GPS Dongle driver

[Severnman]

Are there any techies who know of a GPS dongle that does not need a disc driver. Required for a netbook set up.

 

[Martin_J]

Not exactly the answer to your question but there might be a few ways for you to download a driver when you have a USB dongle..
(1) Wireless via your home broadband
(2) Directly connected to your home broadband
(3) Free wireless at your local coffee shop
or
(4) Novatech (possibly near you in Bristol) have a great slimline DVD writer for £35 that is USB powered. It would plug straight into your netbook and no power supply is needed. It can even plug into the USB port of a modern TV and play DVDs!

http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/...aldrives/externaldvdwriters/SE-S084DTSBS.html

Sorry it didn't answer your original question but it's likely that any external GPS device will require a driver or at least a driver update that isn't in windows (although I stand to be corrected).

 

[bendyone]

Copy the driver disc to a USB stick and run it from there.

 

[nimbusgb]

There are lots of options.

Install Virtual Serial Port ( VCP ) drivers from the FTDI site by downloading the appropriate one for your OS from here http://www.ftdichip.com/Drivers/VCP.htm

FTDI is the defacto standard for serial over USB, chances are once installed the system will recognise the GPS as a serial device once its plugged in following the install.

As others have said if your netbook is connected via wireless to the web than you can download and install drivers that way.

Copy drivers from the supplied disk to a USB key and fire up from there

 

[Strathglass]

Are there any techies who know of a GPS dongle that does not need a disc driver. Required for a netbook set up.

I realise that this does not answer your question directly. But it may give you a potential solution to your problem.

On my netbook (Acer aspire one 522) I use a lite-on DVD/CD rewritable drive model eTAU108. (Misco was the supplier)
It just plugs into a USB port. The software for a ND100S was very easy to download from the mini disk supplied with it. Have used it both on Visa and Windows 7.

Cheers
Iain

 

[Stu Jackson]

Google BU-353. It's a great USB dongle and you can download the software.

 

[ostell]

If you can connect to a network with another PC on it then you can share the CD drive on the other PC over the network and install that way.

 

[bendyone]

This is what you want http://www.maplin.co.uk/usb-gps-dongle-476503?ordercode=A73KF&C=Email-Newsletter&U=11P03-1-A73KF&T=238184&utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_content=A73KF&utm_campaign=11P03-1

 

[alteredoutlook]

How about a wireless bluetooth gps - the gps can be installed in a place where it can get a better gps signal

 

[ianj99]

Are there any techies who know of a GPS dongle that does not need a disc driver. Required for a netbook set up.

Argos stock a usb cd drive for about £40.

 

[VicMallows]

This is what you want http://www.maplin.co.uk/usb-gps-dongle-476503?ordercode=A73KF&C=Email-Newsletter&U=11P03-1-A73KF&T=238184&utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_content=A73KF&utm_campaign=11P03-1

But it still says it comes with a CD driver? However I agree, why not simply copy the CD to a USB stick? ... must be some good reason why this is not a possibility.

 

[Robin]

Google BU-353. It's a great USB dongle and you can download the software.

x2, excellent GPS.

The software can be downloaded direct from the Globalsat web site and even if you could load the CD it goes to the site to see if there is a later version.