Travelling next month with MRA Navigation Next - do I need to plan/plot all my routes in advance?
-
I'm away out of the country for about 10 days in September. I have MRA Gold Membership and the Navigation Next MRA Android App.
I've been practising using the Android App and it's great for use with routes I've already plotted with waypoints etc., but is there a way in the app to plot anything other than a point-to-point?
What I've found is that I can search for a destination using the search bar or by clicking the map, and a route is plotted depending on my selected options (twisty, avoid tolls, etc.). But if I want to add a separate waypoint en route to the destination I can't seem to find a way to do that.
My question is really: Can I just take my phone with me or will I need some sort of tablet/laptop in order to create more complex routes other than A to B?
-
@Paul-Slater-0 The larger screen of a tablet or laptop does make planning a little easier but you can also plan from the app by going to Route lab which is effectively a portal to the website route planner.
-
@Paul-Slater-0 I've found it's better practice to plan ahead, and then if you want, tweak the route the night before - depending on what flexibility you have, like you want a quieter day than yesterday, you want to dodge some bad weather by heading out a different way, etc.
As Nick says the app will let you get through to the planning side of things via the app (Home page -> Route lab). You really need get some practice/expertise in planning on a phone whilst still at home, with a good signal, and no on-the-road stress. It only takes 10-20 mins to get a good feel for it if you're already used to the website planning.
-
@Paul-Slater-0
My experience is similar too the others:
Planning is way better using a tablet. I have done several plannings/re-plannings on my recent Norway tour and it worked perfect on an iPad for me. I am sure, it works in nearly the same way on an Android tablet. Planning on the phone might be really challenging. You might need to be a bit careful, when you are looking for some "menu-items" on the smaller screen, but everything is there and can be reached and used.Greetings
Thomas -
Thanks everyone, I did find the link to the web portal but couldn't figure it out yesterday, whereas this morning with a coffee it's intuitive.
I think I was maybe trying to click the map (like a laptop) rather than aligning the crosshairs and using the "Place Waypoint" button.
All good. I think I might take a tablet away with me though, good tip
-
@Paul-Slater-0 said in Travelling next month with MRA Navigation Next - do I need to plan/plot all my routes in advance?:
... whereas this morning with a coffee it's intuitive.
Coffee fixes everything, with alcohol being the Coffee of Last Resort.
-
@Paul-Slater-0, What Nick said is correct, but I don't think it's a secret anymore for a native embedded and offline routeplanner to be available from within the upcoming app update. It is currently in beta
-
@Paul-Slater-0 I bought a simple bluetooth mouse from amazon as well as an HDMI dongle for my phone. I connect the phone to the hotel room TV and it's like having a giant laptop screen. It works really well and even without the TV hookup the mouse makes it much easier to create and modify routes on your phone.
-
@Stuart-Greer, That's a great idea!
And at night you can easily watch p... ehm... movies that way too! -
@Con-Hennekens, absolutely
-
@Stuart-Greer
This only works when your phone support HDMI connection. My phone (Pixel 6) does not support this.
But it is good option when you want to travel light. -
@M-Schrijver, Most current phones do, but people should check that in advance indeed. My Pixel 8 has been updated to support this just a month ago. Google is way behind with this function indeed.
-
@Stuart-Greer said in Travelling next month with MRA Navigation Next - do I need to plan/plot all my routes in advance?:
@Paul-Slater-0 I bought a simple bluetooth mouse from amazon as well as an HDMI dongle for my phone. I connect the phone to the hotel room TV and it's like having a giant laptop screen. It works really well and even without the TV hookup the mouse makes it much easier to create and modify routes on your phone.
Great idea, thanks. By the way, did somebody mention P0rn?^^
-
@Erdna said in Travelling next month with MRA Navigation Next - do I need to plan/plot all my routes in advance?:
By the way, did somebody mention P0rn?^^
NO!