Android GPS....?

[SG5327]

Hey ppl I have been using an android based gps to track my rides, however I am finding the results to be a bit mixed. Sometimes they are accurate & most of the time they are not. So do any of you use an android gps & if yes how do you find the results......??? :-(

 

[tadpole]

Hey ppl I have been using an android based gps to track my rides, however I am finding the results to be a bit mixed. Sometimes they are accurate & most of the time they are not. So do any of you use an android gps & if yes how do you find the results......??? :-(

On my two year old phone the GPS was ok, accurate to with 3 to 5m most of the time, but with the android ICS (it should be much better, but it's not,) it's hardly finding me at all and even if it does it may be off track by 50m or more

 

[marinyork]

If you want more accurate results I would recommend getting an external GPS and pairing up via bluetooth. The GPS on some top end smart phones the last 18 months has improved but quite often this is from using GLONASS.

On Android on other apps with nothing to do with tracking there is a problem of the app dropping the GPS signal temporarily and then going bonkers, drifting a fair bit and then picking it up. You can get round this by forcing a GPS signal to stay on. Some versions of android have fewer problems than others and it can be quite app specific support wise.

 

[SG5327]

What I am finding is that the ride data is in-accurate. I just had a ride and the gent I was out with used an iphone and the avg speed from my data was like 15.8mph but on the iphone it was 14.9mph. Also I have had the same problem with data from others using a garmin edge 800....? I am new to cycling but loving being out on the road its just the technical stuff that confuses the hell out of me...lol. Any suggestions on good apps to try plz.

 

[ray7]

I am using the Strava app on my Android phone and the max speed and adv speed are the same as my bike computer. Also the map on the web site shows my route to within a yard or two.

Ray

 

[SG5327]

Cheers ray I will take a look at that app.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

I found the same thing when using endomondo on a nokia n95, apart from taking ages to lock, it was usually fine when it did, but then no and again it was all over, so I took the plunge and got an Edge 500, its better, the bryton 35 the track was amazing, but its lack of support and the fact it can only be used on a web based application, I went for the Garmin, stuff like strava, really only needs times, though the elevation is usful, but is very different to the data I have, endomondo doesn't use elevation for any purpose, as far as I know, having said that i just popped over and they have updated their site, looks much better.

 

[on the road]

Have you tried Locus? I use Locus and it's very good, and it has a setting where you can adjust the tracking accuracy.

 

[marinyork]

I found the same thing when using endomondo on a nokia n95, apart from taking ages to lock, it was usually fine when it did, but then no and again it was all over, so I took the plunge and got an Edge 500, its better,

The N95 worked fine on GPS, you just needed an external GPS receiver with it. I did a like for like comparison with my garmin with it with and without external. With an external it was just about approaching a garmin, without it it has quite a few problems (signal drift, and what I would call a fairly barebones accuracy good enough for a guide for how far you'd been).

 

[Typhon]

I use the strava app on my Samsung Galaxy S2 and it's very accurate. For example I planned a ride yesterday on google maps that came out at 42.9 miles and when I rode it, my phone recorded 42.8.

It did use a lot of the battery but I've bought an upgraded battery for £10 off amazon and it doesn't drain it too much now.

 

[paul04]

I've use both runkeeper and strava on my samsung galaxy S2 and never had a problem.
One thing you could try is to turn off your wi-fi while using GPS.

 

[Sillysimon10]

I use Endomondo pro on my HTC, I havnt had any problems with accuracy at all....although as stated before with other apps too, does drain battery somewhat!
I think its great for now, untill I can budget myself a Garmin Edge 800.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

The N95 worked fine on GPS, you just needed an external GPS receiver with it. I did a like for like comparison with my garmin with it with and without external. With an external it was just about approaching a garmin, without it it has quite a few problems (signal drift, and what I would call a fairly barebones accuracy good enough for a guide for how far you'd been).

Yea I got one.

I've use both runkeeper and strava on my samsung galaxy S2 and never had a problem.
One thing you could try is to turn off your wi-fi while using GPS.

Yep did that.
But I have this strong believe, a phone is phone, a camera is a camera, a bike is a bike I dont think theres an app for riding the bike yet, sorry joking apart, if you relay on one thing to do everything, one day it will cock up, I lost a portable drive the other wk, thats all I lost the data on it is on my home system as well, there isn't a phone camera that can compete with my camera, and gps as it is still has problems, each site shows different elevations for the same track, strava usually loses anything up to 600 ft from what the unit says, even the garmin site. The closest site I have found for elevation is ridewithgps, as it happens I am looking at a recording made on the 17/8 on the N95 theres an initial difference of 260ft or so and at the end 175ft or so.
I have a pretty accurate cycle computer that shows a 0.987% difference in mileage to the garmin, not much you think, I rode 63.11 miles on Friday the Garmin recorded 62.31, but at the end of the day its all subjective, if you want strava times all you need is the time at the start and end and enough of the track to show you went through it, elevation doesn't come into it, on the other hand I have been trying to work out why I seem to be getting slower, I was doing an avg of 14.5mph or so over a high 20 mile course's, then I started to do some hills (and the rides are are about 10 miles further) nothing much I am not great, my speeds went down, fair enough I expected that, but my prevous two wks to this one were slightly less (elevation) then the two wks before them, yet my speeds were slower, it turns out that the over all courses I have done these last two wks were actually more difficult in real terms to the ones were I had climbed more.

p.s. hope you can understand it

 

[Nigelnaturist]

I use Endomondo pro on my HTC, I havnt had any problems with accuracy at all....although as stated before with other apps too, does drain battery somewhat!
I think its great for now, untill I can budget myself a Garmin Edge 800.

I dont like the new layout on there, and you cant excess most of the best times anymore.

 

[Sillysimon10]

I dont like the new layout on there, and you cant excess most of the best times anymore.

Agreed, "Dont fix what isn't broken"
In all honesty though I tend not to look very often, but I like knowing that its there if I need/want to.