation and are not suitable for overland navigation. If you have a 3G iPad you DON’T need any additional GPS hardware unless your install blocks the iPad from a view of the sky.
Since it’s introduction the iPad has garnered a tremendous amount of software support including navigation and mapping applications. I use several so I know I’m covered for all situations but my main and favorite app is Motion X GPS HD by FullPower. This application is a professional grade mapping and navigation platform with a variety of options and a great overlanding companion.
There are 3 types of apps you can use on the iPad for navigation.
- Apps that are 3G dependent like Google Maps. No network or wifi,coverage no mapping.
- Apps that can cache maps for offline/no coverage like Motion X GPS HD. You download area maps via 3G or wifi prior to loss of coverage or during pre planning of the trip.
- Apps that carry all the mapping in memory like ScenicMaps. All maps are ready to go at installation.
The last two types are suitable for off road / remote area navigation.
Another consideration for your iPad navigation system is mounting. There are many commercial mounting systems available from RAM, ProClip, Panavise and others. Finding the right one can be a challenge as they all have nuances that appeal to different folks. I stumbled onto my mounting setup by designed accident. I knew where I wanted the iPad and started playing around with various brackets that I had in the drawer. What I ended up with was a ProClip holder with a Motorola cell phone holder mated to each other. The mount folds back so when I’m not using it – it’s out of the way or can easily be removed from the base.
Screen brightness and glare. It’s a problem. Many of the rugged iPad cases have a built-in screen protector that happen to be anti-glare, Otter Box Defender and Griffin Survivor come to mind. This is a great way to go if your mount will hold the ipad in it’s case. In my setup I dont have the iPad in it’s case (though I own both of the cases mentioned) so I use a heavy duty anti-glare screen protector from Newtrent. These super thick protectors have a great adhesive and go down without bubbles. Really no bubbles at all. I have screwed up too many protectors before stumbling on these. The screen distortion is minimal and the anti-glare is about perfect for the Cruiser.
Here is a short video of my setup (2011). The bracket has changed slightly but conceptually it’s the same. Look for the link at the bottom of the article to see the latest iteration.
How about actually using this thing on the trail?
As you already know my preferred app for navigation is Motion X GPS HD. Why? Does it have the absolute best maps? No. Does it have the most features? No. Becauses Motion X pays me? No. (but they should). What stands Motion X GPS HD apart form it’s iOS competitors is its interface. They designed the GUI like you would use it on the trail. Large buttons and legible labels. Take a look below – these are the main interfaces as you would likely use them on the trail and maybe even in motion. Click the images for full iPad size screen shots.
Motion X GPS HD (FullPower) Main Screen
Offline Topo Maps (TrailBehind) Main Screen
Gaia GPS (TrailBehind) Main Screen
GPS Kit HD (Garafa, LLC) Main Screen
Topo Maps (Phil Endecott) Main Screen
Maps are important of course and each of these apps has a variety of choices. Some map types can be cached for offline use depending on the app and the license they have. Each of the apps above has several map types:
Getting maps on-board requires an internet connection to the iPad via Wi-Fi or cellular data. Depending on the maps size the time it takes to download varies. Topo Maps for example can download a single grid high resolution topo map in about 15 seconds. Of course you need many grids to create a map worth using if you are an overland traveller. By contrast Motion X GPS HD need minutes to download the same area OpenCycle Topo map. One of the user complaints heard most often about Motion X GPS HD is the map download time.
Each of these apps has the ability to create user waypoints, record tracks , display current position, navigate to a waypoint, show full screen maps and a host of other useful features. A couple of the apps have the ability to share real time positioning with friends via the internet – Motion X GPS HD has ‘Auto Live Updates’ offering live map postion to other Motion X GPS HD users and on Motionx.Com for non-users. Additionally Motion X GPS HD updates via social nets. GPS Kit HD offers ‘Squawk’ giving you not only live position data to another GPS Kit HD user but chat capability as well. Each of the apps mentioned support standard gpx files and can share, import and backup waypoints.
In the near future we will have a full comparison of the contender navigation apps. Look for it.
What about Android?
It’s the apps stupid. Today the Android market for navigation apps suitable for overland use is bleak. Back Country Navigator is a quality product and could compete with some of the apps I’ve talked about here. It’s about the only choice. This will change of course but we are talking about today and that means the iOS App Store where you will find about 50+ overland capable apps.
A Year in the life of iPad
I’ve had the iPad and now iPad 2 mounted in the Land Cruiser for over a year. Dust and vibration have not phased it. The impossibly simple bracket I’ve used to mount it is still stuck to the dash – through cold winter weather and blistering hot days. It’s stayed stuck on high speed washboard in the Nevada desert or while crawling off camber trails in the mountains of California. It’s quite unbelievable really. More over the iPad has been an incredible tool to get us there safely, provide entertainment and to get information on the road.
Links to check out
Updated with iPad Mini and HAM Radio
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