Who Uses BMW ConnectedRide Navigator?

[woollymonster]

I know this unit has been discussed in several other posts. I don't see anything recent or anything with much information. So I thought I would post about my experience with it.

Pros:
- With a SIM card, it operates totally independently from a cell phone. My card uses both AT&T and T-Mobile for data. You can connect your phone to it wirelessly for other phone functions and to transfer routes over from the app.
- It is a GPS device and is not dependent on a cell phone signal for navigation. As a GSA rider, this is a good thing.
- The automatic routing has several options (Fast, Short, Efficient, Winding, etc.) that have led me to some fun new roads. Several "avoid" functions as well that keep you off bad roads.
- GPS accuracy is great.
- Manual routes can be created, saved, and shared. You can create any route on any road using the dropped pin function. Save a route and call it up when ready to ride. I do this for our planned group rides. Transfer is automatic. You must be signed into your BMW id on both the phone app and the Navigator.
- Fits securely on the mount and charges on the bike. Long battery life.
- Detaches easily for planing and firmware updates at home.
- Controllable from the Multifunction Wheel on the handle bars.
- Rugged and water proof.

Cons:
- Costly like all BMW gear.
- SIM card cost an additional $100 per year.
- Not the easiest system to figure out in the beginning. CarPlay is much easier.

Did I miss anything? What is your experience with the ConnectRide Navigator?
Tell us about what you use.

 

[zer0netgain]

Okay...essentially like a cell phone configured to primarily be a GPS.

Why is the SIM card an additional $100/year? Who provides the service?

 

[collingsbob]

I like the size, brightness and multi-functionality of it. I also like using MyRoute-app for planning routes, easier than Basecamp.
The initial cost is…outrageous.

 

[woollymonster]

Okay...essentially like a cell phone configured to primarily be a GPS.

Why is the SIM card an additional $100/year? Who provides the service?

The cell service can download maps on the road, update firmware, update traffic issues, etc. Your phone can do the same thing as long as it is connected. The SIM card is faster and uses BOTH AT&T and T-Mobile towers. No phone required and it does not run your phone battery down.

After some research, I bought the EIOTCLUB Data SIM Card off of Amazon. Others offer SIM cards. They are data only.

As long as your maps are current, you don't need a cell connection because it is a GPS enabled unit, like Garmin. If you are up in the Hill Country or Canyon land of Texas and you lose cell service, you don't lose navigation.

 

[woollymonster]

I might add that if you are an Adventure bike rider, this GPS will find you some great back roads, both paved and unpaved.

 

[zer0netgain]

I might add that if you are an Adventure bike rider, this GPS will find you some great back roads, both paved and unpaved.

You don’t need to be an adventure bike rider to experience that wonder.

 

[marcopolo]

I have the CRN. How do you "drop a pin" to create a route?

 

[woollymonster]

I have the CRN. How do you "drop a pin" to create a route?

I do it on the app, but I think you can do it on the CRN unit as well.

Just scroll up to the intersection or what ever point you want to add. Hold your finger down for a second and a pin will be dropped there. It will be listed as a point on your route. You can move in the route list to any position you want.

 

[krello]

Would love to hear how riders using the connectedride navigator are liking it (or not)...

​

 

[woollymonster]

Would love to hear how riders using the connectedride navigator are liking it (or not)...

​

There are some things that I like about ConnectRide Navigator. Others, not so much. I have used it for just over 4000 miles now.

Pros:
- Integrates perfectly with BMW GPS prep hardware.
- WIFI and phone app integration.
- Integrates perfectly with the BMW "whiz wheel". When you get good at it, you can change routes on the fly.
- Save Favorite destinations and call them up on the fly.
- It has a excellent POI function that will help you find restaurants, fuel stops, etc.
- Completely weather proof right out of the box.
- Will help you discover new roads and trails that are off the beaten path. Great for GS riders.
- Saves your previous rides, easy recall and re-ride. Recall a previous group ride, etc.
- SIM card capable. I have a card with both T-Mobile and AT&T service. Map and traffic updates on the fly.
- Stand alone GPS. Phone connection not required.
- Plan and save exact routes for future use.
- It has a track function.
- Seamless connection with Cardo, Sena, and other headsets. Hear spoken GPS commands, make and take phone calls, listen to music and other sources of audio from a connected phone.

Cons:
- Expensive, and SIM card service will cost you an additional $100 per year.
- Somewhat complicated. You have to be tech savvy enough to figure it out.
- Somewhat complicated to make it go on the exact roads you want.
- If you max out the "Winding Road" function, it will sometimes it will try to route you down private property (big gated ranches). Not a huge deal. Just ignore that turn and keep going. It will reroute.

I have to say that I also keep my phone mounted in a Quad Lock powered cradle. I back up the Navigator with Google Maps. Sometimes the phone will give me a preferred route. I can also see text and other alerts on the phone that I may need to pull over and respond to.

I ride a GSA and prefer to avoid big cities and interstates when going long distances. I plan routes going from small town to small town and that keeps me on the state and country roads that I prefer to travel. If going out for a day ride, sometimes I will max out the winding road feature to discover new back roads. It's an adventure, right?

All in all, I would not leave home without it.

 

[krello]

There are some things that I like about ConnectRide Navigator. Others, not so much. I have used it for just over 4000 miles now.

Pros:
- Integrates perfectly with BMW GPS prep hardware.
- WIFI and phone app integration.
- Integrates perfectly with the BMW "whiz wheel". When you get good at it, you can change routes on the fly.
- Save Favorite destinations and call them up on the fly.
- It has a excellent POI function that will help you find restaurants, fuel stops, etc.
- Completely weather proof right out of the box.
- Will help you discover new roads and trails that are off the beaten path. Great for GS riders.
- Saves your previous rides, easy recall and re-ride. Recall a previous group ride, etc.
- SIM card capable. I have a card with both T-Mobile and AT&T service. Map and traffic updates on the fly.
- Stand alone GPS. Phone connection not required.
- Plan and save exact routes for future use.
- It has a track function.
- Seamless connection with Cardo, Sena, and other headsets. Hear spoken GPS commands, make and take phone calls, listen to music and other sources of audio from a connected phone.

Cons:
- Expensive, and SIM card service will cost you an additional $100 per year.
- Somewhat complicated. You have to be tech savvy enough to figure it out.
- Somewhat complicated to make it go on the exact roads you want.
- If you max out the "Winding Road" function, it will sometimes it will try to route you down private property (big gated ranches). Not a huge deal. Just ignore that turn and keep going. It will reroute.

I have to say that I also keep my phone mounted in a Quad Lock powered cradle. I back up the Navigator with Google Maps. Sometimes the phone will give me a preferred route. I can also see text and other alerts on the phone that I may need to pull over and respond to.

I ride a GSA and prefer to avoid big cities and interstates when going long distances. I plan routes going from small town to small town and that keeps me on the state and country roads that I prefer to travel. If going out for a day ride, sometimes I will max out the winding road feature to discover new back roads. It's an adventure, right?

All in all, I would not leave home without it.

View attachment 106324

Thank you so much for the information!

 

[dpickens]

- SIM card capable. I have a card with both T-Mobile and AT&T service. Map and traffic updates on the fly.

What provider for your SIM card / service? Is that a carrier that specializes in non-phone SIMs?

 

[marcopolo]

I know this unit has been discussed in several other posts. I don't see anything recent or anything with much information. So I thought I would post about my experience with it.

Pros:
- With a SIM card, it operates totally independently from a cell phone. My card uses both AT&T and T-Mobile for data. You can connect your phone to it wirelessly for other phone functions and to transfer routes over from the app.
- It is a GPS device and is not dependent on a cell phone signal for navigation. As a GSA rider, this is a good thing.
- The automatic routing has several options (Fast, Short, Efficient, Winding, etc.) that have led me to some fun new roads. Several "avoid" functions as well that keep you off bad roads.
- GPS accuracy is great.
- Manual routes can be created, saved, and shared. You can create any route on any road using the dropped pin function. Save a route and call it up when ready to ride. I do this for our planned group rides. Transfer is automatic. You must be signed into your BMW id on both the phone app and the Navigator.
- Fits securely on the mount and charges on the bike. Long battery life.
- Detaches easily for planing and firmware updates at home.
- Controllable from the Multifunction Wheel on the handle bars.
- Rugged and water proof.

Cons:
- Costly like all BMW gear.
- SIM card cost an additional $100 per year.
- Not the easiest system to figure out in the beginning. CarPlay is much easier.

Did I miss anything? What is your experience with the ConnectRide Navigator?
Tell us about what you use.

What provider for your SIM card / service? Is that a carrier that specializes in non-phone SIMs?

I got a data-only SIM card for my Connected rIde Navigator about a month ago. I used EIOTCLUB.com, and since I live in Canada, I got one that works in Canada and the U.S. It works with AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile in the U.S., and Bell, Rogers and Telus in Canada. EIOTCLUB seems to be the recommended SIM card source on ADVRider. It switches automatically to the carrier with the strongest signal, depending on your location (you can also set it up to stay on a specific network, if you want).

I got one in order to get traffic info, but I also noticed that the Navigator gives me much better search results for POIs, since installing the SIM. I just returned from a 2,100-mile, two-week, trip to North Carolina, and I was glad I got the SIM card. By the way, I'd still use home Wi-Fi to download map and firmware updates. I don't see the point in using up the SIM card's data allowance for things I can easily do on Wi-Fi. These SIM cards from EIOTCLUB come with a data allowance, and a time limit. For example, my SIM card plan has 24GB of data, good for one year. Once I hit either of those limits, I have to refill it.

 

[krello]

What is the best way to quickly transfer routes from the phone ap to the CRN? I am noticing a significant delay before the route appears on the CRN. I have installed a SIM card to the device. Thanks!

 

[collingsbob]

I don’t have a sim card, I put the .gpx files into “files” on my iphone, then point the app to those files..the files transfer quickly to the crn by bluetooth..

 

[mikeb2411]

I have both the Chigee and the BMW CRN (Nav). I've used both, even recently testing the use of both back-to-back on a 4-day, 1000 mile trip to the Sequoias and Yosemite. The Chigee is "cool", but in the end, it's just a big phone. There is limited integration to the bike in that the wheel does work to move around the screen, but it's not that easy to navigate around the device once in an app and I found it easier to reach out and touch the screen to get things done...not ideal on a bike. I found it can be pretty distracting using the Chigee. Plus, I created all my routes before we left on our trip but Google Maps failed us. It had us at our hotel for the first night, only the location Google had for the hotel was about 30 miles short of it's actual location and out in the middle of rolling fields and trees, no civilization for miles. I found the BMW Nav was the better solution. The BMW Nav isn't perfect, either, but the Nav is fully integrated with the bike & it's very easy to navigate between screens (Nav, music, phone, bike info...), easy to zoom in and out of maps, easy to take or make calls, much easier to find points of interest along your route than it was with the Chigee, everything is "better", but that's my opinion after using both. But, with that being said, there was something "missing" with the BMW Nav and I couldn't figure what it was, until I tried it with a SIM card. I had been using my BMW CRN with the hotspot, and it worked, "ok". With the hotspot, there were always delays in the route moving from my ConnectedRide app to the Nav and it was pretty frustrating. The delay was between the route created in the BMW app and the Nav actually seeing it. If I created gpx files using MRA, saved them, exported them to my email, downloaded them to my phone, imported them to the Nav, the routes were there. Also, regarding the hotspot connection, unless I physically went into my BMW Nav, to settings, system, wifi and found my hotspot before each ride, the Nav wouldn't connect to my hotspot even though everything was setup to automatically connect to hotspot. I decided to try the SIM option so I ordered one, the Triple play from EIOS (Verizon, T-mobile, AT&T) and added it to my Nav, and it works better, much better. So that everyone is aware, there is an 'APN' option in the Nav Mobile settings and that has to be set to whatever the provider of the SIM tells you to set it at, and once that option was set up correctly, my Nav has worked great! Creating routes thru my ConnectedRide app are now showing up in my Nav immediately after I save the route. Also, with the SIM, I fire up the GSA and my Nav has instant data thru the SIM, no more having to get the hotspot connected, and if I plug in a destination using my app, save it, voila!, it's in my Nav...adding the SIM was definitely worth it. It's ~$100 a year ($9-$10 per month) so typical of a Nav subscription using other motorcycle specific Nav apps, only this is better. I've removed the Chigee because I didn't like how much actual "touch" interaction was needed with the device. Like I said, the Chigee is cool, built well, but the cool factor wore off pretty quickly for me and I was finding that the Nav was a better fit for me while riding and now that I've added the SIM card, the BMW Nav is perfect for me, couldn't be happier!

 

[dpickens]

Wondering if you can use Siri or Android's equivalent with the CRN... I've never been able to get it to work with the TFT, so unfortunately you can't just go "hey Siri"

 

[krello]

I have both the Chigee and the BMW CRN (Nav). I've used both, even recently testing the use of both back-to-back on a 4-day, 1000 mile trip to the Sequoias and Yosemite. The Chigee is "cool", but in the end, it's just a big phone. There is limited integration to the bike in that the wheel does work to move around the screen, but it's not that easy to navigate around the device once in an app and I found it easier to reach out and touch the screen to get things done...not ideal on a bike. I found it can be pretty distracting using the Chigee. Plus, I created all my routes before we left on our trip but Google Maps failed us. It had us at our hotel for the first night, only the location Google had for the hotel was about 30 miles short of it's actual location and out in the middle of rolling fields and trees, no civilization for miles. I found the BMW Nav was the better solution. The BMW Nav isn't perfect, either, but the Nav is fully integrated with the bike & it's very easy to navigate between screens (Nav, music, phone, bike info...), easy to zoom in and out of maps, easy to take or make calls, much easier to find points of interest along your route than it was with the Chigee, everything is "better", but that's my opinion after using both. But, with that being said, there was something "missing" with the BMW Nav and I couldn't figure what it was, until I tried it with a SIM card. I had been using my BMW CRN with the hotspot, and it worked, "ok". With the hotspot, there were always delays in the route moving from my ConnectedRide app to the Nav and it was pretty frustrating. The delay was between the route created in the BMW app and the Nav actually seeing it. If I created gpx files using MRA, saved them, exported them to my email, downloaded them to my phone, imported them to the Nav, the routes were there. Also, regarding the hotspot connection, unless I physically went into my BMW Nav, to settings, system, wifi and found my hotspot before each ride, the Nav wouldn't connect to my hotspot even though everything was setup to automatically connect to hotspot. I decided to try the SIM option so I ordered one, the Triple play from EIOS (Verizon, T-mobile, AT&T) and added it to my Nav, and it works better, much better. So that everyone is aware, there is an 'APN' option in the Nav Mobile settings and that has to be set to whatever the provider of the SIM tells you to set it at, and once that option was set up correctly, my Nav has worked great! Creating routes thru my ConnectedRide app are now showing up in my Nav immediately after I save the route. Also, with the SIM, I fire up the GSA and my Nav has instant data thru the SIM, no more having to get the hotspot connected, and if I plug in a destination using my app, save it, voila!, it's in my Nav...adding the SIM was definitely worth it. It's ~$100 a year ($9-$10 per month) so typical of a Nav subscription using other motorcycle specific Nav apps, only this is better. I've removed the Chigee because I didn't like how much actual "touch" interaction was needed with the device. Like I said, the Chigee is cool, built well, but the cool factor wore off pretty quickly for me and I was finding that the Nav was a better fit for me while riding and now that I've added the SIM card, the BMW Nav is perfect for me, couldn't be happier!

Very helpful - thanks

 

[j93065]

I know this unit has been discussed in several other posts. I don't see anything recent or anything with much information. So I thought I would post about my experience with it.

Pros:
- With a SIM card, it operates totally independently from a cell phone. My card uses both AT&T and T-Mobile for data. You can connect your phone to it wirelessly for other phone functions and to transfer routes over from the app.
- It is a GPS device and is not dependent on a cell phone signal for navigation. As a GSA rider, this is a good thing.
- The automatic routing has several options (Fast, Short, Efficient, Winding, etc.) that have led me to some fun new roads. Several "avoid" functions as well that keep you off bad roads.
- GPS accuracy is great.
- Manual routes can be created, saved, and shared. You can create any route on any road using the dropped pin function. Save a route and call it up when ready to ride. I do this for our planned group rides. Transfer is automatic. You must be signed into your BMW id on both the phone app and the Navigator.
- Fits securely on the mount and charges on the bike. Long battery life.
- Detaches easily for planing and firmware updates at home.
- Controllable from the Multifunction Wheel on the handle bars.
- Rugged and water proof.

Cons:
- Costly like all BMW gear.
- SIM card cost an additional $100 per year.
- Not the easiest system to figure out in the beginning. CarPlay is much easier.

Did I miss anything? What is your experience with the ConnectRide Navigator?
Tell us about what you use.

I have a CRN with a $100 SIM card and enjoyed it—until I tried Apple CarPlay. I first tried the Chigee AIO-5 and discovered that the screen and fonts are too small for my eyes. I next purchased a 7" Carpuride and a 7" Aoocci simultaneously. I settled on the CarPuride. So, the 7" Carpuride will be primary, but the CRN will be in the bag just in case. I also have a Quadlock, presenting my iPhone in a convenient location—getting lost is not an option. Using CarPlay sensitized me to the value of navigating my music while riding.

BMW has done a great job with leveraging the wonderwheel as UX for the CRN. It's only the convenient access to music and the availability of a few nav app alternatives that put my priority on the 7" Carpuride. Cheers, Jim

 

[eddieschulz]

I have both the Chigee and the BMW CRN (Nav). I've used both, even recently testing the use of both back-to-back on a 4-day, 1000 mile trip to the Sequoias and Yosemite. The Chigee is "cool", but in the end, it's just a big phone. There is limited integration to the bike in that the wheel does work to move around the screen, but it's not that easy to navigate around the device once in an app and I found it easier to reach out and touch the screen to get things done...not ideal on a bike. I found it can be pretty distracting using the Chigee. Plus, I created all my routes before we left on our trip but Google Maps failed us. It had us at our hotel for the first night, only the location Google had for the hotel was about 30 miles short of it's actual location and out in the middle of rolling fields and trees, no civilization for miles. I found the BMW Nav was the better solution. The BMW Nav isn't perfect, either, but the Nav is fully integrated with the bike & it's very easy to navigate between screens (Nav, music, phone, bike info...), easy to zoom in and out of maps, easy to take or make calls, much easier to find points of interest along your route than it was with the Chigee, everything is "better", but that's my opinion after using both. But, with that being said, there was something "missing" with the BMW Nav and I couldn't figure what it was, until I tried it with a SIM card. I had been using my BMW CRN with the hotspot, and it worked, "ok". With the hotspot, there were always delays in the route moving from my ConnectedRide app to the Nav and it was pretty frustrating. The delay was between the route created in the BMW app and the Nav actually seeing it. If I created gpx files using MRA, saved them, exported them to my email, downloaded them to my phone, imported them to the Nav, the routes were there. Also, regarding the hotspot connection, unless I physically went into my BMW Nav, to settings, system, wifi and found my hotspot before each ride, the Nav wouldn't connect to my hotspot even though everything was setup to automatically connect to hotspot. I decided to try the SIM option so I ordered one, the Triple play from EIOS (Verizon, T-mobile, AT&T) and added it to my Nav, and it works better, much better. So that everyone is aware, there is an 'APN' option in the Nav Mobile settings and that has to be set to whatever the provider of the SIM tells you to set it at, and once that option was set up correctly, my Nav has worked great! Creating routes thru my ConnectedRide app are now showing up in my Nav immediately after I save the route. Also, with the SIM, I fire up the GSA and my Nav has instant data thru the SIM, no more having to get the hotspot connected, and if I plug in a destination using my app, save it, voila!, it's in my Nav...adding the SIM was definitely worth it. It's ~$100 a year ($9-$10 per month) so typical of a Nav subscription using other motorcycle specific Nav apps, only this is better. I've removed the Chigee because I didn't like how much actual "touch" interaction was needed with the device. Like I said, the Chigee is cool, built well, but the cool factor wore off pretty quickly for me and I was finding that the Nav was a better fit for me while riding and now that I've added the SIM card, the BMW Nav is perfect for me, couldn't be happier!

I have the Chigee 6 and just got back from 1100mile IronButt ride to Magnolia Tx to Visit my daughter. HATED Chigee Before I left……. Buy the Nav 5 or Nav 6, CRN what ever they are calling it has to be better that’s the Chigee.. I am looking Tuesday for the BMW system.. I have the Chigee 6 lite with two camers used.. if anyone is looking for a great system LOL

I have both the Chigee and the BMW CRN (Nav). I've used both, even recently testing the use of both back-to-back on a 4-day, 1000 mile trip to the Sequoias and Yosemite. The Chigee is "cool", but in the end, it's just a big phone. There is limited integration to the bike in that the wheel does work to move around the screen, but it's not that easy to navigate around the device once in an app and I found it easier to reach out and touch the screen to get things done...not ideal on a bike. I found it can be pretty distracting using the Chigee. Plus, I created all my routes before we left on our trip but Google Maps failed us. It had us at our hotel for the first night, only the location Google had for the hotel was about 30 miles short of it's actual location and out in the middle of rolling fields and trees, no civilization for miles. I found the BMW Nav was the better solution. The BMW Nav isn't perfect, either, but the Nav is fully integrated with the bike & it's very easy to navigate between screens (Nav, music, phone, bike info...), easy to zoom in and out of maps, easy to take or make calls, much easier to find points of interest along your route than it was with the Chigee, everything is "better", but that's my opinion after using both. But, with that being said, there was something "missing" with the BMW Nav and I couldn't figure what it was, until I tried it with a SIM card. I had been using my BMW CRN with the hotspot, and it worked, "ok". With the hotspot, there were always delays in the route moving from my ConnectedRide app to the Nav and it was pretty frustrating. The delay was between the route created in the BMW app and the Nav actually seeing it. If I created gpx files using MRA, saved them, exported them to my email, downloaded them to my phone, imported them to the Nav, the routes were there. Also, regarding the hotspot connection, unless I physically went into my BMW Nav, to settings, system, wifi and found my hotspot before each ride, the Nav wouldn't connect to my hotspot even though everything was setup to automatically connect to hotspot. I decided to try the SIM option so I ordered one, the Triple play from EIOS (Verizon, T-mobile, AT&T) and added it to my Nav, and it works better, much better. So that everyone is aware, there is an 'APN' option in the Nav Mobile settings and that has to be set to whatever the provider of the SIM tells you to set it at, and once that option was set up correctly, my Nav has worked great! Creating routes thru my ConnectedRide app are now showing up in my Nav immediately after I save the route. Also, with the SIM, I fire up the GSA and my Nav has instant data thru the SIM, no more having to get the hotspot connected, and if I plug in a destination using my app, save it, voila!, it's in my Nav...adding the SIM was definitely worth it. It's ~$100 a year ($9-$10 per month) so typical of a Nav subscription using other motorcycle specific Nav apps, only this is better. I've removed the Chigee because I didn't like how much actual "touch" interaction was needed with the device. Like I said, the Chigee is cool, built well, but the cool factor wore off pretty quickly for me and I was finding that the Nav was a better fit for me while riding and now that I've added the SIM card, the BMW Nav is perfect for me, couldn't be happier!