Like some, I bought the Wi-Fi only iPad because I specifically didn't want the 3G capability. But in hindsight, I did miss at least the GPS capability. So to make up for my "remorse", I ordered the external bluetooth GNS 5870. It pairs quickly with the iPad buetooth and locked on to 6 satellites (based on one app's notification) through a large upstairs window in about 2 or 3 minutes. It was a little faster I believe through my car windshield. And it stayed locked on even after walking briefly into a shopping mall with it in my shirt pocket. How accurate? Two iPad apps say accuracy is within 30 feet but this reading is through an apartment window. The accuracy of Wi-Fi only was reported as 213 feet. But the GNS 5870 works very well all by itself and thats why five stars. I would not rate it less just because the "touch and slide" on and off is slightly finicky and can be unexpectedly activated by certain movements within a coat pocket etc. Its very portable at 1 3/4 x 3 inches and has a nice rubberized body except for the 1/2 inch wide plastic touch strip. The total GNS 5870 cost at $160.00, means I'm paying about $30.00 more than the iPad 3G model would have cost.
None of my views would matter though, if the GNS 5870 cannot work with the few iPad mapping, navigation, and GPS apps that are compatible with the Wi-Fi only iPad. So I discuss these apps not as an endorsement, but just to show that the GNS 5870 does work well without Wi-Fi and with no extra expense of a 3G data plan. It should be noted however, that this does not replace the usefulness or maybe the overall accuracy of the iPad 3G, as the iPad 3G has three modes of triangulation: Wi-Fi, 3G and GPS, which provide navigation assistance when some of the modes like satellite are not available. My uses however, may be in areas of no Wi-Fi and no cell towers. In this case, my Wi-Fi only IPad with the GNS 5870 will probably be as useful as the 3G model.
That said, I have tried all the following apps riding in my car with the GNS 5870 resting on the dash. The device tracks fine with the following apps that store map data internally in the iPad: Topo Maps, MotionX GPS HD and the iPhone app Navigon MyRegion. It also works fine with the iPad Google Maps but only in "classic" and "terrain" views. This is because Google's map base is not stored internally in the iPad and must be first accessed on the fly through Wi-Fi. The "satellite" and "hybrid" views are too large I believe to be cached in the app itself. For the same reasons, the GNS 5870 does not play well with Google Earth because the app does not store large data fields internally. But smaller, less memory intensive map areas and routes in Google Maps ("classic" and "terrain") can be cached and used later using only the GNS 5870. These are erased from the cache however after any changes are made. The GNS 5870 works and tracks with the app Big World although this app also uses the Google Maps data base and I'm not sure how much of that map base is stored internally.
But if you are having Wi-Fi only iPad "buyers remorse", and you still want GPS, this is one excellent way to go. And if I get lost 30 feet from where I want to go then I'm in big trouble anyway.
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I purchased this GPS for my WiFi Apple iPad and even though my emails said the expected delivery day would be more then a month ahead of my order date, I recieved it within a few days (it took some time to get to the US from Germany). The initial setup with my iPad worked flawlessly and I was able to pickup an extremely accurate GPS signal lock within seconds using the Maps app that shipped with the iPad. I was very impressed ... Until I couldn't shut the unit off. It worked a couple of times turning on and off, but now I am unable to just swipe my finger across the touch sensor to shut it off. Without a real switch, I'm stuck waiting for a reply from their email team as to what I should do to resolve the problem.
Otherwise it works great. I have tested it using the Maps app, Google Earth, and WiFiFoFum (yes, I snagged this lovely app from the app store when it was still available, no jailbreak here ;). I'd rank it a 5 star if the switch would still be working after less then a day of testing it.
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The GNS 5870 was purchased to add true functionality to the iPad Foreflight App in the cockpit. Since day one, it has preformed flawlessly on all domestic and international flights. It allows the iPad to be used in several different areas of the aircraft without any degregation to the quality of the GPS Signal. Additionally, I have not encountered any problems turning the device on and off as has been mentioned in other reviews. I wholeheartedly recommend this device to fellow pilots without hesitation.
Honest reviews on GNS 5870 MFI GPS BT Receiver for iPod, iPhone and iPad
I'm a Flight Test Engineer by trade. IF the GNS 5870 were a piece of equipment in an airliner cockpit, it would be considered non-certifiable per FAR 25.1301(d). Granted, it's NOT a piece of equipment in an airplane cockpit, but that's where a lot of people who buy this device (myself included) will try to use it. So buyer beware. When I purchased the device, the Bad Elf was all the rage and this really sounded like a better product. I read the reviews For and Against, including several anecdotal descriptions about a quirky power switch. Admittedly, I chuckled at the thought of some who idiot couldn't get shut his device off. The day I got the device, I had ZERO problems switching the device on and off. "Swipe On, Swipe Off" I couldn't believe people were having problems simply swiping their finger across the device. It seemed ridiculously easy. Call it beginner's luck because the next day after my first flight with the device I had a couple of "mis-swipes." OK, Nothing to be concerned about. I'm sure even the swiftest of finger swipers occasionally need to recalibrate their digits. ---To digress for a second, in terms of Bluetooth/GPS performance, the until synched instantly with my iPad and to use it with Foreflight HD is a thing of beauty. It captured a signal quickly, tracked very well and I was wowed. ----My next flight with the device required a fuel stop. Parked at the pumps, I tried to turn it off and it wouldn't. 10 20 30 swipes of varying pressures and nada. I took a deep breath, shook out my hand and tried again with a very very light touch and again and again and again and still couldn't get it to shut off. Frustrated, I left the device on while I refueled and dined on my $100 hamburger. Returning to the plane, I swiped once more just for the hell of itand it magically went off. Of course, now I was getting ready to fly again and needed to turn it back on. It took me 30 finger swipes to coax it back on. The I flew home and had to turn it off again. Let's not go there. This frustrating sequence of events now describes every flight on which I attempt to use the GNS 5870. I've now got over 50 flight hours of use on the thing (and calluses on my fingertips).
This of course assumes that the unit is fully charged. As difficult as the unit is to turn off, I find that when stowed / transported inside a protective case itself in my flight bag, all it takes is a mosquito fart's worth of pressure to bump the switch, turn the device on and drain the battery just in time for my next flight in IMC.
I must admit, the next point of contention could be true of any bluetooth device. Using the supplied suction cup holder, I fixed the GNS 5870 to the upper windshield of a C-172 and while flying found that the device spat out some rather interesting EMI that caused my glareshield-mounted magnetic compass to oscillate 30 degrees in each direction. Relocating the GNS 5870 to a side window eliminates this problem.
Lastly, I've also been unable to acquire a GPS signal whatsoever while flying in the cockpit of transport category airplanes. This blocking of the GPS signal is generally attributed to these airplane's heated windshield wiring/circuitry. Interestingly enough, the makers of the XGPS150 bluetooth GPS receiver have issued a firmware update to correct this issue in their device. This coupled with their device using a revolutionary concept known as "The Simple On/Off Button" (something the GNS 5870 designers apparently have never heard of) are two reasons why I've just ordered an XGPS150 to replace my GNS 5870.
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I was extremely disappointed to find that my GNS 5870 did not work when it arrived. The unit employs a "touch-swipe" on-off switch which requires the user to run his/her finger over the LED screen in order to turn it on and off. However, the unit required several dozen swipes to turn off, and will not turn back on no matter how many times I swipe it.
Contacting the manufacturer, I was advised that I must send the unit back to a service center for a firmware update.
I am disappointed on three dimensions: 1.) in the design of the product, which represents a triumph of design sizzle over functionality: what genius decided that a fancy swipe mechanism was better than a just-plain on-off switch to power the unit? 2.) that a brand-new unit was shipped directly from the manufacturer without current firmware; and 3.) the firmware is not easily updatable directly through the USB port (though since the unit won't turn on, I won't protest too loudly about this).
I'm excited about the functionality of this unit as a supplement to ForeFlight on my iPad in an airplane cockpit. But the actual arrival of the device was a big letdown.
