iPad Mini Mount and Nav Options

[Felt_Rider]

Since purchasing the CX-5 (without nav) in 2013 I've been using my iphone for navigation and in most cases it works well locally. In general it is kind of a weird spot having to wear reading glasses there is no hope of seeing the screen and I typically rely on the Waze app voice commands and warnings while driving. On the occasional long trip I've had some issues with apps like Waze because at that rare moment when the map needs to refresh to a new tile and there is no cellular coverage at the very moment and being lost trying to find the right junction. Just the perfect storm of events.....ugh!

We are going on a trip in a few weeks through the same area so I've once again gone back and forth on getting a dedicated GPS like a Garmin Nuvi, but I am leaning toward using an iPad Mini for the larger screen (hopefully will not need my reading glasses) and that I can use the iPad outside the car like at the Condo instead of lugging a heavier laptop.

Question: Anyone here use a particular iPad mount model and have a good review.

What I am considering is the iOttie Smart Tap for the iPad mini. I will only use this on long trips and will continue to use my phone for local travel.
I will have to get something like Bad Elf GPS for the Wifi tablet.


iPad mini 2 Wifi
Bad Elf GPS Pro (this will also help the phone in some cases from what I have read)
Apps with offline maps: (currently testing Galileo, Maps.Me, Navmii) and Google Maps

 

[Fleeecy]

Can't help with the mount, but you will need an iPad mini with the Cellular option to get a model with a built-in GPS chip. The Wifi model does not do GPS well at all (relies on Wifi signals exclusively).

You won't need a data plan, but the Cellular option on the iPad mini itself is a must in your use case.

 

[Felt_Rider]

That is true, but why I will get the Bad Elf Pro GPS. They make a lighting plugin adapter, but I plan on getting the Pro since it will send a signal to multiple devices and I can use it for other activities outside the car. Garmin also makes one called the GLO and there are some other manufacturers. The Bad Elf gets a good review and I see where pilots use it for small planes with a wifi only tablets.

http://bad-elf.com/pages/be-gps-2200-detail

What the user needs is to download offline maps and app and then it will work ok.

 

[Pablorce]

I have the iOttie ipad mini mount. I'd actually recommend against it as a car mount. the suction on it is actually very sticky and will leave a circular mark on the dash that is a pain to remove. I only use it as a mount on my nightstand so I can stream movies and shows at night and it is great. I think a CD mount would work best but I haven't tried any to give any opinions. For GPS I use an iPhone 6+ with a vent clip mount so i haven't needed a cellular iPad. I was looking at eventually getting one and I'm thinking of the Satechi Universal Tablet CD Slot Mount on Amazon looks pretty good...1.1k reviews with 4.5/5 star rating.

 

[Felt_Rider]

Thanks Pablorce
That was my concern with the iottie mount and was hoping someone had personal experience with it. I've had in the Amazon shopping cart for about 3 days with that concern. I've swapped it out with the one you suggested, the Satechi CD mount. I currently use a CD mount for an iphone 5s so I will also move it to a magnetic vent mount by adding a metal plate to the back of the rigid Otter Box phone case.

After seeing a Youtube iottie video review the reviewer was having a lot of difficulty getting mount off his dash. That thing must be a beast, plus the other minor thing kind is that mount probably could be seen, whereas, the CD mount will be harder to see since all my windows are tinted and the front has a slight tint. The top of the dash can be seen in daylight, but it is hard to see into the interior. I live in the Atlanta area so break ins are fairly common. Even if they see an empty tablet mount they sometimes break in to see if it is hidden in the car. With the CD mount I can easily remove it. I only plan to use the tablet when taking a trip out of town.

 

[Skorpio]

Have you tried MAPS.ME app? It uses maps pre downloaded into your iPad so you don't have to rely on wireless service.[emoji106]

 

[Felt_Rider]

I am currently giving Maps.Me and Galileo a trial run with offline maps on my phone. I like both, but with Maps.Me being free and it looks just as good as the paid version of Galileo it is a better value.
I probably should have just bought a newer Garmin Nuvi with a larger screen, but to stay true to my normal character of making things to be far more difficult than they should I went this route.

 

[Felt_Rider]

I was looking at eventually getting one and I'm thinking of the Satechi Universal Tablet CD Slot Mount on Amazon looks pretty good...1.1k reviews with 4.5/5 star rating.

Thanks a lot for the suggestion. There were so many that I somehow overlooked the Satechi. I got it from Amazon and I am very happy with this purchase. It is not something I plan to keep in the car and I only plan to use this on long trips. This also forced me to move my CD phone mount to an iOttie magnetic vent mount and I believe I will be happier with that as well because it will move my phone out from the front of the radio screen. So far the magnetic mount is working well and the phone has not dropped off the mount yet.