Home > Consumer Reviews > Garmin I2 In Car Satellite Navigation System With UK Mapping

I agree with all of the previous 5 reviews. Amazing value for money. This unit gives directions better than any human navigator I have ever had sitting next to me. You can set the unit for 'fastest' of 'shortest' routes, with or without motorways,the black and white screen is much less distracting than colour ones I have seen and seems clearer somehow, and the voice has 5 volume settings , number 5 being LOUD. If you dont need a SatNav that is also an MP3player/phone/teasmade etc... then get this

I ordered this off Amazon, came yesterday, ( has version V9 maps loaded - the latest ) marvelous little thing. worked straight out of the box. After a test drive I went to the Garmin website and downloaded the webupdater and POI ( the POI is the utility that lets you upload a list of where all the gatso cameras are ) .

Thats where I think my troubles started, I used webupdater ( after I had added the drivers on my pc)) to see if I had the latest software. These Amazon ones come with version 3.1 but 3.2 is the latest, which the webupdater found and installed for me faultlessly. At the same time I was asked if I wanted to change the voice from the American to English which I did( this is not a reversable operation ) . After this the unit found it very difficult to to pick up any satellites and had a reduced signal strength when it did,It had seemed to work fine before the upgrade. I got in touch with Garmin. The problem seems to be that these devices know where they are made ( Germany/Czech for mine I think ) so that when you update the software it tries to find satellites from that local area.

FIX:
The answer was ( this is in the online manual ) to push the three buttons on the front simultaneously ( arrow - wheel - power ) then reply yes to 'reset'. The unit then needs to be left in your car with the power on for 30 minutes or so and it will automatically retune itself to the local satellites. I have just been for a testdrive again after doing all this and its working fine now.

In summary:

Great piece of kit - much better than expected, works straight out of the box. If you do feel the urge to fiddle then the above FIX should sort you out

I have recently purchased this GPS system and I have tested it out and about around where I live. This is a very good product, it has all the basic features required for navigation.
My father has a TomTom Go which has all the bells and whistles. After seeing my back to basics I2 he wishes he bought it since his cost £400(when he bought it) and mine does basicly the same thing for £80 (bargain).

It has a monochrome screen, which in my opinion does the job and is easy to read (when setup correctly). It has the same signal strength as the TomTom unless you have a heated front windscreen then you will require the additional external arial. It has an Amerian woman voice over which is clear and fairly loud (can be heard over music). The I2 has another useful feature, you can ask it to find the nearest restaurants, petrol stations, ATM points and a few others.

I would recommend the Garmin I2, if you are looking for a budget GPS unit for you car this is well worth the money and works as well as some much more exspensive units.

BUY ONE

I wanted a sat nav for ages but didnt like the huge price tags. I also thought they would be hard to use. I saw this one and then the price and thought shall i or shall i not. After getting lost again i thought the time had come and took the plunge. Got it for £80 and its a brilliant, easy to use, simple to understand. A great product and a great purchase. Highly recommended.

This [...] GPS caught my eye and the good reviews and excellent Amazon price made me take the plunge. Very compact unit and clear screen. B&W but it is very functional. The audio didn't work properly when I got it but once I had updated the firmware and audio from the garmin site it worked well. You can import speed camaeras and other points of interest, which is useful. Bear in mind that updated maps are expensive (as much as this GPS) so be prepared to buy a new GPS when the time comes. It gives you an estimated time of arrival at your destination and will provide your speed too. The compact size means that it doesn't obstruct your view.

All in all a highly recommended buy if you want a basic GPS

Bought one from amazon last week. It is a brilliant little unit. It was only £80. I find the mono screen absolutely fine and the sound from the built in speaker is excellent. Signal strength is good even without an extra antenna. It is very easy to find a destination by postcode or street name and the point of interest databases are excellent. I have put mine back to firmware version 2.7 from the 3.1 supplied. I have been told that it will run more smoothly on this version. No problems so far. Well worth buying at £80.