Go Premium X has lost internet

[Paul Croft]

I have a Go Premium X with lifetime support for traffic etc. This morning everything was as expected but this afternoon all traffic support was absent and I've just had a nightmare journey as a result. I had an email a few days ago to let me know this service was being dropped but from watching the forums I was given to understand this could take a few months/years to happen. Has it happened already or has something else happened to cause this?

 

[Willy875]

TomTom is ending 2G service; deactivate your SIM cards.
To continue receiving traffic information, you must connect your GPS to your phone, either via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.

 

[Paul Croft]

I connected my phone to the GPS using Bluetooth and still got nothing. When I did this it made no difference, it just said there was no internet. Is there something else I need to do apart from just connecting the phone via Bluetooth?

 

[Willy875]

Use your phone's Wi-Fi hotspot. It works much better.

There might also be a bug with TomTom's servers, so wait until tomorrow.

 

[Paul Croft]

I think I’ll wait until tomorrow but I’ll also bear in mind your advice about using the WiFi hotspot. Thanks

 

[John Usher]

I have a Go Premium X with lifetime support for traffic etc. This morning everything was as expected but this afternoon all traffic support was absent and I've just had a nightmare journey as a result. I had an email a few days ago to let me know this service was being dropped but from watching the forums I was given to understand this could take a few months/years to happen. Has it happened already or has something else happened to cause this?

I have a Go Premium X with so-called 'Lifetime' support.

'Lifetime' is not clearly defined - probably not our lifetimes, or even the lifetime of the physical device (until it fails or breaks), but until TomTom decides to call 'Life', on the device, it's software or connection, as they have done with many other models.

All I am about to note, I have evidence for in an email trail.

I had the same email, which, in my personal opinion, is misleading, and I have said so directly to TomTom support.

They said that 2G/GPRS - provided by Vodaphone, I believe - is ending '...soon...' but it isn't being ceased in the UK until c.2030(ish). Feel free to check the Internet for sources. I can't speak for other countries who may have customers on this forum.

When I fought my way through TomTom Support, I eventually got them to the point where they offered me a partial refund for the device, the amount based on the age of the device, to close my complaint down. I declined.

The odd thing is that, I seldom get any problem with Mapping or Navigation - which work as well/badly they ever did. The only problem I regularly experience is disappearing Traffic information.

So is the problem actually the connection or is it the software? - who knows? TomTom isn't saying.

Also, they seem more focused selling their Smartphone software and OEM solutions for vehicle manufacturers than stand-alone SatNavs, which are largely a thing of the past.

In my personal opinion, TomTom just want out of the problem. It's dead but it won't lie down?

Yes, I tried connection via my 5G Smartphone - it all went wrong. It eventually worked, but seemingly no better that 2G. And what if no 4G/5G connectivity?

 

[canderson]

Yes, I tried connection via my 5G Smartphone - it all went wrong. It eventually worked, but seemingly no better that 2G. And what if no 4G/5G connectivity?

The data requirements aren't intense enough that there's any reason you would notice the difference between 2G and 5G. The data is updated every 120 seconds, and that's more than enough time to collect it all for the radius that is being covered.

If your phone has no 4G/5G connectivity, there's little chance that there's any 2G connectivity where you are, either. The services are typically co-located.

 

[John Usher]

The data requirements aren't intense enough that there's any reason you would notice the difference between 2G and 5G. The data is updated every 120 seconds, and that's more than enough time to collect it all for the radius that is being covered.

If your phone has no 4G/5G connectivity, there's little chance that there's any 2G connectivity where you are, either. The services are typically co-located.

I live in a suburb of outer North London with good 4G mobile coverage, and 5G growing. Traffic services on the TomTom SatNav are highly erratic, whether on 2G/4G/5G. They come and go.

Only last week, I was in a semi-rural area only a few miles to the north-west of London, with urban areas all around.

My Navigation on 2G on my Go Premium X worked perfectly - the Traffic was as erratic as ever. It knew where I was, and tracked my movements and speed correctly. Yes, the map is in the phone, but to do that it must have been connected - to 2G.

My smartphone, however, had *zero* connectivity. The 2G and 4G/5G services may well be co-located, but if there is no 4G/5G provision in the area in the first place, what then for the SatNav?

The Forum may speculate, but only TomTom can really state what the problems are - and they just seem to want to remove the liability for free 2G connectivity and not advise on the technicalities.

 

[Willy875]

@John Usher Instead of using a Bluetooth connection, use your phone's Wi-Fi hotspot.

 

[John Usher]

You miss the point - it is, IMO, up to TomTom to clarify what the problem is with Traffic, rather than force the paying customer down other routes

 

[Willy875]

If we understand the problem correctly:

Mobile operators are disabling 2G, so TomTom has disabled the SIM cards in its GPS devices.

The only way to continue receiving live traffic updates is to connect your GPS to your phone, either via Bluetooth or your phone's Wi-Fi.

 

[John Usher]

No, that is not the primary problem - at least for me, and seemingly others.

In the UK, there is currently no sign of 2G being ceased in the UK for several years (c.2030), despite TomTom claiming - misleadingly, IMO, that it is.

The 2G SIM has not been disabled - and least fully - and there is no information on this I am aware of, but am happy to be corrected if someone can post a link.

My primary problem - and seemingly for others - is that Traffic data disappears via mobile connection for long periods, and resetting the device ('Drum Roll' - not a Factory Reset) will not restore it. The 120 (3 minute) period quoted by another contributor for restoration (not something I am aware is documented - the manual is not, IMO, of any use and has not been updated in years) does not seem to be valid, even in a well connected area.

Connected by Wi-Fi at home on my broadband connection, Traffic display on the SatNav is instantaneous - but that's no use in the car.

Navigation and Speed displays are - generally fine.

So just what is TomTom's problem with Traffic displays over any type of Mobile connection, and why won't they discuss the issue, other than they want their so-called 'Lifetime' 2G service commitment to go away asap.

Just what is the problem with Traffic over 2G? Who knows?

 

[Willy875]

TomTom never said the SIM card is lifetime for your GPS; only the data connection is lifetime.

Yes, 2G is still available in the UK, but not in other countries.

In my opinion, TomTom doesn't want to pay for GPS devices that can no longer receive data via the SIM card, so they've disabled all SIM cards.

Connected by Wi-Fi at home on my broadband connection, Traffic display on the SatNav is instantaneous -

If you say the data connection works via Wi-Fi at home, it's more likely a problem with the connection between your GPS and your phone.

 

[John Usher]

I personally doubt your analysis - if the SIM was disabled, why does Traffic only work sometimes and Navigation, Speed - and cameras - always work?

Yes, the service is "Lifetime' - until TomTon call 'Time'.

The problem is the reliability of Traffic data over 2G (why? why won't TomTom say'), not the SIM itself. If they can no longer support Traffic reliably they should say so, IMO.

The phone is not relevant - it's not in the equation.

I'd prefer direct information from TomTom rather than speculation, thanks, but we won't get that, will we?

 

[Willy875]

This is a user forum; to get a real answer, you need to contact TomTom directly if they are willing to give it to you.

 

[canderson]

I personally doubt your analysis - if the SIM was disabled, why does Traffic only work sometimes and Navigation, Speed - and cameras - always work?

Because navigation, speed information, and fixed cameras (which are embedded in the map data) do not require a data signal to function. Traffic does.

 

[John Usher]

Yes. I am well aware this is a user forum.

Yes, have asked TomTom, which is why I tried here.

No, TomTom won't answer - they never do. Their Trustpilot rating for support is close to zero.

TomTom is rated "Bad" with 1.2 / 5 on Trustpilot

Do you agree with TomTom's TrustScore? Voice your opinion today and hear what 2,816 customers have already said.

uk.trustpilot.com

It seems that, regrettably, despite best efforts, for which thanks, the users don't have answers, and can only speculate.

Thanks

 

[canderson]

Yes. I am well aware this is a user forum.

Yes, have asked TomTom, which is why I tried here.

No, TomTom won't answer - they never do. Their Trustpilot rating for support is close to zero.

TomTom is rated "Bad" with 1.2 / 5 on Trustpilot

Do you agree with TomTom's TrustScore? Voice your opinion today and hear what 2,816 customers have already said.

uk.trustpilot.com

It seems that, regrettably, despite best efforts, for which thanks, the users don't have answers, and can only speculate.

Thanks

Was happy that no speculation was required to provide an answer in post #16.

Most users have successfully made the transition from cellular to WiFi (or BT) data to get TomTom traffic. Not all of them are happy about it, and some resist making the change as a matter of principle, but it's really a question of whether traffic data is important to a particular driver's use model or not.