Rand McNally RV GPS for iPad

[JF1957]

I'm looking at buying a Rand McNally RV gps for my iPad, i thing it could be nice to have that big screen, what do you thing ?

[Nomad Mike]

Looks interesting, do you have a cellular model of the iPad?

[QUOTE]Note: Turn-by-turn navigation is enabled for iPad cellular models, but requires a GPS accessory for Wi-Fi only models. [/QUOTE

I'm not impressed by the screen shots in the app store, it looks like a $2 program with a $99 price tag. Plus a 2.5 overall on the reviews.

I'll wait.

[slowmachine]

Waste of money, IMO. The app interface is horrible and there have been no updates. Rand McNally now has a tablet for truckers, and it seems likely that they will do the same for the RV market and abandon the app.

I do have a cellular iPad Air.

Mike
2000 HR Endeavor

[RRGuy]

I love it. It looks and works just like their portable in vehicle GPS except larger and easier to work with. The screen is much better than the smaller portable unit. Very handy to program and "play" with anywhere. I use mine a lot for trip planning and searching for destinations the night before then renter in the vehicle GPS. My copilot can use it while traveling to search for destinations and planning without disturbing th GPS I am driving with. The best value $99 ever spent for my RV.

John Abbott
2015 Winniebago Tour

[Texas-Flash]

I bought the Rand McNally RV Tablet. I think it is a great addition to travel planning. I do like the tab to check what is in your area for food, shopping or gas. I also put the program on my Dell Inspiron 11. I works great also but with a bigger screen. My DW copilot can also keep check on my and help direct me when I am in heavy traffic. I used MS Streets & Trips for many years but I think Rand has a better system. Works for me and moma, keep us between the ditches and out of trouble. Hope we see you on the road soon.
Sandy, Bob and Rambo the poodle
Itasca Sunova 35G Just loving it

[jharrell]

Copilot Premium is much cheaper and works great and they actually update the app regularly, Active traffic is very helpful in the RV.

Looks like they have a RV specific version now for $50, not sure what it adds but still half the price of the never updated Rand Mcnally app.

[Statgeek]

I have been using this on my iPad for a few years. I would recommend it, EXCEPT that Rand was s no longer updating the maps, so that makes it outdated already. My maps are already old...

[Santa_Claus]

Originally Posted by jharrell

Copilot Premium is much cheaper and works great and they actually update the app regularly, Active traffic is very helpful in the RV.

Looks like they have a RV specific version now for $50, not sure what it adds but still half the price of the never updated Rand Mcnally app.

The Copilot RV adds RV-specific POIs: repair centers, propane refill, campgrounds, etc. It also adds propane-restrictions, weight/length/width restrictions. I have Premium now but am considering switching to RV.

I considered the Rand app, until I saw that it hadn't been updated in forever (visible in the app store description). That really spooked me, and that was a year ago... apparently things haven't gotten better.

I'm considering trying Copilot on the iPad since the iPhone is pretty small for the distance I have to mount it in the RV. That will entail either jailbreaking so I can use the BTStack app to allow me to access my existing Bluetooth GPS, or buy a new, iPad-compatible GPS for $100. I'm kinda leaning toward the latter so that I can keep my iPad up to date with the latest iOS. If I can sell my RVND 7730 for $150 that'll make the decision easier!

[jharrell]

Originally Posted by Santa_Claus

The Copilot RV adds RV-specific POIs: repair centers, propane refill, campgrounds, etc. It also adds propane-restrictions, weight/length/width restrictions. I have Premium now but am considering switching to RV.

I considered the Rand app, until I saw that it hadn't been updated in forever (visible in the app store description). That really spooked me, and that was a year ago... apparently things haven't gotten better.

I'm considering trying Copilot on the iPad since the iPhone is pretty small for the distance I have to mount it in the RV. That will entail either jailbreaking so I can use the BTStack app to allow me to access my existing Bluetooth GPS, or buy a new, iPad-compatible GPS for $100. I'm kinda leaning toward the latter so that I can keep my iPad up to date with the latest iOS. If I can sell my RVND 7730 for $150 that'll make the decision easier!

I actually upgraded to the RV version, I don't mind funding continued development of this now key app for my RV much cheaper than buying new gps hardware. Seems basically the same as premium on the surface. One thing I have noticed is seems to have more complete speed limit information than premium, as it was showing me the speed limit on secondary roads and premium only seemed to show on major interstates.

The iPad is really the way to go, your not tied in to any one piece of software but it still "just works" and there are plenty of mounting options it's also much larger than most gps devices at least with the 9.7 inch.

I typically use Allstays for propane, Flying J's, campgrounds etc. but it needs a good internet connection to work, Copilot having those POI's is a nice backup. I also use Radarscope and Wundermap for weather on the road, also invaluable, and I even monitor the engine with Dashcommand and a OBD wifi adapter.

I recommend getting an approved GPS or even better upgrading to the new iPad pro with cellular for built in GPS. I have a 1st gen air with cellular and it work great, but the speed on the new iPads would make everything much snappier.

I am a software dev and really don't recommend jailbreaking, just to much hassle and issues for something that just need to work driving down the road.

[Santa_Claus]

Originally Posted by jharrell

I recommend getting an approved GPS or even better upgrading to the new iPad pro with cellular for built in GPS. I have a 1st gen air with cellular and it work great, but the speed on the new iPads would make everything much snappier.

I am a software dev and really don't recommend jailbreaking, just to much hassle and issues for something that just need to work driving down the road.

An approved GPS is probably the direction I'm leaning, if for no other reason than there hasn't been a jailbreak release since Christmas. I really don't need any more umpf than my current iPad, and I already have many accessories for it that I'd rather not replace.

My only real hesitation with buying the CoPilot RV is my earnest hope that Google will hear our pleas and add an RV-mode to Waze. Partially for the traffic info, but primarily because I think crowd-sourced RVing-specific information users could contribute could cause the knowledge-base to grow exponentially. An RVer could report a narrow road as easily as a driver now reports a car on the shoulder, and then the next time a route is created for a similar or larger rig it would weigh that advice and perhaps suggest an alternate... or at least color code that road section as a concern. Course, I might have a self-driving RV by time they listen! LOL

[jharrell]

Originally Posted by Santa_Claus

My only real hesitation with buying the CoPilot RV is my earnest hope that Google will hear our pleas and add an RV-mode to Waze. Partially for the traffic info, but primarily because I think crowd-sourced RVing-specific information users could contribute could cause the knowledge-base to grow exponentially. An RVer could report a narrow road as easily as a driver now reports a car on the shoulder, and then the next time a route is created for a similar or larger rig it would weigh that advice and perhaps suggest an alternate... or at least color code that road section as a concern. Course, I might have a self-driving RV by time they listen! LOL

The ActiveTraffic in CoPilot is actually quite good, I really like the way it represents traffic conditions ahead with the linear bar on the right. Makes it very easy to spot upcoming problems and slow down ahead of time, it has been as accurate and up to date as traffic on Google maps so far as well.

I agree Waze for RV's would be great! At least with the iPad you can run multiple different apps that all give you some piece of what you need, even running Waze in the background if you want. I pretty go back and forth between CoPilot, Google Maps, and Allstays to provide the routing information I need, I like having the multiple sources of information.

[Santa_Claus]

The real benefit of a Waze-like reporting system is the ease of sharing road conditions. Things like low clearance and bridge weight restrictions are easy. It's the "sure, I'm allowed to drive here, but it's really not a good idea" kind of routing advice thats missing. For instance, near my home there is an extremely short, uphill on-ramp to a busy two-lane highway, and everytime I plan a route west, every GPS I have used routes me up that ramp. I am a bit nervous using that route in a car, much less an RV. I have reported it as an inappropriate route for RVs (and semis, for that matter) but nothing ever happens. I have set a manual "avoid" in my own programs, but that doesn't help others (sometimes it doesn't even help me, as I've had it insist on routing me through the "avoid" even though a safer route adds only perhaps a mile. The point being, that for things to get better we need a large, active community of users who have a super-simple way of reporting RV-specific road conditions, and enough intelligence server-side to weigh that feedback and provide appropriate routing. I think it'd need to be a player who is already HUGE in that space to pull it off, because installed-base is key. Waze is the only one with most of those pieces in place already, so hopefully other RVers will join me in pestering them to add an RV-mode.

[Mitchone]

I purchased the rand McNally app for my iPad last fall. I was disappointed with the interface as it was identical to the 7710 GPS that quit working during a trip. I think I paid a $100 for it. Like others have said I hadn't received an update until just a few weeks ago. I was surprised that it notified me that there was an update. When I tried to perform the update it told me to connect to a wireless network, which I was already. It's been stuck on that message since then making it totally useless at this point. The attached photo is what I see when I open the app and allow the update, no choice really. So I'm very disappointed with this app.

[Statgeek]

Originally Posted by Mitchone

I purchased the rand McNally app for my iPad last fall. I was disappointed with the interface as it was identical to the 7710 GPS that quit working during a trip. I think I paid a $100 for it. Like others have said I hadn't received an update until just a few weeks ago. I was surprised that it notified me that there was an update. When I tried to perform the update it told me to connect to a wireless network, which I was already. It's been stuck on that message since then making it totally useless at this point. The attached photo is what I see when I open the app and allow the update, no choice really. So I'm very disappointed with this app. Attachment 124237

I share with your frustration. Over the weekend I deleted the Rand App from my iPad and replaced it with the RV version of CoPilot. This software also downloads all of the maps to the iPad so that you do not need to be connected to the Cellular network to use it. My iPad didn't have enough storage for both the Rand app and the Co-Pilot app, so sadly, I had to dump the Rand app due to their poor support and infrequent updates.

The Co-Pilot app for the iPad has some of the nice features of the Rand app, including the ability to enter vehicle length, height, width, weight, and how much LP you carry so that it avoids routes that are not appropriate for your vehicle settings. NOTE: the app was able to accept my custom length but the weight field simply would not update when I tried to customize it... so there are still some glitches that Co-Pilot needs to work out.

The nicest feature that Co-Pilot has over the Rand app is the ability to quickly pick from multiple routes that it produces, AND the ability to drag one of their routes on the map (similar to how Google Maps works on a computer). Making custom adjustments on the Rand app was a royal PITA for me, so this is a welcome innovation!

Co-Pilot comes in different flavors. I bought the RV version, and it was around $50 (lots cheaper than Rand). I can't speak much more about the pros/cons of the Co-Pilot app because I haven't used it enough yet.