So I'm just getting started getting kit together building a Land Rover LR3 for some slight overlanding in the northeast. I have an iPad mini 4 sitting around and figured it would work great in the truck running Gaia and OnX and other offroad mapping apps, but since it is a Wi-Fi only it does not have GPS. I know there are Bluetooth GPS receivers I can link to it, but thinking since it will be in the truck and the truck has GPS in the shark fin on the roof is there a way to supply that info to the iPad. I know it would have to be decoded or something for the iPad to understand it, but I'm not sure if there is a component out there that will do that, and provide a way to connect to the iPad through the lightening port. Has anyone seen/done this? Any ideas you can point me in would be greatly appreciated. Posted in the hardware forum as well, but wanted to extend visibility. Thanks!
Anyone connect the vehicle GPS antenna to an iPad??
- Thread starter Hugh166
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mep1811
Gentleman Adventurer
This works very well. I use one .
RDinNHand AZ
Active member
I tried to do what you are thinking about 4 years ago and finally in frustration I went the same route as the Gentleman mep1811. It has worked well. I usually download a bunch of Topo maps prior to really remote trips. It works well.
Pacific Northwest yetti
Expedition Medic
Vehicle mfgrs work pretty hard to make sure their hardware and software do not play well with things not designed for them. They actually spend millions on it.
Is there a way, probably.
Will it be easy, cheap, or trouble free? No
My advice, replace that tablet with a connected one. Then you also have redundancy with connections. And it will have GPS in it. And less to fuss with. Not to mention you can use the data to download maps as well. Or turn airplane mode on, and just use it with the GPS and pre downloaded maps.
Is there a way, probably.
Will it be easy, cheap, or trouble free? No
My advice, replace that tablet with a connected one. Then you also have redundancy with connections. And it will have GPS in it. And less to fuss with. Not to mention you can use the data to download maps as well. Or turn airplane mode on, and just use it with the GPS and pre downloaded maps.
pcstockton
Member
Wifi iPads have GPS. You just need to download routes/maps/tracks for offline use.
DaveInDenver
Middle Income Semi-Redneck
Cellular capable iPads have GPS built-in while Wi-Fi only ones don't.
The Wi-Fi ones can locate themselves but they aren't using GPS.
For years Google was reading access point SSIDs and MAC addresses and mapping them into a location database as they drove around taking Street View pictures. With that they could determine a location using trilateralization passively without seeing a GPS signal.
This is how devices know their location inside buildings when the GPS signal is much too weak. Some access points also just provide a location directly, like a cell phone tower.
Anyway, Google, Apple, Microsoft have all been doing it with their phones and tablets for a while so driving around Wi-Fi sniffers on Street View cars isn't necessary anymore.
But if you're not on a Wi-Fi network, public access point or have a hot spot with it's own GPS (which may or may not need cell service) the tablet needs to have a real GPS receiver to get a location, which in the case of Apple is part of the cellular modem chipset which isn't populated in Wi-Fi only models.
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pcstockton
Member
Sorry...... You are correct. I was thinking about iPhones. GPS works when the Cellular is not.
My Bad!!!!
I use the exact same GPS puck linked above. Works wonderfully.
My Bad!!!!
I use the exact same GPS puck linked above. Works wonderfully.