Bluetooth GPS

**jdkurk** · 12-10-2009, 09:04 AM

I have a bluetooth GPS receiver. Can anyone give me ideas on how to use it with my iPhone? I'm new to the iPhone and wonder if I can continue to use the bluetooth GPS. What mapping would work with it?
Thanks in advance...

**flyingember** · 12-10-2009, 09:12 AM

I'm not sure you can connect anything except headsets via bluetooth. assuming you can for it to work would require companion software that works with it.

all mapping software requires the built-in gps of the 3g and 3gs or like tomtom and magellan, works with hardware through the dock connector

and since you didn't say what the receiver is we have no way of giving you a solid answer if it actually will work

**JohnH59** · 12-10-2009, 09:26 AM

Originally Posted by jdkurk

I have a bluetooth GPS receiver. Can anyone give me ideas on how to use it with my iPhone? I'm new to the iPhone and wonder if I can continue to use the bluetooth GPS. What mapping would work with it?
Thanks in advance...

There's a high probability that you can if you jailbreak your phone. There's an app that will connect to BT receivers.

**flyingember** · 12-10-2009, 09:29 AM

Originally Posted by JohnH59

There's a high probability that you can if you jailbreak your phone. There's an app that will connect to BT receivers.

if so, I doubt any app will work with it

**JohnH59** · 12-10-2009, 07:53 PM

Originally Posted by flyingember

if so, I doubt any app will work with it

That's not what I read, but could be wrong. What I read was most BT receivers connect and that the majority of GPS apps see the receiver and function.

RoqBT and GPS Serial are two apps that allow connection to Navigon, TomTom and some others. Again, you do have to be jailbroken.

**flyingember** · 12-10-2009, 09:40 PM

Originally Posted by JohnH59

That's not what I read, but could be wrong. What I read was most BT receivers connect and that the majority of GPS apps see the receiver and function.

RoqBT and GPS Serial are two apps that allow connection to Navigon, TomTom and some others. Again, you do have to be jailbroken.

sounds like those apps fake the external gps device as the internal device

directly the receivers likely do not work. And these apps would have to be written to work with a specific reciecer or receiver standard.

**JohnH59** · 12-10-2009, 09:45 PM

Originally Posted by flyingember

sounds like those apps fake the external gps device as the internal device

directly the receivers likely do not work. And these apps would have to be written to work with a specific reciecer or receiver standard.

Out of curiosity, I just installed roqyBT and connected to my Delorme BT Logger receiver and both Navigon and Co-Pilot worked. I'm sure it was working because I can't get GPS signal with either program while inside my truck unless I put my iPhone on the dash. After connecting to the Delorme, I placed on the dash and both apps snapped right in with strong signal.

**jdkurk** · 12-11-2009, 10:24 AM

The bluetooth reciever is from my old palm, the software it used is TomTom. I know the software is useless, but wondered about the receiver.

I assume there info on this site about jailbreaking...

So I'm reading that I would need roqyBT or GPS serial and Navigon or Co-Pilot software to make this work.

Is there any advantage, do you think, to going after this setup? Would it be better to just use the built-in stuff and find a mapping program that works?

Thanks all...

**flyingember** · 12-11-2009, 12:03 PM

Originally Posted by JohnH59

Out of curiosity, I just installed roqyBT and connected to my Delorme BT Logger receiver and both Navigon and Co-Pilot worked. I'm sure it was working because I can't get GPS signal with either program while inside my truck unless I put my iPhone on the dash. After connecting to the Delorme, I placed on the dash and both apps snapped right in with strong signal.

good to know. must be some standard that jailbreak app works with

**flyingember** · 12-11-2009, 12:08 PM

Originally Posted by jdkurk

The bluetooth reciever is from my old palm, the software it used is TomTom. I know the software is useless, but wondered about the receiver.

I assume there info on this site about jailbreaking...

So I'm reading that I would need roqyBT or GPS serial and Navigon or Co-Pilot software to make this work.

Is there any advantage, do you think, to going after this setup? Would it be better to just use the built-in stuff and find a mapping program that works?

Thanks all...

is this a GPS receiver that connects via bluetooth?

jailbreaking has some risk and is not for someone who's not tech friendly.

if your cellular and/or gps signal is poor an external receiver can help a lot and Tom Tom and Magellan both have one. But I used the Tom Tom app with a 3GS and it was spot on > 99% of the time as to where I was at.

So my suggestion is if this is all you're going to jailbreak for and you know you're getting one of these apps then try it without the jailbreaking first. If it doesn't work due to signal issues (I know the tomtom app tells you) you could try the jailbreak method and use your external GPS receiver.