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Add GPS to your jailbroken WiFi iPad with BTstack GPS

by Erica Sadun May 11th 2010 at 6:00PM

A while back, TUAW took a peek at RoqyBluetooth, a GPS solution for jailbroken iPads and iPod touches. Today, Matthias Ringwald has released BTstack GPS. Like Roqy, BTstack GPS offers integrated core location for Bluetooth-enabled devices that lack an onboard GPS system.

Retailing for $5 (via the Cydia store), BTstack GPS was written by the same developer who created BTstack, allowing iPhone OS units to communicate with external bluetooth devices including keyboards (you may be familiar with his BTstack Keyboard application), mice, Wiimotes, and now, Bluetooth GPS dongles.

The software requires you to disable Apple's Bluetooth in the settings app. You then launch the GPS app, wait for your system to detect the external GPS unit, select it, pair, and then wait again as the GPS unit finds locks to the medium orbit satellites that provide GPS data. This can take a minute or two, so be a little patient. Once the lock finishes and the GPS data starts flowing, Ringwald's app will update, showing your current location on a map.
From there, you can hop out of the application and use any standard Core Location-enabled app. You will receive high quality GPS data in those apps in addition to its standard Wi-Fi positioning. That means, you can use utilities like TrailGuru and RunKeeper to track your position just as if you were using a standard GPS-enabled iPad or iPhone.

I tested BTstack GPS this afternoon, driving to and from some errands. Trailguru had no problem keeping up with my progress, monitoring my average speed, and creating a bread-crumb style trail of my travels.

BTstack GPS offers an affordable, functional solution for any jailbroken iPad Wi-Fi owner who wants to add GPS capabilities to their system. Between this software and the MyWi Wi-Fi hotspot utility, you won't feel as if you've missed the 3G iPad bandwagon.

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A while back, TUAW took a peek at RoqyBluetooth, a GPS solution for jailbroken iPads and iPod touches. Today, Matthias Ringwald has...
 

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Mike B

Not an ipad user, so take this into account, but I just purchased the BTStack GPS for my jb itouch 2G and it seems to work fine. I'm using it with copilot and an old Palm One GPS. It cut out once while driving, but I got out of Copilot when into BTStack reslected, and everything worked fine for the last 20 minutes on the road. I'm not sure if the issue was with copilot or the BT stack. I recommend for the itouch.

June 28 2010 at 11:47 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
NateS

I may be off here, but I've used a few different WiFi only iPads and all of them seem to have GPS built in to them. They were all able to accurately locate my position on the map. How does that work?

May 12 2010 at 10:28 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to NateS's comment
Erica Sadun

The iPad uses Wi-Fi positioning via Skyhook services. It works by looking up Wi-Fi router MAC addresses in a pre-mapped database.

May 12 2010 at 10:31 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Curtis Jones

GPS satellites are not in a low-Earth orbit.

May 12 2010 at 8:17 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
GPS Bandit

Absolutely worthless - I spent $5 on this piece of dung - it doesn't work as advertised on the iPad.

In fact, the demo works fine - but that's about it. you get tricked into buying the full version which is the same as the demo version but the apps (even google maps) doesn't even see the gps unit!

roqyBT GPS works 100% with googlemaps and even navigon can see the gps - but this piece of junk costs me $5 to learn it won't work. I am going to encourage everyone to pirate apps from now on - considering I'd like to try before I buy; now if I had done this, I would not of been ripped off!

May 12 2010 at 4:05 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Paul Shay

GiSTEQ CD110BT (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000TRFO00) sounds like a good choice for this...

May 12 2010 at 1:12 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
axel

I did it few days ago but my problems is that is couldn't find yet the application to make it work. I had copilot in my iPhone before I swiched to sprint, now I use a holux Bluetooth gps with Roqybluetooth, some ppl say it woks with navigon but noone can confirm it works properly. Google maps works fine but u need to have Internet connectioon all time. I need something that workes offline like other gps programs

May 11 2010 at 8:43 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Sneagan

Can anyone recommend a GPS device to do this with?

May 11 2010 at 7:42 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Mikko

I wait for tethering ... Any news?

May 11 2010 at 7:22 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
betaboy78

My Cradlepoint PHS-300 (portable, battery powered USB router) transmits the GPS location from my AT&T Mercury Connect card to my iPad. It only updates every 15-60 seconds, so not good for navigation, but for 'location aware' apps, its works perfectly!

I picked it up at Amazon shortly after I got my iPad Wi-Fi. Works great, and I don't have to pay an extra $30/mo.

May 11 2010 at 7:13 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
drumrobot

That screenshot is a fail at so many levels, not in the least because of the '3G' in the top left corner.

May 11 2010 at 6:34 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
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