When you have a GPS system in your car, do you have to pay....?
monthly for the service, yearly.... once when you buy the thing?
Public Comments
It depends on what gps system
GPS positioning is free. You only have to pay for the unit that received the GPS signals. Unless you have a company that supposedly updates the maps and software free if you subscribe.
nope, once you buy it, its yours forever, no fees (etc..) but however; you might spend some money buying extra plug-ins and extra roads and streets for certain cities.
The GPS systems are various types - some are map based while others are satellite based. Map Based systems - are where you insert a disk with all the geographical data into the system fitted into your car and you get the best available routes / terrain traffic data etc on the monitor which helps you choose your path. In these systems the cost is not recurring as you have to buy a CD and use it until a updated version is made available by the manufacturers and you wish to go for it. Satellite based systems - are more sophisticated in terms of obtaining data from the global positioning satellites directly and helping you navigate. I am not too sure about the pricing for the satellite based GPS systems but i think even this is not a recurring expense.
No monthly fees, just equipment and database disc costs. The satellites are owned by the US military. The military has allowed the commercial industry to build radio recievers to pick up their signal. This signal is analog, over-the-air and is not encrypted so your navi system does not have to pay a license to decrypt it. Your navi supplier should however provide you with the option to buy a new database disc from time to time. The map data is constantly changing with new roads and points of interest (restaraunts, hotels, gas stations, etc.). New road data is available from most national survey entitiies every quarter. However, most navi suppliers compile and sell new discs only once or twice per year. These new discs can cost between $50 & $250 in the US depending on the system you have.
