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Product details
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Product Description
Manufacturer's Description
The TomTom RDS-TMC Traffic Receiver gets traffic information to your TomTom. For the one-off cost of the receiver you can get traffic updates and let your TomTom reroute you around congestion.
Box Contains
- TomTom RDS-TMC traffic receiver
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
103 of 106 people found the following review helpful
Just upgraded from TomTom Navigator 6 to Go 730 TomTom GO 730, and after reading some good reviews of this latest receiver (and mixed reviews of the earlier TMC traffic receivers), I thought I'd give this a go.
This is the latest receiver TomTom RDS-TMC Traffic Receiver (2008)and has a mini-USB connector in place of the circular plug that earlier receivers use. It is also worth noting that the box says 'One' and 'XL' (x30 series), but the TomTom website shows it also works with the Go series (520,530,720,730...).
Admittedly, the 730 came with firmware 8.002, and this didn't recognise the receiver, but after connecting to TomTom Home (and updating to 8.010), the receiver was immediately detected. (Note: the receiver needs to be powered to work, so you always need be connected to the 12V/lighter socket for traffic info)
On startup, the display showed that a TMC information signal had been found and that the data was updating. A minute or two later, and a green circle was showing (indicating the information was up-to date), and showing me a long jam on my normal route to work! The info gives shows you how long the queue is, and the cause (roadworks, lane closure etc), and can reroute automatically if you want.
Have read lots of reviews complaining about difficulty in receiving signals/aerial placement in car (probably with earlier receivers?), and that doesn't seem to be a problem with this unit, so it looks like TomTom have got it right with this one! Full marks TomTom!
This is the latest receiver TomTom RDS-TMC Traffic Receiver (2008)and has a mini-USB connector in place of the circular plug that earlier receivers use. It is also worth noting that the box says 'One' and 'XL' (x30 series), but the TomTom website shows it also works with the Go series (520,530,720,730...).
Admittedly, the 730 came with firmware 8.002, and this didn't recognise the receiver, but after connecting to TomTom Home (and updating to 8.010), the receiver was immediately detected. (Note: the receiver needs to be powered to work, so you always need be connected to the 12V/lighter socket for traffic info)
On startup, the display showed that a TMC information signal had been found and that the data was updating. A minute or two later, and a green circle was showing (indicating the information was up-to date), and showing me a long jam on my normal route to work! The info gives shows you how long the queue is, and the cause (roadworks, lane closure etc), and can reroute automatically if you want.
Have read lots of reviews complaining about difficulty in receiving signals/aerial placement in car (probably with earlier receivers?), and that doesn't seem to be a problem with this unit, so it looks like TomTom have got it right with this one! Full marks TomTom!
20 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Although not perfect, this device does what it advertises - however you have to be aware of what it can and can't do. First, it's never going to be able to respond instantly to every traffic jam, and secondly it's not going to be able to pull in a signal in a low-signal area, or inside the sealed metal box of some cars.
It connects simply, is detected quickly (but you might need to wait for a GPS signal to arrive before the TomTom software shows the interface for it) and works quite well. In the UK it tunes to Classic FM (so if you can get Classic FM along your route to work, you'll get a signal with this), but it doesn't *need* to be connected to that signal all the time. Once it's had the "green circle" once, then it'll have picked up the information for the majority of your journey - RDS updates aren't that fast, even for big incidents, so don't panic about having a strong signal all the time
Like any FM signal, it's harder for it to pick up inside the car - either lay the cable somewhere good or realise that before you start - a lot of cars have heated windscreens and that can really interfere with any signal (even the GPS signal itself) coming into the car. Around London, from inside a Ford Mondeo with heated screens, I get a full signal in most areas - the same as my radio tuning to Classic FM or any other big station - at times my radio will lose stereo signal, or switch to a nearby station, and this device works on the same principles.
It does recognise many types of incident, and the software on the TomTom allows you to route around them, but it doesn't cover minor roads or very recent incidents.
That said, it does a great job. I turn it on at the start of each day, plan my route, and it keeps me informed of any major traffic on the roads that involves (including, this winter, a lot of "Road Narrows - Burst Water Main"). It gets traffic information all day long but it's rare that you see it update except for the first time it gets a signal - that's just the way RDS works. It knows about longer-term works which even the most up-to-date TomTom maps don't (e.g. a large stretch of 50mph restrictions along the M25 which have been there for almost a year). It tells you where the traffic/congestion is and how long it'll add to your journey. The software on the TomTom does a good job of routing around the traffic, or just keeping you informed.
It's not perfect but it does exactly what these devices are supposed to do. If you need real-time, always-on, constant updates, then you need the much more expensive subscription data services for your TomTom. If you're just going to work or on holiday and want an idea if anything major has happened today that you might want to drive around, this is ideal, and it's a one-off payment with no subscription. You get what you pay for though.
It connects simply, is detected quickly (but you might need to wait for a GPS signal to arrive before the TomTom software shows the interface for it) and works quite well. In the UK it tunes to Classic FM (so if you can get Classic FM along your route to work, you'll get a signal with this), but it doesn't *need* to be connected to that signal all the time. Once it's had the "green circle" once, then it'll have picked up the information for the majority of your journey - RDS updates aren't that fast, even for big incidents, so don't panic about having a strong signal all the time
Like any FM signal, it's harder for it to pick up inside the car - either lay the cable somewhere good or realise that before you start - a lot of cars have heated windscreens and that can really interfere with any signal (even the GPS signal itself) coming into the car. Around London, from inside a Ford Mondeo with heated screens, I get a full signal in most areas - the same as my radio tuning to Classic FM or any other big station - at times my radio will lose stereo signal, or switch to a nearby station, and this device works on the same principles.
It does recognise many types of incident, and the software on the TomTom allows you to route around them, but it doesn't cover minor roads or very recent incidents.
That said, it does a great job. I turn it on at the start of each day, plan my route, and it keeps me informed of any major traffic on the roads that involves (including, this winter, a lot of "Road Narrows - Burst Water Main"). It gets traffic information all day long but it's rare that you see it update except for the first time it gets a signal - that's just the way RDS works. It knows about longer-term works which even the most up-to-date TomTom maps don't (e.g. a large stretch of 50mph restrictions along the M25 which have been there for almost a year). It tells you where the traffic/congestion is and how long it'll add to your journey. The software on the TomTom does a good job of routing around the traffic, or just keeping you informed.
It's not perfect but it does exactly what these devices are supposed to do. If you need real-time, always-on, constant updates, then you need the much more expensive subscription data services for your TomTom. If you're just going to work or on holiday and want an idea if anything major has happened today that you might want to drive around, this is ideal, and it's a one-off payment with no subscription. You get what you pay for though.
37 of 38 people found the following review helpful
As a high mileage road user going to different destinations on a weekly basis I invested in a TomTom GO 740 "LIVE" satnav a year ago which has real-time traffic updates using the built-in TomTom cellular data system (using the Vodafone network I understand) and have been using it without problem for a year - it is quite simply brilliant and well worth the monthly subscription - I've saved many hours by avoiding the jams. The TomTom "LIVE" system comes with "HD Traffic" which gives both motorways and A-road live traffic updates which is excellent.
Prior to getting this new "LIVE" system from TomTom I previously had the TomTom GO 720T - which was fine except for the RDS-TMC traffic receiver which rarely worked properly and struggled to get a 'lock' on the Classic FM sub band that carries the traffic data. So, I was a little reluctant to get this newly designed TomTom RDS-TMC for my wife's new TomTom One XL, but after reading the postive reviews here I figured I'd give it a try. Here's my experience:
1. It worked, first time, instantly (massive improvement on previous TomTom RDS-TMC systems!)
2. The day I tried it was a bad traffic day and it found all the traffic hotspots instantly on the motorways with details of the traffic, delay impact, tailback length etc (again massive improvement on previous RDS-TMC experiences a few years ago with the old 720T satnav)
3. It was easy to "install" to the TomTom GO One XL with no additional software downloads or configuration needed - as soon as I plugged in the new receiver the TomTom recognised the input and did the rest automatically - from a user experience perspective very impressive!
4. The receiver is quite a hassle to keep stuck to the windscreen with a bit of wetting the suckers required but once up it seemed to stay up
5. This Amazon product is the official TomTom product selling for A LOT more if you buy direct from TomTom - buy it from Amazon not direct from TomTom and save youself over £20!!!
Conclusion: if you are a heavy road user and can afford the higher up front cost and monthly / annual subscription costs go for a TomTom "LIVE" system e.g. 550/750/950 with in-built cellular system to deliver TomTom's exceptional HD Traffic service. However, if you are an occasional road user or budget is tight then this is an excellent 2nd best option which completes the non-LIVE TomTom satnav systems such as TomTom GO One XL to deliver reliable and accurate traffic updates to your TomTom. Well worth the investment.
Prior to getting this new "LIVE" system from TomTom I previously had the TomTom GO 720T - which was fine except for the RDS-TMC traffic receiver which rarely worked properly and struggled to get a 'lock' on the Classic FM sub band that carries the traffic data. So, I was a little reluctant to get this newly designed TomTom RDS-TMC for my wife's new TomTom One XL, but after reading the postive reviews here I figured I'd give it a try. Here's my experience:
1. It worked, first time, instantly (massive improvement on previous TomTom RDS-TMC systems!)
2. The day I tried it was a bad traffic day and it found all the traffic hotspots instantly on the motorways with details of the traffic, delay impact, tailback length etc (again massive improvement on previous RDS-TMC experiences a few years ago with the old 720T satnav)
3. It was easy to "install" to the TomTom GO One XL with no additional software downloads or configuration needed - as soon as I plugged in the new receiver the TomTom recognised the input and did the rest automatically - from a user experience perspective very impressive!
4. The receiver is quite a hassle to keep stuck to the windscreen with a bit of wetting the suckers required but once up it seemed to stay up
5. This Amazon product is the official TomTom product selling for A LOT more if you buy direct from TomTom - buy it from Amazon not direct from TomTom and save youself over £20!!!
Conclusion: if you are a heavy road user and can afford the higher up front cost and monthly / annual subscription costs go for a TomTom "LIVE" system e.g. 550/750/950 with in-built cellular system to deliver TomTom's exceptional HD Traffic service. However, if you are an occasional road user or budget is tight then this is an excellent 2nd best option which completes the non-LIVE TomTom satnav systems such as TomTom GO One XL to deliver reliable and accurate traffic updates to your TomTom. Well worth the investment.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Traffic announcer for tom tom
Excellent item - helps deviate you away from traffic congestion and road blocks - well worth the money for any worthy road warrior!
Published 2 months ago by Jim
Another 5 star review of Tomtom Customer services!
I bought a refurb GO 720 back in the winter of 2007.After about a week or two of use I got the infamous 'waiting for a valid GPS signal'. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Ed Winchester
Does what it is supposed to do.
The model I received seems to be an updated version of the one in the picture. It does not have to be fixed to the screen with suckers and the cable, which also acts as an aerial,... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Old Git
TomTom RDS-TMC Traffic Receiver
I bought this to go with my new XXL TomTom europe. I have just returned from a 3 week tour of Austria and Germany and both the satnav and TMC were terrific.
Published 11 months ago by powerfull pierre
If only it worked most of the time!
When this TMC traffic receiver is working, it's pretty effective, unfortunately the signal is lost all too frequently! Read more
Published 13 months ago by Steve
Cuts Your Journey Times - Good Add On
I have a TomTom 730 and I wanted to have a better driving experience. I knew the TomTom Live devices provided up to date traffic information - but I didn't really want to go the... Read more
Published 17 months ago by AlexKrycek
It's Ok
The jack plug for the orginal reciever go damaged, so I was looking to replace the whole unit when I came across this. Read more
Published 17 months ago by rc
Speedy delivery
I was well impressed with the time it took from order to delivery. I was a bit worried that the connector was different to what I was expecting as there was a seperate connection... Read more
Published 18 months ago by K. Benwell
This is a review of TomTom Customer Services!
I already have a TomTom satellite navigation system and use it regularly. I rate this as a 5 Star product. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Ned Middleton
The chocolate teapot has nothing on this!
I travel up and down the country every week so figured this could help me with all the hellacious traffic jams. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Effon
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