*** Info re: BMW ConnectedRide Navigator ***
A couple of days ago I received my new BMW ConnectedRide Navigator. I've now had a change to familiarise myself with it's functions and capabilities, and as there isn't much information available about this device (not even much on YouTube) I thought I'd share my findings to hopefully save a few others some of the frustrations I encountered.
I am aware of ALL of the other available devices and have researched them extensively. I've not physically tried them, but have carried out significant research and made my decision to go with the BMW CRN for a few reasons. I won't go into the ins and outs of other devices, as the information is out there. Yes, some have pretty screens and lots of functions, but in order to operate them it requires a hand off the handlebars and then menu delving... There is one where you add a canibus interactive unit, which requires a fair bit of installation but accessing menus (zooming in & out, for example) is clunky to say the least. Anyway, I'll get back to my point and share a few things about the CRN.
Firstly, mine is mounted to my (new last month, and 4th) 1250GSA. 4th is significant, in that I have good experience of the operations of the Nav5 and the Nav6, although the main difference between them, is the screen. The latter Nav6 served me well and despite some having issues, mine never glitched once. Back to the CRN... The interaction between the CRN and bike, via the iDrive wheel, is far more extensive - virtually every function can be controlled via the 'wheel'. This is one of the reasons I went for it. The Nav6 interacted with the 'wheel', but the iterations were limited to a few basic, main menu items. The new CRN is way ahead in this regard. Navigation, Bike info, Music, Telephone, Connectivity Hub, Rides and Settings are all fully interactive and operable by the 'wheel'. This alone is a huge feature and one that swayed me.
I know that some enjoy tinkering and doing jobs on their bikes (I spend too much time cleaning it to do faffing as well
) but, if you're like me and favour the plug & play option, the BMW CRN, so far, has been a good choice.
I also wanted some route planning software, so that I could actually plan specific roads and avoid certain areas. My research led me to taking out an annual 'Gold' membership with MRA Routeplanner (by MyRoute-app). I don't have the MyRoute-app, app, because I use my navigator device to navigate, and not my phone.
The MRA Routeplanner works well and is easy to create routes. It seems to have all of the necessary facilities to save routes, save routes as certain files (.gpx is required in my case) and export routes to various brands of device. All well and good until you try to export to a BMW ConnectedRide Navigator. It gives the option, on the drop-down, of "BMW Motorbike", but this does not work. I sent an email via my MRA account to MRA Support, for assistance with this.
They replied back (promptly) stating;
Their words...
'Transferring routes to the BMW CRN does not yet work via the connector, but this will probably be added during major maintenance of the website. (The connector is their downloadable software (either PC or iOS. iOS in my case))
You can transfer the route to the CRN in 2 ways.
1. Save the route as gpx 1.1 and move from the Routes folder on the CRN (to me, this doesn't make much sense. Maybe something was lost in translation?)
2. Open the route in the MRA app, choose download, choose export, choose share and then choose the BMW Connected app. If you have connected the CRN to the Connected app, the route will also be available in your CRN after importing it into the Connected app.
As I said ...their words.
The way I got it to work, is... to save the route (click on the 'Save As' tab), select from the drop-down... save as .gpx 1.1 (route, track, POI). This downloads the route (you will have previously named) into Finder 'downloads'. I then select the downloaded route and I then select 'Share'. I then opt to airdrop it to my iPhone. On my phone I have the BMW Motorrad Connected app. It's quite straightforward from this point on, as the received airdropped file can be added to the BMW Connected app and when your phone connects to the CRN, the route is automatically relayed to it. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy
Once you've done a few test routes it is actually quite easy and will, hopefully, be simplified further once MRA update their software. The BMW CRN is a relatively new device, so can imagine that it'll become more accommodated as other nav software companies develop their services, as well as it receiving its own updates. Hope this helps anyone who is still sitting on the fence and not sure which way to go. At the end of the day, more info is always better. I think
