Chigee AIO5

[Wallace Shackleton]

Has anyone used MRA with a Chigee device?

I have various issues with my Garmin XT and am seriously considering buying a Chigee.

One issue that I am really concerned about is losing phone network service when crossing European borders, which has happen on both my European bike tours. Each time I had to manually reconnect with a new country's network.
If I loose the network then I think that I will have no navigation.

Would I have to buy the MRA Android App?

[Tim Watson]

@Wallace-Shackleton Hi. I bought the Chigee AIO-5 recently with a view to replacing my BMW Nav6.

Currently, I'm torn. The MRA app itself (running direct without CarPlay or Android Auto) is awesome, and you don't need to worry about losing phone service as you can download both the route and the map. However, MRA via Android Auto is flaky so you'll suffer the pains of being an early adopter. I'm sure the devs will come through but at the moment it's a bit like being an alpha or maybe beta tester. I've tried TomTom GO with GPX files from the MRA planner and that is a smoother experience in terms of app crashes etc., but the integration is not as seamless as using the MRA app.

The main reason I've not ebayed the Nav6 as I intended is the hit on the phone using wireless Android Auto. The battery drain is high, which means you'll be charging, using GPS and WiFi all at the same time. The phone can get hot enough to stop some features working and I even had it shut down navigation completely as it closed the MRA app. I've just this week replaced my Samsung S20 with a Pixel 8 with a fresh battery so I'll see how the Pixel deals with the battery discharge and the heat. Some people seem to use a 2nd "sacrificial" device for use for navigation whilst keeping their main phone safe and fully charged. This seems to defeat the point for me, as you then have three devices including the Chigee. But everyone has their own opinions...

My current view is that for a short trip, maybe up to an hour, I'd use MRA with the Chigee. It's a lovely device and the MRA app integrates so well with the planner. For a longer ride where the phone would overheat, I'll stick with the Nav6 and the tedious copying of GPX files for now.

[Grumpy Goat]

@Tim-Watson Good that I came across this discussion. I am new to MRA / MyRouteApp etc, and just bought a Carpuride 702B (instead of a Chigee AIO-5) and am about to take a 7-day trip where I would be using Apple Carplay and MyRoute App as a navigator (on Trial).

I ride 500-mile days and this trip is 800+ miles long one way. Seems that this usage can cause my iPhone 13 Pro to overheat / discharge such that navigating over 10 hours on the road is a non-starter ...? Maybe best to bring my BMW Nav VI as a backup ...

[Tim Watson]

@Grumpy-Goat I did a 3-day trip recently and by the end of the first day I gave up on MRA and AA and went back to the Nav6 for the last couple of days.

However, I'm not hating on MRA or AA. I know the MRA devs are about to revisit AA and I'm sure it'll come on in leaps and bounds. The other thing is, if you can keep your phone out in the breeze (I had mine in a tank bag), the overheating will be less. Or you could just fast recharge the phone at a lunch stop.

I think my opinion would be to give MRA and AA a go but do have a backup solution too. I think it's going to be awesome in time, but it's early days.

[Grumpy Goat]

@Tim-Watson said in Chigee AIO5:

The other thing is, if you can keep your phone out in the breeze (I had mine in a tank bag), the overheating will be less. Or you could just fast recharge the phone at a lunch stop.

I think my opinion would be to give MRA and AA a go but do have a backup solution too. I think it's going to be awesome in time, but it's early days.

I will definitely be giving it a try. The Nav VI is my goto navigator and has been for many years but I like Carplay for other reasons hence the Carpuride. With that came the need for a navigator to accept GPX files created elsewhere, hence My Route App. My phone is going to be mounted in the breeze (on the handlebar) but that breeze can also be warm - I live in Texas and am riding to New Mexico and it could be warm next week. We'll see.

[Tim Watson]

@Grumpy-Goat I think we're coming from the same place. I've had BMW Navigators for years and still like the VI. But I often tweak routes just before I head off, and it's always a pain getting the Nav back to the PC, copying revised routes via USB, checking they match the planner etc. etc.

I love the idea of a last-minute tweak on the MRA Planner website and it's ready to go on my device in seconds.

This is already the case, so that's great. It's not the dev team's fault that navigation and WiFi are so demanding. It's definitely the way to go. I just feel it's tomorrow's solution more than today when it comes to long trips.

I look forward to an update on how you get on!

[Ton Verkleij]

I use it with the Chigee, you can download the maps for offline use. My smartphone is commected to a quadlock wireless charger so no worries about battery drainage.

[EMW-motorridders]

@Ton-Verkleij Consider also using or buying Carpe Iter V4 C if you don't use Apple device, which has a bigger screen !

[Ton Verkleij]

@EMW-motorridders Yes I know. My Chigee aio-5-lite comes with 2 camera's front and rear with blindspot detection.

[EMW-motorridders]

@Ton-Verkleij You choose, I her my only non-Apple device with is de Carpe Iter V4B working withe Android 11 and v 13 is coming soon.
Carpe Iter V4B is er very good device for MRA, RouteYou, Waze,
I tested in my car with other devices from Brussels to Hamburg.
MRA, Waze, TomTom Rider 500, AUDI-GPS, iPhone PRO 12 MAX ..... and MRA did very well with MRA.
MRA and Waze ( MOTOR ) gave me sometimes other routes to follow in Holland but still ... I'm very satisfied.

[Nikos 4]

@Wallace-Shackleton chigee is great. MRA though has many issues on android auto. There are many other app that can do the job much better. Hoping for a new version of MRA.

[Ton Machielsen]

I’m using MRA with a MTC-10 on Apple CarPlay and I noticed that compared to OsmAnd which I used before, MRA drains the phones at least twice as fast.
All works fine, I just need to keep the phone on the charger while using it with MRA.