This might be a solution looking for a problem, but ...

[peter2407]

.... I will ask anyway.. In the way that one can tether a smart phone to a laptop to get internet connectivity, can the same be done so that the laptop can use the smart phone as a GPS receiver? Also, any views on smartphones with assisted GPS and support for GLONAS (sp?). Thanks as ever.

 

[Norman_E]

Why bother when you can buy a USB GPS dongle? I have one that I bought from Maplins a few years ago for less than £20, and they are still about that price with WAAS & EGNOS capability, though I am not sure if there are any that support GLONAS yet.

 

[Gone sailing]

Pretty sure that you can't on a iPhone. I agree a dongle would be more suitable and cheap.

 

[onesea]

.... I will ask anyway.. In the way that one can tether a smart phone to a laptop to get internet connectivity, can the same be done so that the laptop can use the smart phone as a GPS receiver? Also, any views on smartphones with assisted GPS and support for GLONAS (sp?). Thanks as ever.

Android it is easy you can turn your phone into a wireless hotspot, or tether through USB some phone operators charge for tethering separately. IMHO why buy a dongle when your phone can do the job less stuff to carry around.

 

[elton]

Try this

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.meowsbox.btgps&hl=en

 

[sailorman]

Why bother when you can buy a USB GPS dongle? I have one that I bought from Maplins a few years ago for less than £20, and they are still about that price with WAAS & EGNOS capability, though I am not sure if there are any that support GLONAS yet.

i did just that "blobbed" the dongle in the cabin window & it works just as good as the raymarine GPS @ a tenth of the cost

 

[eddisonj]

OPs original question was about using a phone as a GPS - in a similar way to tethering which is easy with both Android and Apple.

Using the phone to give a laptop location information is not standard out of the box functionality.

In theory there is nothing to stop someone writing an app to rebroadcast the location data from the GPS locally to the laptop using with WiFi, Bluetooth or even USB. It would probably need some additional software on the laptop as well. However even with Apple devices I don't see that they'd need to be jail broken.

I'm not aware of any existing software to do this. It'd be interesting to understand why you need this if a cheap dongle as already suggested isn't more appropriate.

 

[elton]

OPs original question was about using a phone as a GPS - in a similar way to tethering which is easy with both Android and Apple.

Using the phone to give a laptop location information is not standard out of the box functionality.

In theory there is nothing to stop someone writing an app to rebroadcast the location data from the GPS locally to the laptop using with WiFi, Bluetooth or even USB. It would probably need some additional software on the laptop as well. However even with Apple devices I don't see that they'd need to be jail broken.

I'm not aware of any existing software to do this. It'd be interesting to understand why you need this if a cheap dongle as already suggested isn't more appropriate.

I posted a link to an app that does it.

 

[Bru]

I posted a link to an app that does it.

and there are several others too!

 

[lustyd]

i did just that "blobbed" the dongle in the cabin window & it works just as good as the raymarine GPS @ a tenth of the cost

Really, it's waterproof, sunlight readable, cockpit mountable, controllable in a seaway, uses very little power when left on for hours and copes well with direct power feed from the boat? I suspect you mean works well enough rather than works as good as...