TomTom Rider 550 Initial Impressions, & Comparison with Garmin Zumo 590

[CYYJ]

Hello All:

I ordered a TomTom Rider 550 GPS this week, to use on my upcoming trip to Tunisia. When I was researching the Rider 550, I couldn't find as much information about it as I wanted to, so what I will try to do in this post is give you more information about the device, and provide an initial comparison to the Garmin 59x GPS device.

I own two Garmins, a 590 (Americas) that I use in North America, and a 660 (Atlantic) that I use in Europe & Africa. I've always used Garmin devices - since 2001, I've owned at least a dozen different ones, from the Streetpilot III through the 296, 396, 496, the Streetpilot 25xx, 26xx, 27xx, and 3 different Zumo series. Up until recently, I've been pretty happy with Garmin products and would not have considered switching brands.

What prompted me to buy the TomTom is that Garmin charges $120 USD for a one-time (non-updatable) purchase of cartography for Tunisia, and their coverage of Tunisia is pretty thin. I've already paid $120 USD in the past for one-time coverage of Morocco, where I rode last year. Those maps are serial-number locked to my aging Zumo 660, which means that if I need to replace that 8 year old device in the future, I'll have to buy the same maps all over again.

By comparison, TomTom provides worldwide coverage - all continents - to owners of the Rider 550, and provides continuous updates of that worldwide coverage at no additional charge. I realize that Open Street Maps (OSM) are available for Garmin devices, but I have not had good experience in the past using crowdsourced OSM cartography. Too few road attributes, and too many routing errors.

Issues Affecting Motorcycle GPS Development
Before getting into a close look at the new TomTom, it's worthwhile to consider what's happening in the world of automotive GPS development. All the portable GPS unit manufacturers have seen a significant drop-off in unit sales in the past 10 years, this because more and more automobiles are equipped with factory navigation systems, and most smartphones can function as automotive GPS navigators. As a result, the portable GPS unit manufacturers have focused their efforts on making inexpensive portable devices that they can sell in volume in lesser-developed countries.

This doesn't bode well for development of better motorcycle navigation systems, because the motorcycle GPS market is very small and motorcycle device development rides the coattails of automotive device development. Garmin has only released a couple of new motorcycle GPS devices in the past 6 years, and the motorcycle GPS market has now stratified into one very high-end (and very expensive) device, the BMW Navigator VI (built by Garmin for BMW), a rather tired and long in the tooth Garmin 595 that is an update of the 6 year old 590, and TomTom's latest product, the Rider 550, which sells at a significantly lower price point than the Garmin devices. I think it is unlikely that we will see a new high-end device released by Garmin in the future. I believe they have ceded that market to BMW and their Navigator VI.

Rider 550 vs Zumo 59x - Initial Impressions
My Rider 550 device arrived today. It wasn't very expensive, about $460 CDN (about $350 USD). This compares favourably to the Zumo 595, which is about half again as expensive.

Physically, the two devices are about the same size. If you look at the two devices when they are powered off, screen on the Garmin appears only fractionally taller & wider - about 1/8 of an inch taller, and about 1/4 of an inch wider. The big difference between the two appears once you power the devices up... Garmin's screen resolution is 800 by 480 pixels, vs. 480 by 272 pixels for the TomTom, and Garmin uses the full dimensions of the screen to display the map, vs. a very thick black rectangle around the map on the TomTom device. It's pretty clear that the Garmin device has a bigger screen, but, subjectively, the difference in clarity and resolution between the devices is less than what I would expect when comparing an 800 by 480 device to a 480 by 272 device. TomTom appear to have done a very good job of optimizing the way the map is presented on the screen.

Display Comparison




Both devices have a micro-USB port for battery charging and/or data transfer. Both have a slot that accepts a micro-SD card to expand memory capacity. Both appear to be equally waterproof, based on specifications and on the look and feel of the devices.

USB & SD Connections


The TomTom device is thinner than the Garmin, which will make it easy to remove it from the motorcycle and stuff it in your pocket when you park the bike. The TomTom attachment device appears to be quite robust and well-designed, allowing one-handed removal and installation of the GPS unit. The back of the TomTom attachment device has a four-bolt fastener pattern that exactly matches the dimensions of a Ram-Mount mounting plate, which means that it will be a 5 minute job to change from an existing Garmin installation on a motorcycle to installation of a new TomTom.

Motorcycle Mount & Power Cable


Setting up the TomTom 550
Switching from a Garmin to a TomTom is a bit like switching from Android to Apple, or from Windows to Mac - it's not just the device that changes, the whole ecosystem associated with the device changes as well.

Garmin owners use Garmin Express to update maps, and either MapSource or BaseCamp (both free Garmin applications) to handle waypoints, routes, and tracks showing travel history. You use a cable to transfer information from your computer to the Garmin device & vice-versa. When you get a TomTom, you set up a 'MyDrive' account with TomTom via the internet, then 'sign in' to your account directly on the Rider 550. The Rider 550 supports direct Wi-Fi connections, and once you have signed into your account on the GPS device itself, it automatically downloads operating software updates and map updates via Wi-Fi whenever it is plugged into external power (either installed on the motorcycle, or connected to 5 volt power via the micro-USB cable). I had no problem setting up the MyDrive account, and once I logged in to my account on the Rider 550 (which also automatically registered the device to my name), the device downloaded a whole whack of updates.

Logging into Wi-Fi


TomTom's behind-the-scenes programming is pretty clever. When I connected the device to Wi-Fi, it figured out that I was in Canada, so it automatically downloaded and updated all the maps for Canada, the USA, and Mexico.

Once you have a 'MyDrive' account, you can manipulate routes & waypoints either on your computer (by logging into the TomTom MyDrive website), or you can download a MyDrive app for either an Apple or an Android phone and manipulate routes & waypoints on the phone app. I haven't done any of this work yet - I'll report on it in a few weeks, once I get familiar with how the app works and become competent using it.

What's in the Box
TomTom packages the 550 in two ways: a 'basic' kit, which I purchased, and a 'Premium Pack', which contains everything in the basic kit as well as a mounting system for use in automobiles, a 12 volt cigarette lighter power plug, and a small clamshell case for the device. Unless you plan to use the device in your car, I think it is pointless to get the Premium Pack.

When I was first reseaching the Rider 550, I saw it advertised as a 5 inch device on many sites, and as a 4.3 inch device on other sites. This caused me a bit of confusion - I thought at first that it was available in two different sizes. What I eventually found out, after ordering the "5 inch device" from Amazon, is that it only comes in one size, which has a screen that measures 5 inches diagonally from corner to corner (when the screen is powered off), but only shows an image that is 4.3 inches diagonally when it is powered up.

The pictures below show what comes in the box with the basic device. It pretty much comes with everything one would ever need. I will eventually buy a second motorcycle mount, but only because I have two STs (one in Europe, one in North America).

Hardware that comes with the Basic Kit


I have not yet spent much time using the device - during the next week or so, I'll try to load some routes and waypoints into it, and I'll also use it in my car a bit to see how it performs. It appears that real-time traffic updates and a speed camera database are included free for the life of the product. I'm not sure what kind of weather information is available.

Anyway - this post is just an 'initial impression' and description post. I'll provide more information later, once I have gained some experience with the device and its ecosystem.

Michael

 

[kiltman]

Are you being watched? Or does someone have a sense of humour. RCMP van 24..... thanks for giving us the goods on the GPS.....valuable info.....looking forward to your real world experience

 

[Upt' North]

That seems a very good price Michael, and a decent mounting kit included.
Unless I'm mistaken the price must have come down since I was thinking of getting one, which I didn't, I'm cheap but you already knew that.
Keep us all posted and all the best for your Europe/North Africa soirée.
Upt'North.
P.S. My thumbs almost recovered . .

 

[Upt' North]

Just checked, down from £399.99 to £305.00 in the UK for the same deal.
They also sell a 50 for £249.99 but that's Western Europe only.
Upt'North.

 

[CYYJ]

Are you being watched? Or does someone have a sense of humour. RCMP van 24.....

That's my router I was going to name it "Your kids are noisy", but I figured that wouldn't be best for neighborly relations.

Michael

 

[kiltman]

That's my router I was going to name it "Your kids are noisy", but I figured that wouldn't be best for neighborly relations.

Michael

I could’ve sworn I saw a white van around the corner whilst we were doing our tech day...... . Excellent name for the router!

 

[CYYJ]

Well, I've had a few hours to play around with the device - and perhaps more importantly, the associated external software that is used to communicate with the device and create waypoints and routes, and this is what I have learned so far:

Communicating with the Device - Getting Updates
As I mentioned in my first post, Garmin owners use a PC application called 'Garmin Express' to update maps and device operating software, and additional PC applications 'BaseCamp' or 'MapSource' to transfer waypoints & routes to and from their device.

Tomtom's approach to things is entirely different and requires a whole different way of thinking. It's too early for me to say if it is better or worse that Garmin, but I can say quite definitively that it is a totally different paradigm.

Updating maps, operating software, and speed camera locations on the Tomtom requires no action or effort from the owner other than to press the 'YES, fetch it now' button when the device alerts you that new maps, new operating software, or new speed camera locations are available. Once you log into a Wi-Fi hotspot with the Rider 550, it remembers that Wi-Fi hotspot and connects automatically when in range, much like a smartphone. Hence, whenever it has a Wi-Fi connection, it's always silently checking in the background to see if any updates are available. If updates are available, it offers to download them. If the user decides that now is an appropriate time to do the download, they just push the 'YES' button, and the device starts downloading.

What I have learned is that some downloads are kind of large (meaning, gigabytes), so it's best to not accept the offer of downloads when you need head out the door in 5 minutes. Tomtom recommends that the device be connected to external power during downloads, but it is possible to do downloads when running on battery power. All in all, it's no more complex than getting app updates on an iPhone... there's no need at all to have the device connected to a computer to get map, software, or speed camera updates, and no need to proactively check for updates. If an update of any kind is available, the device will let you know.

Communicating with the Device - Transferring Routes & Waypoints
It's not possible to create 'defined' routes on the device. By 'defined', I mean the kind of touristic routes we moto riders use. It is possible to create a simple route, for example, from A to B, directly on the device.

If you want to create a 'defined' route, one that has intermediate waypoints or one that is shaped exactly the way you want, you create it using one of two devices:

1) On a web browser, such as Chrome or Edge, you log into your TomTom MyDrive account, and create the route there, or;
2) Using the Tomtom 'MyDrive' app on your Android or iPhone, you create the route on the app.

It doesn't matter which of the two methods you choose, they both work the same. Once you have created the route and/or waypoints, they are saved to your MyDrive account "in the cloud", and will be automatically fetched and downloaded by the GPS device itself the next time the GPS device connects to the internet. The GPS device can connect to the internet either directly by using its own Wi-Fi capability, or, if you are at some picnic table by the side of the road creating the route, the Rider 550 can use your phone's internet connectivity, via Bluetooth, to fetch the route.

I haven't had enough time to evaluate the effectiveness of MyDrive vs Garmin's MapSource or BaseCamp for route creation, but so far, it appears that the whole route and waypoint creation and transfer process on the Tomtom is considerably simpler than it is on the Garmin, simply because no cables are needed.

TomTom produces a pretty good User Manual (select the appropriate country version - US or UK - if you download it) that explains how to use the device and the MyDrive app. The manual says that you can import GPX (GPS Exchange Format) files into MyDrive, and then transfer them to the device. This is interesting, because it suggests that it might be possible for me to import any one of the GPX files I have created with MapSource or BaseCamp over the past 18 years, and send that file full of routes and/or waypoints to the TomTom Rider 550.

We'll see...

Michael

 

[kiltman]

Can you Bluetooth it to a number of devices at the same time? Meaning can I connect to my headset and phone? Some gps units allow you to route your phone to the Unit and in turn it goes to a SENA or Cardo. That way you get turn by turn instructions as well as the ability to answer your phone hands free.
On a personal note talking on the phone hands free whilst riding doesn’t work for me, I will either pull over, call them back at a later time or let the call go to voicemail. Though I do on occasion ask Siri for weather updates, or nearest fuel stop when I’m riding.

 

[ST1100Y]

What prompted me to buy the TomTom is that Garmin charges $120 USD for a one-time (non-updatable) purchase of cartography for Tunisia, and their coverage of Tunisia is pretty thin.

As already mentioned elsewhere can you simply load OSM maps on your Garmin... and their FOC...

The TomTom device is thinner than the Garmin, which will make it easy to remove it from the motorcycle and stuff it in your pocket when you park the bike.

Tell me about it... one of the main reasons I still use and favor my old Garmin Quest-I is are it's small dimensions... (besides that it has hardwired audio-out connected to my also wired intercom...)

 

[ST1100Y]

It's not possible to create 'defined' routes on the device. By 'defined', I mean the kind of touristic routes we moto riders use. It is possible to create a simple route, for example, from A to B, directly on the device.
If you want to create a 'defined' route, one that has intermediate waypoints or one that is shaped exactly the way you want, you create it using one of two devices:

1) On a web browser, such as Chrome or Edge, you log into your TomTom MyDrive account, and create the route there, or;
2) Using the Tomtom 'MyDrive' app on your Android or iPhone, you create the route on the app.

hmm... not quite sure there...
My GF has a TomTom Rider (which menue achitecture is a nightmare IMHO...) whilst I'm on MapSource/Garmin for route planning/navigation, with the obvious problems though...
But I found some ways:
Once I've finalized my *.GDB route on the Netbook I
a) store it also as *.GPX
b) start my [RouteConverter Offline Edition] program
c) import the created *.GPX into [RouteConverter] (ensure to select [route] there)
d) then export it as *.ITN file (I store that in the same folder as my prev Garmin route; don't forget an appropiate name though)
e) connect her TomTom Rider via USB
f) select [import routes] on the TomTom (it'll then show in as [drive] in Windows explorer)
g) drag & drop the created *.ITN file into the TomTom Rider's directory shown...

eject, disconnect, open the route on ze TomTom...

Works, with some exeptions:
- different map material + the max number of shaping points will be reduced below 50 during convertion to *.ITN, which will lead to slight variations from the original, Garmin route...
- do not accept the [want to navigate to starting point?] prompt on ze TomTom if you not intend to actually do so (TomTom will continue to navigate back there for the next 1000miles and more... )
With a Garmin one can "enter" an opened route at ANY point, and the device just continues to navigate from there as if nothing happened; not so with TomTom, that thing is really dickheaded in this regard... )

 

[Daboo]

CYYJ - You might want to define your route by selecting specific addresses or POIs along the route you want. On my Garmin, I will select gas stations along the route I want usually. As the GPS selects the routing, it makes me ride by those and the last waypoint along the way is just my destination. If gas stations aren't convenient, I'll use intersections. I almost always will program my route on the GPS, instead of in a separate computer application.

I'm very interested in what your impressions are. I bought the 590 and did a firmware update to make it a 595. The "Trip Info" side bar takes up a fair amount of space. If you add anything like the Music Player to show on the screen, it takes up a third of the screen. I think the TomTom does a better job of displaying info on it's screen and the result is perhaps more screen real estate left for showing your route.

Chris

 

[bdalameda]

I have both the Garmin and the TomTom 550. They both do the job but I like using the TomTom app as it is similar to using google maps. Just search for a destination and push a button and it sends the info directly to the device to navigate, my older Garmin does not do this but perhaps the newer ones do - saves a lot of time entering info on the device. The Garmin does seem to have a more complete database in the device of POI's in the USA though.

 

[RaYzerman]

Display resolutions..... Garmin 59x has a screen that uses some ambient light as backlighting, therefore doesn't have as much contrast, even with its 800x480 resolution. The old 550 was 320 x 240, not great but easier to read. The 396 I have now is 480 x 272, 4.3" is better than the 550 and just different, more contrast than the 59x (but on either, you can pick a display theme which can alter the background colour/contrast). Sounds like TomTom is using a 4.3" format with that large border... don't see anything wrong with that.
A note on the Garmin "entering" an open route... not really so in my experience. You are prompted to pick a waypoint you're heading to next.... hint, name them such that you know what it is if you're not in familiar country.
FYI, Garmin 396's have been going for $250-ish for the past few months.

 

[Uncle Phil]

That's why I like my cheap 5" waterproof motorcycle Chinese GPS - get the route to KML format and drag and drop it with a USB connection.
With GPSBabel and like software, you can convert pretty much any route file to KML.
Simple is Good!

 

[bdalameda]

So, if you want to drew a route on the fly, somewhere in the middle of nothing, you need to be connected to 'MyDrive' via a phone? What if there's no service? Can't you connect the nav directly to the 'MyDrive' network?
Sometime it is needed to make up a route directly on the nav if no other options like laptop or phone service present.

You can also create a route directly on the device - no need for the MyDrive app.

 

[CYYJ]

CYYJ - You might want to define your route by selecting specific addresses or POIs along the route you want. On my Garmin, I will select gas stations along the route I want usually. As the GPS selects the routing, it makes me ride by those and the last waypoint along the way is just my destination....

I'm very interested in what your impressions are....

Hi Chris:

That's an excellent idea, using gas stations (or other roadside POIs) to create a route. Thank you very much for that suggestion.

It will be a while before I actually begin using the Rider 550 on a motorcycle. I can't ride my Canadian bike in the winter (too much salt residue on the roads, even on dry days), and I won't be starting my Tunisia road trip until about the third week of February. In the meantime, I intend to learn how to use TomTom's programming environment (MyDrive) to create routes, import old routes and waypoints from my BaseCamp & MapSource libraries, and recover track information from the Rider.

Can you Bluetooth it to a number of devices at the same time? Meaning can I connect to my headset and phone?

Yes, although the level of difficulty doing that is dependant on the headset unit, not the Rider 550. The TomTom device is capable of multi-channel Bluetooth pairing, which means that at any one time it can be connected to both a phone and a headset. But some headsets are not able to cope with multiple device pairings.

TomTom appears to have a very good library of support videos that explain how to deal with various operational issues. This particular video, Pairing a headset with both a smartphone and your Rider 500/550, directly addresses your question. I'm quite impressed with the quality of TomTom's support videos. Not only does that video explain how things should work, at the end of the video, links are provided to other problem-solving videos in case things don't work out when the preferred solution is attempted. That's classy tech support.

Michael

 

[CYYJ]

You can also create a route directly on the device - no need for the MyDrive app.

True, provided you have a scanning electron microscope to enable you to easily view the screen, and a co-operative infant under 6 months of age who has fingers that are correctly sized to select the waypoints and press the various touch-points on the screen.

That's not a knock against TomTom, it's a problem I have with all small-screen devices - iPhones, Garmin devices, and aircraft FMS systems that don't have physical keyboards...

Michael

 

[Daboo]

True, provided you have a scanning electron microscope to enable you to easily view the screen, and a co-operative infant under 6 months of age who has fingers that are correctly sized to select the waypoints and press the various touch-points on the screen.

That's not a knock against TomTom, it's a problem I have with all small-screen devices - iPhones, Garmin devices, and aircraft FMS systems that don't have physical keyboards...

Michael

It isn't that hard, actually. I have the TomTom app on my phone, For anyone wanting to try the TomTom interface out before buying the hardware version, this is a feasible alternative.

I simply picked my end destination. Then as you would normally, clicked "Let's Go". Then selected the menu button on the screen. Choose "Current Route", then Search. You can add an address, or POI, or Contact's address from there. You can also go a little further down the menu and select "Add Stop to Route". It's pretty simple actually. You don't have to select it on a map. You just need to tell it the address, or have it look the address up. I've had times with my Garmin that it didn't know the address to a POI I wanted to go to. I just looked it up on my phone, and typed it in.

BTW, a pencil eraser makes a good substitute for a co-operative infant's fingers when typing on a on-screen keyboard.

Chris

 

[RobbieAG]

Thanks for the excellent write up! I'm planning to get a new GPS this year and the Tom Tom 550 is at the top of the list. I'll be very interested in your additional thoughts on it including the mode that takes you on as many twisty roads as possible - I think they call it "Thrilling Ride" mode or something similar. Of course all your opinions on creating routes and the ecosystem in general are much appreciated.

 

[CYYJ]

Well, I have had a chance to use the TomTom Rider for a few days now while driving around in my car (too cold to ride a moto in Toronto at this time of year). Here are my initial thoughts:

Display: It's pretty clear, although it is smaller and lower resolution than the Garmin 59x display, I don't think the difference will be meaningful. There's certainly enough information displayed, both map and text, to satisfy navigational needs.

Routing Guidance: Works well, very quickly adapts to provide new guidance if you choose to not turn where it wants you to turn, provides very useful 'countdown' information as you come up to a turn or ramp - both visually and with text showing distance remaining to turn.

Weather Information: None at all, compared to the superb live weather radar display available on the Garmin 55x. This is a major disappointment.

Traffic Information: Works well and updates quickly, displays clearly. I have not yet encountered a traffic jam on my route, so I can't comment on whether or not it does a good job of proposing alternate routes around a traffic jam.

Connectivity with Phone: TomTom has a huge problem at the moment. Apparently Apple changed how they implement Bluetooth on their phones about 3 months ago, and this has completely broken the ability to use the TomTom 'MyDrive' application on the phone (the equivalent to Garmin's SmartLink app) to enable reception of traffic information, placing and receiving telephone calls, receiving SMS messages, and any other communications-related matter that the Rider 550 used to be capable of doing.

Rider 550 users have figured out a work-around that enables reception of traffic data via the iPhone, but it is a clunky work-around that only enables traffic, nothing else. I have implemented this work-around, which is why I was able to get traffic. Apparently, though, getting traffic information via the work-around (which consists of using the Personal Hotspot feature of the phone) is much more data-intensive than getting traffic info via the app. I have a limited amount of data on my phone plan, so this might be a problem going forward.

I normally never use the telephone when I am riding - either to place or receive calls - and I have no interest in seeing SMS messages when I am riding, so, the loss of phone connectivity doesn't matter to me. But, it has now been at least 8 weeks that this problem has existed, which is a rather long time for a major problem like this to go unsolved by the GPS manufacturer.

For the time being, if the ability to use an iPhone via the GPS for incoming and outgoing calls and incoming SMS is important to a user, I recommend that you not buy a Rider 550 until such time as TomTom solves this problem. There is an awful lot of wailing and caterwauling on the TomTom forums about this problem - the end users are definitely not happy about it. Android phone users are not affected by this problem.

Creating Routes, etc.: I haven't had a chance to experiment with routing other than very straightforward 'take me from where I am to this waypoint or POI'.

More info to follow in the weeks to come.

Michael