Can you plug a USB - GPS device into the IPad wi-fi so your exact position shows up on maps and/or marine charts?

Wow, just reading the majority of the responses am now more than ever extremely concerned with the education system of the USA.

-First - "GPS" - anyone like to try?...let's just key in on the "S" Satellite, something not invented or attributed to a Kennedy, Clinton or Obama or the Internet and yes to you millennials the first one was "Russian" and no hacking or conspiracies. But will give you a hint these "Satellites" are Space Based orbiting the Earth

-Second - Apps - Almost any handheld held device such as a smartphone or tablet has some form of "App" for maps which the database is derived from the good ole government of the USA but is dependent on your cell phone terrestrial towers.

Hopefully now with all of your education that has been funded in part by mine and many other taxpayers, thank you, a light has gone off in your head, unless you have a device such as a SAT Phone, which you may have seen in a movie or video game, your regular device dependent on terrestrial tower based technology are not GPS devices.

Stop reading now if you need a hug, cry or a attach a safety pin to your clothing since you just realized you were again wrong about something important in life.

For those of you who has actually been away from the computer/tablet/smartphone(we have to get a better name for that since it could wrongly imply intelligence on the part of the user), when you are in a cell tower dead zone or out of range the "App" does not work unless you are somehow tethered to an actual piece of hardware that will make connection to one of the actual orbiting Satellites up in space with a clear line of sight, two distinct different technologies.

Now with all of that said, can you who did not respond properly please delete your answers and let someone who has experience with this respond, which may not be me because I have only land based navigation experience and the request was for marine, which for the life of me can not understand why anyone would want to risk their or their passenger lives on a thrown together GPS/Tablet configuration when Garmin and other manufacturers make very inexpensive stand alone devices for that specific purpose, but then again when they get lost it will be the EMS funded by our tax dollars to the rescue and we will never see on CNN it was because they were not personally responsible to have the proper equipment.

Good luck with the search.

Hi You're right!

The wi-fi ipads only have what's called Digital Compass

Below from other posts:

The iPad 2 Wifi does not have a GPS. The GPS capability is part of the 3G chipset, and is only present in the 3G iPads.

The iPad DOES have a digital compass

http://www.apple.com/ipad/specs/

The iPad 2 Wifi DOES have location services. It just doesn't use cellular/GPS data to find locations-just wi-fi where available.

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4084

http://www.apple.com/ipad/specs/

Location

Wifi Only

* Wi-Fi

* Digital compass

Wifi+3G

* Wi-Fi

* Digital compass

* Assisted GPS

* Cellular

Hi

Here is one good solution using Bluetooth:

http://www.tuaw.com/2011/05/08/getting-gps-on-a-wifi-ipad-with-new-sky/

The receiver itself is made by Dual Electronics and is a model XGPS150

There are Bluetooth GPS devices from other suppliers as well, like the GNS 5870 Bluetooth GPS and the Bad Elf GPS receiver.

Free App here:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bluetooth-gps-status-tool/id422661436?mt=8#

Here is the ($50) Navigon App which will give you real-time updates on the ipad or ipod touch:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/navigon-mobilenavigator-usa/id384680007?mt=8

The wifi iPad does not have GPS.

Apologies i thought it did over wi-fi

How then does it know it's location for the many apps that ask to use your location?

Similarly if you use Google Earth it will find you almost down to the chair you're sitting in!

The wi-fi ipads only have what's called Digital Compass

The wifi iPad doesn't determine location from the digital compass. It determines it's location from the location of the wifi router it's connected to. Google skyhook to learn more about wifi locations.

Landberry wrote:

...

1. Any reason your extremely well educated self responded to an almost 5 year old thread just to complain about the posters?

2. The S in GPS does not stand for Satellite. It stands for System, As in Global Positioning System.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Positioning_System

3. External GPS modules that you may be able connect to an iPad would not have been detected by it, so the "apps" would not have been able to use it directly. Those Apps you mention, like Maps, and things would have no idea the module was connected.

4. You may want to consider your own education before berating others for theirs and doing so in long dead threads.

Must have awaken a liberal...sorry interpreted your daily dose of CNN mind control

1. Really dislike people who post "Fake News"

2. Yep you are correct in the GPS but the System is made up in part of Global Navigational Satellites

3. Disagree - its more than just your "short" description

4. Never claimed to be highly educated nor posted icons of a university to try to valid myself like other

Their is probably a support group for you just find it get a hug, a cry or a safety pin and move on.

hi ipad already has its own gps

Unless you have ipad software that will communicate with your gps device then nothing will happen i.e. the ipad will not even know anything is plugged into it!

There are a few bluetoth GPS devices designed to work with the wifi iPad. Google for them.

cheers

The short answer is no it won't recognise it unless there is an iPad app for your device

Doesn't matter if there's an app or not, you can't connect a USB GPS to the iPad. It must be through bluetooth.

Go here.

@paulcb - Wrong