Nokia N95 fixing slow GPS

I do like my Nokia N95 but there are several annoyances with it. Some I know are fixed by newer firmware but being on the Orange network here in the UK I don't have access to newer firmware (which is a whole other issue!)

Many owners of N95's have found that it can take several minutes to get a GPS fix (or GPS lock, as some call it). I raced my Nokia N95 against a generic external Bluetooth GPS unit I use with TomTom Navigator on an N95 - side by side with a clear view of the sky. TomTom + external GPS about 3 seconds. Maps + internal GPS - 10 minutes!!!!!

These are the steps that fixed this issue for me. Your milage may vary!

Go to Menu, Settings under the General Tab find Positioning (scroll down to the very bottom) in Position methods make sure:

Integrated GPS and
Network based

are both turned on (ticked)

Then start up the Maps application. In Options, Settings, Network set:

Use network to When needed and
Default access point to Orange Internet

For Orange Internet pick whichever data connection works best for you. Just beware that you may be changed extra for using data connection (I am charged for using Orange Internet).

You should probably also set:

Roaming warning to On

To be warned if the Map Application tries to download maps via your access point. As maps can be big this could be expensive.

Then you need to get a valid GPS fix at least once. You may have to redo this if you start up maps in a very different area because but I haven't tried that yet.

Go to Menu, Settings, General Tab, Personalisation, Display and set:

Power saver time-out to 10 minutes

Find some place with a good clear view of the sky (no tall buildings, no trees, no clouds...) and start the Map application. You should probably skip the "globe zooming in" and go to Options, View, Satellite info.

You might notice that the "data connection" symbol has appeared near the top right of the screen.

Now sit back and wait for a GPS fix. For me this took 10 minutes! As satellites are found a hollow black bar will appear with the satellites number beside it. Once the GPS chip "locks" onto the satellites signal the bar turns solid black. Normally at least three black bars are needed for a GPS fix.

Once you have this "first fix" you can exit Maps.

The next time you start Maps you should find you get a GPS fix in well under a minute - for me its usually 20 - 30 seconds.

(Thanks to various people on the net for offering suggestions on how to fix this issue.)