InReach Bluetooth Reliability

[Boone-In-Wall]

I may be posting this in the wrong group, but how reliable is the InReach Bluetooth and messaging functions? I plan to pair it to my iphone.

 

[Marbles]

It is one of the more reliable BlueTooth devices I have used. Like any of them, sometimes you need to mess with it.

Messaging is reliable, as far as satellite coms go. Weather, trees, mountains, being in a canyon, Etc. will all delay getting or sending messages. Sat phones have the same issues though and the inReach has the advantage of being text, meaning you don't have to get an immediate link up.

Not sure if that answers your question.

 

[hflier]

I always had trouble with my mini, but my 66i rocks on the phone connection.

Ron

 

[cnelk]

Its fairly reliable. Sometimes Ive had to go thru and 'pair again' for whatever reason.

 

[eddielasvegas]

I had probs with my Explorer+ on my elk hunt last year and it turns out it was my Samsung S8 has known BT issues. Typing any text on an Explorer is painfully slow, but at least it's possible.

IIRC, the Mini has to pair with your phone to send a text.

Good luck,

Eddie

 

[RemcoU]

I've got the 3 year old Explorer+. The only problem I've had is that incoming texts won't show up on my paired phone half the time. That said I haven't tried re-pairing it to see if it fixes it.
It's happened several times where I go to shut it off at the end of the day and I've got a message I never saw. When I go to the messages on my phone, they never show up.

Never had a problem otherwise, messages always send as expected unlike the SPOT I used to have.

 

[Rob5589]

I have issues with the Mini all the time. It is the one negative against it.

 

[KyleSS]

I have run a mini with a Samsung S8 for 2 years now and I haven't had an issue.
I have maybe 45 days total between the two years so not a ton of use either

 

[Dos Perros]

This fall I had trouble sending messages through a thick canopy. Sitting a wallow I put the Mini in an open area about 30 feet away and was able to Bluetooth to it to maintain comm.

 

[Moserkr]

Inreach mini paired with an iphone 7 and now 12, never had an issue with the bluetooth. Satellite connection and speed of messages sending/receiving is slow most the time, but its to be expected in the mtns with a mini device.

 

[Deadfall]

My mini works great

 

[Mighty Mouse]

No issues with Bluetooth connection between my Explorer+ and Moto g6.

 

[midwestwi]

Mine works great, love being able to text off my phone instead of on the mini. No issues with bluetooth staying connected. I’m using an older iphone SE (1st gen, not the new one).


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Marbles]

IIRC, the Mini has to pair with your phone to send a text.

The mini can send messages without a phone, typing them is very painful though as you have to scroll through characters one at a time. Using presets and quick texts messages are both workable if one thinks ahead.

 

[trophyhill]

Love it! Messages can be slow at times but it is reliable!

 

[P Carter]

The mini can send messages without a phone, typing them is very painful though as you have to scroll through characters one at a time. Using presets and quick texts messages are both workable if one thinks ahead.

Agreed. You can type a custom message — very frustrating, but doable — but you can easily send preset messages from the device itself.
Even when it’s paired to my phone, I often just send the presets from the device.

I haven’t had any issues pairing. Sending and receiving can be slow. But I mostly use as a “checking in” type function, using preset texts only, and it has been really good for that. And for navigation.
Having the ability to check in, text for packout help, and on-board mapping for navigation has been a game changer for me.

 

[eddielasvegas]

The mini can send messages without a phone, typing them is very painful though as you have to scroll through characters one at a time. Using presets and quick texts messages are both workable if one thinks ahead.

I sit corrected and thanks for clarifying that Marbles.


Eddie

 

[Boone-In-Wall]

I plan to go with a mini plus OnX maps on my phone. Should I consider getting a better InReach than the mini? I don't necessary need the mapping functions since I'll be running OnX. Thoughts?

 

[P Carter]

I plan to go with a mini plus OnX maps on my phone. Should I consider getting a better InReach than the mini? I don't necessary need the mapping functions since I'll be running OnX. Thoughts?

I think the mini has all the functionality of the other in reaches. If you’re going to have you phone anyway, I’d save the weight and go with the mini.

 

[Marbles]

I plan to go with a mini plus OnX maps on my phone. Should I consider getting a better InReach than the mini? I don't necessary need the mapping functions since I'll be running OnX. Thoughts?

Than antenna and transmitter between all the inReaches are the same per Garmin.

The only important differences between the mini and the Explorer+ is battery life (the Explorer's is significantly better) and frequency of message checks. The mini automatically checks messages and sends tracking points every hour and this cannot be chaneged, though manual checks can be forced (the reason is battery preservation). The Explorer defalts to checking every 10 minutes, and this can be changed to more or less frequently.

Most people are fine with the mini. If you plan multi week expositions, need near real time messaging, or need frequent tracking points, then the Explorer is what you want. Most people never notice the delay with the mini as it also checks 10 minutes after a message is sent, so if someone replies quickly you will get it at this 10 minutes check. However, if they take 11 minutes to reply you will not see it until the hourly check unless you force a manual check before then or send another message.

Glacer travel is the only time I can think of where I would defenatively want tracking points sent more frequently than hourly (if you set the mini to 10 minutes tracking intervals it just sends 6 tracking points at the 1 hour mark, it does not send 1 tracking point every 10 minutes).

In short, you probably want the mini.