Poor gps accuracy?

[sam011989]

I'm in the process of traveling cross country so please excuse me if there is already a post about this.

I noticed that the accuracy for my gps sucks when I'm on the road. I'm driving through Phoenix right now and the accuracy on my gps is over 9000 ft. My actual gps is picking up a fine signal, but the gps isn't really picking up a signal at all. Cell tower triangulation is even more accurate than what I'm currently getting.

Anyone else have this problem, and anyone know anything that might help? Thanks.

 

[iOrlando]

I'm in the process of traveling cross country so please excuse me if there is already a post about this.

I noticed that the accuracy for my gps sucks when I'm on the road. I'm driving through Phoenix right now and the accuracy on my gps is over 9000 ft. My actual gps is picking up a fine signal, but the gps isn't really picking up a signal at all. Cell tower triangulation is even more accurate than what I'm currently getting.

Anyone else have this problem, and anyone know anything that might help? Thanks.

hmm.. so doing my 2nd grade math thats about 1 and 2/3 miles off. Yeah thats pretty considerable. but anything off 1 mile or less should be expected. the built in GPS is not necessarily meant for traveling in the car and watching it tell you when to turn or anything at the exact moment you hit the intersection. it takes a little bit of time to get it right.

I would use it basically to tell me what streets i should be expecting to look out for... not when i should take a right without looking at street signs or anything

something like tom tom would be much more accurate in real time too.

 

[sam011989]

hmm.. so doing my 2nd grade math thats about 1 and 2/3 miles off. Yeah thats pretty considerable. but anything off 1 mile or less should be expected. the built in GPS is not necessarily meant for traveling in the car and watching it tell you when to turn or anything at the exact moment you hit the intersection. it takes a little bit of time to get it right.

I would use it basically to tell me what streets i should be expecting to look out for... not when i should take a right without looking at street signs or anything

something like tom tom would be much more accurate in real time too.

Apple claims the gps is supposed to be very accurate. But for some reason during this trip, the accuracy ranges between 25000 and 90000 ft which doesn't help me at all. I get this low accuracy even if iPhone is directly below windshield in plane view of satellites. Something isn't working right because even the tower triangulation should be more accurate than 25000 ft

 

[heeb66]

I have had it where it is off by like a few hundred feet or so but never by that much.

 

[joro]

I have had it where it is off by like a few hundred feet or so but never by that much.

Same here

 

[sam011989]

ya. i have an app that shows the accuracy of the reception. it ranged very high, peaking at about 104,000 ft

 

[sommls]

The gps antenna size in the iPhone is fairly small and the sensitivity is therefore constrained in a way it is not for dedicated units.

If you simply stop the car and step out of it with the phone (should improve available signal), does the accuracy improve?

 

[sam011989]

The gps antenna size in the iPhone is fairly small and the sensitivity is therefore constrained in a way it is not for dedicated units.

If you simply stop the car and step out of it with the phone (should improve available signal), does the accuracy improve?

No. During my trip when we did stop, it still took a loooooong time to get anywhere to being closely accurate.

 

[liquidsuns]

Mines seems to work quite well about 95% of the time. Most of the time the accuracy will be perfect.