I've seen several threads discussing the pros and cons of each of these traffic services, but... here goes...
I live in the NY area, and for various reasons I jumped from the Garmin ship and climbed aboad the TomTom (I bought a 920T). I can say that TMC reception with the Garmin and TomTom comes and goes at the drop of a hat. The problems that exist with Garmin's implementation also exist with TomTom's - spotty reception, limited roadway coverage, incorrect delay information (almost always 1 minute per incident with Garmin), significant incidents missing entirely.
To those looking to blame someone for poor, little, or no traffic data, despite an apparently working (green dot) TMC-RDS receiver, I say the blame lies squarely with ClearChannel (the data provider/broadcaster). The content and transmission of the traffic data is soley ClearChannel's responsibility. Your TomTom can only act on the data it receives. Garbage in, garbage out.
Disappointed (though not surprised) by TMC reception on my 920T, I called TomTom and told them that although the hardware seems to function properly (it works better and I get data when I get closer to NYC), I have poor TMC reception in my area and that I am considering returning my 920T to my retailer and purchasing a 920 and a TomTom Traffic subscription. So I asked if they had a free trial of TomTom Traffic that I could use with my existing 920T, so I could make an informed decision before going to back to the retailer. Much to my surprise they set me up with a ONE YEAR subscription to TomTom Traffic at no charge. They also told me that if I do end up replacing the 920T with a 920, I can should call them to have the new device associated with my account so that the subscription will continue on the new device. How cool is that!?
I had the opportunity to sit at my desk today during rush hour and play with my new traffic subscription. I can't find the words to express how much TomTom Traffic is better than using the TMC-RDS Receiver. hat said, here are some words:
One thing that appears odd though is that TomTom offers the option to minimize delays, as opposed to minimizing actual travel time. I'm not sure if this is just semantics, or of they are actually minimizing time spent in traffic, even if it makes the entire trip take longer than it would if I sat in the traffic.
Sorry if any or all of this is old news, but I was so amazed at the difference in quality that I just HAD to post.
I live in the NY area, and for various reasons I jumped from the Garmin ship and climbed aboad the TomTom (I bought a 920T). I can say that TMC reception with the Garmin and TomTom comes and goes at the drop of a hat. The problems that exist with Garmin's implementation also exist with TomTom's - spotty reception, limited roadway coverage, incorrect delay information (almost always 1 minute per incident with Garmin), significant incidents missing entirely.
To those looking to blame someone for poor, little, or no traffic data, despite an apparently working (green dot) TMC-RDS receiver, I say the blame lies squarely with ClearChannel (the data provider/broadcaster). The content and transmission of the traffic data is soley ClearChannel's responsibility. Your TomTom can only act on the data it receives. Garbage in, garbage out.
Disappointed (though not surprised) by TMC reception on my 920T, I called TomTom and told them that although the hardware seems to function properly (it works better and I get data when I get closer to NYC), I have poor TMC reception in my area and that I am considering returning my 920T to my retailer and purchasing a 920 and a TomTom Traffic subscription. So I asked if they had a free trial of TomTom Traffic that I could use with my existing 920T, so I could make an informed decision before going to back to the retailer. Much to my surprise they set me up with a ONE YEAR subscription to TomTom Traffic at no charge. They also told me that if I do end up replacing the 920T with a 920, I can should call them to have the new device associated with my account so that the subscription will continue on the new device. How cool is that!?
I had the opportunity to sit at my desk today during rush hour and play with my new traffic subscription. I can't find the words to express how much TomTom Traffic is better than using the TMC-RDS Receiver. hat said, here are some words:
- Delivery is almost instantaneous (even on my pathetically slow iDEN data connection)
- The data covers a much broader geographic area
- Many more roads are included
- Delay times appear reasonable
One thing that appears odd though is that TomTom offers the option to minimize delays, as opposed to minimizing actual travel time. I'm not sure if this is just semantics, or of they are actually minimizing time spent in traffic, even if it makes the entire trip take longer than it would if I sat in the traffic.
Sorry if any or all of this is old news, but I was so amazed at the difference in quality that I just HAD to post.