LTE on a Fenix?

K2 over 4 years ago

I saw this question asked recently, and it got me thinking. Is this a useful feature? Would I pay an extra $50-100 for it (and what about the data plan cost)?

As for myself, I certainly wouldn't care to be Apple-Watching it and holding up the watch to my face as I go for a run. And I could care less about real-time syncs to Garmin Connect while my phone or wifi is out of range. And I definitely do not want to see ANY kind of battery life hit for having LTE...

...but...

One of the reasons I got a Fenix is so I don't have to carry my phone on runs for me, it does my GPS run tracking and plays my music, plus a lot more. But now I don't have an emergency contact system anymore, and as I'm running farther longer, I'm often thinking if my wife will have enough information to find me if I pass out or bite it or whatever. And if I start traveling again and run in a new location, I might end up having to take my phone for emergencies anyways.

So, what if the Fenix 7 had LTE? I don't need a speaker or a mic, I don't need it to take calls, I don't need to get my regular notifications, and I certainly don't need it to be always on. But it would be great if it was integrated into some of the safety features on the current Fenix line, like emailing/calling your emergency contact with GPS location if your watch stops moving during a workout or experiences a high impact (that would even be helpful if you lose your watch). You could also have a duress mode where you could constantly send GPS updates to a preset email or contact 911 for you if you activate it with a hotkey. Or you could send preset, one-off SMS/emails if you need. Fine, it can even be active for that Live Track feature if you want.

The point is, if the LTE feature is emergency-only or limited functionality, it doesn't need to be a battery hog, and it'd still be useful enough for me to pay a premium, and even a reasonable monthly fee when I know I'll need it. And it would free me completely from carrying a phone around, because I know if anything happens, I'll be able to get critical information to someone straight from my watch.

That little bit of peace of mind might even be enough for me to straight up upgrade from the F6.

Thoughts?

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0 Ɛpsilon over 4 years ago in reply to Former Member

Oh I'm agreeing. I think it's implementation on the 945 has been designed from the ground up on what LTE can bring to the Garmin table. And although I always carry a phone, I'm well aware of the importance of redundancy. I carry an amateur radio on my longer jaunts...

It's not added in a "generic smart watch" way as CIQ apps cant use LTE. But the Live Track stuff is very interesting.

0 Ɛpsilon over 4 years ago in reply to Ɛpsilon

As I said, I was originally pretty against the idea of LTE till I saw the DC Rainmaker stuff and when it showed how it was baked in, with definite uses in mind and not just a marketing "tick box" way - that changed my mind on it.

0 Former Member over 4 years ago in reply to Ɛpsilon

I understand now. Thank you for the clarification.

0 Ɛpsilon over 4 years ago in reply to Former Member

My pleasure!

I must be honest, it will definitely be a feature that will push me towards a F7 if it's a new feature there. I saw when you posted about being hit by someone. For me my major worry is, when I'm in the Beacons for example, being out of cellular range and so I started taking a amateur radio. So yeah I think having a belt and braces approach is very wise indeed.

But baking LTE into collision and incident detection is very tempting. If I fall down a quarry and am led unconscious on a trail run, the thought the watch can possibly save my life is very very compelling... not all my runs are out of service areas, and LiveTrack is my most used feature - live event sharing has proved very useful so my wife knows exactly when I'm due home for example

0 Former Member over 4 years ago in reply to Ɛpsilon

Ɛpsilon said:
I saw when you posted about being hit by someone.

You have a good memory. My right knee was a little messed up after that but I dismissed it. More than a year later it's still bothering me. Hind site is 20/20.

0 Ɛpsilon over 4 years ago in reply to Former Member

Ain't that the truth! Currently I'm struggling with a pulled muscle in my back that means I have to have my wife help me put socks on sometimes! Which is doubly embarrasing as this sort of spinal pain she's lived with for years and here's me complaining....

What I really like about the 945 implementation is that it really is a complementary technology, there's not a lot added to the 945 that really is groundbreaking - but they've integrated LTE well. We both know Garmin has a bit of a habit (!) of integrating some technology in a less than ... optimal way (for me, it's Pulse Ox. Never used it, never will....). But there's hope with the 945LTE that it's not all about marketing tick boxes.... :)

0 Ɛpsilon over 4 years ago in reply to Ɛpsilon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ed9OS3fjBdA

DC Rainmaker talks about the whole emergency side of it... very cool

0 Former Member over 4 years ago in reply to Ɛpsilon

I read that. It's exactly what I was hoping for with LTE. A little scary about the alerts with IERCC, but I'm sure that will be adjusted. I read earlier about your wife and her wheelchair use. Is it permanent or temporary? Hopefully the latter.

0 Ɛpsilon over 4 years ago in reply to Former Member

Unfortunately it's permanent, but she has some mobility. Thank you for asking mate! But we've adapted, as we always do! She can do some slight wandering on crutches, not very far.

Yeah, that's pretty much my thoughts on the IERCC stuff, but TBH I think for a lot of people it'll be really good, especially the ability to silently switch it on in case of being followed - a very good feature for women runners!

0 Former Member over 4 years ago in reply to Ɛpsilon

Ɛpsilon said:
Unfortunately it's permanent, but she has some mobility. Thank you for asking mate!

Well, it's definitely off topic but I'll say it anyway. Cudos to you my friend. My wife and I have a close family friend who's confined to a wheelchair and we know it can be trying for all involved. It's great to hear the "we always do" comment. It takes a special person to care for person who's in a wheelchair. A lot of sacrifices on both sides.