Audio & Electronics

Avoid the Jam With Real-Time Traffic Reports

"Merge onto Interstate 405 North," says the automated voice from your car speakers. Looking at the navigation screen in your car's center stack, you see your estimated travel time is 45 minutes. But as you merge onto the freeway, a line of taillights that seems miles long stares back at you. As traffic slinks along, your nav screen still reads 45 minutes. You roll your eyes, wondering why you spent $2,000 for a machine that lies to you half the time.

People who have first-generation navigation systems, made in the last seven or so years, are all too familiar with this problem. But today, automakers, navigation system suppliers and cell phone providers offer navigation capabilities with real-time traffic reporting that can keep you out of a mess and moving on with your life. Some even automatically route you around heavy traffic and accidents. The question becomes, which one do you choose? The answer depends on your specific vehicle model, how much you want to spend and how you want to get your traffic information.

Integrated and Portable Navigation Units
Integrated navigation systems are built right into the car and blend into the car's interior seamlessly. This, however, can be an expensive proposition — these integrated units typically run as high as $2,000 in new cars.

Portable nav units from brands like Garmin, Magellan and TomTom are a more affordable option; prices range from about $200 to more than $1,200. That's a significant savings when compared to the price of an integrated unit. Plus, portable units can be transferred from car to car, a real bonus for multicar families or those who frequently rent cars when traveling. Be sure to check out our review of 10 portable nav systems to find the right unit for you.

Three companies offer real-time traffic reporting (note that this feature is available on both factory-installed and portable nav systems): XM Satellite Radio, Sirius Satellite Radio and Total Traffic Network (TTN). XM and Sirius are both powered by NAVTEQ; this company is known for building the digital maps utilized by navigation systems. Total Traffic Network is a broadcast radio service owned by Clear Channel Broadcasting.

As you'd suspect, XM and Sirius offer similar real-time traffic services via satellite radio, and they both cover roughly the top 30 markets with the promise of continuing expansion. Their features and information are similar, and their prices mirror each other almost exactly — about $10 per month. XM NavTraffic tends to enter new markets before Sirius does; information on Sirius Traffic is often more fully developed before the company enters a new market. But with Sirius and XM in merger talks, these differences could eventually become nonexistent.

Most cars that come with satellite radio installed as standard equipment do not have the capability of receiving XM NavTraffic or Sirius Traffic. Depending on whether your car already has satellite radio or not, you may have to spend between $59 and $300 for either an add-on receiver or a full satellite radio receiver that has the capability of getting either one of these services.

Various Services
Each XM and Sirius customer gets a traffic channel as part of his or her subscription; however, this information is delivered via audible reports just like you'd find on your local broadcast news station. The difference is that satellite stations are specific — all traffic all the time — whereas your local news station will offer brief traffic reports only every few minutes, sponsored by advertisers. On the other hand, those local news stations offer their information at no cost to you and often have an intimate knowledge of the local area. This means they can often suggest alternative routes or offer more inside information in general. That's something a remote satellite provider just can't match.

Since it's owned by Clear Channel Broadcasting, TTN is able to provide its traffic reporting over broadcast radio signals, making it the only alternative to satellite service. It takes spoken traffic reports and combines them with its own incident data — plus flow and predictive data from traffic information provider Inrix, Inc. — to create a complete service that can be read by your car's navigation system.

Because of broadcast radio's narrower bandwidth, updated information can take longer to reach vehicles than with satellite radio; however, high-definition (HD) radio (accessed with the purchase of a special receiver, which can run from around $170-$300) makes the difference virtually indistinguishable. Also, this broadcast radio service will only function as long as your car is within range of a Clear Channel-owned radio station. (Coverage maps are available on the TTN Web site).

On the upside, there aren't any additional equipment fees for the broadcast version of real-time traffic unless you opt for an HD tuner. And, unlike XM and Sirius, Total Traffic service offers trial subscriptions, and its yearly and lifetime rates are more reasonably priced. Some manufacturers, like BMW and Mini, now offer free subscriptions with their nav packages. For a listing of automakers and available nav system suppliers, see the chart below.

Cell Phone and PDA Navigation
With cell phones and PDAs becoming ubiquitous tools in daily life, it was only a matter of time before navigation capabilities became available on these compact devices. Both types of device use the Internet to retrieve map and traffic information and plot routes. All major cell phone service providers offer some form of navigation capabilities, or are at least able to provide a subscriber with real-time traffic information. They get their traffic data from the same sources as in-car nav systems and portable units. The cost for these services varies by plan, area and company, so check with your service provider. Bear in mind, though, that the display screens for this information will usually be much smaller than those offered by dedicated nav systems.

In October 2007, wireless service provider Nokia purchased Navteq in order to combine the expertise of both companies and create new online products for Nokia customers. Under the merger, Navteq will continue to operate as an independent aggregator and fulfill its contracts with all current subscribers.

Another useful navigation tool is Google Maps. Accessible through a cell phone Web browser, Google Maps provides navigation directions with real-time traffic information, free of charge. But your phone's Web capabilities must be enabled to do this; it could also entail additional costs, so check with your service provider if you're unsure. Google currently offers full traffic data for a limited number of cities.

There are some totally free real-time traffic options as well, though they may not have the turn-by-turn direction capability of paid services. For example, Traffic.com, a Navteq company, offers free real-time traffic information via the Internet. Once you set up an account, you can select travel routes (such as your daily commute) and receive e-mails on your computer, or text messages on your cell phone or PDA with updated traffic information.

Edmunds.com Senior Features Editor Joanne Helperin gets e-mail alerts at several intervals before her daily commute home from work. "Traffic.com tells me how many minutes my trip home will take on the freeway, as well as the average traffic speed and whether there are any 'incidents' or accidents. It helps me decide whether to take the freeway or the side roads every day. In Los Angeles, where traffic can change dramatically from minute to minute, it can be a big help." Helperin still intends to purchase a portable system to help her "navigate the wilds of Los Angeles" and to assist her in finding alternative routes on the fly.

What To Choose
Though every company says it has a leg up on the others, all these services are pretty equal in the information they can provide the consumer, according to Mark Ippoliti, an analyst for ABI research, which covers the telecommunications industry. What it really comes down to is what will fit your needs and your bank account best. Consider these factors when deciding which option to choose:

1. Do I want real-time traffic occasionally, or on a regular basis?


2. Are the routes I travel covered sufficiently by the service provider?


3. How do I want to receive my information (dedicated in-car nav or portable nav, cell phone or PDA, text message or e-mail)?


4. What can I afford?

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