Searching for TT Iternary Planning Feature

[DonnaJ]

Hi there,
I have always used Garmin. I am looking for the newest Model TomTom which has the Iternary Planning Feature included in the package. This feature is my number one priority in purchasing a TT. The Garmin doesn't have this feature. The newer TT models online seem to have elimated this feature altogether. Can anyone tell me the model number of a TT with this feature? Really appreciate anyone's help.

 

[dhn]

NONE of the new models have true Itinerary Planning. Try to find a 540 somewhere. Has that plus many other features.

 

[DonnaJ]

Thank you for your fast reply! Here are the ones I found:
TT XXL 540M 5 Inch Lifetime Maps Edition
TomTom XXL 540S 5-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator
TomTom XXL 540TM 5-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator (Lifetime Traffic & Maps Edition)

Someone on the Forum mentioned this model:
TomTom ONE 140-S 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator

All the ones above I can purchase now. Whichever one has the easiest user friendly Itinerary Planning Feature is the one I will buy. I travel a great deal all over NYC and Pennsylvania and my boss dictates specifics routes he wants me to take. I want to be able to input his routes into the GPS. Which one of the above do you recommend would do the job? Cost is not an issue.
Thank you so much for your help with this!

 

[dhn]

The 3rd one you list (the TM model) is probably your best best.

Just so you understand, the 'T' for lifetime traffic is via an included combo rds-tmc traffic antenna which gets traffic info using the fm signal on the radio. While not as current or accurate as the LIVE traffic on newer models with LIVE functionality, it is better than nothing.

And as for the 'M' (lifetime maps).... when you get the package with all the stuff in ot, you'll see a card labelled DO NOT DISCARD. Use the code on it to call CS at 866-486-6866 to register the unit for the lifetime maps. In theory, you can also register online but for many, it's a futile experience.

 

[DonnaJ]

I have ordered TomTom XXL 540TM 5-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator (Lifetime Traffic & Maps Edition) as you recommended.

I willl post when I have tested it and let you know how it worked out. I am so grateful for your immediate attention and response. Thank you for the time saving tip on registering the Lifetime Maps. So happy I found this Forum!

 

[dhn]

Some other tips:

1. When you first get the unit out of the box, make an Explorer, not Home, backup of your device's contents. If not sure how, see here: https://www.tomtomforums.com/t17864-how-backup-contents-your-unit-computer-how-restore.html
2. Download Home 2 (the computer application that acts as an interface between the unit and tomtom's servers. Get it at tomtom.com/home
3. After the backup, connect to the computer and let the unit charge for a good couple of hours to load up the battery.
4. Start Home and create an account with user name and password (this is separate from your calling CS to register the lifetime maps on the unit).
5. Click on 'update my unit' and install what should be offered: the latest application is 9.430 and I'm not sure what application would have initially come with the device. The latest map version is 890; again, the map originally on the device may be older. If both an application and map (and maybe other stuff) are offered, install the application first and then go back and do the update again to get the map, etc.
6. Here's a link to a guide for a model similar to the 540: http://download.tomtom.com/open/manuals/xl40/refman/TomTom-ONEv5-XLv2-en-GB.pdf . It's for a British model so it won't refer to computer voices (text-to-speech) which the North American model has but the rest of the features are about the same.

 

[DonnaJ]

Thank you for the step by step instructions. I am not technical and need all the help I can get. I may yet need further assistance when attempting to accomplish the above. I hope you will be available at that time. Thanks again!

 

[DonnaJ]

Received my TT. Do I follow the instructions for:How to back up the contents (for app 9.x and earlier)?

I have a new Dell Laptop with windows 7 core i7. I was going to attempt to do this when you are available, just in case I run into any issues as I go.

Where do I find Windows Explorer on my computer? When exactly do I connect the TT to the computer?
Once again, appreciate any assistance you can lend.

 

[DonnaJ]

Does this forum permit me to attach 2 small pics (one is 476kb and the other 484kb) of my computers Folder Options since the choices do not match all the ones used as a guide from 2009 so that you can then tell me which boxes to put a check and which to uncheck. My computer choices do have the "folder tips", the "title bar", the "hidden files and folders", and the "Hide extensions". I am missing the "Explorers Folders list" and the "address bar". Which Folder Options should I check for those two? I thought the pics would help you to see the choices available. Thanks so much for your time and attention.

 

[dhn]

You connect the unit to the computer using the cable and connecting to a usb port on the computer.

 

[DonnaJ]

Thank you. That part I know. I need your expertise regarding my 2 last posts, if you have the time.

 

[dhn]

If you see reference to hidden extensions, just uncheck the choice to Hide Extension for known file types.

For Explorer, in Start-->Run-->type Explorer and one choice will be Windows Explorer.

Connect the unit to the computer, open Explorer (see how above) and the tomtom will show in Windows left pane when you click on 'My Computer' as a drive (I don't have Windows 7 at home so I'm going by memory here).

So, create a folder somewhere on your computer (don't put it on your desktop).

For example, click on Local Disk C:\, then in Windows menu at the top, File-->New-->Folder and call it TomTom Backups. Once it's created in the right pane, highlight that folder and, again, New-->Folder and call it something meaninful like Backup_6_23_2012

Then go back to 'My Computer' in the left pane, click on it, you'll see the drive represented by the TomTom (maybe E: or F:, depending upon what other removable drives you have installed). Click on the tomtom drive. It should expand. Then, as the link on how to backup shows, highlight everything in the tomtom drive, copy all (Control-C) then highlight the Backup_6_23_2012 folder on the C: drive and CTl-V (to paste) Thats how to backup!

Honestly, the process sounds more convoluted than it really is......

 

[DonnaJ]

Set up on my XXL TomTom 540 TM went well thanks to you! Having trouble figuring out how to set up a custom route using the Itinerary Planning Feature. Spoke to TomTom user support (4 hours) and two people didn't have a clue. A supervisor with knowledge of how to do this will hopefully be calling me back sometime. Do you by chance know how to use this feature? The TT shows me the fastest or shortest route to take and I want to be able to alter some roads and continue down a highway where it wants me to Exit! I think setting up my custom route involves setting up several waypoints and this can be done according to TT manuel on the computer or directly on the device. I would like to be able to do it on the computer. Help on how to actually do this would be appreciated! Thanks!

 

[canderson]

You set up an itinerary by creating a list of waypoints through which you want to travel. Enough waypoints can force it down to practically a turn-by-turn situation, or you can set them up far apart and just let the unit do the routing. The more waypoints you add, therefore, the more you control the route.

In truth, there's a difference between an itinerary (a list of places you force the unit to visit in the desired sequence) and a route (the specific method of getting from A to B). You can't control the latter directly, but you can create as many itineraries of up to 48 waypoints each as you like, and indirectly, force the route as a result.

On the PC, using Home, you use "Operate my device" (or "Operate my XL", I forget which), which brings up the unit on your PC just like it looks in your hand. You can page thru the menus to get to the itinerary planning section that way. It's often easier to type on the PC than to do it all on the unit's screen.