Traffic services & camera updates = not free?

ashnojutsu · Occasional Visitor Joined: May 13, 2008 Posts: 2

I updated my tomtom 520 music edition and while using it in the car tried to update my camera database via my mobile. It said that this service was not available or something, but I remember it updating the camera info via tomtom HOME, and I didn't have to subscribe to it.

After reading on their site it seems only the FIXED camera updates are free, but mobile camera data you have to pay for. Is this correct?

Regarding the traffic service, is there anyway to receive the traffic info for free, or must i subscribe to the service from tomtom?

Andy_P · Posted: Tue May 13, 2008 6:02 pm Post subject:

Speed cameras - No you're mistaken. TomTom only do one database. you get one free update, after that it is a subscription service ~£20 a year usually. The alternatives (especially the one from this site are much better IMHO as the TomTom one has lots of missing cameras and very few mobiles at all.

Traffic via a mobile phone is also a subscription service. The alternative is to buy the TMC aerial and get traffic reports that way, as the subscription is included in the cost.

ashnojutsu · Occasional Visitor Joined: May 13, 2008 Posts: 2

Thanks for the info, I just bought my tomtom 520 and that was the first time updating it, so it looks like I used my one-time free camera update. Are the tomtom camera database's really that bad? They seem to have the majority of cameras in london, but I can only speak for where I've been.

Also, is the traffic service worth the money? No point if it tells me about traffic jams once I'm stuck inside them.

john877 · Lifetime Member Joined: Mar 16, 2007 Posts: 468

Just a reminder to make a back up of the sat nav in windows explorer as problems have occurred involving Tomtom home when not using the correct disconnect device procedure

If you do a search on the forum there is a detailed explanation

As the owner of a Tomtom 520 I can recommend the Poccket gps camera data base the Tomtom one does not even come close

DennisN · Posted: Tue May 13, 2008 11:08 pm Post subject:

You've come to a funny place to ask if TomTom's cameras are good - we're all likely to be very biased as we use the ones from PocketGPSWorld!!

However, I used TT cameras with my newest TT device and found them really terribly out of date (from memory, 17 cameras they reported between Bristol and London, only 6 of them were reasonably correct). I downloaded my one-time free update a few days ago and when I went to Wembley on Monday morning they were much better - that is to say they had done away with most of the ones which aren't there, but they still had some which shouldn't be there (Specs cameras at Reading M4) and of course, didn't have others which should be there (Specs at Slough). I say "of course" because I've become so accustomed to their database being inaccurate that I wouldn't dream of relying on it. I believe they do PC download updates weekly, so the cameras I downloaded should have been reasonably up to date - the Slough Specs have been there for quite some time (November/December?) and that's a well travelled motorway, not one of your London back streets, so you'd expect it to be well monitored.
_________________
Dennis

If it tastes good - it's fattening.

Two of them are obesiting!!

Andy_P · Posted: Wed May 14, 2008 5:59 pm Post subject:

Same here.
Am running the latest TomTom offering at the moment (I was given it by TT as thanks for a suggestion!) and it's still pretty poor compared to the one from here.
Lots of cameras missing on my journeys over last weekend, and the TT one has hardly any potential mobile sites included.
Also, it regularly flashes up the wrong icons (a camera on a tripod at a redlight camera site, for example).

DennisN · Posted: Wed May 14, 2008 11:13 pm Post subject:

I've stopped caring about the icons - it's just a matter of hit or miss which one comes up!! I got three different icons for the 5 Gatsos on M4 approaching London. I did try recording warnings, simply speaking the six different titles, so that I'd get to know which type was warning me, but that gave similar results - different warnings for identical cameras!!
_________________
Dennis

If it tastes good - it's fattening.

Two of them are obesiting!!

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