Customer Reviews

Garmin GDB 55 MSN Direct Receiver

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Here's the conundrum...

I have a Garmin nuvi 255. On the POSITIVE side, with the GDB 55, the 255 IS capable of plotting and changing your route on the fly automatically according to the traffic data it receives. The DOWNSIDE is that the traffic data it has received so far has been next to useless.

For example, last Friday we traveled from Massachusetts to Maryland. Coming down the Jersey Turnpike the unit showed a small (1 or 3 min delay) and kept us on the pike. Just before we reached exit 7, we decided we'd had enough, pressed Detour, and ended up doing something involving route 295. When we reached our destination, we learned from those who arrived hours later that the pike had turned into a virtual parking lot and we'd have lost hours if we'd believed the Garmin regarding traffic.

I'd return the GDB 55 except that the traffic data really can get the 255 to change its recommendations. So, fool that I may be, I'm going to keep working with it on the hope that the traffic data service will improve. I figure (a) it's part of the price of getting in when a service is relatively new and (b)I can always hit Detour manually as we did last weekend should we start getting anxious again.

Unless you *have* to have it, however, I recommend against buying this unit until early adopters report that its performance has improved to being minimally acceptable. At the moment, it isn't!

I have a Garmin 265 WT and I ordered the Garmin GDB 55 MSN Direct back on December 23, 2008 and I actually got the right item. I did read that several people got the Garmin Travel pack instead of the MSN receiver but mine actually came the first time I ordered it. I ordered it from Amazon too. I did order a Case Logic GPS Case with it too so maybe Amazon saw they I didn't need the two cases so they sent me the right product.

On to my review of the receiver. I have been using it for about a month now and I have to say I like the features on it. It's nice to look up movie times, weather, gas prices, and news at the click of my finger. I would have to agree with another reviewer about the traffic data. It is not that quite accurate. It only tells you traffic on the freeways and not on surface streets. I do allot of city driving on surface streets and it would be nice if it would direct me around accidents or heavy traffic on surface streets. Maybe with an update soon from Garmin and it will be able to do that. I also have the FM traffic receiver that came with my Garmin and so I will test that out to see if only gives me traffic tie-ups on freeways.

It does take about 30 minutes to get all the MSN data to update when you first get it. You also have to use it at least two times a week to keep the information updated or you will have to wait a couple of minutes to find all the current weather, movies, gas,etc.

The gas price feature is awesome. It keeps most of the gases prices that you are searching for very current and it great when you are looking for right price for gas in the area you driving. It does have a stock quotes option on it too but I don't use it very often. The headline news option is great when you are stopped at stop light and you want to catch up with with news of the world. I am a huge sports fan and it even tells me whats going on in the sports world.

Overall I love the MSN Direct receiver I just wish it would have a little bit better traffic information.

I purchased the Garmin GDB 55 mainly so I could have traffic reports as I try to make my way to and from work every day. The service is S L O W (anywhere from 10 - 25 minutes for traffic to start registering) and spotty (entire sections of freeways are contantly missing). I used to have traffic through XM Satellite and it was MUCH quicker and complete. I do not recommend MSN for this service. All other services seem OK, but that's not why I purchased the equipment.

I bought this item about a month ago for my new garmin nuvi 205. I travel every week throughout the Midwest. The product does what it says. The weather, stocks and headline update every 20 minutes. The only problem is that it takes about 15-20 minutes to download new info when driving through a new city. By the time the new data is loaded into the garmin, I've already driven through the city. This wouldn't be a factor if your spending more than 30 minutes in a particular area. The Coverage is limited to larger cities. Check the coverage on MSD Direct website before purchase.

The negative review titled "Not as Advertised" by Edward Neumann is no longer valid. After his review Amazon updated the product page with the correct image and description of the models that this accessory is compatible with, so don't let that review scare you off. The GDB 55/MSN Direct receiver works great with the Garmin Nuvi 255w that I connected it to. Although I did have to update the software on the Nuvi before it would recognize the MSN Direct receiver. So if it complains that the accessory isn't supported just go to www.garmin.com/webupdater, download the updater application, connect the Nuvi to your computer with a USB cable, and update the software. After that the MSN direct features work nicely.

This is a nice addition to the Garmin as it now has traffic updates and I can check movie show times. The rest of the features are nice but I don't use them as much. I offers stock updates, local events, but it seems to only be from a few different places.

You can send addresses to the GPS from your computer without having to hook it up directly when finding the address on MSN. The only problem with this is that you have to have the GPS on when you do this so that it can receive it which makes it hard because most people are not on their computer while in the car. It would be nice if it would allow you to send it at a certain time so that you could receive it when you are in the car.

I haven't had the issues that others have reported with this item. I have this connected to a 255W, and I note the following:
- I received what I ordered;
- The receiver antenna is part of the cable assembly, no need to fret about where the receiver sits in your vehicle if your unit is someplace on your dash*;
- The data seems to have improved, considering other reviewer comments and what I have experienced with the unit in the month that I have had it;
- Indeed, a software update prior to, and after, connecting this to the GPS unit appears to be required.

In short, I have thoroughly enjoyed the added capabilities that my 255W now possesses, and still am all "slack-jawed" over its coolness factor. Enjoy!

*I have an 08 Highlander that does not have the metal-imbedded windshield.

After one return (wrong product), I received the MSN Direct receiver and it worked just liked I expected. It was easy to set up and I love the information it provides. Note: The picture of the reciever is not 100% accurate. The GBD55 connection to the Garmin has a smaller tip with a 90 degree angle.

No problems so far. The signal is a little dodgy unless you are in a major city but otherwise it works as advertised. During rush hour the traffic data updates quickly and has saved me quite a bit of time sitting in traffic. I use the weather function quite a bit but the stocks, news, movies, etc. have not come in handy yet.

I purchased this receiver to work with my Garmin nuvi 1490t. The first few days everything was working fine. It did take a while to update and I live in an area with excellent MSN Direct coverage (Northern NJ, NYC area). After the first few days, however, things went downhill quickly. For some inexplicable reason the unit would no longer get reception. The easy way to know if it has reception is to just click on the MSN Direct icon in the Options menu and click on one of the services (ie. Weather). When it's monitoring traffic you will see a small green traffic icon on the map screen. This icon just wouldn't appear anymore despite me doing all troubleshooting I possibly could do. I tried reseting via the MSN Direct website, resetting the unit itself, reinstalling the firmware... nothing worked. The traffic icon would pop up on occasion randomly in different locations while I was driving, but would then disappear again after 15 minutes.

When it works it's actually good (received good traffic info the first few days and gas prices were accurate), but problem is it rarely works. I also have the GDB 50 receiver for my nuvi 765t which has worked well on occasion in the past, but is also having the same reception issues now. I don't know what is up with MSN Direct all of a sudden, but it's not good. Perhaps someone else will have better experiences than I did, but that's a risk I wouldn't take if I were you. Thumbs way down for this one.