Any GPS units with wifi?

[+unabowler]

I like using a dedicated GPS for geocaching over a smart phone but it would be great to have one with wifi. I know it wouldn't help battery life any but I'm envisioning using wifi at home, running a pocket query and having the caches available for when I go out. Or using the wifi in the field, but only sparingly, like when I feel like looking for one more cache than I've loaded. I've looked around little and I haven't seen this, there isn't a geocaching GPSr with wifi on the market is there?

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

Some Garmin units can, I think, transfer caches to another similar unit..... some others transmit location to another via radio, but I don't think any use wifi for internet connection (yet).

[+T.D.M.22]

Some Garmin units can, I think, transfer caches to another similar unit..... some others transmit location to another via radio, but I don't think any use wifi for internet connection (yet).

YEs certain Garmin units can- or rather are supposed to transfer info like caches between units. However I have seen the attempts at doing it and it looks to be real finicky. We couldn't get it to work.

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

Some Garmin units can, I think, transfer caches to another similar unit..... some others transmit location to another via radio, but I don't think any use wifi for internet connection (yet).

YEs certain Garmin units can- or rather are supposed to transfer info like caches between units. However I have seen the attempts at doing it and it looks to be real finicky. We couldn't get it to work.

I have seen Event attendees do so. We have a Delorme... so we're out of the picture, anyway!

 

EDIT to add: I think a data plan would be far more usable than wifi!

Edited September 30, 2012 by Gitchee-Gummee

[+Corp Of Discovery]

Garmins transfer data via ANT technology AFAIK.

[+dakboy]

Some Garmin units can, I think, transfer caches to another similar unit..... some others transmit location to another via radio, but I don't think any use wifi for internet connection (yet).

YEs certain Garmin units can- or rather are supposed to transfer info like caches between units. However I have seen the attempts at doing it and it looks to be real finicky. We couldn't get it to work.

I have seen Event attendees do so. We have a Delorme... so we're out of the picture, anyway!

For a while, there was a glimmer of hope that the PN-60w would be able to do some awesome stuff like this via IEEE 802.15.4 (ZigBee). I think the FCC certification ultimately fell through. Edited October 1, 2012 by dakboy

[+splashy]

For now ANT isn't reliable and might even corrupt your data.

[+jlinbu]

I like using a dedicated GPS for geocaching over a smart phone but it would be great to have one with wifi. I know it wouldn't help battery life any but I'm envisioning using wifi at home, running a pocket query and having the caches available for when I go out. Or using the wifi in the field, but only sparingly, like when I feel like looking for one more cache than I've loaded. I've looked around little and I haven't seen this, there isn't a geocaching GPSr with wifi on the market is there?

 

I'm just curious why you wouldn't want to use your smartphone. If you get a bluetooth GPS antenna such as the Dual XGPS 150 shown here it will essentially turn your smartphone into a "dedicated GPS" in a sense. I've owned mine for nearly a whole year and the reception is MUCH stronger than the internal chip, especially under tree cover. Granted, it's probably not as strong of a signal as a dedicated GPSr but I haven't done a side-by-side test on it. Now if Garmin comes out with a WiFi enabled, smartphone-esque GPSr... that's a total game changer. I'll throw my money at them faster than an Apple fanboy on iPhone release day... I hope I didn't say that too loud.

[+dakboy]

How would a WiFi-enabled GPSr be useful beyond:

• Urban caching in a city with very strong public-access WiFi blanketing the area
• Copying GPX files to/from it on your home network?

I'm just not seeing a reason for adding the hardware, complexity & cost?

[+jlinbu]

How would a WiFi-enabled GPSr be useful beyond:

• Urban caching in a city with very strong public-access WiFi blanketing the area
• Copying GPX files to/from it on your home network?

I'm just not seeing a reason for adding the hardware, complexity & cost?

 

I'd create a WiFi network on my phone and use that for internet on the go. Or for those that dont have the feature they could swing by McDonalds. Plus I could as always do PQs and the such from home. And also I would have maps/caches when I don't have cell reception. It's not all that much better in theory, just much more convenient.

[+geodarts]

Now if Garmin comes out with a WiFi enabled, smartphone-esque GPSr... that's a total game changer. I'll throw my money at them faster than an Apple fanboy on iPhone release day... I hope I didn't say that too loud.

 

Just like the Nuviphone!

[Dr Jeckyl and Mr Hide]

Now if Garmin comes out with a WiFi enabled, smartphone-esque GPSr... that's a total game changer. I'll throw my money at them faster than an Apple fanboy on iPhone release day... I hope I didn't say that too loud.

 

Just like the Nuviphone!

 

How quickly we forgot the 295W... We still have one, but they are hard to find now. Garmin was practically giving them away when they discontinued them.

 

 

[+Driddy]

I agree that it would be nice to have a WIFI enabled GPSr, especially when travelling (I don't own a laptop). One workaround that works on some recent Android phones is to connect the GPSr to the USB port on the cell phone via an OTG USB cable. With that setup one can download PQs from GC.com and then copy them onto the GPSr. Of course, an even simpler approach, is to download the PQ onto a micro SD card on the phone and then insert the card in the GPSr (assuming of course that both units support micro SD). However, I am not too keen on handling micro SDs while in the field.