As a rule, most of the navigators currently available for sale are already equipped with loaded maps and a special navigation program that, with the help of these maps, paves the way. Moreover, the program only works with those cards that are created specifically for it.
However, the basic "filling" of this guide is not always contains maps of all the necessary regions, and motorists are wondering how to update the navigator, that is, install additional maps in it. And here there are two options: purchase the necessary licensed software or just download maps from the Internet for free. Consider both.
How to update the navigator: install official maps
Installing official cards allows the car owner to be confident in the safety and performance of the software. This process is not complicated, since each developer uploads detailed instructions for users on his official website, which you can use.
How to update the navigator: install unofficial maps
The use of unofficial cards has one, but very significant difficulty - the lack of any kind of technical support. Where do such cards come from? And they are made by exactly the same users of the device as you, taking as a basis the existing geographical maps of different regions.
Updating the navigator using such a map will require that the map format is suitable specifically for your navigation program and that the latter supports the addition of its own maps. Where to get what you need? Today non-profit resource OSM (OpenStreetMap) is very popular, where detailed, free and free maps of the whole world are presented to Internet users.
However, it is worthwhile to understand that if you decide to update the navigator using such an unofficial map, you run the risk. Before the installation process, take the trouble to backup all data from your navigator to a computer device.
Below, for an example, we will consider a step-by-step process on how to update the Navitel navigator and Garmin with unofficial OSM-based maps.
Navitel Navigator Update
1. Connect the navigator to a computer or laptop. In the event that the program is located on a separate flash drive, remove it from the device and open it as a removable disk.
2. In the root of the flash drive, create a new folder for storing third-party cards, giving it a name, for example, UserMaps. Do not touch other folders at all and do not save anything in them, so that possible conflicts between third-party cards and official ones do not arise.
3. Open UserMaps and create a folder with the name of the region whose map you want to add (let's name it, for example, Region_1).
4. In Region_1, copy all the files of the new map.
5. In the navigation program, select "Open Atlas" from the menu.
6. In the window that opens, find the Region_1 folder with new maps, click on it and select the "Create Atlas" command.
7. Wait until the indexing is complete and a new atlas is created. Click the button marked with a check mark.
8. Now you can use the new map as soon as you select the corresponding atlas in the list of maps.
Garmin Navigator Update
Free maps for OSM-based Garmin navigator are installed using MapSource as follows.
1. From the official Garmin website, download MapSource to your computer (in the Support section, select Software, and then Mapping Programs).
2. Unpack the archive into a separate folder and run the MSMAIN.msi file first and only then Setup.exe. Wait for the installation process to complete .
3. Download all the Garmin cards you need.
4. Unpack the archives into separate folders.
5. For each folder, run the INSTALL file so that all the information about the cards enters the computer registry.
6. Now start MapSource. In the program you can find the cards you just installed if you go to the "Utilities" menu and then "Manage Cartographic Products".
7. A list of available cards will appear in the upper left corner. Switch to one of them, then it will appear in the field. Do the same operation with the rest of the cards.
8. Send the selected cards to the device, where they will be issued in the form of a file with the IMG extension and transferred to the Garmin navigator, which must be previously connected to the computer.