Garmin and bluetooth question

[Ed62]

Yeah, I'm still living in 1955. If you buy a Garmin with bluetooth technology, how does that allow you to hook up a phone? Do you need a cell phone subscription? Are there any other charges to use the phone?

Ed

[crokett]

I just got my wife a Garmin w/bluetooth. Here's a review of the one I got:

http://www.bt3central.com/showthread...ight=bluetooth

The test calls I made last week were good. You need a cellphone that has Bluetooth. Most of them do now. The cellphone needs a monthly plan. I am not sure if there are any pay-as-you-go plans that use Bluetooth phones. There are no other charges beyond the monthly plan, the phone and the Garmin. The hookup is wireless. Basically you tell the Garmin to find the phone and you tell the phone to advertise itself to be found. This is true for any Bluetooth parings. My laptop is paired with my cellphone. I can transfer files, pics, etc and use my laptop as a hands-free device for my phone.

[RayintheUK]

I've had the Garmin nuvi 660 for some time now. When I got my Bluetooth cellphone, I went to the Garmin menu and enabled Bluetooth, then on the cell confirmed that I wanted it paired with the Garmin - job done! I leave my cell in my pocket and if it rings while I'm travelling, the Garmin acts as both transmitter and receiver for the cell. The speech is clear in both directions.

To make a call, I press the phone icon and a number of choices pops up. One of them is "Call Home" which is very useful. Your entire cell phonebook can be displayed, or you can dial a specific number. Works for me!

Ray.

[lebomike]

We have the Garmin nuvi660 also. When I got my Blackberry Curve last month it would not communicate with the Garmin. I sent Garmin an email asking why the Bluetooth did not work and they sent me instructions to download an upgrade for Blackberry phones. There is no extra charge for the Bluetooth feature, it is part of phone packages where the phone has Bluetooth technology. If you notice people walking around with something hanging from their ear it is more than likely a Bluetooh wireless head set for their cell phone.

[Ed62]

Thanks for the replies. I have a cell phone as part of a family plan. It costs me $10.00 per month. We probably make 4 or 5 calls during the month on it. It wouldn't pay me to have a larger monthly bill for service. Once again, thank you for the help.

Ed

[LCHIEN]

Thanks for the replies. I have a cell phone as part of a family plan. It costs me $10.00 per month. We probably make 4 or 5 calls during the month on it. It wouldn't pay me to have a larger monthly bill for service. Once again, thank you for the help.

Ed

Two distinct GPS/bluetooth functions:
1 using the GPS as a speakerphone/dialer costs nothing and probably makes driving safer (handsfree, although noted, talking handsfree can still be dangerous).

2 Getting added data services will cost you extra.

You should be able to use 1 with little problem (installation, called "pairing" is fairly straightforward) and no cost provided you have a later model phone supporting bluetooth. After pairing, if you enter the car, and your phone and GPS are both on, there will be no additional effort or cost required to use it.

[crokett]

Loring, for only 4-5 calls a month you can either stop the car or call when you are not in it. I got Bluetooth for my wife because she does a fair bit of business on her phone while in the car.

[JR]

Loring's right on with the speakerphone description. Using your Garmin as a speakerphone attachment for your cell phone is a good idea. This function is additional to, and separate from, the GPS position locating and mapping functions of the Garmin. Using Bluetooth means the connection between the Garmin speakerpone attachment and the cellphone is wireless.

Bluetooth is a wireless networking technology suitable for very local use only. It's job is to make it so that you don't have to use wires to interconnect things like a computer to a mouse, or a headset to a telephone. Bluetooth is not a "service" like your Verizon or AT&T cell phone service. It's a feature of the phone itself. This means you could figure out how to "pair" your Garmin to your cell phone, but if you haven't paid your Verizon bill you won't be making any calls!

JR

[JimD]

JR essentially made this point but I will add my wording. Bluetooth is not something you pay your cell phone provider for. It is a capability that either is or is not in your phone. The added cost could potentially be for a new phone - which is sometimes also not an issue if you haven't gotten a new one for awhile. Most cell phone providers will "give" you a basic model every couple years but you may have to ask.

Jim

[Ed62]

OK, I think I've got it now. If I had a bluetooth phone and a Garmin with bluetooth technology, the only difference between using my cell phone would be in that I could use it hands free, is that right? My calls would still go through my provider instead of using the sattelite the GPS uses?

The reason I'm asking is that I use Verizon, and on occasion I hit deadspots. I also have OnStar with phone service. I have not found deadspots using OnStar. So if I dropped OnStar, and went with bluetooth, I would still find the same deadspots??

Ed

[crokett]

OK, I think I've got it now. If I had a bluetooth phone and a Garmin with bluetooth technology, the only difference between using my cell phone would be in that I could use it hands free, is that right? My calls would still go through my provider instead of using the sattelite the GPS uses?

Correctamundo.

[Ed62]

Thanks for the clarification.

Ed