I bought the Garmin GLO2 for use with a six year old non-cellular iPad to provide navigation. I first thought Apple would allow the GPS signal from an iphone to be sent to a non-cellular iPad but of course they do not and there is no way of using the iphone GPS data that Apple is willing to disclose. After seeing a couple of other solutions I went for the Garmin because of their GPS history and experience.
The instructions are not comprehensive. The unit pairs easily enough over Bluetooth. The blue LED goes from flashing to solid when it is paired.
The flashing green LED took five minutes to find a satellite fix the first time I turned it on. When it had found the fix it turned to a solid green.
On charging the amber light flashes until the battery is fully charged .
If like me, you put the device on to charge and it's hunting for satellites then the green and amber lights flash alternatively. It's both charging and hunting for satellites. Makes sense. But the instructions say that green and amber flashing alternately means you either have a faulty battery or a system error. So there was five minutes of buyers remorse until the green light turned solid. Now there's a solid green and a flashing amber until fully charged.
After pairing I brought up Motionx-GPS - surely the best navigation app on the market at the moment. I use it for navigating around on some of the nearby lakes. The app allows you to choose the method of location fixing: GPS, WIFI or manual. I turned off the WiFi and then I hit the GPS soft button and within a couple of seconds the signal strength for GPS appeared and fixed my position within 98 feet (the app said). I'm not sure where the accuracy number is coming from. However I have left the tracking function working on the app for 30 minutes and the app is showing movement of about 40 feet in a straight line even though the device is sitting on my desk.
In terms of the specifications I would probably have given it 2 stars. Cold Start 60s - no - more like five minutes. Accuracy 3m - no - 30 minutes of use shows a track deviation of 40 feet and my app, however it is getting the accuracy data, says 98 feet.
BTW turning on Wifi on the iPad improves the accuracy to 33 feet. I'll take the unit on road trip to see if that changes as soon as we are out of WiFi range and let you know the result.
But for $99 i now have a working navigation system on a big screen and a new use for an old iPad. I'm happy enough it works with a non-garmin app.
Edit on October 15th 2019 - I've used the GLO 2 for a few months now and it's performed well. For whatever reason the Motion-X app now shows the accuracy is 16 feet. I've written to Motion-X asking them how they calculate the accuracy but I've not received a reply. I agree with one of the other posts that it really needs an accurate battery level indicator. I would pay an extra $10 if the device had this. On another point I don't understand why Apple doesn't allow the export of the GPS location over Bluetooth - any clever people out there who could explain if this is achievable?
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This Item  Garmin GLO 2 GPS and GLONASS Receiver for Precise Position Information on Mobile Devices, Black |  |  |  |  |  | |
| Price | $94.40 | $109.99 | $42.60 | $139.99 | $111.63 | $168.17 |
| Delivery | Get it as soon as Saturday, May 11 | Get it as soon as Saturday, May 11 | Get it as soon as Saturday, May 11 | Get it May 9 - 13 | Get it as soon as Saturday, May 11 | Get it as soon as Monday, May 13 |
| Customer Ratings | ||||||
| Accuracy | ||||||
| Tech Support | ||||||
| Easy to use | ||||||
| Battery life | ||||||
| Sold By | Top Sports | GPS City | Amazon.com | GPS City | Amazon.com | MG Pilot Shop |
| mounting type | Dashboard Mount | Dashboard Mount | found in image, Dashboard Mount | — | found in image, Dashboard Mount | found in image, Dashboard Mount |
| batteries included | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| battery average life | 13 hours | 13 hours | — | — | 8.5 hours | 10 hours |
Reviews with images
Works with my iPad pro
Put it on car charger and when you start a car the GPS Garmin starts in a couple seconds. And iPad connects via Bluetooth automatically. The only thing you may need to do is to connect to your iPhone/android tethering. Battery is almost dead on arrival though. Even when GPS is off battery drains. Battery is cheap though and can be bought on aliexpress . It’s the same battery used in old Nokias.
Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on March 13, 2024
Style: ReceiverVerified Purchase
Put it on car charger and when you start a car the GPS Garmin starts in a couple seconds. And iPad connects via Bluetooth automatically. The only thing you may need to do is to connect to your iPhone/android tethering. Battery is almost dead on arrival though. Even when GPS is off battery drains. Battery is cheap though and can be bought on aliexpress . It’s the same battery used in old Nokias.
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Top reviews from other countries
Arminder
Excellent signal strength, acquires signal fast!
Reviewed in Canada on July 26, 2023Style: ReceiverVerified Purchase
Nahum Hernandez Cruz
Excelente
Reviewed in Mexico on January 3, 2023Style: ReceiverVerified Purchase
Amazon Customer
Rapide et efficace
Reviewed in France on October 7, 2023Style: ReceiverVerified Purchase
Отлично работает и держит заряд до месяца .
Супер
Reviewed in Sweden on November 4, 2023Style: ReceiverVerified Purchase
Отлично работает и держит заряд до месяца .
Reviewed in Sweden on November 4, 2023
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