Garmin GPS power cords

[booster]

I have spent some time lately trying to find my way through the huge pile of models and the lack of clear comparisons given to them by Garmin.

One thing that came up that is very confusing and pretty expensive if you mess up is, of all things, the power cord to the GPS from the 12v accessory outlet.

Because we have a Garmin with lifetime traffic, I knew there was a different cord used for traffic models, but thought that just made two. Nope, it looks more like four different cords, mostly interchangeable on units but do different things.

1. Plain old power cord. Will not allow traffic. Will not allow wireless camera.

2. Cord with FM traffic capability only

3. Cord with FM traffic and camera capability

4. Cord for digital traffic so you can get traffic from you phone instead of FM traffic when available. Not clear if it will get FM traffic also. Apparently won't do camera so probably not FM either.

To make it weirder, some models with traffic come traffic come with an FM cord like they always did. Some models with traffic come with a standard cord and you have to buy the FM traffic cord or Digital traffic cord to get traffic.

More weird yet is that the FM traffic and camera cord comes with the camera, so if you get a model that has the FM traffic cord you throw out about $70 that is included in the GPS cost for the FM cord.

One more weird is if you buy a unit with traffic but just a standard cord, and a digital traffic cord at the same time, you will throw the $70 digital cord away if you got a camera too because it has the only cord that will work included with the camera.

All of this appears to be creating a bunch of irate customers if you look at the Amazon ratings on some of the units, especially the ones that bought a GPS with lifetime traffic and then found out when they got it that they needed a $70 cord.

[gerrym51]

Booster-

this might help-o get you more confused.


https://support.garmin.com/faqSearch...Ja11t7iwvYnz18

[booster]

Originally Posted by gerrym51

Booster-

this might help-o get you more confused.


https://support.garmin.com/faqSearch...Ja11t7iwvYnz18

You got that right, at least the confused part.

It really isn't rocket science as they could have a similar chart that would say which cord to get based on what you are buying and what you are looking to do such as phone linking.

My guess is that they are working toward not including anything but a basic cord in all the new GPS units and getting you to buy one of the other cords if you need it. The interesting thing is that they don't list the camera and traffic cord as being available as a loose item, only with the camera, so you couldn't buy that cord loose and then be able to add just a camera later. The camera itself appears to be available as a single. In reality, the FM traffic cord doesn't look like it would even ever be needed as the combo cord could cover the traffic only applications.

[Johnny R]

Originally Posted by booster

All of this appears to be creating a bunch of irate customers ..... especially the ones that bought a GPS with lifetime traffic and then found out when they got it that they needed a $70 cord.

That sounds odd to me. The cord was included with the LMT Garmin I bought up here in Alberta.

[booster]

Originally Posted by Johnny R

That sounds odd to me. The cord was included with the LMT Garmin I bought up here in Alberta.

The really odd part is that some LMT models come with the traffic compatible cord and some do not. It appears they are moving toward not including the cord in new models, but still have it in older models being sold.

I did finally hear back that the cord that comes with the camera, which will also receive traffic, is only normal traffic cord receiver, so it appears that there is no way to have the digital traffic if you have a camera.