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End of traffic sub on my 740

 
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matthewj
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 22, 2014 9:21 am    Post subject: End of traffic sub on my 740 Reply with quote

We travelled down the M6 on Good Friday, and after working initially around 10am, the HD Traffic soon was unable to get any data. On a day with terrible traffic (which matched the pattern I saw on the evening of Thursday), the whole reason for paying for HD Traffic on my TomTom is to know what is happening on the roads ahead. Using iPhones, we could see that the motorway was bad, and we decided to manually route via Manchester to miss the Warrington delays, and then via the A49 to avoid the Birmingham and M5 delays. Took us 7 hours instead of the likely 4 direct, but it was a pleasant drive instead of stop-start motorway. It gives plenty of time though to harden the decision that a traffic service that doesn't deliver isn't worth paying for. And that probably means the maps subscription will not be renewed either.

Of course we will probably switch to the TomTom app on the iPhone, which has a reliable signal, so they don't completely lose. But that myself, a long term dedicated navigation device owner is being pushed away by the poor capacity at peak times is moving on can't be good for TomTom.
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arfurdent
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 22, 2014 12:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The loss of HD Traffic on my 750Live is a common occurrence. I cannot believe it is down to 2G signal coverage. It looks like a server connectivity issue that has been going on for a long time. Whilst I like the 750 and the HD traffic I need to seriously consider alternatives.
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matthewj
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 22, 2014 2:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Indeed, I am quite sure this is the core cellular comms limit that TomTom won't admit exists, and which caused them to reduce the range. I am sure that the sheer volume of satnavs out on the roads on the UK bank holidays caused this effective outage, which is (I am convinced having thought hard about it, and having posted the details here before) a data cap on their cellular contract. It probably means that during the day, some people will have obtained some data, but not for long.

I tried to sign up to HD traffic on my iPhone, and it sat with a spinner. Apparently common, and creating a new TomTom account fixes that. I tried a very old account I had, and that worked. Obviously some issue with TomTom's systems not allowing both PND and Mobile app data. Grr. Anyway, I'll be trying it in a week or two.
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Andy_P
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 22, 2014 5:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

arfurdent wrote:
The loss of HD Traffic on my 750Live is a common occurrence. I cannot believe it is down to 2G signal coverage. It looks like a server connectivity issue that has been going on for a long time. Whilst I like the 750 and the HD traffic I need to seriously consider alternatives.


I doesn't even seem to be as simple as a lack of connection to the TT servers.

Whenever I lose Traffic on these models (and I did over the Easter break too), I quickly check the Weather on the unit. Quite often that is working fine but Traffic is refusing to download.

At which point I think the only place to lay the blame is on TT's Traffic service itself!
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gazza70
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 22, 2014 5:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm also in the market for an alternative ,
I'm fed up with sitting in traffic due to server problems
I had the same problem over the easter break , start off with traffic working then it would give up and all I got was the spinning disc symbol ,click on traffic and get the message tomtom server error, it's funny how all the other live services keep working when this happens
As I do a 250mile round trip everyday I need this service to work ,
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DennisN
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PostPosted: Wed Apr 23, 2014 8:34 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Just out of interest for you, (as some of you will already know) I run three TomToms side by side in my van, all Live units - GO1005, GO550 and the built in Renault TomTom R-Link. Unfortunately, the 550 has the live mount which also includes the RDS-TMC aerial and I have learned that it frequently switches over to the RDS-TMC service without telling me so!

Anyway, I regularly get different results on all three devices. I did wonder if it's down to each unit polling the server at staggered times, thereby one updating before the next and so on, but it's never that clear or simple. To my simple old man's mind, if all three are Live units, all three should show the same information. But they often don't.

As for the unreliability of the service, it has surely been clear for long enough that TomTom never got their original service capacity right. When I first paid (£80) for Live services, I concluded that the HD Traffic was brilliant. I am now sure that it was so brilliant that it became popular enough to overload the server and now TT can't afford to upgrade (or rather restore) it to keep up with demand. I'd guess this is why they are now offering alternative units which use your own data connection rather than their built in SIM.

Of my three units, the 1005 seems to be the most reliable at acquiring and keeping connection and updates. The 550 apparently often slips quietly and unannounced into RDS-TMC mode - I think that mode is rubbish and wish I could disable it (I'm tempted sometimes to try ripping out the little aerial thingy, but DIY and I are mostly incompatible). The Renault R-Link built in unit is so bad I HAVE to run with the other two or go back to paper maps and radio traffic reports!
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Guivre46
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PostPosted: Wed Apr 23, 2014 12:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

At my home I frequently get the endless spinning wheel. When I check the network it says 'connected. If this is the case then it is TT's servers that are not sending data. I wonder if TT has gone the same way as the banks ie never doing a complete upgrade to their servers, just endlessly patching them to cope with new models.

PS: Whilst not connecting reliably during the day, at about 11pm it nearly always connects!
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Mike R [aka Wyvern46]
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Last edited by Guivre46 on Wed Apr 23, 2014 1:13 pm; edited 1 time in total
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matthewj
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PostPosted: Wed Apr 23, 2014 1:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

At least I'm not alone in the troubles! I am completely convinced it is down to the cellular contract, as the service continues to work well when you use your phone, or on the web, or you use the device simulator during a troubled time. We know that the cellular contract was re-negotiated at some point when they went from the high price to the "current" price, and we know that it is data related as the snow troubled winter is when the area was significantly reduced. It is the only explanation - oh yes, also some countries are unaffected, which again indicates different cell network. I can also understand them not wanting to fix it, given that it works most of the time and I expect they were presented with uncomfortable terms from the network.

Me, I'd pay more for a premium "full distance" service, which would then include airtime to the carrier. But I guess that's exactly what I'm going to do with the iPhone, only it is actually cheaper for a year on that...
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gazza70
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PostPosted: Wed Apr 23, 2014 3:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I think your right about the server not being upgraded , I find when ever their is a lot of traffic incidents in the uk then that's where I struggle to get any info , I keep looking at these new garmin units with the dab digital traffic ,
I need to find someone who is running one to ask about the traffic info before I buy one .
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DennisN
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PostPosted: Wed Apr 23, 2014 8:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

matthewj wrote:
Me, I'd pay more for a premium "full distance" service

Me three! After all, when I first bought it, it was £80 and after experiencing it for the initial three months free trial, I was happy enough to judge that to be a bargain. Sadly, now that it has run at half price for so long, I can't see them doing that.
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If it tastes good - it's fattening.

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Guivre46
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PostPosted: Wed Apr 23, 2014 11:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm also looking at Garmin. If I'm going to need new software to update a current TT model, I may as well try Garmin. The only thing deterring me is the comments about Garmin routing.

My 550 has just connected properly for the first time today!!

Edit: now new devices come with life-time traffic, I begin to wonder how much investment live services will get? Time to dust off my old rds-tmc aerials....
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Mike R [aka Wyvern46]
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Guivre46
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PostPosted: Sat May 03, 2014 6:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Just turned on my 550. It shows a network connection, just no data!
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Mike R [aka Wyvern46]
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matthewj
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PostPosted: Tue May 06, 2014 12:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

FWIW, I went to York at the weekend, and tried the phone app alongside my TomTom 740. The iPhone app gets traffic very quickly, and was just fine. I think it did lose data signal at one point, but got it back shortly thereafter. The 740 on the other hand seems to have lost its voice, and not sure how that happened - the menu control doesn't affect it, and the test is silent. I guess the 740 has started to sulk... Once the traffic sub expires, it will probably stop being used...
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Guivre46
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PostPosted: Fri May 09, 2014 11:00 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Just for a change - no network connection this morning.
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Mike R [aka Wyvern46]
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