How GPS Receiver for Laptop / Android Tablet function, software / hardware requirements & compatible problems.

Add a GPS Receiver to your Laptop, PC,Tablet, .... 
Laptop GPS Reveiver FAQ: for xp, win7, win8~10, Mac, Linux, Android .... (Satellite based GPS).

Visible Satellites in North America

How a Laptop GPS system functioning. Hardware & Software requirement & partitioning. Com-port (USB) connection to your Laptop. What is Baud Rate, GPS protocol NMEA-0183?

What is a Laptop GPS Receiver?
It is a GPS Receiver hardware that link your Laptop  with the GPS Satellites Signals : It is a GPS Receiver (Module) + External Antenna. You need a driver (PL2303) to enable the GPS Receiver work on the USB Port of your Laptop, PC, Tablet ... 
(PL2303 Driver for Window or Mac OS is difference. New versions of Linux or Android usually no need driver).


A Memorial for Standalone GPS Units – Death by Laptop or Tablet GPS

Laptop or Tablet GPS vs Standalone GPS:

• If you don’t want to pay for a Standalone GPS or Chartplotter that costs more than your boat then just bang it on a laptop, hook up the external GPS Receiver and off you go.
• You can buy a 5" Standalone GPS at >US$200 and usually it included a GPS Map that covered a small area of your city with little function. You have to paid extra money again for the GPS Map of other country or city.
• Just a small money (about US$30) can turn your Laptop or Tablet to work as a Widescreen GPS or ChartPlotter.
• With a Laptop GPS Receiver, you can select lots of GPS Map with special functions you prefer.

• (I want to setup GPS on Android Tablet, Kindle Fire .... ): Android Tablet GPS with Offline Map, without Internet, without 3G, without WiFi

Get Basic knowledge before you start to setup a Laptop GPS System:

Laptop GPS system’s Hardware Software partitioning:

• Hardware (GPS Module): It simply uses to receive the RF signal (NMEA Data) from the GPS Satellites in space.
• Software (GPS Map): There are thousands of different GPS maps available, select the one suitable for your location.

Hardware requirement:

• You need a GPS Receiver to work with your Laptop. (A GPS Receiver Module with USB Connector & External Antenna.)
• Not suggest to use a USB GPS Stick. (A USB GPS Stick fixed at the back of your Laptop so you cannot get good Satellites signal when you sit inside your mobile. ).
• If your Laptop has Bluetooth then you can think about use a Bluetooth GPS Receiver. (Bluetooth GPS Receiver is more expensive. You have to charge the Battery every time before use. Some end user has difficult to enable the connection between the Bluetooth Receiver and Laptop.)
• The best Laptop GPS Receiver is the one w/ a short USB Cable (0.7 meter) but long Antenna Cable (2, 3, 5, or 10 meters) (Don't use any USB Cable longer then 2 metres)

​
Software requirement:

• You need to install a driver PL2303 (come with the GPS Receiver) to enable the GPS Receiver work with your laptop through the USB port.
• Drivers PL2303 have difference versions for difference OS of Windows, Mac, Linux ….  (The latest Windows 8.1 need both new versions of Hardware & Software. (See details of win8 GPS)
• After installed the PL2303 driver and connected the GPS Receiver (Hardware) to your Laptop then you can use difference sources of GPS Map /  Marine Chartplotter (Software) for Navigation. In your GPS Map or Chartplotter you must select the correct GPS Mode (NMEA mode), Baud Rate (9600 or 4800) & Com-port # (shows in Windows Devices Manager).

Find free GPS Map in internet:
Search “free gps map (country-name)” or “free Sea Charts” you can find lots of suppliers allow you to trial their map in free. (There are many difference versions of GPS Map (software) on market. All you need to know is the Baud Rate of your GPS Map (ask your software supplier) and then buy a correct Baud Rate GPS Receiver for it (4800 or 9600).
Some information about GPS Map’s Baud Rate:

• GPS Map accepts Baud Rate 4800: Garmin, Google Earth, Ozi-Explorer, MS Sts & Trips, AutoRoute, Cmap, SeaPro, SeaClear, MaxSea, Chart Plotting softwar,  … are work on Baud Rate 4800.
• GPS Map accepts Baud Rate 9600:  MapKing, Magellan, TomTom, Google Map, Navman, Viking, iMap.. work on Baud Rate 9600…

Links to find free GPS map (off-line map):
http://www.maps-gps-info.com/fgpfw.html

More Answers to Laptop GPS FAQ:

• First time to setup a Laptop GPS System
• I got a Baud Rate & GPS Mode (NMEA) compatible problem
• How to use Garmin Map on Laptop with a non-Garmin GPS Receiver
• How to setup a Marine Chartplotter on my Laptop or PC
• What is the difference between a Real GPS & a Fake GPS
• How to minimize temporary loss of signal & improve the 3D Position Accuracy 
• Android Tablet GPS with Offline Map, without Internet, without 3G, without WiFi

Remark:
A good external GPS Antenna is the foundation of a good GPS Navigation system.
A good external GPS Antenna capture more Satellites (max. 12) and give higher "3D position Accuracy".   
(If you want to use the Laptop GPS in a more sheltered position and leave the Antenna at open space then you need a longer Antenna Cable. The RF Antenna Cable can be extending to 30 meters or longer no problem (just like a TV Antenna Cable). You should never use a USB extension cable longer then 2 meters or you will found data lost and system malfunction.)
Sole supplier:
Laptop Tablet GPS Receiver w/ external Antenna (2, 3, 5, or 10 meters) from the sole supplier.
Anadigi Industrial Ltd 

Tech News: 
Windows 8.x ~10 is an new OS but lack of backward compatibility. All old versions laptop GPS receivers (win7, xp ...) will not work on win8 or above laptop. 
You need a latest versions of Laptop GPS Receiver with win8 chipset.  
The new win8 chipset is backward compatible to win7, xp, Android, Mac or Linux. 

---