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Walking in opposing direction causing "Route calculation error. Missing routable roads in this area"

7606241

I was trying out the Garmin Fenix 7 navigation capabilities, now that I found a workaround for my original issue

To visualize what happened, I drew a picture of my route.

I started at startpoint "Start" and the target was "T", with the calculated route via "A".

I did not take the calculated route, and instead walked the street around the corner, and then further up, to get to target "2" from the other side, but then the problems started!

  1. Recalculation of the route caused "Route calculation error. Missing routable roads in this area" – Restarting impossible
  2. Took a side-path back down (was getting dark), tried route back to start - "Route calculation error. Missing routable roads in this area"
  3. While standing still, tried route back to start with success
  4. Walked into the opposing direction instead, because I liked the longer route back home, recalculation happened with "Route calculation error. Missing routable roads in this area"
  5. Restarted route back home with success
  6. Walked in opposing direction further again, recalculation happened with "Route calculation error. Missing routable roads in this area"
  7. Restarted calculation home – map went dark with clear rendering issues, no paths visible, a few grass areas on dark but everything seemed off
  8. While walking and going into navigation menu, watch crashes and reboots. After reboot the map was still dark and the “Current Pace” voice alert is played 5 times in a row afterwards.

Few observations here:

  1. Walking on the street does not protect you from an error that I’d expect somewhere in a nomansland at best, but I’d even expected Garmin navigation to work off-paths originally
  2. On some paths I was unable to restart the navigation at all, like at “2”
  3. Not sure if standing still was the solution, but I did so on 1 and 2 as well with no success
  4. Walking into the opposing direction causes a recalculation, rightfully so, but how can it be that a RCE is caused at “4” just a few meters back from the starting point “3”, while at “5” you can start routing again through “4” with no problem at all?
  5. What has happened at “7” and “8” is totally unexplainable and it seemed like the map corrupted itself at that point. Got it working later again after switching topo off and on again and restarting

 

I’m at a point where I’m wondering if anybody is really using Garmin for routing at all. I’ve never imagined that products that pretend to be cutting edge in terms of outdoor navigation are so unreliably, beyond anything usable.

 

And this is an error that not only occurs with Fenix 7, but also Fenix 8 and Fenix Edge products in one form of another. In my case it is clearly a bug, so I bet in several other cases it’s also one, rather than actual non-routable roads.

https://forums.garmin.com/outdoor-recreation/outdoor-recreation/f/fenix-8-series/382677/route-calculation-error-missing-routable-roads-in-this-area-is-very-frequent

https://forums.garmin.com/outdoor-recreation/outdoor-recreation/f/fenix-7-series/389738/route-calculation-error

https://forums.garmin.com/sports-fitness/cycling/f/edge-530/342399/maps-don-t-have-routable-roads-in-this-area

https://forums.garmin.com/outdoor-recreation/outdoor-recreation/f/fenix-8-series/426882/20-19---navigation-crash/2003739 

https://www.reddit.com/r/Garmin/comments/11j0lab/garmin_955_route_calculation_error_missing/

https://www.reddit.com/r/cycling/comments/1kc9avq/garmin_route_calculation_error_bug_after_recent/

  • 0

    I'm unable to post here in the forum, trying it since 5 days, and now I've only managed to post parts of it and try to progressively update the article with no success. I post the rest of it as a comment now, as nothing works here!

    Post:

    I started at startpoint "Start" and the target was "T", with the calculated route via "A".

    I did not take the calculated route, and instead walked the street around the corner, and then further up, to get to target "2" from the other side, but then the problems started!

    1. Recalculation of the route caused "Route calculation error. Missing routable roads in this area" – Restarting impossible
    2. Took a side-path back down (was getting dark), tried route back to start - "Route calculation error. Missing routable roads in this area"
    3. While standing still, tried route back to start with success
    4. Walked into the opposing direction instead, because I liked the longer route back home, recalculation happened with "Route calculation error. Missing routable roads in this area"
    5. Restarted route back home with success
    6. Walked in opposing direction further again, recalculation happened with "Route calculation error. Missing routable roads in this area"
    7. Restarted calculation home – map went dark with clear rendering issues, no paths visible, a few grass areas on dark but everything seemed off
    8. While walking and going into navigation menu, watch crashes and reboots. After reboot the map was still dark and the “Current Pace” voice alert is played 5 times in a row afterwards.

    Few observations here:

    1. Walking on the street does not protect you from an error that I’d expect somewhere in a nomansland at best, but I’d even expected Garmin navigation to work off-paths originally
    2. On some paths I was unable to restart the navigation at all, like at “2”
    3. Not sure if standing still was the solution, but I did so on 1 and 2 as well with no success
    4. Walking into the opposing direction causes a recalculation, rightfully so, but how can it be that a RCE is caused at “4” just a few meters back from the starting point “3”, while at “5” you can start routing again through “4” with no problem at all?
    5. What has happened at “7” and “8” is totally unexplainable and it seemed like the map corrupted itself at that point. Got it working later again after switching topo off and on again and restarting

     

    I’m at a point where I’m wondering if anybody is really using Garmin for routing at all. I’ve never imagined that products that pretend to be cutting edge in terms of outdoor navigation are so unreliably, beyond anything usable.

     

    And this is an error that not only occurs with Fenix 7, but also Fenix 8 and Fenix Edge products in one form of another. In my case it is clearly a bug, so I bet in several other cases it’s also one, rather than actual non-routable roads.

  • 0

    Solved by using an alternative map from here:

    https://alternativaslibres.org/en/downloads.php

    Download OSM Base Map and Contour.

    TopoActive needs to be disabled. 

    Worldwide DEM Basemap, NR should stay active

    Reboot might be required after disabling TopoActive

    Route calculation is a lot faster (20s for a 15km route)! Recalculation works when you leave the route, and it took only 1-2 seconds!

    So the conclusion is, something is really messed up with the TopoActive (Europe Central at least) which makes it unusable for the Fenix 7 Pro.

  • 0 in reply to 7606241

    Could you please share me the exact steps on how to disable topoactive? Do you mean to disable them for each activity?

  • Former Member
    0 Former Member

    That's wild. Well done on documenting so thoroughly.

    A couple of followup questions to help prevent others from running into the same issue:

    • What activity profile were you using? Im assuming it was "Walking"
    • Were the paths paved, or nature trails? If nature trails, were you able to try again with the "Hiking" activity type?
    • Were the paths for 2, 3 etc actually showing on Garmin's TopoActive maps or was this in a new residential development?

    Given the map rendering issues and subsequent reboot, it sounds like you might have run into memory issues many of us have when attempting to use routing with the TopoActive maps.It's not just European maps either as the issues are being experienced in the US and Australia as well and on devices where the TopoActive maps haven't been updated, so it's likely an algorithm change that's responsible.

  • 0

    I am adding my self as affected. Forerunner 970. I will try to disable the TopoActive maps today and download the mentioned “workaround”.

    I have tried tweaking the routing setting, etc. but to no avail. Even wit’s routing off setting - so just a “straight line” as navigation to the finish does not work. Routing 50-100m distance does not work either. From 15times I tried routing, maybe 2x it worked out but soon as took of the planned track so rerouting was needed I got the mentioned error “Route calculation error. Missing routable roads in this area”

    As routing is a key part of “navigation” with garmin explore, navigation is now completely un functional.

  • 0 in reply to Former Member

    Thanks.

    It was the normal walking activity.

    I've looked up the details on openstreetmap and will give you the attributes based on the numbers in my diagram:

    • 1. Asphalt street, highway=residental
    • 2. grade2 track with surface gravel, highway=track
    • 3,4,5. grade2 track with surface fine_gravel, highway=track, access agricultural
    • 6. grade2 track with surface gravel, highway=track, access forestry
    • 8. sidewalk with surface paving_stones, highway=path, foot designated

    Paths were all showing up in TopoActive, nothing new here in that area. And given that I could restart the navigation on paths that were previously declared as "missing routable roads" screams like unintentional behaviour to me.

  • 0

    Have any of you solved this issue? I have a Fenix 7 Pro Solar that gives me this error and I cannot navigate with it

  • 0 in reply to 2422640

    Only by using custom maps instead of TopoActive