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Garmin

Garmin 010-01879-00 InReach Mini, Lightweight and Compact Satellite Communicator, Orange

Based on 2,956 reviews
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Fulfilled by LNA Enterprises
Arrives Nov 17 – Nov 19
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At a glance

Condition
New
Color
Orange
Style
InReach Mini
Pattern
Communicator
Model
010-01879-00
Screen size
1.27 in
Dimensions
2"L x 1.3"W x 3.9"H
In the box
inReach Mini USB cable Carabiner clip Spine mount adapter Documentation
Warranty
Limited Manufacturer
Works with
Smartphone

Features 6

  • Small, rugged, lightweight satellite communicator enables two way text messaging using the 100 percentage global Iridium network (satellite subscription required).Special Feature:Bluetooth.
  • Trigger an interactive SOS to the 24/7 search and rescue monitoring center (satellite subscription required). Display size-0.9 x 0.9 inch
  • Access downloadable maps, U.S. NOAA charts, color aerial imagery and more by using the free Garmin Earthmate app and compatible devices
  • Optional inReach weather forecast service provides detailed updates directly to your inReach Mini or paired device; basic and premium weather packages available

Description

inReach Mini is your go-to connection for maintaining off-the-grid contact. It’s our palm-sized satellite communicator for adventures where size and weight matter. inReach Mini lets you send and receive text messages, track and share your journey and, if necessary, trigger an SOS alert to contact the GEOS 24/7 emergency response team. With inReach connectivity, your family and friends will know they can stay in touch globally.

Specs 36

Brand Garmin
Model Name 010-01879-00
Vehicle Service Type Bicycle
Screen Size 1.27 inches
Special Feature Bluetooth
Connectivity Technology Bluetooth
Map Type Topographical
Audio Output Mode Mono

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If you place your order now, the estimated arrival date for this product is: Nov 17 – Nov 19

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Top Amazon Reviews

Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA) review of inReach Mini...
Color: Orange Style: InReach Mini Pattern: Communicator
I took the inReach Mini on a week-long trip to the BWCA last week. I normally go to the BWCA without any means of outside communication and in 45 years of canoeing there and in Quetico I've never had an emergency that communication would have helped. But several years ago we took a rented satellite phone on a trip, and this time we took an inReach, not because we feared an emergency, but because we needed to remain in touch about things going on at home. So why not rent a satellite phone again? Because the inReach allows text communication--and you can own, rather than rent, the satellite communicator for a reasonable price. The inReach doesn't allow voice, only short text messages. Outgoing and incoming messages are limited to 160 characters and can be sent to any cellular phone or to any email account. Messages are not sent immediately from the communicator--satellite connection must be made--and there is often a 10-minute lag between texts being sent from outside and their reception on the inReach. The advantage of the inReach is that it costs only $300 to own, and you can sign up for monthly access to the satellite network for message packages ranging from $20 to $60 a month, plus a $25 yearly access fee. Monthly plans can be for as many or as few months as you would like in a given year, provided you pay the $25 access fee. I signed up for an unlimited-message $60 plan for the month of the BWCA trip. In addition to messaging, the inReach works with a normal iPhone or Android phone to provide GPS mapping and weather reports. Weather reports use DarkSky's reporting system and were basic, but sufficient for planning our days in the BWCA. The inReach's battery lasted all week used about thirty minutes a day solely for communication. At the end of the week the battery hadn't fallen below 75 percent. The inReach can be left on to passively track your route (and report it via satellite), but we did not need route tracking, nor did we want to carry the extra battery packs necessary to recharge an always-on unit used for that purpose. Now, as to use in the BWCA in particular... The inReach uses Garmin's Earthmate GPS mapping software on a phone. It's pretty good software and works nicely on the phone with or without the satellite communicator. But for the BWCA it's insufficient as a front-line mapping solution because Earthmate maps provide neither BWCA campsite locations nor portage locations or lengths. Basic weather reports require one message each (40 message pack costs $35/month). A basic weather report covers several days with three hour gaps between condition reports the first day and fewer each subsequent day. A premium report, available for a separate $1 fee, covers more days and gives more information for each day. This was helpful in the BWCA, especially the wind reports which give daily wind speed and direction information, though not more granular than day-by-day. If you've been in the BWCA you know that wind conditions are almost more important than temperature or rain conditions. Peace of mind. I've never had an emergency in the BWCA (worse than a bear eating some of our supplies), but I had a friend whose son sustained severe, third-degree burns in Quetico before satellite phones existed. God provided a team of powerful, EMT-trained canoeists to carry the boy through the night to a hospital. But having a means of getting an SOS out is reassuring, and it's one of the reasons I bought the inReach. If you're taking young children of your own, or overseeing a trip on which you're taking the children of others, I would recommend this communicator. It has a separate, distinctly-labeled, difficult-to-engage-accidentally SOS button that reports your emergency and location via satellite to an emergency center from which aid will be dispatched. Finally, on a rather mundane note, last winter all the pay phones at the BWCA's main entry points were removed, which means you can no longer call your outfitter from a payphone and thus you must either exit at the location of your outfitter, or find a house or business to call for pickup from. Our outfitter didn't inform us of this change and so we exited at the location on Seagull Lake we had always used in the past--only to find an empty pay phone booth. We were able to text the outfitter's phone number to family members in Ohio, and they called to have us picked up. Without the inReach it would have been a long walk.... ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on June 22, 2020 by Nebti23
It works very well.
Color: Black Style: InReach Mini Pattern: Communicator
I purchased the Garmin Mini InReach to replace a competitor’s product that in this review shall be called Sx. Sx did not perform well in ‘suburban’ testing over three days and never made it to field tests. I had been a user of the Sx’s previous generation of products for over a decade, so I am somewhat well versed in the abilities of it’s system. The InReach Mini exceeded those benchmarks in every way. The InReach Mini passed the same suburban tests without issue in a few hours, moved to field tests where it performed flawlessly and is now just part of the normal gear. THE SHORT STORY: I works fine all day! Having that SOS button could seriously save your life. Tracking and messaging will keep the family and friend at home happy!!! Messaging is great. Tracking works. Twitter works. Facebook might work but is not that great. It is not a good tool for navigation but in a pinch it would work. It is small so it is never in the way. If you want a good tracker with flawless messaging, go for this. I recommend this product! THE GOOD: Messaging, the weak point of the Sx, has been flawless with the Mini. The speed of sending and receiving is far superior to the Sx and to me, amazing! The Mini usually accomplishes message traffic in a minute when well exposed to the sky. When it accomplishes a message process, it can chime (if you want it to), which is a very nice indicator. Only once did it have trouble sending, and the Mini indicated this on the screen. I was in a canyon, I moved over about 15 feet to the middle and it sent the message. Messaging is the real stand out of the inReach Mini’s functionality. Messaging is truly perfect. That alone is worth the price!! Tracking is on par with other devices. When set up to do so, it sends track points to Garmin and these can be viewed by others on a web site. You can password protect that website if desired. It is very useful and works well. Part of messaging is the ability to post to Social Media via the device. Twitter works perfectly! So, one can have a Twitter account dedicated to the InReach and it will then show your progress publicly as you like with links to a map if you want. This can be useful for sharing select information without making all of it public. Facebook was a different story (see The Maybe OK). The Sx is bulky. The InReach Mini is not. It is almost tiny! Sure the Mini does not have a key board, but one can get around that by using a phone and the Earthmate app (which works perfectly and is far better than that which is used with the Sx) . The Earthmate app also can be set up with topomaps and aerial phots to make it a very cool system! If you do not ant to use the app, see The Good To Know below. Anyway, the lack of bulk is very nice. I put it on may pack shoulder strap and hardly know it is there at all. Battery life is very good. Without Bluetooth, and set to track at 10 minute intervals, an 11 hour hike in which I messaged a lot and did turn on Bluetooth a few times to type a message, it took away about 25% of the battery!! The Sx fully discharged in less than 24 hours. The InReach Mini could easily last a several days if used correctly (turn it off when not in use). Setup is simple. The Explore Garmin web site is simple. You sync changes made there using your phone (or similar device) and the Earthmate app. There really is not a lot of work involved in getting it all to work. It comes with a nice loop and carabiner for hanging on the pack. It also comes with Garmin’s sliding mount you can put on it and use it with a plethora of straps, holders and mounts. THE JUST OK: The screen can be difficult to read at times and having just four buttons to navigate, it can be a bit tedious. However, it is not something one uses all the time, just a few times a day. and there are work-a-rounds. So, it is not a bid deal. THE MAYBE OK: At this time, the web site one which one sets up their InReach Mini lists Facebook support as possible. At the time of this review it did not function, had not in some time and resulted in error messages. It is a minor issue and one of which Garmin is aware. In fact as of today, they seem to have fixed this but one can possibly only post to a “Page” rather than to one’s own Timeline. This has not been tested and seems somewhat useless if one would like to use Facebook to announce a need for some form of non-emergency assistance. Pages are often victims of Facebook’s need to sell clicks and your posts could be lost in an algorithm. There are work-a-rounds but not particularly good ones. Facebook is not so important so as to be a deal breaker. If it is, know that the Sxis not better here. Navigation is not a strong point. You can put in routes and waypoints but there is no map or anything to assist with navigation. It would be good enough in a pinch, maybe. The little device is not really for navigation and Garmin offers other InReach products that fill this void. It you want to use it to navigate, get one of those other products. You could use a phone connected to the InReach as well. To make the device function fully, you need to pay for services. The InReach subscriptions cost more than that which one needs for the Sx, and far more if one desires unlimited messaging. It is a small price to pay for the communication and the safety of that SOS button. Get the insurance as well, just in case. THE BAD: In regard to functionality, there is no bad. The InReach Mini works very well. I made one support request, it did not go particularly well and they seemed a bit confused about their product and its documentation. In the end the ‘ticket’ seems to be left in limbo! So, I'd grade support as poor. I would have taken away one star for it, however, the support experience for the Sx was far worse! Plus the In Reach Mini works so well, it does not need a lot of support (I hope). So, though there is room for improvement on their part, it is not such that it is a major consideration when looking at the InReachMini. THE GOOD TO KNOW: When I bought it, the black one was cheaper than the orange one! Check before you buy to save a few bucks. We know there is no keyboard on the InReach Mini and typing a message on the user interface is tedious at best. You can pair it with you phone (using Bluetooth which uses battery a tiny bit faster) but, you could also set up your trip at the start and type nothing while out. Say you are planning a hike and you will be turning on various trails and stopping at various points along the way. You want to send messages from the major trail changes and stopping points. You can create Quick Text Messages (via the web site) for each turn and point. I number them, in order of my route, so I can easily tell which one to send. Example “[7] I am at the summit of Mt. Amazon! I will be leaving on the Shopper Trail, north to Checkout Canyon.” Now on the trail you just send them in order as they apply. This with your three Preset Messages, can pretty much cover 99% of your trail communication without a keyboard, without your phone and very quickly. They sell very nice little covers (in colors) for the Mini and screen protectors. Get them if you want it to stay nice. The RAM mounts will let you create a very secure mounting system for a car or off road truck that will also let the device sit for enough into the windscreen so as to have a decent via of the sky. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on January 30, 2020 by Amazon Customer
Athlete Tracking
Color: Black Style: InReach Mini Pattern: Communicator
My favorite tracking company closed shop and I needed a tracking solution for my next event. The in-Reach mini works great even if I am using off label. I say that because the inReach is mostly marketed to outdoor adventurists and not endurance athletes. My cycling takes me way out on rural roads with limited cell-signal and best of all limited car traffic. My running also keeps me out of the house for several hours. The inReach lets people follow my progress and keep track of my location. The inReach also works great to track your athlete during an event. Whether a marathon, ultra, or long distance triathlon. You'll know where the athlete is. During a long event that means you can plan your cheer-squad logistics and know the approximate ETA of your athlete. Man, athletes LOVE cheer squads, nothing boosts the energy more than your friends and family cheering. Some of the nitty gritty. You can program 3 Custom Preset messages, which you can send for free. So I use all 3 during training. Here are mine... One says I am ok. The second says I am delayed but still going, just incase people get worried that my position hasn't moved. That's incase I find a good coffee shop or stopped for an extended amount of time I hadn't briefed. The third says things went bad and I need a ride home. Every message you send includes your location coordinates, you know, incase you do need a ride home. You can also send regular text messages. Typing them via the device, well, lets say it makes T9 texting look futuristic. Yup, there's no "quick" texting with the inReach. It's a lot of button pushing, not complicated but lots of pushing and time consuming. The good news is you can program a TON of Quick Text messages... ie store prewritten massages you anticipate you'll use. You can also pair your phone and use the phone as a keyboard. The message goes from phone to your inReach via bluetooth, then the inReach sends it vis Satellite. Your phone does NOT need to have signal. As for tracking, you get to pick how much to share and even set a password on your tracking page. I usually make the password my bib number so my friends and family can track me and it's easy to remember. The tracking updates about every 10 minutes. That works great for long events. In a marathon, that's an update of about every 1 or 2 miles. Cycling about every 3 miles. Other uses, I found myself using it on a road trip. Lets family keep tabs on my progress just in case. It's also nice having SAT Comm capability and not be dependent on unknown cell signal availability or quality. Data plans are reasonably priced... keep in mind you are paying for WORLD WIDE coverage using Satellite Communications. Initial device setup took a few minutes. The unit needs to acquire signal from a Com Satellite (not the GPS sats). Then the setup is akeen to setting up cell service. The earthmate companion app isn't required. However it's a powerful mapping tool that's definitely worth getting. You get access to topos, and all sorts of maps. I use the app a ton just looking for trails and training routes. To clarify the earthmate app is for the eathmate user. Those tracking you don't use earthmate. The in-reach website is fairly easy to use. Play around with it for a bit, it takes a little getting used to but it works well and lets you adjust all sorts of stuff. Your tracking, privacy, etc. You can also set up auto tracking posts via twitter. Keep in mind that the inReach uses Satellite coms. So it takes anywhere from a few minutes up to 10 minutes for your data, tracking or text, to transmit into space, and the Satellite to pick it up, transmit it back to earth, send it via terrestrial networks to it's destination.... same for the return back... That's potentially up to 20 minutes roundtrip from send to reply. Quite sci-fi isn't it? I bought the inReach to use off label as an athlete tracker for long distance events and it has worked great for that purpose. Now, i find myself using the inReach way more that I thought I would. Road trips, mountain biking, hiking, wildlife spotting. Pretty much take it everytime I leave the house for non-routine trips. I've used it to text with family. This is perhaps the best and most versatile item i purchased in 2019. One last note, as with most advanced pieces of technology, you'll get out of it what you put into it. Take your time and learn the device, it's interface, it's website... the more you learn it the better your experience will be. This applies to smart watches, computers, and pretty much any tech. Like I said this is the best thing i purchased in 2019. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on January 14, 2020 by PH
Somewhat expensive, but offers peace of mind (and more)
Color: Black Style: InReach Mini Pattern: Communicator
There are three parts to this system: (1) the device; (2) the app; and (3) the subscription. For reference, I enjoy solo trips including some dispersed camping, a little backpacking/hiking, etc. Maybe out about 1-2 times per month. I use this device primarily to check in from the trail and send the occasional hi to a friend. The device - rugged, lightweight, small, functional. I love almost everything about it. I can put it anywhere, take it anywhere, and I don't have to worry about it. It just goes and does. Battery life is pretty decent - lasted a three day backpacking trip with location updates sent back every hour and probably had 40-50% battery life left (turned off at night). Getting messages out is not an immediate process; it can take 5 or 20 minutes before you get confirmation. There was one instance where a text message didn't go through. I suspect because the phone numbers need to be entered in the international format (+1 for US numbers, including the plus). The app - It's not the slickest app in the world, but it is functional and gets the job done. For some reason updates haven't always been reflected back to shared maps for friends and family to follow, even with a good data connection. I personally like the form factor of having a very small GPS/Satellite device that connects to a phone for more functionality (as opposed to trying to re-invent the wheel to have a whole user interface in a GPS/Satellite device). The subscription - I don't love the idea of having to pay more every month after spending the money for the device, but in my case, I just got the cheapest plan and it works fine. If I do go over in a month it's cheaper to pay a small amount extra for the texts than it is to bump up to the next subscription level. It is jarring to go back to metered texting and you find yourself just always thinking about that fact that every text might be costing you some small amount of money. One thing to note - you can define three present messages (including who they will be sent to) and you can send these three messages as often as you want without any extra cost. At the end of the day, I would buy it again and not think twice about it. A little expensive to jump in, but to me it is worth it knowing I can get in touch with anyone, including emergency services if needed, almost anywhere in the world. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2021 by Spencer Kellis
Overall - excellent. Much better than the Spots I owned.
Color: Orange Style: InReach Mini Pattern: Communicator
Relative to my old Spot Messenger, this is a 5 star device - that Messenger was an awful, unreliable product that Spot will no longer activate. I dropped a star because Garmin could really do just a few things in the software to make it perfect. But here's what is great: - Two way reliable messaging - the audio chime is a key feature to let you know you have a message or your message was sent successfully. So simple, so helpful. (It could be a little louder though) - Weather is a great feature and works perfectly. I wonder that they can continue to use DarkSky after Apple bought it and seemingly killed all API use of the service. But I guess that is their problem. - Small size, good battery life, and chargeable from micro-USB - so you can use a small solar panel or power brick to recharge. - The Freedom plans are an excellent way to handle the service and make this affordable for the seasonal backpacker. Here is what could be improved: - Add the ability to send a preset message using your phone rather than having to use the device itself. You can send a text message from your phone, but not a preset. Why? The average backpacker would clip this to the top of the pack and use a phone (much better for navigation) to interact with the device. - You should also be able to get the weather on your phone - while the InReach is workable, sending the same weather info to the phone would make it much easier to read. - The Garmin eco-system is confusing. This works with Earthmate, other devices work with Explorer. It will work with a Fenix watch, but not a Venu, except round robin through your phone for notification, although the benefits of watch interaction to me are small. And really, no one is really going to use Earthmate for navigation - there are many offline phone nav apps that are much better. This isn't a realistic backup to your phone for navigation - your backup is a paper map. This is a *messaging* app - that is what it really is, and it is great for that and they should focus the phone app on that and not clutter it with the nav features. Or, improve Earthmate to be competitive with the other phone apps. (I personally use Backcountry Navigator Pro and it is excellent) - Slow GPS acquisition relative to my phone (yes, when my phone is remote, off-grid in airplane mode) My Samsung S10e will get a fix in maybe 6 seconds, anywhere - from GPS turn-on - not with GPS left on. This is much slower - can take a few minutes sometime. Same with my Garmin Venu. - The Explorer website is slow and could be cleaned up quite a bit. It is one of those websites you need to learn - once you do it is fine (although slow as I said). My experience with this since purchase was on a solo of the North Bass trail of Grand Canyon National Park (a beast of a trail) Of the few other people I saw (6 people in 4 days) most had the same device, so it tells you something about BP acceptance - and the people on this trail are all *seriously* hardcore backpackers - not Kaibab/Bright Angel folks. (some of them were swimming the river and hiking the South Bass as well) At the rim I also met a Hayduke dude who also had one, if that tells you anything. My feeling is that if you solo in remote places with few to no people, you should get one of these. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on June 1, 2021 by M. Walker
This device is of the highest quality and the service is just outstanding.
Color: Orange Style: InReach Mini Pattern: Communicator
I bought this for my trip down the Grand Canyon last fall. Not only does it maintain a great connection to satellites, the user interface with an iPhone is excellent. In the Garmin app, you send text messages in just the same manner as with a normal cell connection - the texting software looks the same and works the same. It just takes a little longer - like 1-2 minutes. The text message automatically includes gps location as well. It worked perfectly for text messaging and sending my location from the Grand Canyon. Further, the guide company and the park service rangers all agreed this device has worked very reliably for other people in the canyon. Sadly, on our trip, a participant broke his arm in a rapid, and we had to evacuate him from the trip. We were able to communicate with the outside world to arrange pickup for him at a trailhead. Also, we had a severe storm on the 3-week trip. Checking the weather forecast feature with the InReach helped us to plan our days and campsites around the worst of the storm. Lastly, I was able to text my 6 year old daughter, and she could click the link to see a satellite image of my location, which made being away from her a little easier. Another great feature is the website and account subscription. It is easy to use and clear about charges, and the best thing is that you can turn it on and off in 1-month intervals! No annual fee here. Prices are very reasonable for what you are getting. You can use it without a cellphone too, and the interface is pretty good, but a cell is easier. One last thing: a park ranger explained that this is actually BETTER than a Sat phone because the audio on a sat phone can be difficult to hear, or can cut out when it loses it's satellite, or can cut out as the battery dies. This device gets a simple clear text out, and saves you the frustration and misunderstanding that comes with bad phone connections. Makes sense. I used a solar charger to keep it charged. This device is of the highest quality and the service is just outstanding. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on July 5, 2019 by WuLiMaster
Great Functions, Fairly Easy Use, Compact Package
Color: Black Style: InReach Mini Pattern: Communicator
A friend and I did a recent backpacking trip in a remote part of Alaska. We were never going to be within 100 miles of a road, and our primary recovery by float-plane would be dependent on our proximity to a sizeable lake. We wanted to keep our families informed of our status, we wanted the DarkSky weather reports, we wanted comms with our pilots, and we thought the InReach SOS service was a nice back-up in case things truly got ugly. Here are the functions we used: 1. Pre-set text messages to family. 2. Weather reports. 3. Send/receive text messages to communicate with our pilots on extraction day. Here's how it worked: 1. If you log in to your Garmin portal and set up the pre-set messages ahead of time, these are incredibly easy to use in the field. When we configured our pre-sets, we opted to include a link to our location page. We created two pre-sets: one was a simple check-in -- we're OK and here's where we are; the other was an end-of-day, here's where we're camping message. Our family members reported that the texts were reassuring and gave a good point marked on a map, allowing them to keep track of our whereabouts and progress. From our position in western Alaska, it never seemed to take more than 3 minutes for one of the messages to transmit. 2. We downloaded a few standard weather reports during our trip to help plan our movement, campsite selection, and rain-fly decisions. The weather reports also helped us coordinate with the pilots for pick-up. These are simple to download, meaningfully detailed, and easy to read on the device. However, I wish each report contained an indication of where it originated from. Quite obviously our reports didn't come from the middle of the wilderness, so which NOAA station created it? 3. To communicate with the pilots on our extraction date, I paired the InReach with my phone to simplify the text entry. The Garmin mobile app makes this pretty easy. This gave us near real-time communication with the crew as they were planning to come pick us up. They were able to ask questions about local wind and wave conditions, and we were able to respond with that information and our lat/lon. No complaints about this feature at all. (You can perform this function without linking to a phone, but be prepared to enter characters slowly, worse than texting in 2004.) We did not use the tracking feature while in Alaska, but I did test tracking while wandering on some trails at home, and this works well. If you send friends/family a link to your Garmin page, they can keep near real-time track of where you're at. (Note the potential costs associated with tracking.) I also did not use the InReach as my primary GPS device, because I already have another Garmin GPS that I'm comfortable with. (Consider buying the larger InReach device if you're also in the market for a GPS for navigation. I think the InReach mini will work, but will be less handy.) Battery Life: We were in the backcountry for 7 days. We only turned the device on when we needed it. We used it 3 to 4 times per day, an average "session" being 10 minutes, but our maximum "session" lasted about an hour. The battery never got below 90%. So if this type of use describes your intended use, you could easily spend a few weeks in the bush on a single charge with room to spare for an SOS situation. If you turn on tracking, use the device for continuous navigation, or forget to turn it off, well, you know, plan to burn through the battery faster. Overall, I think the InReach mini is a handy little device that can help with several logistics tasks on true backcountry adventures. It's also a pocket-sized risk mitigation plan in case of injuries, illnesses, etc. I wish the subscription plans were a little more flexible for the occasional wilderness trip. But I simply decided to buy one plan down from what my theoretical sweet spot was, and our entire adventure in Alaska cost me maybe $0.20 in overages. Decent value. Note: If you are at all intimidated by using this device, know that Garmin offers occasional online seminars, and they publish recordings of the previous ones. It's easy to get assistance from Garmin for new users. Also, there are tons of good YouTube videos on these devices. So don't avoid purchasing one simply due to a little tech anxiety. I think it's a pretty simple device to use, and support exists. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on July 8, 2021 by Chris LaVesser
Works extremely well, very impressed
Color: Orange Style: InReach Mini Pattern: Communicator
I've had this device a little over two weeks now, and run a bunch of different tests, and I really like it. I've seen some negative reviews of this device regarding how long it takes to get a satellite fix, sometimes as long as 20 minutes. I my testing I've averaged about 10-15 minutes, which I find perfectly acceptable. This is way slower than a lot of other GPS devices, but let me explain what I think is going on, and why I actually like this feature. I've been doing back country hiking for many years. About 15 years ago my Dad bought me a handheld Garmin GPS device that could hold all sorts of map types and show an accurate location to it's grainy LCD display, and it took about 5 minutes to get a fix. My folks worried because I mainly navigated with topo maps and a compass, and they thought adding GPS to my kit would help keep me out of trouble. It did it's job well, but very primitive and clunky. Today, my phone gets a GPS fix on my location about as soon as I take it out of my pocket and open Google Maps. Here's the thing I've noticed, and it comes down to accuracy. That old Garmin device needed 13 satellites before it would lock onto a position, if memory serves me, and it was pretty spot on. My phone, using Google Maps, has enough accuracy to know I'm home, a circular error of probably 100 feet. My smartwatch also has GPS, but takes about a minute to get a good GPS fix, but it will tell me I'm in my driveway, with a circular error of probability of about 30 feet. I think this boils down to how many satellites are observed, and more satellites means better location finding. My inReach Mini will show my location as the driver side of the tailgate on my pickup truck, which is parked on the east side of my driveway. It takes a while, but that's impressive, and I'm guessing it takes a bit of time to find enough satellites to get a fix that good. This is supposed to be, at least in part, as a rescue device. Hit the SOS button, and the cavalry comes. I'd much prefer the cavalry know that I'm the most exact point possible compared to the alternative. Texting isn't the same speed as using my phone on an LTE network, and given the physics of satellite communications, it is expected, but it does do the job. The app that works with the inReach isn't what anyone would describe as sexy, but in my experience it works. I look at it like a tool, not an entertainment app. It's ugly & clunky like a pipe wrench, but it will get the job done. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on June 6, 2020 by Blake Morgan
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