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jamaroney

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Post speed     
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I have a modest-speed cable internet connection, and when I started the download the speed was good for my system (around 600 KB/s), but then over the next hour it would gradually slow down to almost nothing (2 KB/s)!! What helped to stabilize it for me (around 280 KB/s) was to cancel my Windows and router firewall and my anti-virus. Not a great speed, but at least it's steady and won't take overnight to complete.





CJ350

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Post Garmin Express Map update is like running on Dial-up     
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Garmin Nuvi 255W with an SD Card has been running overnight for over 9 1/2 hours and still shows only 42% complete for a North America Map Updae. Current Garmin Express download speed is only 85.8 KBps yet Speedtest confirms my internet download speed is 12 Mbps (1500 KBps). I have the latest Garmin Express Version 5.5.0.0. Every time I do a Garmin Map update it's always taken over 12 hours to complete. Interestingly enough, I did a similar Map update for a friend with another brand and software and it completed in less than 30 minutes! I have a 64-bit Win10 computer with an i7-4770 CPU, 16 MB of RAM, 766 GB of free space and the latest Win10 updates. The problem is not my computer or my internet speed.







CJ350

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Post Garmin Express Map update is like running on Dial-up     
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Further to my note, Windows Explorer shows the Garmin Nuvi with only 146 MB of storage in use, and 1.70 GB free. The SD Card shows 2.64 GB in use with 4.76 GB Free. Is Garmin Express trying to load everything on the SD Card instead of just the overflow from the Garmin Unit?





GT350

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Post Loading to an SD Card appears to be the issue     
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The North America mapping update finished after about 10.5 hours and it appears to be primarily all on the SD Card (Kingston 8 GB SD card). I disconnected and shut down the GPS, removed the SD Card, connected the GPS and requested a reload of the North America Map (knowing it wouldn't fit on the Nuvi 255W). Garmin Express advised selecting either a smaller subset of the NA Map, or inserting an SD Card of at least 3 GB capacity. I selected a map of Canada and the US Border States and it loaded in less than 45 minutes. Download speed was up to 7 times faster than downloading to the SD Card. My understanding was only the mapping "overflow" spilled over onto the SD Card when the Nuvi reached its storage capacity but it appears ALL mapping is directed to the SD Card if Garmin Express determines the complete map won't fit on the Garmin device. It still doesn't explain why the SD Card loads so slowly through a USB 2.0 port.





GT350

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Post Action Plan to resolve long download time     
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After updating mapping on my Nuvi 255W to "Canada and Border States", which fits in the Nuvi storage area, I reinserted my 8 GB Kingston SDHC (not SD) Card previously loaded (10.5 hours) with full NA mapping into the Nuvi. Both the full NA mapping and the subset mapping (Canada and Border States) now appear in Nuvi Mapping. (SDHC Card of course now only needed if venturing outside Canada and the Border States). Downloaded full NA mapping to my PC, including Garmin MapInstall, which can load All or selected Maps from my PC to the SD/SDHC Card and/or the Nuvi if destination space is available. Download of full NA Mapping to PC was much faster than loading directly to SDHC Card in the Nuvi. It remains to be seen whether downloading Mapping to a PC and then using MapInstall to upload to a Nuvi or SDHC card is quicker than downloading directly to an SD/SDHC Card in the Nuvi. I don't have a spare SD/SDHC Card to test that scenario, but that's my plan if the next Mapping update suggests the download will take 10 hours..





Jellyjar

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Post Garmin GPS map updates download time     
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I just downloaded all of North America data file. It took less than 15 minutes. I inserted a 32 gig SD card. My ISP is comcast. My adaptor card is a Netgear with capability over 500 megabits per second. I did a speed test before downloading with comcast. My download speed was 190 megabits per second. Previously I used the laptop internal WIFI. It said estimated time of more than 5 hrs.
I noticed in previous comments that it took too long...many hours. As some comments that posted implied, it must be ISP connection speed or the adaptor. Hope this helps





Garmin DriveAssist 51 LMT

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Post Re: Pete is right     
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Anonymous wrote:
Pete, you are right it's not your computer and it's not your internet connection. It is Garmin software!! I have three devices and all of them take hours to update, even having the maps downloaded. It is the update itself of the devices. The USB speed I'm seeing for the n�vi 260W is just 92.5 KB/s!!


Same problem 97 KB/s, that's a joke. years ago with old dial up you would see this kind of stuff. Currently projecting 13 hrs to update maps for a unit that was bought last week.





VNK

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Post Re: Garmin 1340 LMT - Should it take HOURS to update maps?     
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johmazz2006 wrote:
The computer will not be the problem. It will instal the downloaded files way faster than any download speed available today.
It has to be the speed of the internet connection.


I have fast internet (100mb down) and a really fast computer. It has nothing to do with the internet. The problem is on the side of Garmin servers.





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20 hours forecast here! Already one download attempt wasted after 4 hours as the laptop dies while my back was turned (I know, run it on mains) but WHY can't it pick up where it left of?

Garmin - I have had issues with your marine GPS's and now this. I am losing my patience with you!





gdclark

GPS: Nuvi Dezl 560







Post Garmin Map Download     
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I find that the download speed of both of my computers seems to affect the timing.
My Desktop is on the LAN part of my network and takes up to 2.5 hours.
My wireless laptop takes a lot longer for the same download.
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cdnche-05

GPS: Nuvi 2559







Post re: Garmin, should it take HOURS to update maps?     
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The answer is, "it's complicated."

People think that file size divided by Internet download speed should result in a file transfer time. That's only part of the story, and what is often forgotten is that Internet speeds are usually expressed as Mbps (megaBITS per second). File sizes are expressed as bytes, and we have 8 bits/byte. So, our speeds are often about 1/10th of what we think they are. If you have a 12 Mbps ADSL service, you can download a stream at about 1.2 MBps (megaBYTES/second). If your map file is 1.5 GB, that might theoretically take 1.5 * 1000 / 1.2 seconds, or 1250 seconds (21 minutes).

But the file is received in relatively small packets, each of which is sent with additional information that is used to detect whether it was received without errors. If not, the packet is resent. And the speed with which your internet connection allows your computer to transmit to the downloading server is maybe 1/5 of the download speed.

Then there's the server: it may well be busy communicating with other clients, so your connection speed may be well below your maximum internet speed. Then there's your Garmin: it uses non-volatile memory (like an SD card), or it may use an SD card if there's not enough room in main memory.

After the maps download to the PC, they need to be transferred to the Garmin. The variation in non-volatile memory and SD card speeds is huge. Do an internet search and you'll find big variations. I know my old Garmins are a lot slower than a new Garmin. Not sure, but I don't think any of them are USB 3.0 capable. When the new map transfers to the GPS, the old map is retained until the process completes. And the new file probably requires indexing.

If you use a Windows-based PC, you'll probably know that the time to download big Windows updates is long, but often less than the time for those updates to install.

In summary, the 21 minute "theoretical" download speed could grow to an hour or more, and the installation time can cause another doubling or more for the entire process.
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larryllix

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Post Garmin download is ridicuous     
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All this is nonsense. This is just a Garmin download PC problem. I have a 25 Gbit connection and an 8 core CPU but the download is listed as 19 hours to complete. I know the estimate time clock is garbage on Garmin Express as this is about my 20th download from Garmin.

It is just the Garmin server and you have to wait because they don't have enough money to create a server farm system.





JackCF

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Post Gramin Drive 51 Update Very Slow     
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I'm trying to update my Garmin Drive 51 wuth Garmin Express on an iMac and an ISP connection of 21mps down and 5 mps up.
I have followed all the steps and it is still stuck on the RESTART phase after I have restarted the GPS. Garman Express us sucking down 99% to 100% of the CPU and the CPU time is 2:30:00.
There is no progress bar or anything to give you a clue on what's going on.
Should I abort or continue?





jamieb9999

GPS: Garmin Drive 50-LM







Post Re: Garmin, should it take HOURS to update maps?     
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bluebell wrote:
Hi

I've just bought the Garmin - it is taking hours to update maps. Is this normal? I stopped it a couple of times blaming he computer for running slow but now I'm not so sure it is the computer.

All other downloads (GPI POI file updates) are much faster. Even my ancient GPS was quicker (till it was dropped on the floor and broke...)


Well it all depends on the speed of your internet connection. What speed of internet connection do you have?

I have a Garmin Drive 50-LM and when I first got it the maps alone were about 3.5 GB in size and then there were a bunch of other updates that also had to be installed.

All of this maybe took me a half an hour to download and have it installed but then again I am on a pretty fast connection and was downloading the files at 11 MB/s
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AGPSDG

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Post My 2cents     
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In this instance, it has nothing to do with the client side... (your computer) Garmin has chosen a hosting solution that throttles download speeds. My rate never exceeded 770KB/s

Given they don't charge extra for the updates I don't have a problem waiting the 4-5 hours. If they offered a $20 5 minute download option would you use that or the free slower option?




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