Android Devices For Navigation?

Android Navigation Devices

What makes it a good device for motorcycle riding? Lets put and end to the misconceptions about this.

First, who am I to preach to you?

Some call me John, others call me João. I have been developing software and hardware specifically for motorcycles for the past 5-6 years.

I have worked on creating apps (DMD2 being the most famous), bluetooth handlebar controllers (both firmware and software), device firmware, customized Android ROMs, GPS tuning improvements, charging system improvements, and have been working with manufacturers for a while now. I’ve got experience in the whole ecosystem at this point. In addition to that, I also manage the navigation department at Thork Racing, so one of my jobs is managing and developing the DMD branded products, which includes working with the manufacturing of our DMD Navigation Devices.

Will this be a post about “our hardware is better than the others”? No. What I’m hoping to do here is to share my experiences with you to help you make an informed decision on a very important piece of any motorcycle rider’s kit.

I love doing what I do, but being in this position means that I get asked, almost daily, about the same things on this topic, and at the same time I keep reading people’s comments about subjects like this one that completely miss the point.

For this subject in particular, if not for any other reason, I’m writing this here so I can have a link to share every time I see the questions and posts about Android navigation devices.

So… what makes an Android Tablet or Phone good for motorcycle navigation? Is the traditional answer “Brightness / Rugged / Waterproof” correct? NO it is NOT, or at least not all of it.

Beliefs VS Reality

A comment heard often: It needs to have high brightness and be rugged / waterproof!

Sounds good, right? Actually, that’s wrong.

We at DMD / Thork are in a very good position – our sales numbers have made it easy for us to find manufacturers to work with. We have been contacted by almost every rugged tablet manufacturer out there.

So why aren’t we selling more options on our website? Well, in order for us to sell any device we ask the manufacturer to deliver or design a model that can comply with a number of requirements, and guess what, usually they cannot.

Through our growth in the hardware sector, we have made some mistakes along the way, but we learned and now we need our requirements to be met. If they’re not, we know who pays the price – our customers and ourselves!

The Reality – Ideal Requirements:

A charging system that works without relying on battery power all the time (even if the battery gets hot it should not discharge)
Non-USB charging solution – ideally a holder developed for motorcycles or a screw type connector
Internal connectors & components that can handle high vibration
Waterproof as in fully submersible (both device and holder)
Sub 2 meter average GPS accuracy with fast GPS fix
High brightness and proper screen type/layers/tech to reduce reflections
12V power managed internally so that there is no external power converters
Tough but light
Proper stable OS with Google Play Store and frequent system updates
A quick and no BS warranty where you can quickly replace a bad unit for a new one
AND MOST IMPORTANT, built by a manufacturer that is actually trying to make it GOOD FOR MOTORCYCLES (and I mean the manufacturer and not the brand that will sell it to you)

We will explain these points next and why some of the points are so important.

Common Issues – The Big 3

I have sold 8 different device models, tested over 20 different devices, worked with 5 different manufacturers. In the past two years I sold around 2000 Android navigation devices. Let me share with you what typically goes wrong. And I want to say – these are not opinions. Instead, these are hard facts.

#1 – Charging Issues:

This is usually the number one! There are two problems, power delivery (how the power gets to the device, pins, connector, USB, etc) and battery heat management.

The Delivery Problem:

USB – Ideally anything but USB! USB plugs are not reliable, and most devices will allow water to get inside through the USB slot. Additionally, vibration will damage the USB port.

Pogo Pins – If the device uses pogo pins make sure the system is delivered in a motorcycle-specific mount. Additionally, the pins must be individually isolated with per-pin seals.

Screw type connector – This is the ideal system for serious off-road use and typically lasts longer than pogo pins.

Screw type connector and individually sealed pins:

The Battery Discharge Problem:

By now, you are thinking “ok so the main issue with charging is all about the delivery method”. Well… it is not. We have sold hundreds of units of our DMD-T865 with pogo pins and we never had one single charging issue. With other models it was a very common problem, even with screw connector type. So what is the main issue?

Long story short: It does not matter how good the power delivery system is if the battery starts discharging while riding. Modern devices run off the battery. Unfortunately, if the battery gets too hot it will stop charging and start discharging due to consumption.

Lithium batteries cannot charge above a certain temperature. With high-brightness screens, ambient temperatures above 30C, and riding under the sun, it is really easy for ANY device to reach that temperature. Once that happens, you get the case where instead of charging you lose charge. If it continues that way (say on a long day of riding) it is not hard to discharge down to the level where the system will turn off.

So, how do you solve this? As this was a mandatory thing for us, we required the manufacturer to provide a unit that would automatically switch to run off the power input when the battery is unable to charge due to high temperature. With this solution, your worst case scenario is just that the battery is not charging, but it is also not discharging. The battery level remains stable while the battery is cooling off, and charging resumes once the battery is sufficiently cooled down, this means the device wont ever turn off while riding. We only found one single manufacturer willing to provide this.

Bonus no external power converters:
This might be one that touches us on a “personal level”, but you have no idea how many times users decide to bypass external power supplies and feed 12V directly to devices. A device that is designed to internally manage from 5V to 32V is bliss!

#2 – Water Issue:

This is a tough one. First off, forget about the IP rating on devices. Regardless of the IP rating that manufacturers state their device achieves, some manufacturers just cannot get this right. Trust me, we used to have to seal the devices ourselves, one by one, by hand, because we found that if we left this to manufacturers they would mess it up.

Sealing:

The sealing needs to be perfect. On our own devices we have already made changes twice to improve this – it is hard! It’s one of those things that requires experience and lots of trial and error. However, when a manufacturer is invested in providing a solution for an actual motorcycle, they will get this right!

Submersible versus water pressure:

While a device for this purpose should be submersible – and you better make sure of it! – the fight against a water-jet washing machine will inevitably lead to a loss no matter what device you’re considering. You cannot expect a device to hold against the crazy and massive amounts of pressures that these machines produce, so when you wash your motorcycle, either remove the device or at least do not spray your device directly!

Port Caps:

Unfortunately, this one is hard. Port caps are almost always where water gets inside, and A LOT of the time, I am sorry to say, outside of warranty claims this is user fault. We have had warranty claims due to water where caps had been removed – the user removed them because “they are too much of a hassle”. Due to this, for a future model I actually asked the mechanical engineer to try to come up with a design where when you attach the device to the holder, and somehow it automatically closes the caps, or won’t it allow the device to attach unless you do it first.

Do not point that thing at the tablet:

#3 – Vibration Issue:

Most users have no idea about how big of an issue this is. A lot of the time you are a victim of it and you do not even notice (and sometimes you will blame it on the software). Vibration does not usually kill components; most of the time it messes up connections. Sometimes it is an intermittent thing, where it only happens occasionally and is hard to diagnose. It can manifest in strange ways, such as occasional screen ghost touches or permanent screen areas where touch stops working. It can result in the GPS getting no reception, it just stops working or it goes on/off and jumps your position around.

Usually everything that is on the device mainboard is safe as it is soldered down, but the issue will affect “attached” parts – anything with connectors like ports, LCD, antennas, etc.

Even our own devices received multiple revisions until we got this right. In fact, we would not be surprised if we have to keep doing more revisions if new issues arise. So it’s again one of those things again that is solved only through experience and trial and error. However, when a manufacturer is invested in providing a solution for an actual motorcycle they will get this right (where did you read this before?).

Not really issues but things you should look for

#1 – GPS Quality:

You are going to use the device for navigation, so make sure you have good GPS quality! Do not waste time searching for the GPS module brand and model – 90% of it is about the antenna quality and positioning.

If you can test the unit, check for these points:

What is the average accuracy while riding? (value is usually shown in meters – the lower the better)
When outside, how quickly can it get a first fix when you turn it on?
Make sure it can provide full accuracy values (for bearing, speed, altitude, location)

A great way to check it is using the DMD2 GPS Debug widget:

#2 – OS & Updates:

Ideally you want a device that the manufacturer can provide up-to-date operating system versions, and regularly release OS/ROM updates to fix reported issues.

We will never work again with a manufacturer that cannot quickly fix a reported issue on the operating system level. If you find any issue you should be able to report it and the brand / manufacturer should be ready to act upon it and release OTA updates to address it.

As an example: in the last 3 months we have released 5 OTA updates for one of our models. This means an issue was found or reported, the dev team acted on it, it was fixed, and an update was released. This leads directly to improved experiences for ALL of our customers.

There are many manufacturers who cannot even provide an update system for brands to release updates for their customers. We have been contacted by manufacturers who straight out said they simply do not release ANY update, and it’s important to note that this issue does not only apply to cheap devices!

Due diligence pays off – if you are thinking about buying a device, find someone who owns one and ask them how many system updates they have gotten since they started using the device.

#3 – Motorcycle Specifics:

A good indication that the manufacturer is indeed trying to make a device for motorcycle use (and it’s not just a product made for other purposes that is being repurposed for motorcycles) is quality of life features like:

The ability to automatically turn on when power is connected
The ability to automatically turn off and/or show a dialog when the power is disconnected
Any navigation apps developed by the brand are deployed as part of the OS
Hardware buttons are mapped and configurable for navigation functions

And why is this a good indicator? All of those things require system level access which usually only the manufacturer has. A developer could get some of it by hacking or rooting the device, but when a device’s stock OS allows that functionality out of the box, it means there was a direct relationship with the manufacturer to provide functions that are usually only done when your target is either motorcycle or at the very least vehicle navigation.

For the same reason, you should look for devices that are sold as a complete solution – device, holder and harness – all made by the same manufacturer as this is also a clear indicator that it is being done FOR motorcycles.

But what about the brightness?

Yes, screen brightness is important, no doubt! You are using the deivices outside and you need to be able to see the screen content. But I want to make sure you understand that it is not just about the brightness. Ultimately, it does not matter if you have a bright screen if the other requirements are not met! If you see someone selling a device for motorcycle navigation where the only characteristic they advertise is “nits” then I would suggest caution. We have turned down reselling tablets with 1500 nits and 2000+ nits for very good reasons.

As a guideline, I would say you need at least 600 nits, but the more you have the better! I wish our devices had 5000 nits. However, that would come at the expense of the system overheating, not charging properly and melting parts. Also, the “nits” metric does have a problem which is the fact that it completely ignores reflection and screen composition (the layers that can be added to the LCD). For our next generation devices we are testing a bunch of different screens and compositions so that we can not only have more “nits”, but also have the best screen composition possible for the specific use of riding.

Conclusion

The Android operating system (especially when it includes Google Play Services so that you can install any app) is a great platform. There are lots of really useful apps to use while riding. Most of us will not exchange apps like Google Maps, Waze, Locus, OSMAnd or our own DMD2 app for anything else that other devices with closed systems have to offer.

Most products being sold as “Android Navigation Devices” are just re-purposed or off the shelf devices, which is not what any of us should want. As enthusiasts, we should support manufacturers that are actually trying to develop motorcycle-specific devices. I’m not talking about brands – like our own DMD brand, or whatever brand is trying to sell you a tablet with Android for this – I am talking about the actual manufacturers!

Up until 2023 we had been trying to get manufacturers to listen to us, to develop devices with motorcycle-specific requirements, but we (and many others like us) simply did not have numbers to make manufacturers listen to us. Before selling our own DMD devices we did sell other brands, and those brands struggled with the exact same issues – their manufacturers were unable to meet the requirements or they just did not care. For years we had been trying to get at least ONE – one single manufacturer – that would manufacture something where their efforts would go into making it a motorcycle-capable product.

Because of our huge community, where we have – just from Play Store installs – more than 150,000 users, we sell many products and we can make production orders for more than 500 devices each. In addition to that – and more importantly – we can make the manufacturers listen and actually want to provide a motorcycle specific product.

As this is rather a niche market, you probably won’t find many other brands with the same status. I believe that we are creating a growing market for these types of products, and expect that more manufacturers will follow. With more manufacturers focused on these devices, more brands will pop up and hopefully manage to convince even more manufacturers.

We are super excited to have a team of developers, mechanical engineers, and manufacturing experts all dedicated to the success of our products. We have so much planned – we have only just started! And if competitors show up, they too can help move this market forward, and that is a good thing for all of us! We at Thork are in a great position as we are not directly dependent on the market for sales – we have created our own community and platforms, we created our brand and we gained the respect from our users by working hard – that’s where we make our sales!

I hope that with this article I have helped you understand what a good motorcycle Android device is and the importance of supporting whatever brand is actually managing to convince manufacturers to make these types of devices for our use case! We need manufacturers to make this happen, for all of us.