Which Samsung Tablet has both WiFi AND a Real GPS Receiver??

[mickeyboat]

Looking for a Samsung tablet to use for navigation on my boat. I do not need either a 3g or 4 g connection. I do need WiFi and even more important a real GPS receiver built in. Which of the Samsung tablets have both WiFi and a real GPS receiver. I use the term real GPS receiver as some cheap tablets use only cell tower triangulation for location and that if far from accurate for a boat's navigation. A lot of places we use our boat each summer do not have any cell signals. Many of the marinas do have satellite WiFi and I can make calls using these WiFi networks if needed using my Note 3's WiFi. Really need the WiFi to be able to download things including email. mickeyboat

 

[Golfdriver97]

Looking for a Samsung tablet to use for navigation on my boat. I do not need either a 3g or 4 g connection. I do need WiFi and even more important a real GPS receiver built in. Which of the Samsung tablets have both WiFi and a real GPS receiver. I use the term real GPS receiver as some cheap tablets use only cell tower triangulation for location and that if far from accurate for a boat's navigation. A lot of places we use our boat each summer do not have any cell signals. Many of the marinas do have satellite WiFi and I can make calls using these WiFi networks if needed using my Note 3's WiFi. Really need the WiFi to be able to download things including email. mickeyboat

I think all of the Samsung tablets have GPS radios in them. I have a Tab 2 that is WiFi only, and it can give me my approximate location.

 

[mickeyboat]

I think all of the Samsung tablets have GPS radios in them. I have a Tab 2 that is WiFi only, and it can give me my approximate location.

Approximate location will not cut it, I need GPS accuracy, in practice a very few yards, like 3 or 4 max-i.e. GPS specifications.

 

[Old Stoneface]

My Samsung Galaxy Tab 2, Wi-Fi only, has a real GPS receiver in it. I looked, just now, and positional error was estimated to be 26 feet, which is 4' less than the length of our old sailboat. My old Vizio VTAB1008 had a real GPS receiver in it, too, but it was agonizingly slow to acquire.

I would never depend on either of them for marine use while under way, however. I preferred to keep our boat floating, and I felt the investment in a quality chart plotter was cheap, compared to the possible results of not being where I thought I was.

I would, however, if we still had the boat, use my Tab 2 for course planning and as a backup.

 

[Golfdriver97]

Approximate location will not cut it, I need GPS accuracy, in practice a very few yards, like 3 or 4 max-i.e. GPS specifications.

You do realize that only military GPS units can get within a few yards/meters?

From a Sprint Moto X using AC forums app

 

[Old Stoneface]

You do realize that only military GPS units can get within a few yards/meters?

That hasn't been true for years. I've often seen the positional error circle on the Garmin 498 we used on our 30' sailboat collapse to zero.

mickeyboat,

Near as I can tell: None of the tablets with GPS have WAAS. As such: You're probably not going to get the accuracy you want. As I mentioned, earlier, even with WAAS, which our Garmin 498 has, it was not uncommon to see positional error circles that stretched well beyond the hull.

You might find this suits your needs: Garmin GLO

I know nothing about it. I just ran across a mention of it in a Sailing Anarchy thread, when I was looking to see if any tablets had WAAS capability. I'm going to look into it further. Tho, if my past experiences are any guide, Garmin will charge a nominal fee for the device, then bend you over for maps and updates. That's why, in the car, I use free nav software on my Android devices, with the paid TomTom maps for the tablet. They aren't perfect, but at least I'm not getting taken to the cleaners by Garmin every time I turn around.

But on the boat? No question: A real GPS, purpose-designed, for me. Sea Tow aside: Running aground ain't no fun. (And, as many boaters have found, much to their chagrin, and the detriment of their wallets: Sea Tow does not cover hard grounding.)

 

[mickeyboat]

I already have a $4000 Garmin big screen chart plotter and a laptop with nav software loaded on it in the pilot house. That does not give me nav data on the bridge, where I go very occasionally. I thought a tablet would work just fine on the bridge and when waters get shallow I can always go inside to navigate. Plus there are all kinds of other uses of a large screen tablet. With the changes in GPS coming to consumers in the new satellites being launched, GPS accuracy will continue to improve. Where we cruise between Seattle and SE Alaska, GPS with or without WAAS accuracy is generally better than charts, most of which were generated years ago before GPS. I have downloaded the Navionics software and WA, Ak and BC charts on my Note 3 but is is a bit small for many applications. As an aside, my big screen Garmin crashed last summer 6 weeks into our trip and is now at Garmin being repaired. Concerning the need for WAAS, the Garmin has it, the laptop GPS antenna/receiver does not. When put on the same scales, it is very hard to see any difference in location. Some of the channels we occasionally transit are narrower than the length of our boat so it would be easy to see any differences.

 

[techitrucker]

Tab 3 8.0 for sure. I use it for Copilot.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[Matt Davis5]

Did you wind up getting a tablet to double as a GPS/Chartplotter? I live in AK and am in the midst of purchasing a boat to take up the inside passage. I commercial fish in SE Alaska and have been looking at the tablets at Costco, which are very reasonably priced.

Matt

 

[Relgoshan]

My 7.0 LTE has a very low imprecision outdoors but I have not tested it on a wobbly boat.

The only tablet I can definitely contraindicate is the Nexus 7, there are many reports of *dead* GPS.

 

[ungibbed]

I may have a fluke but my 3 7.0 WiFi with it's built-in GPS receiver has been very accurate for work and the occasional fishing trip out on the river. Cached map content and data tethered from my phone if necessary.

Sent from my Galaxy Tab 3 via tin cans and string.

 

[Jason Lawson]

I'm looking for a remote GPS solution and found this out about phones, and one of the Best Buy guys just said that tables usually use the most recent Wi-Fi spot and then it tracks you from there.

This is what I came across so far, in my research on this - --- Hope it helps. I'm thinking of a Table and then use a GPS attachment. I used to work in the field, Telecom work and used MS Streets and Trips, it had a GPS/USB adapter that plugged in that used (real) GPS.

All Categories - GPS Review Forums

You turn on your mobile phone in an area with cellular service. The low power GPS chip gets a
hint from the cellphone towers as to where it is, effectively narrowing down the possibilities
from "anywhere on earth" to within a few mile radius. With that huge hint the GPS chip doesn't
need to search as hard to figure out where you are. Now you drive out of cell coverage. No huge
worry as the GPS will have been keeping up with your location and it will use that to figure
keep up.


Second scenario... You turn on your mobile phone outside of an area with cellular service and
to add problems your phone is hundreds of miles away from where it last had a GPS fix. In this
scenario, without a hint from the cell towers and having tried to figure out where you were from
the last known position the GPS chipset is on its own to figure out where you are. With a weaker
receiver capability than a dedicated GPS chip it will take a very long time to figure out where
you are from this "cold" start. And if you have an obstructed space view it is possible you
could fully deplete a battery before it finds you

 

[orion430]

I used the gps unit on my tab 3.8.0 on a cached map while in my car (someone else was driving) and was surprised how accurate it was. The small blue dot kept on the road and judging by the side roads we passed the information update was rapid as well. The accuracy was certainly within 20 feet which is fine by me as it is within seeing distance of the target.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[brosko]

I used the gps unit on my tab 3.8.0 on a cached map while in my car (someone else was driving) and was surprised how accurate it was. The small blue dot kept on the road and judging by the side roads we passed the information update was rapid as well. The accuracy was certainly within 20 feet which is fine by me as it is within seeing distance of the target.

Posted via Android Central App

I have always been happy with the performance of the GPS also.

 

[mickeyboat]

Did you wind up getting a tablet to double as a GPS/Chartplotter? I live in AK and am in the midst of purchasing a boat to take up the inside passage. I commercial fish in SE Alaska and have been looking at the tablets at Costco, which are very reasonably priced.

Matt

I ended up getting a Samsung Tab 4. It has a built in GPS/WAAS chip. It works perfect with Navionics. Navionics just upgraded my software to add couse up which makes it match my radar and large Garmin chart plotter. If you purchase Navionics for your Android smart phone, for $10 or so as I remember, you can then add it to your Android tablet for free. Then you have a usable back up for your tablet. If you buy Navionics direct for your tablet the cost is $50 or $100, can not remember for sure. It is same software for tablet and smart phone. The tides and currents on Navionics make it worth while all by themselves. I got my Tab 4 at Costco.

 

[Huntxtrm]

I know this thread is a couple of months old. But, I am wondering how well the GPS is working for you with Navionics? How did you find out it is actually WAAS enabled? I was chatting with Samsung sales, they where clueless! I have a Geopad that I use for hunting. Just bought it, it seems to work fine, but I would rather have something with a little more power and battery life, like a Samsung Galaxy Note. But like I said, their sales dept was clueless as to what I am after. Thanks for any update.

 

[Steve Hodder]

Mickeyboat, can you confirm that your Tab4 shows course up? I've been using Navionics on an HTC phone as a backup to my plotter and was considering buying an Ipad just to get the course up feature. I'd rather stick to using android and was loathing the thought of buying an Apple product. I can't find or confirm this feature on the Navionics site or on the multitude of forums and websites that I've visited until I read through this whole thread and saw your last post.

 

[CoCo56]

Military is NOT the only GPS capable of accuracy within feet. All GPS have this capability. T.he Military has the ability to include an error in the signal but has never used that capability.

 

[qualityeyedoc]

I just got a Galaxy Tab 4 7" and the GPS works great. But the screen size is too small so I was going to exchange it for the 10.1" version. But then I saw the newer Tab A 9.7". Does anyone know if the Tab A has GPS?