Customer Reviews

M-241.: Holux M-241 Bluetooth Data Logger GPS (Runs on AA Battery, MTK Chipset, 130,000 Waypoints)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a good compact GPS logger, which is primarily intended for geotagging digital photos.

The idea here is that the GPS logger periodically records your GPS location and then, later on, the Holux Logger Utility takes this timestamped GPS information and compares it against the JPG timestamps on your photos. Then for each photo, it can find the GPS record that best matches the photo time and add that GPS location information to the photo.

The basic idea works well. The M-241 is sometimes a little awkward to use, but I like mine enough that after I accidentally lost my first one, I quickly bought a second. I use the GPS info for both tagging photos and for generating route maps.

Some specific positives:
* The logger is very compact and easily fits into a pocket.
* The Holux logger utility uploads GPS data as either proprietary TRL files or as Google Earth KML files. The KML files can be easily viewed with Google Earth.
* GPS signal sensitivity is quite good. It can sometimes take several minutes to get an initial fix, especially if you are moving, but it tracks quickly thereafter.
* The LCD display is useful: I enjoy being able to watch things like direction, or speed, or travel distance as I travel.

Now some weaknesses:
* A Duracell Alkaline AA lasts me about 15 hours and a Lithium AA about 22 hours. (Fairly typical battery life for a GPS device.)
* The battery case cover is rather flimsy and needs cautious handling.
* The two button control UI on the logger takes a little getting used to. I can now navigate it quickly, but I initially found it rather frustrating.
* The logger utility UI is distinctly clunky and the manual is rather weak. The UI does the job, but not particularly elegantly.
* You need to keep your camera time synchronized with the logger's time and you need to compensate for timezone differences when you do the photo tagging.

You can use either USB or Bluetooth to communicate with the logger. I've been using USB on Vista, without any problems. I can't speak to the Bluetooth functionality.

Some suggestions:
* Make sure to download the latest firmware and logger utility from the Holux website. The latest versions have bug fixes and some feature additions.
* In the logger settings, turn "AutoLog" to "on". This means it will start logging as soon as it gets a GPS fix, and you don't have to remember to separately turn on logging.
* Rather than worrying about time zones, I ended up leaving my camera permanently in UTC+0 (GMT). The logger always writes its TRL records in UTC+0, so this means I can tag photos without having to specify a timezone adjustment.
* By default, the logger logs every 5 seconds. I moved it to every 30 seconds, which I find adequate for photo location and lets me store over a month of records.
* If you're using USB, it's worth turning off the Bluetooth radio to save power. (This is a new feature in the v1.12 firmware.)

Overall, this isn't perfect, but I find it very convenient as a lightweight tool for GPS and photo logging.

I've had this for a few months, and it works. I take it hiking and use other software (GPicSync, free) to geotag the photos. Make sure you set your camera to the right time (get the "true" time from the logger). I seems pretty accurate, finds the satellites after a little while (< 1 min), and has enough recording options. I really like that it uses AA batteries; it will run all day on a lithium rechargeable (2700 mah) that I also use for my camera. When I'm away for a few days, I just bring extra AA's. It can store a lot of waypoints. It has distance and time logging options, can display speed, distance traveled, location, can be locked to avoid accidentally turning logging on/off. And it's been knocked around without complaining.

The USB and bluetooth work fine on a couple of computers (XP); it is important to install the USB drivers before connecting it. I find the USB much easier than the bluetooth. You can adjust the settings from the software, which makes life easier.

OK, some quirks: the software appears to offer geotagging, but does not; the GPicSync works great though. With the USB connection, you have to figure out which COM port it connects to; this is trial and error (COM6 for me), but it stays the same each time you connect it. If it runs out of power while logging, the file is lost (same thing if you accidentally turn it off); there is a low-battery indicator, but you need to be checking it pretty regularly, or have a good idea how long your battery will last. The battery cover feels pretty fragile. You can't tell it to start logging until you get a fix on the satellites, which means each time you turn it on you need to remember to start logging a minute later.

I think for money and convenience (AA, reasonable memory, accuracy), it's the best logging option - at least in March it was!

Cute little gadget. It is a comparatively fast and sensitive little Bluetooth GPS unit with a tiny display that can show Lat/Lon/Alt/Speed/Compass/etc. and has a backlight. It will also automatically or manually log waypoints and routes with a modest number of configurable options. It works great with my Treo 680 Smartphone and DeLorme Street Atlas USA 2006 Handheld Edition. In fact it is more reliable than my DeLorme Bluetooth GPS's. Running 12 hours on an alkaline AA battery is rather amazing. The fact that the accompanying software can export the saved waypoint and route data in a number of formats, including NMEA and Google Earth KMZ format is cool. The software is a bit primative but it seems to work. I hope they come out with some updates.

Now for the negatives.

The USB driver doesn't seem to work properly on XP!!!

It seems to work okay on Win2K Pro.

Fortunately it is possible to connect your XP PC and the data download software to the M-241 over Bluetooth and get the data off of it. Slowly.

And Holux Technical Support (email to China) seems to be strictly a one-way communication medium. You send them emails and nothing ever comes back.

Would I buy it again? Yes! It's cheap and works great as an amazingly sensitive and fast little GPS. And if you can negotiate the usual quirks and user hostility of Bluetooth, you can make it do everything that Holux promises it can do. However it sure would be nice if Holux fixed the stupid USB driver for XP!

-Christopher Erickson

I am very satisfied with the purchase experience and the product. It would seem that allot of reviews are for an older version of the product but the one I purchased from CE Compass through Amazon and received on 4 September 2010 is everything that I expected.

There are many reviews and YouTube videos of this product and I had been looking at it for a long time. The only issue that I had to comprmize on was the readout of the latitude and longitude. I would like it to readout in decimal degrees but it uses degrees, minutes, and seconds. This cannot be changed for display on the LCD but there is an option when using the data to select your choice.

Also, I would recommend downloading the most recent software and reading the manuals. One review I read indicated that the unit did not capture waypoints but it does. One person also indicated that there was no locking feature for the inadvertent button push but there is.

I did not want a big heavy unit like my Garmin, I wanted a small light unit that I could wear around my neck in the field and log routs, take waypoints, and even take a picture of the readout if I wanted to. And even the lanyard that comes with it is top notch. The driver for reading the unit installed without any issues and I like the simplicity of the HoluxLoggerUtility. The price was also a deciding factor... Joe

The Holux data logger is better than I expected. The battery life lasted a very long time considering I was using bluetooth. Even though the company is based in China, the M-241 feels solid and made of good materials. It is a breeze to lean how to use the controls, and I love the LCD screen.

I used this GPS in Upstate NY as we planned a few trails in the woods. I was then able to upload the data to Google Earth and see how it laid on our property.

The only con I have is the slight delay. I was using the GPS on my ATV and there was a 1-2 sec delay in the MPH reading, not a problem though.

The Holux website is an excellent place to find manuals and updated software for this GPS.

Pros:
-Ease of Use
-Battery Life
-Quality
-LCD screen.
-Good Website
-AA Battery (1)

Cons:
-Slight Delay in MPH readings


Overall,this GPS is perfect for either the everyday user or just for vacations. It's portability makes it easy to store, and the AA battery gives you the possibility to get more juice instantly.

I did much research on other GPS units before I bought this one, and I think it is great bang for your buck.

-Drew

What I wanted was a small device that can tag my photos with their location once I get back home from the zoo, hike, etc. This is one of several devices that at the 50-100$ range can do that. Where this device shines is it has a display that is actually useful. This gps locks on pretty fast, with bluetooth turned off the battery will easily last for 18+ hours, and in a pinch its Long/Lat display can tell you where you are within about 25ft (it may be more accurate than that, but my maps are not.) For time adjustment, every couple of days (definitely every time you change location by more than a timezone) Take a picture of the gps displayed time. This makes calibration easy, and accurate to 1-2seconds.

Other good uses for this - record paths around town, or hiking / jogging trails, spy on your kids (turn it to record every x feet, and tuck it in their backpack or toss it in their messy car.

Not only would I buy it again in a second, but anyone who asks what it is gets a 3-5 min sales pitch. This little thing was exactly what I was in the market for!

If you are a casual user, I would not recommend this product. If you are interested in actively figuring this product out, it could work for you. After 2 days of use, I have successfuly created and uploaded Google Earth files. This is really cool, and the reason I bought the product. However, I have also found the following: 1. This device eats batteries. I have reloaded the single AA battery twice in 2 days, having just used the product for a few brief periods. While indoors near a window, the product take a while to find the satellites. Because it takes a while, I set the unit down and then came back to it later only to find that the unit had timed out and turned off. Turning it back on started the process over again. The PC software is non-professional and is hard to use. It looks like a Windows 3.1 application. 3. The manual is minimal, at best. 4. The UI of the device is not intuative.

I needed a GPS Logger with bluetooth compatibility for Foolography Unleashed GPS receiver. M-241 matched perfectly the need and I'm able to see GPS coordinates in my photos.
Pairing Foolography unleashed was little difficult but after 4-5 attempts I was successful. Once paired, this duo worked seamlessly whenever turned on.

So this is an interesting little gizmo. I bought it because I liked the idea of it being powered by 1 AA instead of 3 AAA like the AMOD. The downside was going to be this unit didn't speak a standard GPS language. That actually turned out to not be an issue. It works great on a Mac for photo tagging with two free programs. GPSBabel to connect to the unit over bluetooth and convert the track log into GPX format and then GPSPhotoLinker to stamp photos with the GPS tag. GPSPhotoLinker uses the program Exiftool so it'll even tag RAW like my NEF files. It is pretty good stuff.

The negatives to the unit have been talked about in other reviews. That battery cover on the bottom is asking to be broken off. Fortunately another reviewer mentioned charging the unit via usb cable (and having a rechargeable battery in the unit). So far that has worked fine for me so I rarely have to crack the unit open. The battery life is pretty good; easily a whole day of wandering. It is just a GPS unit (not A-GPS) so it'll take a minute or two to get a position when first turned on. Normally when I get to my location for shooting photos I turn the unit on and it's usually figured out my position by the time I snap the first photos.

I did not use the software it came with as I figured that would be useless before I even ordered the unit. However GPSBabel and connecting over Bluetooth (instead of the USB cable) means I don't need to install any funky drivers or anything which might mess up the mac. It all uses normal standards (other than the GPS language which GPSBabel understand and will convert into whatever you'd want). You can also use this babel program to output a Google KML and then you overlay it in Google Maps or Google Earth and see where you were walking.

Bottom line is that it isn't perfect (watch that battery latch) but if you have the right software it works great for Geotagging or keeping a GPS trail.

Good product but the battery cover a bit fragile, it can be possible to extend the battery life using the connection for the car