Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

FuNyuN

macrumors member
Original poster
Apr 16, 2012
37
0
I want to install an iPad Mini in my car and use it as a Navigation System and Music Library. But do I need the 4G LTE version to have navigation? I saw a video of a normal iPad that has Navigation without internet, but is the mini the same? Thanks for any help.
 
I want to install an iPad Mini in my car and use it as a Navigation System and Music Library. But do I need the 4G LTE version to have navigation? I saw a video of a normal iPad that has Navigation without internet, but is the mini the same? Thanks for any help.

What you're seeing is data based location... it's nowhere near as accurate as GPS and can't handle turn by turn.

You will not only need the LTE version for the GPS you'll need the monthly data access to generate maps. Or you can pay 100 bucks for one of the Navi system software that stores you maps on your iPad.
 
So even if I use an app with the maps already in it, it's a no go?

It'll work as long as there are WiFI networks nearby that it can use for location data. But that isn't as accurate and it doesn't work where there aren't any WiFi networks.
 
So how about if I tether the internet from my iPhone? Will that work?
 
Awesome. How can I do this?

If you have the wifi hotspot available to you on your iPhone's data plan, just turn on hotspot mode and connect your iPad. The wifi indicator on the iPad will change to a couple of chain links when tethered. Then just launch Maps or any GPS-using app and it'll just work.
 
If you have the wifi hotspot available to you on your iPhone's data plan, just turn on hotspot mode and connect your iPad. The wifi indicator on the iPad will change to a couple of chain links when tethered. Then just launch Maps or any GPS-using app and it'll just work.

I have a jailbroken iPhone. So I would just use TetherMe or some other Cydia App. So will the iPad be able to access my iPhone's GPS chip this way?
 
I have a jailbroken iPhone. So I would just use TetherMe or some other Cydia App. So will the iPad be able to access my iPhone's GPS chip this way?

heard it doesnt work very well if you tether gps from your phone. ipod touch users seem to say that.

wifi n7 has gps or pay more for 3g ipad mini with gps
 
I have a jailbroken iPhone. So I would just use TetherMe or some other Cydia App. So will the iPad be able to access my iPhone's GPS chip this way?

Don't listen to people who don't know what they are saying. You will get a location signal when you tether to your iPhone, however it won't be real time. It doesn't update in near-real-time as a cellular model iPad would. Hardly useful for turn by turn.
 
Don't listen to people who don't know what they are saying. You will get a location signal when you tether to your iPhone, however it won't be real time. It doesn't update in near-real-time as a cellular model iPad would. Hardly useful for turn by turn.

I can't say that it doesn't work well for turn-by-turn as I've never tried it from the iPad. If that's your main purpose, may as well just spring for the cellular model. But I can tell you that it seems to work quite well otherwise. GPS locks seem just as fast as if done on the phone.

As for jailbroken phones, I can't say if it'll work the same way. My only experience is with the official wifi hotspot tethering.
 
You will not only need the LTE version for the GPS you'll need the monthly data access to generate maps. Or you can pay 100 bucks for one of the Navi system software that stores you maps on your iPad.
Depends on the nav app. There are certainly options with locally stored maps (discussed very frequently on MacRumors) for much less than $100.
 
Depends on the nav app. There are certainly options with locally stored maps (discussed very frequently on MacRumors) for much less than $100.

Last time I looked they were still around 100 bucks with them going on sale for about 70 once in a while... I stopped looking after I saw those prices.
 
Now I'm confused again. So if I use a Nav app with stored maps, I don't need the LTE iPad? Or I can use it with tether from my iPhone?
 
Now I'm confused again. So if I use a Nav app with stored maps, I don't need the LTE iPad? Or I can use it with tether from my iPhone?

I believe they're saying that even with stored maps (that don't need an active data signal) it'll still be spotty at best. No GPS chip any way you look at it, giving delayed and potentially inaccurate updates.

You can use stored maps with an LTE ipad/mini and not have the cellular activated and I believe the gps will still work fine with those.
 
Now I'm confused again. So if I use a Nav app with stored maps, I don't need the LTE iPad? Or I can use it with tether from my iPhone?

Knowing where you are requires 2 things:

1. A receiver to lock in on satellite locations AND

2. Maps that can visualize your location

Knowing where you are isn't especially useful if you don't have a visual reference of your location so unless you have an active data stream supplying real-time visualization then you need pre-loaded maps for the area in which you're then located. Works the same way for a dedicated GPS device, you need to have maps installed for the are in which you're using it.
 
Just to clarify, iOS 6 (Apple's new) Maps (and yes I've seen the gripes about it not being quite ready for prime time yet) won't do the offline (no wifi/cellular) maps for OPs purposes? A wifi or 4G/3G connection will absolutely be required for Apple's new Maps to draw accurate maps?

There are many reviews that talk about iOS6 Maps working very well for these purposes, downloading fine detail for some amount of territory around the current location. For example: http://appleinsider.com/articles/12...support-automatic-offline-use-for-a-wide-area Does it not work like that? Is there no "store (maps) locally" (on the iPad Mini in this case) option for iOS6 maps?

I thought I would need something like Navigon for this purpose too until I read various reviews of the new Maps app. They made me think that as long as I fired up maps while within reach of free wifi, the LTE version of the Mini would be able to draw accurate (GPS-driven) maps for much of the surrounding territory even when the Mini was disconnected from wifi or 4G/3G. Could someone clarify with certainty one way or the other?

And if it does work, does anyone have a sense of the reach of that surrounding territory? 100 miles? 200 miles? Region? State?
 
Last edited:
How I did it.

This is how I made GPS working without internet on my iPad mini.
1) Turn OFF location service
2) Reset network settings
3) Turn off then on iPad
4) Turn ON Location services
5) Run Google maps or Apple maps with turned on wi-fi on backyard and let it catch position well (only blue dot without circle around it).

Now my copilot catches satellites without internet connection, just have to wait 10-20 seconds for that.
 
You can get a GPS device that plugs into the ipad.

My dad is a pilot and the internal GPS isn't certified to be good enough, so he has an external device that will plug into any apple device. That's probably the best way to go, because you'd have a much more accurate device that could be used with whatever device you wanted.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.