which gps receiver is working on iPad mini

Nope -- you can't connect arbitrary USB peripherals to an iOS device, including GPS receivers. They have to be MFi certified. So your only options today for the iPad mini (or any other device with a Lightning connector) are the Bluetooth products from Bad Elf or Dual, or the 30-pin Bad Elf GPS dongle with Apple's Lightning-to-30pin adapter.

Rumor has it that some new Lightning-compatible GPS accessories will be appearing soon... ;-)

Hope that helps!

I have a wi-fi only iPad Mini (posted several times above in this thread), and I bought a Bad Elf Pro Bluetooth GPS. It work like a charm and is pretty much fool proof and dead reliable so far. My wife w. her iPad2 (wi-fi only) and I have both been connected and following a road journey at the same time with no problems (says it will support up to 5 clients).

WIth regard to accuracy (see my comments above and in another thread about location services in a wi-fi only iPad), it is FAR more accurate and responsive than the "wi-fi based" location service natively available on the device.

I have been bemused by how accurate that wi-fi location was, since I live almost a 1/4 mile from my "street address" and well out in the country away from any "hotspots" that I know of. No wi-fi signals EVER detected here except from my router. And yet, my iPad Mini, operating only on its native location service ("wi-fi triangualtion" they say?!?) can put me IN my house on my 3 acre property and sort of tell which end I am in!

I don't know how it can do that, but it does. The pale blue "circle of uncertainty" however is very large, (probably about 100 yards in radius!!) using only the wi-fi location service, however it works!

With my Bad Elf Pro, the pale blue circle around my location spot is about 5 yards initially and, after it has been working a bit, gets even smaller. It can pretty reliably tell me what room I am in in my house. (I'm referring here to my location on the satellite view of Google Maps or Apple Maps).

The device itself is quite compact and easy to carry in a pocket. I"m thinking about putting a velcro self adhesive dot on the back and one on the dash of the rental car we'll be using in Ireland in 6 weeks. By the way, after shopping all the choices for an iPad auto navigation App, I chose Co-Pilot (UK & Ireland) becase it was the cheapest. Trial routes run on it suggest that it is quite good and easy to use and I don't see any reason to spend more for some ot its competitors, though they all look pretty good in the samples.

BatiArb wrote:

Hi, all.

Just a quick update on my progress.

I have downloaded CoPilot from the AppleStore, along with the European map option that includes Russia.

CoPilot has linked in with the inbuilt GPS of the Ipad 2 Wifi+3G and I have been using it locally (London suburbs) without a sim card installed.

I have so far been very impressed with it's quick response and recalculation of routes when I decide to take my own turn against it's suggested route.

I am still getting used to the map display options and not sure I have got it set up the best way yet, but the have found that I can follow the voice description and large junction indicator very well. Having a the next turn displayed with the distance to it has been easy to follow.

My trip across and around Europe is planned for July and August 2013 so will report back after that as to how it guided me.

With gratitude

Andrew

Again, you say you have the iPad wifi+3G. If so, you do not need an external GPS. Your iPad has GPS built in.

I have a wifi only iPad and experienced an issue that can be named as "external module blocked" from streaming GPS data to iPad. Turned out it is a known issue and guys from bad-elf helped me to solve it. I first bought GARMIN GLO and then I went for Bad-Elf PRO (both bluetooth). I summarized my experience with both modules here. See for yourself, both bad-elf and garmin glo are solid in terms of quality. I use currently GARMIN GLO in my car and Bad-Elf PRO everywhere else 🙂.

Hi Brett,

I just read the documenation of the bad elf gps pro. sounds great and i'm going to buy one !

Do you know if the datalog can be exported in different file formats ?

Can these log be used in aperture for instance ?

Thank's for your answers !

Roland (Paris, France)

Hi Roland,

Thanks for reaching out!

Yes, the logs can be exported in GPX and KML formats for easy importing into other apps including Aperture, fitness sites, social media, etc. One free site I use a lot is http://gpsvisualizer.com for processing and displaying the data in a variety of formats/graphs/mapping engines.

Hope that helps.

Best regards,

Brett

Hi Brett,

It would be great to have BadElf post major retailers, at least in the USA, on their website. I know I can order mail order, but for international customers, this can be an added hassle due to added duties and shipping problems. It's much easier to be able to walk into a store on a trip and just be able to buy one. Frankly for me, such a device which does better GPS than the GPS integrated in the cellular device to get the cellular iPad mini, the price difference is pretty much the same as the cellular one. I don't really want to add a cellular chip to my planned iPad, but I do want GPS for trips.

Thanks for the suggestion! We have a list of international resellers on our store (here) but picking it up in person is definitely an advantage for folks visiting the USA. Drop us a note (support at bad elf dot com) with your cities and we'll do our best to point you to a local resellers. Typically they are aviation and marine-related specialty shops.

Best regards,

Brett

Because Bad Elf accessories are certified under Apple's MFi program, they work with any location-based app in the App Store. The only catch is that not all apps are designed to be used offline (ie: without Wi-Fi or cellular connectivity), including Apple's Maps and Google Maps apps. The apps listed on our website are user-reported apps that have good offline/cached map support.

Hope that helps!

-Brett

Hello! We've had some customers report good results with MudMaps too. We do have one distributor (http://www.ozpilot.com.au/) that covers Australia, not sure if they have inventory locally or ship from the UK.

The GPS Pro has more standalone functionality since it has its own battery (16-32hrs): a built-in datalogger (>100Hrs @ 1Hz), can share the GPS data with up to 5 Apple devices over Bluetooth at the same time, and can be placed anywhere in the vehicle to get the best lock. It's also IPX4-rated if you want to take it out hiking with or without your iPhone/iPad. It does require Bluetooth to be enabled on your Apple device.

The GPS dongle (for Lightning or Dock Connector) is great for mobile applications, but you're more limited when it comes to sky visibility, case compatability, etc. The advantages over the GPS Pro are the GPS+GLONASS reception (the GPS Pro is GPS only), no pairing/configuration, and no batteries to charge.

The real answer is that you need both! ;-) Seriously though, either model should work well for off-roading. If you want to do other outdoor activities I'd say the GPS Pro is the best choice since it can be used standalone.

I hope that helps!

Best regards,

Brett

My team just reminded me of another Australian distributor: http://www.handheldsystems.com.au.

Let me know if you have any additional questions and which model you end up going with. We love action photos from our customers!

Brett mate, i thank you for clearing that up for me, and i have now got the Bad Elf Pro on its way here and it was even a good price here Down Under.

It will go well with Mud Maps 2 (Glad you have heard good feedback on that) and once i have tested it out, ill leyt you know how i go with it.

Cant give you a ✓Solved My Problem, But kudos to you mate, and the links you supplied. Hand helds seemed it was a off shore Company, so i went with Oz Pilot people as they are based here and i can get it in 2 days express delivery, but thanks again.

Bookmarked as i'll be back 🙂

Cheers

PS : Ill stay away from the 2 for now as well, even though im tempted just for pin point accuracy, as its easy to get lost in the back country we have here . .

Brett,

Thanks for recommending several competitor products thereby letting the products speak for themselves. Yours does look best.

Any concerns about your product that plugs into the lightning connector due to extra "leverage" that could be out onto your device which could break the Apple or BadElf connector if you accidentally bump the device either forwards or backwards when picking up or putting the iPad down?

Hi Allen,

Glad you've found this thread helpful!

Damange from the dongle sticking out is a common concern, although in reality it's been a non-issue. We've only had a few customers (in ~4 years) who have damaged their Bad Elf GPS dongle, usually after they drop their entire iPad from considerable height (ouch!) with the accessory connected. Both the 30-pin and Lightning versions are designed to either dislodge or break before doing damage to the iOS device. The MFi program includes these types of stress tests.

The dongle design certainly has both strong pros (no configuration needed, no batteries to charge) and cons (sticks out, pulls power from the iOS device, case compatability), so it really comes down to personal preference when considering plug-in vs. Bluetooth. Most apps support rotation, making it easy to use the iPad/iPhone with the dock connector pointing in whatever direction provides the most protection/clearance for your particular use-case.

Hope that helps!

-Brett

Hello,

I have an iPad mini w/os7 and I bought the bad elf lightning. It is constantly shutting down, and when I use it in co-pilot and wingx-pro it will stop giving gps position, I have to unplug it and close the programs. It does it if I just bad elf program alone as well. It won't acquire satellite. We used it outside today trying to geocache and it kept shutting off. NOT acceptable if I am flying, I have just been getting familiar with the program Wingx Pro before I fly and I will not use this if it keeps doing this. Is it the Bad Elf? Or something else? Why does this device shut itself off when it is open and running? It does it in all apps.