Motorhomes are brilliant – it’s fantastic to be able to hit the road whenever you like and get out and about and see the world. But, of course, they’re big vehicles, so it’s not always easy to find the right route to take you where you want to go – which is why a good ‘van sat-nav is one that will take into consideration the size of your motorhome, meaning that you’re much less likely to come a cropper down narrow or other inappropriately sized roads.
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Over the years, and during our tests, we’ve realised that Garmin make some of the best sat navs for motorhomes. I’ve tested numerous examples over the years and, in particular, I really like the Garmin Camper 1095 for its clever combination of clear mapping, easy-to-use input and its vast array of features, including campsite listings.
As a result, it’s easy to see how a sat nav can be a very useful upgrade for a motorhome. However, after choosing your sat nav, one of the most important things will be to ensure that it’s kept up to date at all times. After all, it really needs to know the best routing options, and the only way that can be done is by ensuring that its in-unit software is operating on the very latest version. Updating it also means that the manufacturer can install important bug fixes or other important features, keeping your unit working the best it possibly can.
Fortunately, updating most sat-navs is a pretty simple process, and if you have a Garmin sat-nav (as I do), then you’ll find it’s very straightforward, and it’s free of charge, too.
The process of updating a Garmin sat nav differs depending on whether or not you have access to a computer.
Fortunately, it doesn’t matter if you have a Mac or a PC, because the process is the same. For starters, go to the Garmin website and download the relevant version of Garmin Express to your computer.
Then, simply connect the main unit of your sat-nav to the computer via USB, and click ‘Add device’ on your laptop and follow the instructions. The software should automatically look for the correct updates for your motorhome’s sat-nav – you can then either choose to ‘Install all’ or ‘View details’ to choose a single update. And that’s it.
But what if you don’t have a computer? Depending on the model of Garmin sat-nav that you have, you can still update it without needing to connect it to a laptop or desktop computer. That’s because newer versions of Garmin sat-navs – such as the Camper 1095 that I have – offer connectivity to a Wi-Fi network via their internal settings, and you can update your unit this way.
Simply go to ‘Settings’, then ‘Wireless networks’, and connect to a known Wi-Fi network that you trust. Then, select ‘Settings’ again and ‘Updates’ – if there’s one available, you’ll see ‘Update available’ appear.
Then, you can choose to install all updates, or only Map or Software updates. Next, read the license agreements (and accept – you’ll need to or it will cancel the procedure) and ensure your device is connected to a power source. Then select continue and the update will take place.
It’s as simple as that to keep your Garmin sat nav up-to-date – doing so ensures that you’ll be ready to hit the road whenever the mood takes you.
And while you’re out there, you might also want to consider one of the best dash cams for a motorhome – I have a Garmin X310 and I have found it very easy to use.
When you’re choosing what to buy for your ‘van, something you’re likely to be considering is the payload factor – after all, you don’t want to overload your ‘van. If you’re unsure how much you should be looking for when you’re buying a vehicle, Motorhome Matt is on hand, as he takes a look at “how much payload do you really need in a motorhome?”.
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