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MrBeetle
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Joined: Aug 07, 2007
Posts: 6
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 Posted: Mon Aug 27, 2007 11:17 pm Post subject: TT720 - Overestimation on travel time, response from TomTom |
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Thought you may like this response from TomTom... Submitted a Q on why the calculated times are regularly 25-40% over actual time. (1:15 est, 0:45 actual.... 5:15 est, 3:30 actual, ect)
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Dear Scott,
Thank you for contacting TomTom Customer Support. We would be happy to answer your questions on estimated arrival time.
The arrival times on the TomTom range of products use a complex and conservate calculation to determine arrival time. In an attempt to provide accurate and realistic arrival times the unit adds stops for gas, food, and just rest periods for longer trips. While some drivers prefer to drive a long trip straight through from point A to point B, which means they arrive sooner than the unit predicted this arrival time method has proven to be accurate for the majority of our customers. We hope that this answers your questions.
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a4000
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Joined: Aug 23, 2007
Posts: 17
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| Posted: Mon Aug 27, 2007 11:58 pm Post subject: |
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| It's unfortunate that tt support never gives an honest answer... |
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crazyfingers
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Joined: Aug 08, 2004
Posts: 107
Location: Massachusetts, USA
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| Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2007 1:57 am Post subject: |
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That answer does look like BS to me. And if it was true, it would be a real poor design decision. Far better to estimate only driving time and let the user allow for planned stops. The only exception, and it isn't really an exception, would be to allow for wait times at known traffic lights (if the map even knows where the traffic lights are) assuming an average wait of about half of a light cycle.
For the software to estimate how often I have to go pee on a long trip would be just plain stupid. |
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Darren
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Location: Hampshire, UK
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| Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2007 7:55 am Post subject: |
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I've found their trip estimates quite accurate personally?
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Darren Griffin |
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JockTamsonsBairn
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Joined: Jan 10, 2004
Posts: 2777
Location: Bonnie Scotland (West Central)
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| Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2007 10:30 am Post subject: Re: TT720 - Overestimation on travel time, response from Tom |
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| MrBeetle wrote: | | Thought you may like this response from TomTom... Submitted a Q on why the calculated times are regularly 25-40% over actual time. (1:15 est, 0:45 actual.... 5:15 est, 3:30 actual, ect) |
Is this a general question about TomTom or are you suggesting that the n20 models, or at least the new (v7?) software, estimations are different to previous versions?
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Jock
TomTom Go 940 LIVE (9.510, Europe v915.5074 on SD & 8.371, WCE v875.3613 on board) |
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classy56
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Joined: Sep 08, 2006
Posts: 441
Location: Dorset
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| Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2007 3:45 pm Post subject: |
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| Darren wrote: | | I've found their trip estimates quite accurate personally? |
Same here, normally to within 5/10 minutes, which is good enough for me.
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Tomtom Go730T
App 8.300
Map v815.2003
To old to die young. |
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DennisN
Tired Old Man
Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 14901
Location: Keynsham
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| Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2007 10:32 pm Post subject: |
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I'd call them accurate if you drive a black VW Golf. In a white Renault Kangoo van, it takes longer. 
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Dennis
If it tastes good - it's fattening.
Two of them are obesiting!! |
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MrBeetle
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Joined: Aug 07, 2007
Posts: 6
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| Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2007 10:47 pm Post subject: |
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Perhaps the main difference is between the UK and US?
As for which version, I only have experience with the 720. |
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PaulBt
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Joined: Sep 22, 2006
Posts: 188
Location: Kempsford, UK
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| Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2007 11:25 pm Post subject: |
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Dennis,
| Quote: | | Dennis - Soon to be getting the bears in, in Corfu (2 hours ahead). |
Do you mean the bears, as in Black or Grizzly, or do you mean the beers as in Hofmeister beer ...  
Cheers
Paul
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TT720 V8.010, regular audio book user.
WestEuro v805 connected to E90 on O2
TT910 V6.525, TTN5, TTN3, TT on Psion 5mx |
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DennisN
Tired Old Man
Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 14901
Location: Keynsham
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| Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2007 11:36 pm Post subject: |
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Hofmeister bears, only in my case they'll be Amstel bears. 
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Dennis
If it tastes good - it's fattening.
Two of them are obesiting!! |
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wjharing
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Joined: Apr 20, 2007
Posts: 5
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| Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2007 12:17 pm Post subject: |
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On the highway, the time is accurate to the minute (assuming you drive the 70mph limit all the time.
On the small roads, the difference between actual/estimated is the biggest as TT is using an average speed, lower than the ones we can drive typically on those small roads (i.e. not racing or being unsafe or so).
If TT software would alllow us to change the average speed per road type, the data would easily be tweakable and estimated time would be a lot more accurate. It's as simple as that (I think) |
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DennisN
Tired Old Man
Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 14901
Location: Keynsham
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| Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2007 5:52 pm Post subject: |
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| wjharing wrote: | On the highway, the time is accurate to the minute (assuming you drive the 70mph limit all the time.
If TT software would allow us to change the average speed per road type, the data would easily be tweakable and estimated time would be a lot more accurate. It's as simple as that (I think) |
When did you last drive 70 miles at 70mph? You'd be hard pressed to find a single stretch of motorway that long without something getting in your way - roadworks, accidents, idiots. I'm thinking Bristol to Heathrow (took me 2 hours today), Bristol to Birmingham, Bristol to Exeter and Bristol to Swansea.
The configurable speed is a great idea and I think I saw somewhere that it used to be available on TTs. Why they did away with it I'll never know, it's so sensible. Having said which, you've lost some of that facility with Autoroute now - with that, you can configure to drive at "slower", "average" or "faster". But it's still better than TT.
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Dennis
If it tastes good - it's fattening.
Two of them are obesiting!! |
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mostdom
Pocket GPS Moderator
Joined: Jul 10, 2006
Posts: 1964
Location: Surrey, UK.
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| Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2007 10:14 pm Post subject: |
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| DennisN wrote: | | When did you last drive 70 miles at 70mph? |
250miles in france in about 3 hours. Apart from the odd toll stop the speedo generally stayed about 90mph. Couldn't get it to stay at the recomended 130.
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Dom
HERE LIES PND May it rest in peace.
Navigon 7310/iPhone Navigon&Copilot |
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crazyfingers
Regular Visitor
Joined: Aug 08, 2004
Posts: 107
Location: Massachusetts, USA
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| Posted: Thu Aug 30, 2007 2:39 am Post subject: |
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| DennisN wrote: | | wjharing wrote: | On the highway, the time is accurate to the minute (assuming you drive the 70mph limit all the time.
If TT software would allow us to change the average speed per road type, the data would easily be tweakable and estimated time would be a lot more accurate. It's as simple as that (I think) |
When did you last drive 70 miles at 70mph? You'd be hard pressed to find a single stretch of motorway that long without something getting in your way - roadworks, accidents, idiots. I'm thinking Bristol to Heathrow (took me 2 hours today), Bristol to Birmingham, Bristol to Exeter and Bristol to Swansea.
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Over here it's easy to find such a stretch. I can easily do it driving north to Maine. That would be a good 3 hours at 70-75. And that 6 hour drive from Rochester, NY to Boston, MA could easily see 75mph almost the entire way.
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The configurable speed is a great idea and I think I saw somewhere that it used to be available on TTs. Why they did away with it I'll never know, it's so sensible. Having said which, you've lost some of that facility with Autoroute now - with that, you can configure to drive at "slower", "average" or "faster". But it's still better than TT. |
I've found that Garmin's way on the iQue 3600 works well. They have settings for "Truck", "motorcycle", "Automobile", "Emergency". I find that "Automobile" works well for me if there will be significant non-highway, down-town driving. "Emergency" works well when I don't expect many street lights or traffic. |
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DennisN
Tired Old Man
Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 14901
Location: Keynsham
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| Posted: Thu Aug 30, 2007 7:21 am Post subject: |
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| crazyfingers wrote: | | Over here it's easy to find such a stretch. I can easily do it driving north to Maine. That would be a good 3 hours at 70-75. And that 6 hour drive from Rochester, NY to Boston, MA could easily see 75mph almost the entire way. |
Outright apologies - I tend to forget there is land outside these small islands - there was even a time when we didn't sail very far for fear of falling off the edge!!
Please educate a simple old man - I have been under the impression for years that USA has a national speed limit of 50mph, which was why Smokey got chased?
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Dennis
If it tastes good - it's fattening.
Two of them are obesiting!! |
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