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Anyone use garmin live tracking apps etc?
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I'm in the market for a new compact device and been looking at the newly released Edge 20 and 25.https://buy.garmin.com/...e-25/prod508489.html

The devices are super compact and the main diff is that the 25 has ANT+ capabilities, can get text/phone notifications and has the live tracking capability. The 20 is just basic computer w GPS.

Does anyone use that live tracking feature so family and friends etc know where you are? How does someone figure out where you are, do they have to login to a garmin site?

Is it a feature that I should consider useful? Or are there functions on my phone that would suffice...I carry an android on every ride.

I sort of just want the edge 20 but I am sort of interested in the text/phone notifications that the edge offers and if this live tracking feature is worth the extra $$.

thx JF
Last edited by: Johnnyfever: Jul 5, 15 11:44
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Re: Anyone use garmin live tracking apps etc? [Johnnyfever] [ In reply to ]
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I use the live tracking with the garmin 920 so my wife can figure out where I am / get a better idea of when I will be home from a long ride. Works well so far. I have an iPhone (I assume android app is similar) - all you do is start live tracking via the Garmin connect app and you list who from your contacts you want to send an invite to. They get an email with a link to your progress on the garmin website - they do not have to log in. I like it so far. For what it's worth I thought the text/call/email notifications sounded silly and didn't think I would use them. But now that I have them I kind of like seeing the quick notification on my watch and seeing if it is a call I want to stop to answer (almost never, but nice to know what I am ignoring). Surprising as well after a three hour live tracking session I still have about 80% battery on my phone if I start fully charged.

Also if you decide to start using a Hrm or PM the ANT+ capability might be nice.
Last edited by: Rrr8400: Jul 5, 15 12:13
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Re: Anyone use garmin live tracking apps etc? [Johnnyfever] [ In reply to ]
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Johnnyfever wrote:
Does anyone use that live tracking feature so family and friends etc know where you are? How does someone figure out where you are, do they have to login to a garmin site?

Is it a feature that I should consider useful? Or are there functions on my phone that would suffice...I carry an android on every ride.

Check out Selfloops. It has a Telemetry feature & works with Android. It gives you a 1 month trial & is €49/year after that (I'm using the free trial right now. But if I know myself I'll already be bored with it by the time the trial runs out). A loved one can see your position on a map as well as all your metrics picked up from the head unit.


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Re: Anyone use garmin live tracking apps etc? [Rrr8400] [ In reply to ]
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Android user here, same experience.

I've used the live tracking a few times when it would be useful for my wife to know where I am.

I really like the BT connectivity to my phone. Transfers happen quickly and automatically. The alerts are great (call, text, email). Also it's a "trusted device" so that I don't have to do my screen password on my phone when they're close.

So, a fan.

-Jot
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Re: Anyone use garmin live tracking apps etc? [Rrr8400] [ In reply to ]
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Good to know about the email link vs them logging in.

My only other contention is that its not clear how the text/phone call notifications will be displayed. I contacted them twice and they said that the phone # would be displayed but only alert you to a text that has arrived(ie no actual mssg displayed). Just getting notified that a text popped up doesnt seem to helpful b/c I prob wouldnt stop and check if I didnt know who it was...

In general, What are other people doing to get notified of calls/texts? I dont want a bigger device at least not yet...

thx
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Re: Anyone use garmin live tracking apps etc? [Johnnyfever] [ In reply to ]
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Actually you can read the message up to a number of characters, a notification shows at top of watch. You can then hit top right button to read. You cannot reply or clear the notifications so it is not as fully integrated as a smart watch could be but it works nicely.
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Re: Anyone use garmin live tracking apps etc? [phenious] [ In reply to ]
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Phenious,
Is that on the edge 25 also.
It wasn't clear from Garmin cust support how it would be displayed.
I asked them for a screen shot but they couldn't produce....
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Re: Anyone use garmin live tracking apps etc? [Johnnyfever] [ In reply to ]
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I use Livetrack on my 510 when I ride. It's useful but does have one limitation. The refresh rate.

You have to turn Livetrack on before each ride and enter the e-mail addresses of the people you want to allow to follow your activity. An e-mail then goes out to the people you've invited. All they have to do is click the link and a new tab will open up on their browser that displays a blue dot on a map.

The Garmin app remembers the person(s) from your previous activity so you don't have to keep typing e-mail addresses each time you turn Livetrack on, unless you are inviting new or different people from the last time you used Livetrack. It also lets you invite people through Facebook and Twitter but I've never invited anyone that way. Extended sharing allows the people watching your activity to view it after it has ended for up to 24 hours. I usually turn this on as well other wise the date from my ride goes away whe I complete the activity on the device.

Once Livetrack opens in the browser the receipient can change the map provider (Bing, Google, can't remember the third one) as well as units of measure, at any time in a settings menu. Distance travelled, average speed and ride time are also displayed. Keep in mind that Livetracking will only work once you have turned on your Garmin, enabled Bluetooth and started an activity. There's quite a few times when I have forgotten to turn Bluetooth on and my followers have clicked on the link only to find an empty screen.

My biggest issue with Livetrack is that it only updates your position every 3 to 5 minutes. I'm not exactly sure if there is a exact refresh interval or not as I haven't bothered to take the time it takes to update between readings/refresh but I really should one day just for curiosity's sake. Anyhow, this means that your position seems to update sporadically and your blue dot stays in the same spot for a couple of minutes then pops up somewhere down the road the next time it updates. I only complain about this because the Youtube video for the Connected/Livetrack features shows a nice blue dot blinking as it smoothly moves down a road but it doesn't work like that at all. I found this to be misleading.

Here's a link to the video. Watch just after the 1:00 mark. David Millar looks at a blue dot representing Dan Martin.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOy6gxYUefQ


When ever I watched someone's activity or someone else has watched any of my activities, the map has to move to a new area to display the blue dot. So the map keeps jumping from place to place. And trust me this is not the case of me covering large distances because I ride at 40k/hr.


Having said that I use Livetrack just about everytime I leave work to go home so my girlfriend knows that I've left work and have pretty accurate ETA. I also turn it on when I go on longer bike rides (2+ hours) so she knows where I am and when she can expect me to get back. I just have to make sure my 510 and cell are fully charged as Bluetooth does drain the battery quite a bit.


I aslo have a 220 FR. I don't use Livetrack as don't normally carry my cell when I run.
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Re: Anyone use garmin live tracking apps etc? [Johnnyfever] [ In reply to ]
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Ahhh good catch, I use the 920XT.

Here is a quick video I just shot of a notification coming in during a run activity:




They call this feature Smart Notifications on the 920xt. I just looked at the Garmin 25 page (https://buy.garmin.com/...e-25/prod508489.html) and they mention live track via bluetooth and uploads but never talk about the smart notification so I would expect it to not be there until that gets updated with more info.


Sorry for the confusion.
Last edited by: phenious: Jul 5, 15 13:14
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Re: Anyone use garmin live tracking apps etc? [phenious] [ In reply to ]
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Garmin.com and DCRainmaker are listing text and call notification ad a feature on the 25.

https://buy.garmin.com/...e-25/prod508489.html

http://www.dcrainmaker.com/...rmin-edge-20-25.html
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Re: Anyone use garmin live tracking apps etc? [the_thief] [ In reply to ]
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Ah, I did find mention in a paragraph but not as a standout like the other device pages. Hopefully it will have a similar setup to the 920 and other devices
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Re: Anyone use garmin live tracking apps etc? [the_thief] [ In reply to ]
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Yeah, I saw that, but no good screen shot to display what its like in action. Its probably underwhelming thats why they dodging it.Im thinking if the notifications are legit I would pay a couple extra duckets and go for the 25.

I pinged DC rainmaker to see what it looked like but he said he hadnt had a chance to do it.
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Re: Anyone use garmin live tracking apps etc? [Rrr8400] [ In reply to ]
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x2. Here in NZ we have a lot of psycho drivers and many of the people I regularly ride with have had serious accidents involving double trailer milk / livestock trailers. I'm a big fan of making sure people know where I am when I'm out, and just got myself a RoadID as well.

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Re: Anyone use garmin live tracking apps etc? [Johnnyfever] [ In reply to ]
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Also realize neither does Power Meter support, if that is of interest now or in the future.

As for Live Tracking my wife enjoys being able to see roughly where I am during a long run (or marathon, for example) as well as uses it to see I made it to work when commuting.

For us it seems pretty handy. I do agree that remembering to start before each use can be annoying. I sort of wish I could start it from the device because often my phone is already stowed.
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Re: Anyone use garmin live tracking apps etc? [Johnnyfever] [ In reply to ]
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Correct me if I'm wrong but you need to carry a phone to get that feature, right. So there's kinda doubled up stuff...the friends app on the iPhone does kinda same (without informing your wife bout your cadence, mine doesn't care bout that :-))
During a race it might be interesting but I don't carry a phone then.

-shoki
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Re: Anyone use garmin live tracking apps etc? [shoki] [ In reply to ]
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Yes, a cell phone with Bluetooth is required as wells as the Garmin app (free).
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Re: Anyone use garmin live tracking apps etc? [Johnnyfever] [ In reply to ]
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If you want tracking, look no further than the RoadID app. It's free, works reasonably well, allows you to send a link to anyone you want to track your location in near real time. All you get is location/track on a map and distance, no telemetry/data from your sensors or Garmin. But for whomever will come rescue me when I crash, it is more than enough.
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Re: Anyone use garmin live tracking apps etc? [JesseN] [ In reply to ]
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JesseN wrote:
If you want tracking, look no further than the RoadID app. It's free, works reasonably well, allows you to send a link to anyone you want to track your location in near real time. All you get is location/track on a map and distance, no telemetry/data from your sensors or Garmin. But for whomever will come rescue me when I crash, it is more than enough.

Does the person it sends the link to need to have the ap also? On my rides, I use the Garmin, but my watch doesn't have that. I do carry my phone on long trail runs, though, and it would be nice if my husband knows where to look for me if I don't come home.
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Re: Anyone use garmin live tracking apps etc? [happyscientist] [ In reply to ]
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The person on the other end only needs to be able to view a web link from phone or computer. No app needed.
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Re: Anyone use garmin live tracking apps etc? [Johnnyfever] [ In reply to ]
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I use Live Track on every ride on my 510 just to give my wife the option of checking on where I am and when I might be home without having to call me. It also saves the need to hunt her down before every ride, get her attention and lay out my itinerary (which she would forget anyway). She rarely looks at it but when she does use it, she likes it. And, every once an a while I'll share a ride with my Dad just for fun since it seems to entertain him to spend 4 hours following my progress in real time. Every time I do that I return home to a string of emails with real time commentary ;-)

For a "free" included service, it works great and is super easy to use. Once you have your follower's email entered (it pulls from your contacts) it remembers it and you just have to hit "start live track" on your phone.

The only real issue I have ever had with Live Track is that if I lose the link between my Garmin and my phone mid ride (e.g. coffee stop where I walk too far from the bike) it does not always restart and I have not been able to figure out an easy way to reconnect the phone on the fly.
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Re: Anyone use garmin live tracking apps etc? [Johnnyfever] [ In reply to ]
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I use the tracking feature with the 920XT. I think it's pretty good but as others have mentioned there are some limitations that irritate me, so I'm going to go back to the Road ID app for now. First, you have to use the app to start a session. Seems logical they could create a menu option from the device to start a session. Maybe a third party could do it through Connect IQ but not sure that is possible.

The other thing that bothers me is that when you start a tracking session it ends when you save or discard the activity history. Logically this makes total sense but where it gets me is when I do multiple activities during a workout. For example, I often will do a hard bike session for a prescribed time or distance and then will save the ride and start a new ride for the recovery back home. When I dig my phone out and go into the app I can't start a new tracking session right away. The page just displays that the previous session is over. I've found that if I go back to the dashboard on the app and go back to the tracking a couple times the start button will eventually show up again. There doesn't seem to be some specific way of getting the button back. If I could start a session from the 920XT this wouldn't be an issue.

This would be present with brick workouts as well.

With the Road ID app you just set a max time you'll be out and it records the entire time.

The issues aside, I absolutely love the phone notifications showing on the 920XT. It is so handy to determine if I need to stop and address a call, text or other notification. That alone is worth the upgrade from the 910XT. And the Glonass seems to be worth it for me though that may not apply to everyone.

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Loud pawls save lives
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Re: Anyone use garmin live tracking apps etc? [JesseN] [ In reply to ]
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JesseN wrote:
The person on the other end only needs to be able to view a web link from phone or computer. No app needed.

Cool. I have downloaded it and will give it a try.
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Re: Anyone use garmin live tracking apps etc? [BionicTri] [ In reply to ]
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BionicTri wrote:
I use the tracking feature with the 920XT. I think it's pretty good but as others have mentioned there are some limitations that irritate me, so I'm going to go back to the Road ID app for now. First, you have to use the app to start a session. Seems logical they could create a menu option from the device to start a session. Maybe a third party could do it through Connect IQ but not sure that is possible.

The other thing that bothers me is that when you start a tracking session it ends when you save or discard the activity history. Logically this makes total sense but where it gets me is when I do multiple activities during a workout. For example, I often will do a hard bike session for a prescribed time or distance and then will save the ride and start a new ride for the recovery back home. When I dig my phone out and go into the app I can't start a new tracking session right away. The page just displays that the previous session is over. I've found that if I go back to the dashboard on the app and go back to the tracking a couple times the start button will eventually show up again. There doesn't seem to be some specific way of getting the button back. If I could start a session from the 920XT this wouldn't be an issue.

This would be present with brick workouts as well.

With the Road ID app you just set a max time you'll be out and it records the entire time.

The issues aside, I absolutely love the phone notifications showing on the 920XT. It is so handy to determine if I need to stop and address a call, text or other notification. That alone is worth the upgrade from the 910XT. And the Glonass seems to be worth it for me though that may not apply to everyone.



FYI


You know you can create custom multi-sport profiles that will allow you to complete brick workouts for example without stopping the Live Tracking on the 920xt. I have a custom profile titled "Brick" when I do a ride and run. You can choose to include transition timing or not. I would imagine you could just set up a profile with bike and bike and name it whatever you'd like.
Last edited by: Cuban3jumper: Jul 7, 15 11:20
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Re: Anyone use garmin live tracking apps etc? [Cuban3jumper] [ In reply to ]
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Cuban3jumper wrote:
BionicTri wrote:
I use the tracking feature with the 920XT. I think it's pretty good but as others have mentioned there are some limitations that irritate me, so I'm going to go back to the Road ID app for now. First, you have to use the app to start a session. Seems logical they could create a menu option from the device to start a session. Maybe a third party could do it through Connect IQ but not sure that is possible.

The other thing that bothers me is that when you start a tracking session it ends when you save or discard the activity history. Logically this makes total sense but where it gets me is when I do multiple activities during a workout. For example, I often will do a hard bike session for a prescribed time or distance and then will save the ride and start a new ride for the recovery back home. When I dig my phone out and go into the app I can't start a new tracking session right away. The page just displays that the previous session is over. I've found that if I go back to the dashboard on the app and go back to the tracking a couple times the start button will eventually show up again. There doesn't seem to be some specific way of getting the button back. If I could start a session from the 920XT this wouldn't be an issue.

This would be present with brick workouts as well.

With the Road ID app you just set a max time you'll be out and it records the entire time.

The issues aside, I absolutely love the phone notifications showing on the 920XT. It is so handy to determine if I need to stop and address a call, text or other notification. That alone is worth the upgrade from the 910XT. And the Glonass seems to be worth it for me though that may not apply to everyone.



FYI


You know you can create custom multi-sport profiles that will allow you to complete brick workouts for example without stopping the Live Tracking on the 920xt. I have a custom profile titled "Brick" when I do a ride and run. You can choose to include transition timing or not. I would imagine you could just set up a profile with bike and bike and name it whatever you'd like.

Ah. That's a great idea and should work well. Thanks for the note!

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Loud pawls save lives
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