[Richard R]

Has anyone tried connecting a BU-353 gps to a wifi only ipad using the camera connection kit? Does it work?

I know this does not work with external storage devices.

[GPSNavX]

It does not work.

[jonoflewis]

Try the Bad-Elf GPS dongle, seems to work fine for me...

[GPSNavX]

Thanks for the tip!

http://bad-elf.com/products/gps/

[jagasail]

Very interesting! Any reason this might not work with iNavX??? It's the first 'Apple approved' accessory like this I've seen, and is promising that they are starting to open up to third party devices connected through the dock connector.

Scot

[GPSNavX]

Apple has had a hardware accessory program for the 30 pin dock connector for many years. The Bad Elf GPS accessory will work with any app that uses "Location Services" to determine it's position. iNavX and just about every other navigation application use "Location Services".

My question though is why someone would buy an iPad WiFi and then spend $99 for a GPS when they could just buy an iPad 3G for a mere $129 additional. Seems $129 for both 3G and GPS functionality is a much better deal. The 3G service is optional and non contractual.

These external GPS make more sense for iPod touch where there is not an upgraded model with from Apple.

[jagasail]

Agree with your assessment of 'why buy a wifi ipad', but I have several friends who have bought the wifi version to 'try it out' first, before committing the extra cash. Having this as an option gives them more flexibility. Also, I've found the built-in iPad gps often has difficulty connecting if it's not also in cell range, though once connected it will keep it if you move out of cell range. I would hope the bad-elf would not have that problem. Besides, It would be a nice backup.

Scot

[Copprhead]

Using the accessory connection, which afaik is a serial port, couldn't iNavX even connect to an NMEA cable? That way we wouldn't need any WiFi (no other Mac) and could use the iPad stand-alone on the boat.

[GPSNavX]

Yes, if someone came up with an Apple licensed 30 pin dock connector serial port it could be used. So far I have not found such a device. Let us know if you do.

[bad-elf-paul]

Hi everyone,
I'm Paul from Bad Elf. Thanks for asking about the Bad Elf GPS Receiver.
It's a great question about why anyone would bother to buy a wifi-only iPad and a Bad Elf GPS Receiver instead of just a 3G iPad with the GPS receiver already in it.
Obviously, many folks (millions actually!) already own a wifi-only iPad. But besides that, people find it handy to be able to get a fast satellite lock without needing 3G for assisted GPS. They also like being able to use a 30-pin extender cable (sold separately) to put the Bad Elf GPS Receiver in a spot where it has a better view of the sky. In particular the aviation community loves this. Many folks also like the idea of being able to share a single GPS receiver between multiple iOS devices.
So, it's not for everybody, but we like to think there are millions out there who'd find it handy.
You can check it out at http://bad-elf.com

[GPSNavX]

Just as a point of clarification, the iPad 3G and iPhone 4 do not need a 3G connection to get and maintain a GPS fix. They will use the 3G connection if available to speed up the process. One does not need a 3G data service to take advantage of the assisted GPS functionality. That being said if you happen to have an iPad WiFi then the Bad Elf GPS receiver looks like a nice solution.

[Jade]

Yes, if someone came up with an Apple licensed 30 pin dock connector serial port it could be used. So far I have not found such a device. Let us know if you do.

Redpark just announce a 30 pin to serial port for telescope controller.

[andreas.asandergmail.com]

It sure would be a boost for iNavX if there was a proof of concept with such cable and an nmea device. (I'm guessing that there's a need for some cable adapters but that's probably possible to solve).

I'm a bit new to this all togheter so this might sound like a stupid question but here goes anyway:
Imagine that it would be possible to use such cable (+ adapters?) to connect an nmea device to an iPad running iNavX: Is it only possible to use one nmea device at a time or is it possible to "chain" multiple nmea devices togheter and have them all available simeltaneously in iNavX (I'm thinking about using a fuel consumption monitor, depth sounder, etc). If so, what other equipment is needed in order to achieve such solution?

I've read about console-port to wifi solutions but it just doesn't feel good with a wifi solution in the boat when there is a cable option available. Although I see some benefits with wifi (e.g. being able to play music in your boat by connecting your ipad to your stereo using the connector instead of having it occupied with nmea stuff) it just doesn't feel as reliable. I might be completely wrong, if so, please do point that out and help me understand what a complete ipad nmea solution should look like.

[GPSNavX]

Why would you want your iPad tethered with a cable to your NMEA instrumentation? The whole point of the iPad is its portability. I do not know of a cable that connects between the iDevice 30 pin connector and NMEA (RS422). The best solution is to use the Brookhouse iMux or DigitalYacht iAIS WiFi NMEA. In the case of multiple NMEA instruments, then the iMux makes the most sense because it can accept up to 4 NMEA inputs and as a bonus has a NMEA output (i.e. connect to a Autopilot and/or VHF radio).