After some months of silence here is a small update of the project and a good news for external GPS holders.
First let’s talk about the new software which will come out in some hours on Cydia: GPSSerial. The goal of this software is to allow external GPS to be used in any AppStore applications. After having installed the software, your external GPS will be seen as if it is the iPhone 3G internal GPS. It will thus allow you to use any AppStore applications that require GPS along with your external GPS. With the GPSSerial package comes a little utility, called with the same name, which allow you to configure which GPS is attached to your device (like in xGPS). You have also the possibility to select the iPhone GPS, which, in this case, use the normal iPhone 3G GPS or cell-towers triangulation if it is unavailable. Please note that if you want to use xGPS along with GPSSerial, you have to select “iPhone 3G GPS” in xGPS. Also the Maps application is not affected by GPSSerial and thus still use the iPhone 3G GPS if available.
You must know that this application is still in its early stage and thus many bugs can still be found. You must also know that this software works best on firmware 2.2.1. We haven’t tested it on all the firmware but if you encounter any problem ,please upgrade to this firmware. We have set up a new forum in order to discuss problems you may found in the package. It can be accessed here:
If you find that an application is not compatible with GPSSerial, please do the following:
- Using Cydia, install the package named “syslogd to /var/log/syslog“
- Set up the correct GPS using the GPSSerial utility, plug in your GPS.
- Start the incriminated application and wait for the problem to appear (i.e. crash or no position)
- Post the file /var/log/syslog on the aforementioned forum with the application name, the iTunes AppStore link and the firmware version you are runnin on.
- We will then try to debug our application to make it run with more and more AppStore products.
Now, concerning xGPS itself. The project is not dead 
. However we haven’t had a lot of time these last months to work on it. That’s why you haven’t heard a lot about it. However we have made some progress for the 2.0 release. Vectorial map drawing now work, we have even offline routing working. It is still in a early test stage and nothing is yet fully functional but as soon we get something stable and usefull we will keep you updated. One thing you must know is that the next version of xGPS will be published on the AppStore only. As we will not have the maps constraint anymore, we are then fully agreeing to the Apple’s conditions. We haven’t yet decided about the price of such an application. However we would like to make two versions, where one would be free.
Thank you all for your support and keep reading this blog in the following weeks. Great things will come.
For those of us who can’t wait until the official release through cydia,where can we find the .deb file?
Patience is a great quality
. It can be found here though:
http://xgps.xwaves.net/index.php/Downloads
I didn’t manage to get it working. Even xGPS is nt working saying that another applications is using the serial port.
Any luck with you guys?
GPSSerial cannot setup igpsd as a gps. Once closing the app it returns to the igps360 setting.
Why is this happening?
No worries.
I installed once again from the beggining and now it works like a charm.
Congrats!!!!
It works great, congratulations! I was hoping for this so long, thank you!
GREAT WORK guys!!!! TY
Now your hardware is complete!
I have a question to all the beta testers,
It seems to work on some appstore apps,
but it does not show speed in none of the app store apps. Correct me if I am wrong.
Also the iDA software does not show speed, and it is dead slow. I am way passed a crossroad, when the voice says turn……
I am using iphone 2G, with igpsd module from xwaves store.
Cheers
regarding the app store version…unless it is not at all comparable to what Tom Tom is releasing there is not a person among us that should not support it. For what you offered us for so many months I hope that all of you will support it, I know I will.
Great work, congrats.
Next thing might be to drop the cable and use bluetooth support from 3.0. What do you think Mathieu?
YOU STILL CAN’T PUT IT IN THE APP STORE. Although they have allowed Tbt, they specifically stated at the March 3.0 event: YOU CAN’T USE TbT ON GOOGLES MAPS! Correct me if if wrong. Could you PLEASE REPLY!!!
I think bluetooth support in 3.0 is not generic, it won’t support standard bluetooth profile like Serial Profile (RFCOMM) needed to dialog with a bluetooth GPS module…
But this open source project provide a bluetooth stack for OS 2.2.1 :
http://code.google.com/p/ibluetoothproject/
It would be wonderfull if this code could be linked into GPSSerial !
Frmaster: Version 2.0 uses other vectorial map sources (like http://www.openstreetmap.org/), not Google Maps. 2.0 is App Store safe.
I got some issue using it in xGPS. My GPS module is iGPS360.
My map file was convert by GMDL0.5.10b and work well without GPS Serial installation, but when I GPS Serial, and setting GPS to iPhone 3G GPS, once the GPS locked, xGPS will freeze and I can do nothing at all, like drug map, zoom in/out…
More study by myself, I found if the map creat by xGPS Manager, work well even the map db file more than 300MB, but if the map db file convert by GMDL, 130MB was freeze, 30MB was well. It’s seem relate with map file size but I have no idea why cause it.
Any help for me!
It seems to be a GPSSerial problem…
Lihuihz: My map is 3.4gb. Try rebooting your iDevice, wait for a signal on your gps, and then launch xgps. it should work
I tested GPSSerial with my own application which can talk to iGPS360 directly or use CoreLocation.
It works with GPSSerial using CoreLocation for some time and then the updates stop (I display GPS time and it stop refreshing). I must relaunch my application to have GPS updates for another time lapse (more or less long, between a few seconds to ten or more minutes)
Nathan: Thanks your replay, I tried your way but I still fail in my here.
Is you map convert by GMDL?
The Geocaching App seems to read the external GPS (iGPS360) instead of the closest cell tower on my iPhone.
Functionality has increased factorally…Thanks
The testing is incomplete but preliminary results are promising.
Just a small question and suggestion:
Waze gives you real time traffic reports and computes the route accordingly, which is a huge + and it uses vectorial maps so I don’t use much of my iPhone memory, but all that’s beside the point… ) I installed the GPS serial utility and Waze stopped working (i.e. can’t get GPS signal). Is there an easy way around that?
I am using the iGPS360 module with the Waze navigation software in Israel (yes, I am using the competition…
Suggestion: since the GPS serial app is simply choosing which external module you are using, why not integrate it in the preferences app. This is mostly a one-time configuration and then you forget about it. Would make it much slicker.
Other then that, this GPS serial just made my ol’ 2G iPhone state-of-the-art again!!! Thanks to the devs!!!!
It would be nice to be able to completely turn off GPS Serial so XGPS will function normally.
I have a question, if the xGPS 2.0 only published on Apple App store in the future, how it support the external GPS module?
I guess if the GPS Serial is the only way for user using external GPS for xGPS 2.0?
Firstly thanks for your great application,it works just perfect in relation with the other apps from appstore, but there is one problem:after installation the xgps software does not work, it says that the serial port is used by another software-I have iPod touch 2g connected with an igps360,any suggestions? Or is a beta consequence ?
The Geocaching App takes a first reading on opening and then refuses to refresh. It’s on the right track and will eventually give us great functionality. My hat’s off to the devs. Thanks
[...] External GPS become internal [...]
GPSSerial appears to work, once in a while, with other apps, but xGPS freezes up in the map screen. Any way to switch GPSSerial off?
Good news!
Both xGPS and gpsSerial work for me on iphone 2G and firmware 3.0
Where can I find / buy a gps serial port module???!!!!!!! Can I build one as well? Is it hard? How?
i installed gpsserial – rebooted – opened the gpsserial – choosed igpsd and entered my serial number. afterwards other apps worked well with my holux 236 ext. gps. but only the first time. once i choose an other source in gpsserial app, i’m not able to switch back to igpsd…!? the only solution at the moment is reinstalling gpsserial app, reboot, and begin with the prescribed procedure from above… any ideas? does someone else have the same issue?
Is GPSSerial working with any other Appstore App than xGPS with iPhone OS 3.0?
i have just try navigon soft, but GPSSerial is not recognised
no gps found on navigon with gpsserial, igps module and iphone Edge
maybe a gpsserial update …
XMotion GPS won’t install because my iPod Touch isn’t a supported device.
Any way I can spoof my model ID and get iTunes thinking I have an iPhone?
i had some luck with the g-maps finding me, but havent taken it out for a ride
i am using igps360 on 3.0
GPS Serial + Holux 2G phones OS3.0 with Navigon for some of us (3 2g iPhones in total) works(2), for some not(1). If you put iGPSD setting ones for all of us in GPSSerial 1.1 application ones it OK, but if you put something different you can’t come back to iGPSD. Also we can’t work with xGPS when GPS Serial is installed. Believe me – we tried a lot of different installations types, add/remove etc…
Thanks, Eugene
I found a schematic and built my own holux to iphone cable, but I can’t find any clear instructions about the gpsserial usage and setup in my case. Shall I obtain a license paying 2.5 euro or buy the $16 cable and use its license? My problem is that shipping to my home country is expensive, slow and very insecure.
You can just buy a license and use your cable if it is compatible with iGPSD cable. However no official support is available for those home made cable.
What about linking with bluethooth GPS antennae?
ipoT 1gen FW 2.2: mic ivoice pro worked perfectly with Skype, Siphon. After installing GPSSerial (x3), (the igps360) works perfectly with igps, IDA etc but mic (in the dock) is dead. What`s up with that? Could you keep my mic working after installing GPSSERIAL?
[...]
I have a Parallax GPS chip which emits nmea183 sentences.
When using GPSERIAL (set to 3G iPhone) my locations are off by 1 mile, north.
Is there a way to make an additional offset or add a fudge factor?
I’m usin iPhone 2G , 3.0 GPSserial 1.1 and it works fine with aplication such as SYGIC or Navigon but in both aplication actual speed is not showing. Position on standard maps.app still is locating by BTS
[...] http://xgpsdev.xwaves.net/2009/06/10/external-gps-become-internal/ [...]
I installed GPSSERIAL but cannot find the icon. any help would be apreciated.
Dear all,
is there a any Information about Baud rate what does GPSSerial will expect on the selected Modules:
iGPS360 ???
xGPS Module 19k2 8n1
iGPSD – does not interest because need a serial number
The reason why I asked that is:
After choose that it would be nice to set BR and Parity and Stopbit for example.
I’m using a “cheap” GPS-Module from broken Car Navi’s or something’s from ebay (connected by Handmade-adapter)
Most of these Modules use Baud rate 9k6 or 4k8 as default BUT this was not working with my IPOD Touch 1G. After a lot of Googleworks I explore that Ipods-Default Baud rate itself is 19k2. I programmed my cheap Module to this BR an it works great.
But I want to use another which’s default is 4k8 or 115kb and i can change (with RS232&PC) these BR only until next Power on reset, so it does not work.
My Idea is to suggest the author of GPSSerial implement a 5th GPSmodul in Settings with name “Customer” ose
Because the NMEA-Messages of the different Modules are allways the same style! The only hint is do match Baud rate from the listening Interface (IpodTouch or Phone)
The necessity is that I plan to have a fixed mount GPS-Modul and an Multiadapter (including Lineout, charging, serial interface) for use in my car.
Feel free to tell me, hey Peter, you must modify the ini-file in var/mobile/… to set BR !?!?
Thanks in advance!
Peter
[...] can easily overcome the accuracy issues by “jailbreaking” your iPhone and installing GPSSerial. This allows you to use an external GPS unit in your apps, via NMEA strings. Better still would be [...]
For the car
Need for the car