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Map downloads are incredibly slow

MisterFrag
over 2 years ago

I've owned my Tactix 7 Pro Ballistics Edition since they came out, and all this time Garmin Explore on my iPhone has told me that there are map updates available, and gave three options for getting the update:

  1. Using Garmin Express on a computer
  2. Using Garmin Connect app on a mobile device
  3. Using Wifi

I didn't feel like using option #1 since I already had Garmin Connect on my phone, and didn't want to install another piece of specialized bloatware.

Option #2 didn't work at all with the Tactix 7 Pro. Whenever I accessed the Map Manager in Garmin Connect, it would tell me that "This setting is only available on your tactix 7"

So I finally gave up and tried Map Manager on the watch itself (I set up the Wifi connection months ago).

It showed a number of map updates as being available (Topo North America, SkiView etc.), and I started the download last night after connecting the watch to the required USB power source. The estimated time for the download was five hours, so when I woke up this morning and checked on the watch, I expected the download to be done. Instead, it was at 40%. I then checked the network activity on my router and found that the watch was downloading a few kilobits per second, with short spurts of a few megabits per second before falling back to the normal glacial pace.

Why are the downloads so darn slow? And why can't Garmin Connect handle the map updates?

  • 0 over 2 years ago

    Managing the maps is done best with Garmin Express.

  • 0 over 2 years ago

    Go and use #1. The Wifi Module is too slow. 

  • 0 over 2 years ago in reply to AgentMax

    I don't buy that the Wifi module is too slow. Viewing the network activity of the watch shows that it CAN download several megabits per second -- that's not great, but bearable. Instead the watch only downloads a handful of kilobits (not kilobytes) per second. That just seems like a poor downloader design.

    When my watch downloaded the v8.37 software, it only took a few minutes for the download and installation. The watch can clearly download much faster than it is when it's updating the maps.

  • 0 over 2 years ago

    WiFi chip seems to be running at low power as it really runs slower than it can. This is to save power. However, your download is still slower than that. Maybe there is some issues with server side of Garmin.

    For map install and updates cable is the best method. 

  • 0 over 2 years ago

    I download the topo maps (europe) with 100MB/s (I have 1 gig down so theoretically 125/s) with Garmin Express. When it says 50% in the app, it starts to push the file to my Fenix 7x at about 20MB/s (it's on a usb 3.0 port, but seems the watch is 2.0 protocol, based on that speed) 

    Ofcourse if Garmin it's server is uploading slow, you just get that speed...

    In the end Garmin Express told me it would take about 2h30min, but was done under 15min or so :) (didn't time it...)

  • 0 5 days ago in reply to jrgruff

    Myes... today I downloaded an 3.xGb update and now the max speed was only between 30 and 60 MB/s... (and not 100 as before) but it still is way faster than what you should have... (only took few minutes...) Did you try to download it via an UTP cable to you PC/laptop (just for checking that speed and ruling WiFi problems out, if any)?

    Also when you go to www.nperf.com with you phone (and DO accept your location when it pops up --> for fastest server near you) and do a test, what speeds do you get? (nperf is better than all other speedtest things, unless you know how to use the iperf protocol and setup a server on your PC and use your phone as a client. Then the iperf commando will test at full speed) 

    But I use Garmin Express for GPS's and Watches... so no idea of the Outdoor Maps+ server

  • 0 5 days ago in reply to jrgruff

    Well EXCUSE me for even trying to help... I'm just being polite you know... I'm an electrician and did networking too and when I try to help others (that I know, like family friends colleagues, etc) I know I don't have to talk tech...cause they don't understand. Just because you ''say'' your phone gets 1gigabit per second is not enough info to know YOU'RE a network guy. So good luck. 

  • 0 4 days ago in reply to jrgruff

    All downloads with watch WiFi is slow. Also firmware downloads are slow. If you try the update via USB cable using Garmin Express app, you'll see it can easily hit 10 MB/s. Of course it'll probably hit higher but my connection is limited to that.