Using a tablet with Garmin Edge 800
 

I am trying to figure out how to use my Garmin Edge 800 on a tour. I will have a general idea of the route, but not the specific daily route and towns. I find the hardest part is often getting from my hotel through a town to the desired rural road. I don't want to have to create two weeks of routes in advance and have no flexibility. I have a few questions.

I was thinking of buying a tablet and using it to create routes on something like ridewithgps (I would be getting a tablet for other purposes, not just bicycling vacations). Would I be able to create the routes on the tablet and then download them to the Garmin? If you have been able to do this what tablet did you use and did you need to do anything special? I asked support for help with this and they thought it was not easy or even possible in some cases.

Is there a routing software I could use if I did not have wifi access. This seems less possible but I thought I would ask.

If I cannot do this then the Edge really will only help me when I am lost to figure out where I am, and to record with route, but will not be much value in creating a route to follow. I would bring maps anyways, but would like to use the Edge as much as possible.

Thanks for any help.

I'm curious about this as well. I believe you will need a USB OTG/host adapter so that the tablet can act as a host. With that, you should be able to move files from the tablet to your 800. The next question is can you create a route using sites like RideWithGPS, MapMyRide, GPSies, etc. and save those route files to the tablet...

One option I'm almost certain would work is a Google or Samsung Chromebook...but I have not tried it my self so can't guarantee it would work. http://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome...s/landing.html

In general tablets show up as USB devices rather than being able to use a USB device -- so they're more like the GPS itself than a computer. So I suspect that having them talk to the GPS might be problematic, though it's possible that there are apps that do make it work -- so I'd suggest seeing if Garmin or Strava has an app available that says it can work with your GPS. (They do have apps, but the important part is if it enables the tablet to talk to your GPS. If they don't say they do, they almost certainly do not.)

What might work better would be a netbook -- that's a full fledged computer, running Windows or another computer OS, and they certainly can talk to the GPS with no problem. They're a little larger than a tablet, but not too much larger.

The netbook idea will clearly work. I wonder if you plug the GPS into the android tablet, if you can then browse the GPS as if it were a drive and then do a manual upload to the Garmin website (**********). Or, conversely, plan something on ridewithgps.com and download it to your tablet and copy it to the right directory on the GPS. (**********)

You'll need to download software that lets you explore the file system of the tablet (I have OI File manager on my phone).

If anybody knows....

Cheers,
Charles

That's the point of the OTG/Host adapter I mentioned. It enables the tablet to work as a host, like a computer does. They are even available for some Android phones.

Keep in mind that some tablets CAN act as host(my Toshiba Thrive, for instance) without an adapter.

On my Nexus 7 I can mount my 800 and browse the files on it. I use an OTG cable connected to the 800 cable. My Nexus 7 is rooted and I use the StickMount app. This may not work on an unrooted tablet, as StickMount requires a rooted device. The Garmin shows up at /sdcard/usbStorage/sda/.

OK, but even that's only half the story. You'll need something to actually do something with the files.

My Edge 305 doesn't present itself as a storage device, so that would be out entirely. My Edge 705 does, so you could copy the files, but what then? Are you just saving the files on the tablet for use later, or do you actually expect to be able to create routes and upload them to the GPS?

If you can create the route with a web site and then download it as a file in the right format and just put it in a directory on the Garmin and it'll use it, then I guess this will work. If not, you'll need some sort of app to feed the route to the Garmin in the right format.

For the Garmin to work like this, you'll need to buy their mapping package as well. If you buy the online or CD version, you can load it onto your 810, and onto your tablet. Then you can use it to map out routes either with the 810 alone (as it will at that point function as a complete navigation device), or the tablet...though I'm sure you will prefer using the tablet for this.

So yes, this will work. If you do have WiFi, you might like to use ridewithgps.com rather than Garmin's stuff, and that will work great too.

Thanks for the information. I would prefer a tablet as lighter, but don't wanted to get into hacking (rooting) it. A chromebook seems good, just concerned about weight. I had never heard of a chromebook before, and found they were just announced as released in Canada this week. Modernizing like the indoor plumbing we finally got in Canada last year:)

I can do this with samsung galaxy tab s and garmin edge 800. You need 2 more things. a micro usb (otg)adapter for the tablet and the Sportable app. You plug your edge 800 into the micro adapter and the Sportable app should be able to recognize your device. Then, you can export the activity to your garmin account. You can also get the garmin connect mobile app and use that to view your results.

This is how I can transfer my activity with my tablet.

Just a follow up. You need the garmin uploaded app and you can upload the info.