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I am planning to buy the Navionics app for iPad: does it require a Wi-Fi or cellular connection to use the Navionics maps for navigation?

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The iPad without cellular connection does not have GPS onboard, so you cannot use it reliably for navigation. It does have very limited location awareness when it comes in range of Wi-Fi hotspots that have been cataloged into the iOS location database and also falls in the subset of this database that gets loaded onto your device for offline use.

The maps themselves are designed to function fully without a data connection, so although you might not get updates or supplemental data while the iPad data connection is offline, an iPad models with cellular radios and GPS chips will work well for navigation apps such as Navionics even when you are out of range of all Wi-Fi and cellular towers due to the design of the software, the OS and the GPS chips embedded in the iPad.

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  • thx for the answer. Do you mean that to use in navigation the GPS with downloaded maps on the IPAD the IPAD needs to be the model with WIFI+CELLLUAR on?
    – user37790
    Commented Jan 3, 2013 at 15:40
  • but can work offline?
    – user37790
    Commented Jan 3, 2013 at 15:41
  • Yes, for reliable navigation you need to have an iPad model WITH cellular capacity. If you use a navigation app with onboard maps (like Navionics) you can operate it OFFLINE, i.e. you can switch Wi-Fi and mobile data OFF. However, you most probably cannot switch off cellular, since this to my knowledge also switches off the GPS receiver, you can switch off 3G to save a bit on battery.
    – vilmoskörte
    Commented Jan 4, 2013 at 11:28

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