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06-13-2013, 09:35 AM
For those of you who have or are thinking of a Garmin I thought you might want to know more about Livetrack if you've not used it. I've had an 810 for a few months and never used Livetrack until a few weeks ago. It's awesome! Here's what you do to use it:
Install the Garmin app. on a bluetooth enabled smartphone.
Start bluetooth on the phone and your 810
Start the Garmin app.
Add email addresses of people you want to be able to follow your ride
Start Livetrack
Press start on the 810
The people you've selected will get an email with a link that allows them to follow your ride in "real" time. OK, it lags by a minute or so but it's really pretty good. Battery life seems to be pretty good, I've used it on rides up to 10 hours in length and still had 20%+ left on the Garmin and much more on the smartphone (I've got a big honkin' after market battery).
Here's how it's come in handy for me:
On a recent long ride my wife was meeting me at the finish. On the first day I was much faster than I thought I'd be and arrived almost two hours before I said I'd be there. In times past I'd have to stop and call or text to let her know I'd be early. No call necessary, she got there about two minutes before I did (she tracked me on her smartphone).
I arranged to meet my wife for lunch at the midpoint of my ride. She had appointments and was shopping and I wasn't certain exactly what route I was going to take or how far I was going to go. She tracked me on her phone and got there about 5 minutes before I did.
A friend and I did a longish ride together, sent the link to his wife and mine so they could see where we were.
I'm planning a 400K and 600K in a few weeks. For the 600K, my plan is to ride 400K then meet my wife at the control and go to a hotel to sleep for a few hours before continuing on. The app. will let her follow my progress and be there at the right time without me having to call.
I could also see how it'd be useful if you break down in the middle of nowhere and are trying to direct someone to come and pick you up. This hasn't happened to me since I've had Livetrack but has happened in the past and it's been a challenge to describe to someone who's not familiar with where you are how to find you.
I got my wife an 800 on the recent sale but sent it back and exchanged it for an 810 (the 800 doesn't have the ability to connect to a smartphone).
Pretty useful feature with only a slight impact on battery life, at least from what I've seen so far.
Install the Garmin app. on a bluetooth enabled smartphone.
Start bluetooth on the phone and your 810
Start the Garmin app.
Add email addresses of people you want to be able to follow your ride
Start Livetrack
Press start on the 810
The people you've selected will get an email with a link that allows them to follow your ride in "real" time. OK, it lags by a minute or so but it's really pretty good. Battery life seems to be pretty good, I've used it on rides up to 10 hours in length and still had 20%+ left on the Garmin and much more on the smartphone (I've got a big honkin' after market battery).
Here's how it's come in handy for me:
On a recent long ride my wife was meeting me at the finish. On the first day I was much faster than I thought I'd be and arrived almost two hours before I said I'd be there. In times past I'd have to stop and call or text to let her know I'd be early. No call necessary, she got there about two minutes before I did (she tracked me on her smartphone).
I arranged to meet my wife for lunch at the midpoint of my ride. She had appointments and was shopping and I wasn't certain exactly what route I was going to take or how far I was going to go. She tracked me on her phone and got there about 5 minutes before I did.
A friend and I did a longish ride together, sent the link to his wife and mine so they could see where we were.
I'm planning a 400K and 600K in a few weeks. For the 600K, my plan is to ride 400K then meet my wife at the control and go to a hotel to sleep for a few hours before continuing on. The app. will let her follow my progress and be there at the right time without me having to call.
I could also see how it'd be useful if you break down in the middle of nowhere and are trying to direct someone to come and pick you up. This hasn't happened to me since I've had Livetrack but has happened in the past and it's been a challenge to describe to someone who's not familiar with where you are how to find you.
I got my wife an 800 on the recent sale but sent it back and exchanged it for an 810 (the 800 doesn't have the ability to connect to a smartphone).
Pretty useful feature with only a slight impact on battery life, at least from what I've seen so far.