Garmin Express with MacBook Air M1

It’s not just garmin, I have a hgv satnav from garmin and my tomtom rider satnav is the same I’ve tried every hub and cable I can. I have managed to connect the garmin twice In About 200 tries I don’t know how 

Now the Christmas priorities are behind me I can concentrate on the Nav VI and Garmin Express connect issue. I haven’t tried the ‘yank and transfer’ trick yet, my iMac has been moved to a spare bedroom and requires some furniture rearrangements before I can use it.

Before Christmas I ordered some breakout connectors of varying configurations so that I could checkout the connectivity of my assorted cables and 2 Garmin GPS units. Both of my GPS units utilise a 4 wire interface, that is 0v, +5v, Data +, and Data -, the fifth pin is reserved for the ID connection and Garmin do not use this connection for either my Nav VI or the older LM390. The host computer be it iMac or MacBook Air provide the +5V supply to the connecting GPS unit. Since I’ve retired I have lost my access to sophisticated test instrumentation so probing the data lines(with a Scope) is currently beyond me. Although the USB electrical interface is very simple, the operating protocol is quite involved and beyond multimeter diagnostics. I have also done some background reading on the USB standards and implementation methods.

The key part of the connection procedure is the ‘Enunciation’ process, this requires two way communication over the Data lines. Where Garmin Express fails to detect a fully operational GPS unit is suggestive of a corruption of the data lines, resulting in the presence of the connecting GPS failing. Examination of the data lines using a scope may show some degradation of the signal integrity. This remains to be proven until I can obtain a scope.

My best hunch is that the M1 versions of the mac operate much faster than the older Intel variants and the driver code within Express is too slow to respond so the Enunciation stage times out and fails. This timing may be marginal which would explain why some users can find a working combination and others(like me ) can’t find the magical combination.

This is a really intractable problem and very irritating, I’m stuck with £1600 pounds worth of Apple and Garmin hardware that won’t work together so future proofing my Garmin Nav IV installation, is currently not possible.

Garmin it seems couldn’t care less. Do they ever read posts on their own user forum? Please Garmin show your paying customers that this common problem is being resolved.

I have Mac OS Big Sur 11.6.1 and the Zumo XT won't show up in Garmin Express.  Tried lots of different things.  Help!

I have the same issue with a the Venue Sq. The first day I connected it to my MBP2021 M1 and it opened. My device shows on the desktop, but I have to manually open Garmin Express.

Same problem. Macbook Air M1, Fenix 5X Plus. The watch connected, charge: fine, but cannot get "identified" as a Watch or Storage, neither from Garmin Express nor as a "external disk" from desktop.

I'm going the same for 1 year, hoping that Garmin will solve the problem.lol

From reading the many contributions on this subject on this forum it seems that there is a fundamental incompatibility between a wide range of Garmin leisure/GPS devices and the M1 equipped versions of the MacBook Air. I have resolved this problem with my own BMW Nav VI and MacBook Air setup by installing a SATECHI USB-C Multiport Pro Adapter(2021-09) between my Nav VI and my MacBook. I can now reliably interface between both Basecamp and Garmin Express and my Nav VI GPS device. I purchased the Satechi device from my local Apple store. Its not a cheap fix at £64.95, but Apple did let me try this out before parting me from my cash. Apple also offer a 14 day money back service should this not prove to be a permanent fix. Given the combined cost of the MacBook and the Nav VI (£1600) it seems a worthwhile investment. My advice would to splash the cash and give the Satechi Hub a try.   WARNING: The type of hub\adapter appears to be critical. 

As to the cause of this problem, I've yet to find a definitive/satisfactory explanation.

My own thoughts on this are as follows: The specification for the USB 4/TB3 interface used on the Mac Book is capable of much higher performance both in terms of data rates and power supply flexibility than the earlier USB 1. The modes of operation are decoded when the GPS device is connected to the Host and/or the USB Hub. My suspicion is that the Nav VI USB interface does not have this capability and so the vital communication thro' the data lines fails. The connection of the +5V to the Nav VI requires no intelligence and defaults to a charge only state.  A read thro' other forum contributors experiences show other workarounds.  Garmin Customer Service are still unable to offer anything to assist in the resolution of this common problem. In the grand scheme of things and given the Worldwide sales of Garmin devices I suspect a few unhappy customers don't warrant much consideration. 

Good luck, I wouldn't wait for Garmin.

It’s not just garmin I also have. Tomtom for motorcycle and that is the same 

I've never had a Tomtom device, so I assume your problem is not with Garmin Express or Basecamp but perhaps connecting the Tomtom to a Mac Book with an M1 processor? If so then you could try a variety of different USB C adapters.  I've tried three different different types but only the Satechi worked. On one of the Garmin Forums(Garmin Basecamp related) a user found an old USB Hub that had no power connectivity worked. Have a good read thro' the postings on the forums, they provide an invaluable source of information. The USB spec requires that a USB 4 Host system be backwards compatible with a USB 1 device. The evidence seems to suggest otherwise.

You may also need to familiarise yourself with basics of the USB spec. Hours of light entertainment await you!