Iridium Inreach Alternative
Equipment
Above is a link to a new inreach alternative on the very effective Iridium network.. This looks promising.
So why would anyone want this instead of the inReach?
Garmin InReach, Spot, SatPaq, BivyStick, and now the Somewear. Competition is increasing.
Increased competition is great for consumers
Yep, more options = lower prices for consumers! Always a good thing!
I bought an Inreach Mini last week, and ran my mapping off my phone while in the mountains turkey hunting Saturday. I'm glad I got the Mini and am happy with the rig for sure. My wife is happy I've got the text ability now, too.
Yes. Till now I don’t think there was much in the way of a comparable product as spot wasn’t run off of the iridium network....and quite frankly the service for spot sucked. With another service on the Iridium it should bring prices down a bit with competitives forces or force them to add more value to current service.
Interesting. Not much of a price difference from the InReach Mini. I bought my Mini in December and used it on a late season bowhunt in the Gila. I'm really impressed with it. Looks like the Bivystick doesn't have a display or controls so if your phone is compromised it appears to be worthless.
I'm happy to see alternatives offered as it will do nothing but keep Garmin on their A game, but the mini still wins out for me, can be used stand alone if need be which is a huge plus to me. I use mine a LOT though. I leave it on year round on the unlimited plan. I'm out of service a lot in Alaska and definitely don't shy away from texting. I could burn through 100 texts in one hour in the bear stand when you count incoming AND outgoing at $0.50 a pop.
I'm waiting for Garmin to combine sat phone voice capabilities into an inreach device to pair with the iPhone for voice calls. The technology can't be far away.
"I'm waiting for Garmin to combine sat phone voice capabilities into an inreach device to pair with the iPhone for voice calls. The technology can't be far away."
.
I'd take it a half-step more: What I think is coming will be a device which is essentially nothing more than a link between a mobile phone and the Iridium network. The link will be a transceiver which gets all its commands from the phone (Bluetooth or cabled), with the exception of SOS/emergency ops. The link unit can be powered on or off via the phone (app) and you wouldn't need to handle 2 devices at once while communicating. You'll have most of your mobile phone's capabilities. The cost(s) will be about what you'd expect.... x 1.5.
In the meantime, the competition for this market is really ramping up. I'm not sure if it will really drive down prices across the spectrum. It will undoubtedly drive tech companies to add new capabilities and features as they try to make their product unique and offering something the competition doesn't have.
No screen on the Bivy Stick = no go for me. I'm in the market for a new InReach mini but think I'll wait until the end of summer to see if there will be any upgrades.
I agree competition is good....but there is still nothing out there yet that is better than InReach, nor is anything bringing prices down. Hope it will come. I can’t imagine anyone wanting this Bivystick unless I’m missing something. Built in charger power is a non starter as it adds weight and battery life is already amazing on InReach.
I might have a mini for sale shortly, think I am going to just keep the standard unit.
One big solar flare or emp and it will all be fried, technology is great but when it goes the old ways are still must in survival.
+1 Nick, I'm also going to be adding a mini before September. Just waiting to see if prices drop any or if there are any big improvements before pulling the trigger.
Midwest and Brotsky, If they add any upgrades to the Mini this year, I’ll just sell you mine for $300, and you save money without worrying about keeping up with the Jones’s.
Mini fan here.
As far as “technology letting you down”. Well maybe the “techy” communicator will save you a long walk when your newer vehicle mysteriously won’t start when back at the trail head.
Trial, is there some reason you prefer the standard over the mini?
Yes battery life and user interface of the GPS without a phone. The mini battery doenst last nearly as long and I have to carry extra power. While I can use the mini for basic navigation the interface isnt the best. For short trips I can live with it, however for extended use ...no way. The only other GPS I carry is my phone so having a redundancy is a priority for me. The size of the mini is nice, the weight saving is minimal as I have to carry extra battery power. If I had to keep just one .. the full size verison for sure.
