Driver alerts Drivesmart units

newbieInNY

Looking into new Garmin. I am specifically interested in the DriveSmart 65 but like many posters, the alerts are a feature I could do without. I think I could live with the banners, but the audio alerts would be bothersome. The owners manual and many posts say SOME alerts can be disabled, can anyone list which ones can be disable, and which can't.

Thanks

Boyd

@crazyfingers claims they can be completely turned off on the DriveSmart 65. On the older DriveSmart 61 you can only disable the audio alerts and the banners always appear. This is also the case on the DriveTrack 71.

http://forums.gpsreview.net/discussion/comment/209930/#Comment_209930

http://forums.gpsreview.net/discussion/comment/209930/#Comment_209930

newbieInNY

Great, the things I read seemed like some types of the alerts couldn't be disabled. From these posts it seems they all can be on disabled on the DS65 (both audio and banner), while the 61 can only disable audio on all the different alerts. Is that right?
Thanks

Boyd

That's right for the DriveSmart 61. Have never even seen a 65, still really happy with my DriveTrack 71 which is more or less a DriveSmart 61 with the ability to include aerial imagery (Birdseye) on the map. :) http://forums.gpsreview.net/discussion/31309/the-drivetrack-71-garmin-s-coolest-model-you-ve-never-heard-of/p1

johnash

Talking of alerts, we used our Drivesmart 65 in USA and were driven mad by continual audible alerts for schools in session. There seems to be no way of turning this off!

Having dropped and broken the screen on that one, we have now upgraded to a 65 with Alexa and large screen. Looking forward to using it in the USA in May but not looking forward to those school warnings!

Is there any way of silencing these warnings?

privet01

I've used a DS61lmts for over 2 years and I've not found alerts annoying at all. There is only a fairly innocuous ding of the audio and a orange or red banner that appears in the top right of the map screen where normally the next turn info is seen. And that quickly minimizes itself to the corner of the device till passed. If you are at other screens such as a search screen, there is a large window that opens with a message. I've only experienced this a couple times and don't remember details of whether I could clear the message or what have you.

I also have to stress that I normally don't use the smartphone link. Recently I did see some annoying behavior while using smartlink, but it wasn't the alerts. It was instead a parking notice. I only got it once, and to be honest it was over and done with so quick, I don't remember the specifics.

Boyd

johnash said:

Talking of alerts, we used our Drivesmart 65 in USA and were driven mad by continual audible alerts for schools in session.

Having dropped and broken the screen on that one, we have now upgraded to a 65 with Alexa and large screen.

I don't understand... you upgraded your Drivesmart 65 to a Drivesmart 65? Is that a typo?

Boyd

@privet01 - Glad that it doesn't bother you, but it sure does bother a lot of people, including me. So there should be a way to turn it completely off - for those of us who just want a GPS and not a "nanny" to annoy us every time the road curves. :O)

privet01

I agree with the point about you should be able to turn it off. However since most of the comments on this were only from those that are annoyed by them, I felt that there should be a comment from someone that didn't find them annoying.

Perhaps I haven't gotten the truly annoying alerts, but I have gotten the school zone, speed reduction, RR crossing and the seemingly ambiguous notification about a dangerous curve than many times you wonder why it's any more dangerous than another that doesn't give an alert.

In fact, I actually appreciate the speed reduction alerts, I drive through Louisiana quite a bit, and their local PD's are pretty intolerant of highway traffic that doesn't slow as they pass by their town. So the alerts remind me prior to getting a visual on the "reduced speed ahead" sign.

So at least a person looking through here for pre-purchase information can now see that not everyone is bothered by such. After all, it's not a very loud ding. And for the alerts I get it's only one ding and no obstruction in the map of driving information other than briefly hiding the next turn instruction.

sussamb

Agreed, I don't find them annoying either. Having said that if I could turn them off I would, simply because I don't need them , although like you the advance warning of speed limit reductions I do find useful :)

Boyd

I'll agree that the speed warnings are helpful (but often wrong). And that is the case with many others, that warn of schools which are long gone, or railroad tracks that are inactive. Anyway, from what crazyfingers said, the newer models do let you selectively turn off the alerts you don't want. That's am improvement.

privet01

I don't remember it being there before, however after doing a full reset yesterday, I have a menu item that shows up in Settings called Driver Assistance. And in it is a selection for Audible Driver Alerts. I deselected all of them and I didn't hear any on my trip I just finished tonight.

What really surprised me though was that Voice Command now had a voice that I never recall hearing in the two years I had this DS61 lmts. That I found annoying as I had to wait till it shut up before I could make my next command. I searched everywhere in the settings but couldn't find a way to disable it. Just before posting this I thought to look in the Apps section and found an app called voice command and allows you to disable the instructions.

Boyd

privet01 said:

I don't remember it being there before, however after doing a full reset yesterday, I have a menu item that shows up in Settings called Driver Assistance.

That has always been there. Either you missed it or something was very wrong with your GPS. ;)