Rider 550 Review
I have now had my 550 for two weeks. It has been a catalogue of poor reliability, generally not well-informed support and a product that has very obviously had no testing by any bikers. I am in the process of negotiating a full refund since it is not fit for purpose.
Bluetooth:-
A well-documented radio coms standard, and based on performance, evidently TomTom have not quite grasped nor fully tested in operational conditions. Connectivity, iPhone and Interphone FM5 is both unreliable and impossible to determine a connection sequence to establish the same connection each and every time. E.g. I have had it working when TomTom audio was delivered to BOTH FM5 users and intercom maintained between the two FM5 users. This was ideal and for a brief time I was happy with the product, poor audio quality was tolerated because of ideal functionality. It did disconnect and after restarting the TomTom and the phone was re-established. It did not last, connectively was again lost and HAS NEVER BEEN REPRODUCED!!!!!!
Update Download:-
During a variety of queries and questions with support I was advised to download the latest update. Best advice do not do it unless you have a VERY good broadband connection. What you are not told is that the first operation when downloading is that all current maps are deleted on your device. Should you have a slow connection the TomTom server will fail your download and you will be left with a device that you cannot use. Recovery can be achieved by restarting and downloading the smallest map and then taking it to a location which has a fast broadband. Why TomTom cannot simply provide better server connection management as is the case for Apple and IOS which maintains a download connection in the background and copes perfectly with slow connection is beyond me. It took me two days to recover to useable my NEW 550.
Visual Guidance:-
For this alone I am trying to get a refund. It is dangerous and I have forwarded my compliant to “Trading Standards” It is beyond me that TomTom have very evidently not tested visual guidance alone. The next turn bar is without doubt a useful addendum to the screen. However, its location is just unbelievable. Given that Bluetooth connectivity is not possible, or unreliable there is a total dependency on visual guidance. In 3D and turn magnification, the above noted bar hides the next junction until you are on top of the turn. I have missed junctions and had to slow down far too quickly for anyone following for safety. This is particularly true on multiple junction turns on motorways. Riding a bike demands a very high level of concentration and other vehicle awareness, trying to cope with that and a navigation device that is so difficult to use is dangerous and genuinely believe the product should be withdrawn and rebuilt and TESTED BY BIKERS until it performs both reliably whilst providing timely and accurate visual guidance.
Bluetooth:-
A well-documented radio coms standard, and based on performance, evidently TomTom have not quite grasped nor fully tested in operational conditions. Connectivity, iPhone and Interphone FM5 is both unreliable and impossible to determine a connection sequence to establish the same connection each and every time. E.g. I have had it working when TomTom audio was delivered to BOTH FM5 users and intercom maintained between the two FM5 users. This was ideal and for a brief time I was happy with the product, poor audio quality was tolerated because of ideal functionality. It did disconnect and after restarting the TomTom and the phone was re-established. It did not last, connectively was again lost and HAS NEVER BEEN REPRODUCED!!!!!!
Update Download:-
During a variety of queries and questions with support I was advised to download the latest update. Best advice do not do it unless you have a VERY good broadband connection. What you are not told is that the first operation when downloading is that all current maps are deleted on your device. Should you have a slow connection the TomTom server will fail your download and you will be left with a device that you cannot use. Recovery can be achieved by restarting and downloading the smallest map and then taking it to a location which has a fast broadband. Why TomTom cannot simply provide better server connection management as is the case for Apple and IOS which maintains a download connection in the background and copes perfectly with slow connection is beyond me. It took me two days to recover to useable my NEW 550.
Visual Guidance:-
For this alone I am trying to get a refund. It is dangerous and I have forwarded my compliant to “Trading Standards” It is beyond me that TomTom have very evidently not tested visual guidance alone. The next turn bar is without doubt a useful addendum to the screen. However, its location is just unbelievable. Given that Bluetooth connectivity is not possible, or unreliable there is a total dependency on visual guidance. In 3D and turn magnification, the above noted bar hides the next junction until you are on top of the turn. I have missed junctions and had to slow down far too quickly for anyone following for safety. This is particularly true on multiple junction turns on motorways. Riding a bike demands a very high level of concentration and other vehicle awareness, trying to cope with that and a navigation device that is so difficult to use is dangerous and genuinely believe the product should be withdrawn and rebuilt and TESTED BY BIKERS until it performs both reliably whilst providing timely and accurate visual guidance.
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Comments
In no way was the 400 series tested by real bikers and clearly the same goes for the 550
Bluetooth disconnects, screen rotations, blackouts. Routes not being recorded. Very poor product
In my opinion, my R410 from 2016 was the first and the last product from TomTom.
For a moment I was disappointed becuase they (TT) released a newer better product (550) and my oldy 410 is nothing worth but after a few weeks (OK, maybe months) this high top end navigation equipment for motorcyckling proved to be the same s...t, rubbish etc. as before the older models 4XX.
I can't understand who and how can think this way. They (TT) have a lot complaints and did nothing...
Shame TT!!
This just show how we all are different, what is super critical for one person is not as important for the next guy ...
The auto rotation issue as mentioned above may be more noticeable if you have the unit mounted more flat than I have on my cruiser, never had an issue with this, nor with my 400, 450 or this new 550 but mine is mounted almost in a vertical position.
Connectivity then, think Tomtom need to mature a bit here but now they also depend on an app in a smartphone running on different platforms and operating systems ... which isn't making it any easier for them. I found that sharing my phone as a wifi hotspot (actually using my 4G router permanently mounted on my bike) gives me the connectivity I need for my TTR550, my phone is connected via BT to my headset giving me phone call possibility as well as music if I want. This is all I need and/or want (no, I don't want directions read to me ...) and for this it works like a charm, the new 550 is also way more responsive and so much faster than the older versions.
So as I said, I am just as happy with my 550 as you guys seem unhappy ...
Hope you get it to work or that you find a way to get a refund.
Have anice day,
Anders
Yes, connecting to the phone is a bit sketchy requiring that the GPS be restarted occasionally.
It needs your language to be able to do so.. and a week ago google assistant was available inswedish .. so text messages was read in english and just jibberish.
Well.. I thought I can still use it to call. But here something or rather someone at TomTom really had a bad day. The old riders you coupled your phone to your gps and then your gps to your headset. Calling meant streaming the call through your gps to your intercom/headphone what ever. Reading the manual It's now recommended that I pari my phone to my intercom and my gps to my intercom using both channels. "for better audio" That means that the tt rider now just triggers the functions on the phone to the headset. If a calls comes in I need to push my headset to receive it (survivable) . But. To Place a call is pure crap. I'm not a frequent caller on my bike but now and theh a call to the kids or the wife for a status update and that is now not possible. To make a call i press the phone button on the rider witch triggers my assistant on the phone. In my case the google assitant. And as I said last week I had to speak enlish to get anywhere. And I can tell you.. Swedish lastnames in English is a bit difficult.
Anyway.. today I discover my google assistant now has Swedish as a language. BUT. Due to a Company policy(a software police disablig the voice activation due to a Exchange account) nothing happens when I press the call button while the phone is in my pocket. I need to unlock the phone then press the call button to speak with my voice activation..
This really sucks. Now I need to learn how to make calls directly through my headset instead and I loose a lot of Control over the call handling.
So what we need to se here is a total different way of using the call function in the gps.
this is exactly as I feel, don't need all those bells and whistles. All I need good intuitive navigation, good maps with route changing on the fly option. Ideally I'd like my gps unit could learn and remember my choices. My stupid garmin takes me always the same wrong route on some places regardless me using other better route. BTW can tomtom learn from mistakes?
Superuser
Until then you may contribute by reporting map errors here:
https://www.tomtom.com/mapshare/tools/
rider defines mistake, and gps should remember my choice i next time I ride the same route it should use my recommendation. it's actually simple algorithm.
Superuser
Routes will always be dynamic, calculated at the time you start riding and during your riding according to your route settings and traffic conditions.
The calculated route from the same starting point to the same destination can be different at 8:00, 12:00, 18:00, etc... It depends on the collected map data based on traffic stats, etc.
See https://www.pocketgpsworld.com/How-TomTom-Makes-Maps-Part-1-Map-Geometry.php especially the IQ Route section.
You’ve two solutions to follow a specific route: use a track (no calculations, no routing algorithms), or use a route with some intermediate waypoints to guide it (without loosing routing flexibility).
1st, i would love to add a stop on my route/track/ whatever gpx with specific roads i want to travel on, then have lunch. no way to do that. lol been that way for years since i bought my 400. (myrouteapp or tyre)
2nd and a bigger problem. why does the include unpaved like to turn on so much, if i change the route type ?? i don't want dirt, not now, later, direct, or thrill or winding route. many times it will change to include when changing route type, then i have to stop and change it, or push small buttons on the fly with my gloves on.
the rest it seems to work well, aside from the condensation issue, and i do not use a headset, so i don't have those issues. Visual guy here, always been that way for me.
Yes, it is good if you just want to get from point A to point B and don't care what route you take. But if you want to take a five day, 3000 mile trip or even a three hour trip and want to control what roads you want to take, forget about it. if you are out on a ride and suddenly decide that you want to make a change or take a "windy" route to one of your favorite places that you have saved, nope, can't happen. Not even an option for it in the menus.
I bought one. Set it up, and on its first outing out of the box reverted to the blue world map of death eight times in nine miles.
Same story on the next three attempts at using it. I gave up after that.
The only way to get away from the blue world map of death is to stop, reset the device, have a game of chess while it reboots and then re-enter your route plan.
I have no idea how good or bad the additional bells and whistles are - it won't stay functional long enough for me to find out.
When I bought it, the guy at the dealership said I'd regret it, and I really should buy a Garmin. Oh how I wish I'd listened.
Tom Tom, you owe me a lot of money. Please tell me the address I need to return this piece of shit to in order for you to refund me.