CoPilot tablet satnav
Is anyone using the copilot satnav app on a tablet or phone?
It appears so much cheaper than purchasing a dedicated satnav from Garmin or TomTom but I want some opinion on whether it works. Works in this sense means does it direct you away from routes which are too narrow, have bad humps, bad turns etc.
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We've been using co pilot on a samsung galaxy tab for a year now. It's the first sat nav we've used so we can't offer a comparison with garmin et cetera. It works well for us.
You can select vehicle profiles and route preferences e.g. avoid tolls,
It takes up over 4Gb so best store the maps in an SD card. You will also need a USB charger connected to 12v socket for longer journeys.
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I have used it for the last 2 years on my iPhone and found it really good. I have recently started to use it on a 7" tablet and upgraded to the caravan/ motorhome version which again is working well as you can load your vehicle size and it routes you accordingly
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I used two different suppliers of sat navs before buying Co-Pilot truck nearly three years ago. They didn't have the caravan version when I first bought it or I may have opted for that. Having a larger motorhome the truck version was a choice I have not regretted. I run it on a Samsung 7 inch tablet and it is the best sat nav I have owned. If you already have a tablet then yes in my view it is the cheapest and best way to go. I think there is a free App to try, it probably does not have all the bells and whistles of the paid for software but it would give potential buyers a favour of how it works.
peedee
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I have used many SatNav units since they were first introduced based on either the Garman or TomTom modles.
I currently use the CoPilot Caravan model on an iPad mini that has 12GB of memory of which 7GB is used. The large screen and clear and timely instruction is appreciated by both of us. I think it much better than the Garman / TomTom offerings and certainly the in car VW unit that is already out of date.
I like the way that I can tailor the CoPilot route parameters to suit my style of driving and route preferences as well as input my rig dimensions, that aspect is much easier to adjust than the others.
Whilst it warns of low bridges, speed limits, width restrictions and the like I still spend time checking the off trunk road/motorway parts of my routes for nasty bits.
I have live traffic updates, which are free for the first year I think but then by subscription and updates come through quite frequently.
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You can also import all the caravan club sites into copilot poi's from the sat nav download page listed on here, just use the tom tom files and they work perfectly
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Here's a photo of co-pilot on our Galaxy - propped up on the glove box lid.
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Not the best with computers, but thinking of buying a tablet can someone tell me how much does co pilot cost, can it be used on any tablet, how do you get it, and what is a SD card, thanks
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apps for apple products (ipad, etc) can be found at the apple app store.
apps for android based products (most other kit) can be viewed at googleplay store.
check either of these out for details of copilot, or visit the copilot website itself....to see costs and any extras..
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You have linked to an old thread but never mind.
Your device must have GPS recognition. Not all iPads or tablets have that facility however your iPad Pro does as well as your iPhone.
For a large motor home like yours I would go for the Caravan version.
You can install it on either device. I suggest you place the iPhone in position and judge how well you can see it from your driving position. If your answer is "not very well" then the iPad is the device to use. I find the larger screen is easier to work with but that maybe just my fat fingers.
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I poste d this on another thread:
I have just been trying out Co-Pilot's caravan version comparing it with tbe truck version and thought I would pass on my views. The Caravan version is a quarter of the price of the truck version and an initial check reveals little difference but in practise there is. The first thing that strikes you is the user interfaces are different and the caravan version has caravan sites already preloaded. You can easily get used to the interfaces although I think the truck version is easier to use and you can load your own POIs to both quite easily.
In running test, with identical parameters set, they are both as good with providing a route and the spoken directions are identical but that is where the similarity ends. The display of directions on the truck version is far more detailed and easier to follow and I thought resulted in less chance of going wrong.
In spite of the higher cost, I would still go for the truck version but I guess if you are happy to rely on directions only then the caravan version would be fine.
peedee
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While the CoPilot truck version may seem expensive for an app it is still considerably cheaper than a stand alone unit.
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I am thinking of buying the Co-pilot Caravan app. I was going to download the app onto a Fire HD7 tablet, but from checking the specs I don't think this tablet has GPS recognition.
Could you tell me which 7" tablet are you using with this app?
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I use mine on an mini iPad 3.
You are quite correct that whatever tablet you use you have to have one that can pick up the GPS signals.
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We use the 'Emily' voice on Co-Pilot and she doesn't give any place names or road numbers: neither do the other installed voices as far as we've tried. We did download the samsung galaxy voice which gives road names and places, but it can't cope with 'foreign'. "You have arrived at les bollocks" it said when we drew up at 'Les Bolleaux' in Beaune!
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You can’t add SD cards (extra memory) to Apple devices so you need to make sure that you have enough in your basic tablet/phone. As mentioned above, you will need a USB power supply and some sort of holder to attach to the dash or windscreen.
You can get a free Satnav "maps.me” which will get you out if trouble anywhere in the world if you download the country/region on WiFi before you go. A bit basic but it works.
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I have been using copilot caravan europe for about a year now and initially thought it was good, it has a really nice GUI with clear turn indicator etc. Unfortunately, I have found the basic navigation is not very good or reliable as a motorhome or caravan sat nav and the dimension input seems to make little difference.
On several occasions now it has taken me down narrow single lane tracks, regardless of any dimensions I enter. The first time was in Shropshire on our way to Green Caravan Park in Wentnor, where i obtained some scrapes to the windows from overhanging bushes. Google maps suggests a far more suitable road than the copilot caravan app. (I even tried re-running the navigatioin using the maximum allowable width input of 8ft 6in - it still suggested the same route - I doubt the single lane track was even this wide at it's maximum).
More recently in Bourton on the water in the Cotswolds, we were taken down single lane country roads with overhanging trees that were little more than dirt tracks; it was night time and foggy and I couldn't see the overhanging branches that put a dent into our new motorhome from one of these narrow tracks it sent us down; it even tried to send us down a road marked as "unsuitable for motor vehicles" - luckily my wife spotted the sign before I made the turn (maybe I accidentally selected it's hidden rallying mode?) Needless to say I am a lot less impressed with this than I used to be.
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That is not my experience with the truck version MR and I have been using it for the past 3 years both in the UK and on the Continent. In fact it is quite the opposite, it just does not like navigating in zones where truck bans are in force which does cause me some grief when I want to get to a site in these areas. I am currently trying the caravan version ( only had it a few months) and so far have not had your problems but I will see how it goes over the summer.
peedee
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Sounds like the truck version is at least safer. I have been experimenting with the copilot caravan at two locations where it routed me down unsuitable roads, causing windows scratches on one occasion and a dent int the side panel more recently.
In both cases, there are suitable alternative routes, that google uses.
The first destination is Green Caraven Park in Bishops Castle (in Wentnor village). Copilot caravan takes you right off the A489 at Eaton that it follows for about 3 miles down narrow lanes to the site (image uploaded). Google Maps, as many other sat navs, takes a conpletely different route down a perfectly suitable dual lane road that passes right by the site (image also uploaded)
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More recently copilot caravan routed us down an unsuitable road coming from The Hollow Bottom in Guiting Power in Gloucestershire. It took us down a road that I was unable to get a full image of as I suspect the google car did not venture down it
. The turn is the one to the right at the "Y" shaped junction in the uploadid pic. This is where the motorhome sustained a couple of dents from tree overhangs. Bear in mind it was dark and really foggy, so I could barely tell where it was leading us.
There have been other instances - several times in Belgium I seem to recall but as no damage occurred I can recall less of the specifics.
Changing the routing preferences, vehicle dimensions (ie max width of 8ft 6in allowed in app) etc made not a shred of difference.
From my experience I would advise NOT using COPILOT CARAVAN EUROPE app until they sort this issue out.
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I have given up on Sat-Nav in Spain, especially on major motorways. Some of the major interchanges are so complex that the GPS resolution is simply not adequate . I find studying Google Maps in detail before a journey, and then concentrating on physical road signs results in a far better experience.
Last year, relying on Sat-Nav, we had a very 'interesting' journey through Madrid. This year, using traditional methods, a very pleasant journey as intended.
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