Getting Going

Overview


The infotainment unit's map system comes with a set of assorted in built Points of Information (POIs) Fuel stations, cafes etc you can also add your own POIs to the internal system which is normal for navigation systems to import user POIs.

External navigation system can also import or come with safety camera databases. These systems bleep or warble when approaching an identified POI. This feature is built into the MIB car systems and relies on a user upload via SD card or USB drive to the system. Historically Seat / VW / Skoda owners used the VW German POI import website to import these files. The website allowed the user to identify whether they wanted the car's infotainment system to warble when approaching a safety camera within the database. Skoda also had a site for this as well. The website processed the import and wrote a file for import to the car's navigation unit.

With the advent of "connect" online services (not currently available with Seat at the time of writing), user POI import can be done with these services from VW or Skoda however the catch is that the warning warble sound has been omitted from the output database negating why you would use the process. The POInspectOr program can be used to fill the technical gap. It was developed after VW closed down the previous site for RNS510 POI import. The program has been enhanced to now work with MIB 1, 2 and 2.5 units both standard and high (Plus) unit. It has an easy interface and has a relative low token one off cost and has a long legacy. It can be tested on a small of data before spending a token amount (9 Euros) on it which the developer uses to fund the website. Initial set up can be tricky but once achieved relatively easy to update the POIs.


There are other apps about that do the same job but this one has a long history and has intuitive sceens.

As far as Mib3 is concerned at the time of writing it has not been tested on these units. If user Poi import is supported offline as a legacy product the same as previous Mib units then the knowledge of the identifier of the hardware can be used by the software developer to adapt the program if the identifier is new. That identifier is contained in firmware updates. In launch versions of Mib3 there is no specific POI import menu within the unit which suggests that user POI import may not be available although a software update menu is available. Whether this may import Poi is yet to be tested.

It is worth taking a step back at this point to consider safety camera databases in more detail. The program merely imports the data that you give it from a database that you have obtained. In different parts of the world safety camera data is differently published. In France it is illegal to use safety camera databases in the car but they have a concept of "danger zones". Eire seems to publish where their database are. Countries where the level of publication is high, ofter the MIB2 import as published and is freely available (Spain). Elsewhere in Europe these may be sold (Germany).

Safety cameras can be broken down into two main types, fixed and mobile. If the two are not within the database that is being used then you will miss out on these. Both Google and Here Maps are collecting data on fixed camera positions but not mobile ones, also Wazz users can identify them but not useful if a Wazz user has not been down the road that day where the mobile camera is waiting.

In the example here Pocket GPS World files are used. £19-99 annual subscription for community sourced fixed and mobile speed camera database, including UK and Europe (80 countries are covered in the database). You can use whatever database you like but accuracy may be important. The Pocket GPS World ones you can report cameras which are no longer operational or add cameras fixed and mobile that you spot. Again this database has a long history compared with younger upstarts of Google and Here Maps which obviously are wrapped in their product and have issues around mobile carmera locations.


The program can also be used to import destinations using their GPS coordinates to create favourites which are shown on the cars screen and can then be picked out to save as a destination or just navigate too. This use enables a set of personal favourites to be migrated between Mib units when changing the car or if you have two or more cars. Uses include hiking destinations, favourite rest stops, hotels etc. Personal favourites was always a feature of the VW site. Useful to tap on stop off points as progressing along a route, if for example you decide you want to stop at that spot for a break. Basically gives the unit the normal navigation screen look of "favourites".

The program has been used by the SeatCupra forum since the summer of 2018 and indeed the forum posts on the thread are linked by the program's developer as documention and examples across VAG car group :).

Setting up the Program

It can be download for test purposes from:

http://poinspect0r.blogspot.com/

A limit of 50 records or so is placed on what it can handle till you pay your 9 Euros to the developer via Paypal after that it's pretty limit less in what it can handle. Certainly handles all of the Pocket GPS World Speedcameras for UK and Europe.

Going beyond the 50 records you register by paying the Paypal donation. Take that Paypal Transaction ID contained on the email from Paypal and paste into the Online SN Registeration box under Info button (top right}. Restart the app and it's then registered.

Here's are ten records that can be cut and pasted into a file with the extension .asc using Notepad.

14.30467,46.62362,A KLAGENFURT Hotel Sandwirth,A,B,C
14.30298,46.62433,A KLAGENFURT Parking for Hotel Hiligengeistplatz,A,B,C
13.05037,47.73615,A SALZBURG Esso on border road,A,B,C
4.95054,51.30373,B BELGIUM Fuel E34 Route,A,B,C
3.33896,50.61982,B BELGUIM ... FRANCE BORDER,A,B,C
6.1534,50.75432,B BELGUIM GERMANY NORTH ROUTE SHELL,A,B,C
3.73613,51.01963,B Gent - Campanile,A,B,C
5.079962,50.142992,B WANLIN IN,A,B,C
5.077577,50.145079,B WANLIN OUT,A,B,C
7.07463,49.91638,D BERNKASTEL-KUES Tourist Information kastel-Kues,A,B,C

It supports the warble sound if you toggle it on via distance field. The MIB2 standard and high (Seat Plus) set at 0 for no warning, 1 for a warning warble. The MIB units bother 1, 2 and 2.5 whether standard or high unit use the cars speed to estimate when the warble sound is activated. It will warble in either direction of approaching a speed camera. Note some cameras can be reversed so useful. Will also warble if you get close to one but not pass it and will also warble if no route is set.

<<
Note: February 2022 a small edit needs to be made to the registry to get the maps to show due to a Microsoft / Google change. Care should be taken with register entry else it can stop your computer bboting up.

The programmer has published a fix:


Register edit with much care and it's working again. (whilst the program will work without the fix you get the maps back again with the fix... useful to check what you are importing in. Regedit can wreck your PC boot if you make a mistake so be careful, you then reboot and it's back again)

The fix from the website:

Google maps fix/workaround


Workaround to fix IE compatibility for built-in app map feature.
Open registry editor (regedit) and browse for the key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_BROWSER_EMULATION
Under this key create new value:
"RNS510poi.exe"=dword:00002ee1
Or simply download and run this patch which do the steps above.
Now you can run again program RNS510poi.exe with map feature!
>>

The screens are easy to navigate around. The documentation on the POInspector site does cover the file input format which VW and Skoda have deleted off their sites.

For those running ahead you got to get your siblings and children right !. They are all siblings in the root for the MIB2. Icon size must be correct. They need to be 34x39 or 39x39 you can take the standard GPS World ones and scale in paint producing PNG. BMP > PNG or copy them out of your last working VW download. You want to use the newer standard 39x39 icon size (Quick start guide).

Well that was the Quick start guide above for those that don't bother to read the manual.... now the documentation:

____________

Using the Point Inspector to Generate the Upload File (POInspect0r) (for Mib2 standard / high and MIB2.5 standard / high - with warbles)

Recreating the POI safety camera upload / download using Point Inspector (PO) the app should look like this ($) if you use Pocket GPS World to cover fixed and mobile cameras for Europe, although I'm using one extra file based on my destination favourites that I also import. That's 4 files from the subscription safety camera site Pocket GPS World - others are available.

($) the example below was produced on an earlier version, the current version may require the cameras to hang off PersonalPOI - which is not shown in the examples below, they drop down from PersonalPOI. See post 108 & on the discussion thread.

KzVnpEv.jpg


On Pocket GPS World I download the safety cameras in GPX format taking the four files from the database, fixed and mobile, UK and Europe wide in the type Other down load box. They call it "single file" select UK and then Euro downloading two zip files that contain the four GPX files and four bit maps.

It is important to construct the category sets as siblings hanging off the root as shown above for the Discover infotainment unit - top left tree structure. Discover infotainment unit only handles siblings on the route and nothing else.

r8QhNxX.jpg


Prepare your Icons

You can generate the POI categories taking the default graphics within the program then change them to your preferred as shown above. First prepare your icons. The program only reads in PNG images and they can now be in the standard MIB2 format 39x39 with 6.5 version of the program or above - so no need to resize to 34x39 which was the old RNS510 standard. You must enable 39x39 import in preferences if you are using this format.

If you already have a working VW produced download POI update file from their system, then you can copy out the icon's it already has produced of the correct size and file type and use them - they are already 39x39 and ready to be used.


These are in the directory of your last working download from the VW system

MIB2 High (Seat Plus):

\PersonalPOI\MIB2HIGH\PersonalPOI\Package\0\default\bitmaps

MIB2 Standard:

\PersonalPOI\MIB2TSD\personalpoi\ppoidb\1\default\icon

If you don't do it this way you can use Paint to derive the PNG files.

You put your PNG icons in a folder in your own directory somewhere and call it's Icons. It's this folder of icons that you can import into the program using Tools, Icon, Folder Import. You do that after you have set up the proforma with the default icon.

Having setup the proforma you can then load your data into it. Unlike the VW site you do not need to read the icons back in, just delete the POI data in the category and import the latest. I use the GPX file structure for this:

bJHbM1a.jpg


During import you toggle on the warble alarm for the MIB2 Standard and High by setting the distance to 1 metres as the alarm distance since the distance and timing is sorted out by infotainment unit based on speed. The previous RNS510 unit which the developer wrote the program original for needed the distance to warn specified. The developer has now provided a check box that you can use instead.

  • 0 metre means no warble alarm for that POI set
  • 1 metre a warble for that POI set

Or use the check box instead which is now shown on the updated screen.

7IUbkQ3.jpg


Having read in the data you hit Tools, Transfer current DB to SD card toggling on the MIB2High if that's the unit. Recent version of the software you choose which option you require to export out to rather than toggling. Either way it hangs of the Tools, Transfer current DB to SD card.

You can use a USB stick as an alternative. You need to delete the contents of the SD / USB card before writing the results. Also you need to select Discover output. If it gives you a database error that's probably because you have the drop down pointing to a drive with nothing in it - remember to click to the correct drive for the SD or USB:

9vkZfoT.jpg


(Nb. Revised screen is slightly different to the image above, you select between standard and high).

Release 6.4 or higher is required for the MIB2High.

At the Car

The card is placed in the infotainment spare SD slot in the car (for the standard unit) or USB for either. You do not use the the map card - the POIs are read into the unit from an SD card or USB. The card or USB can then be removed. You then select update POIs via the settings manage memory menu and follow the instructions.

At this stage if it's the first time you have loaded personal POIs into the unit you may wish to bring up the loaded up POI categories for display. The Mib2 allows up to 10 POI categories to be displayed. This may need to be adjusted if you have taken up all 10 slots so you can see the safety camera icons and any other favourites imported. I tend to use 5 for the inbuilt POIs and 5 for my users POIs (4 european safety camera files and 1 for my favourite destinations).

Note. On the Standard Mib2 the imported categories to show on the screen need to be toggled back on after each POI update. For the MIB2 High the categories remain unchanged. These are selected off the Map sub menu at the car.

The volume of the warble is at the same level as the inbuilt navigation speech. This can be adjusted with a destination set in, by pressing the right steering button on some MIB2 units (the same button / control for display options) or the lowest right icon below the automatic zoom activation on some recent units or on all units pressing the right button on the MIB2 units (if you have it). It will repeat the navigation commands, use left button / dial to adjust the navigation volume to desired - that's the warble sound level. That right button is the one you use to get the navigation voice to give you directions on command - like you didn't hear or you want some now - this one works on all units. Volume can also be controlled by a sub menu but easier during driving to cause the unit to repeat directions again whilst setting the volume. Assuming you got atleast two buttons on the unit :).

To test the upload, a simulated drive can be taken by using the advanced menu of the infotainment unit. Put the unit into demo mode. Enter the cars location close to a safety camera by street address, then navigate a route that goes through it. You should hear the warbles if you have toggled them on. You can check the warning distance or leave it for a real drive. Demo mode can be toggled back off again.

The POInspect0r guide also provides useful documentation to import your own favourite POIs. It's a standard VAG Mib program layout for import, the program takes ASC files (comma separated but must have the ASC extension). With changes in Vag sites the record layout can get lost in the mists of time:

http://pi.radas.net/files/Personal POI Quick Start Guide v1.0.pdf

Page 7 shows the ASC field guide:

ASCII file format description

Supported fields:

lon,lat,name,country,region,city,street,house#,phone#

Example:
14.443444, 50.050892, "Speed cam, 50kmh", UK, ,London, a Street, 2118, 005221454787


The layout above can be used for your own favourites. Note the lon and lat column order are swapped from the normal order in the VAG import (normal as in sat nav, Google etc). You can import your own favourite POIs this way, save as a normal destination and in principle the side information on telephone numbers should populate that part of the infotainment system. This is how people who change cars frequently re-populate the cars destinations. It is this approach that I used to get my original Co-pilot destinations into the car, all 180 of them. Destinations defined this way means they show on the map.

https://forums.seatcupra.net/index....m-external-satnavs-to-the-cars-system.438041/

Hint

I keep a back up copy of the exe file which are updated, so if a release has an issue you can go back to the one that works for you... unlike the VW site that just deletes the web page. If it's a more full update of the program then the others files should be updated as well. The associated dates on the files can be checked. Also probably a good idea to keep a back up of the database to save having to rebuild if there is a mishap (DB3 files stored in the POI directory). If the programs starts to do weird things then a clean install just copying in the existing DB3 files is recommended (worked for me).

Thanks go to the developer Radas for this excellent program to cover the gap that the VAG group have have created :). There is a micropayment for the program of 9 Euros but you can test first on smaller datasets. A sample file is given on post 1 of this thread.

Thanks also to all SeatCupra forum members that have contributed to clearing up issues on the standard unit before I had access to one and those with the wifi enabled Seat standard unit that tested the program after Radas altered it to work with these units after they tipped me off that a solution had been found by a commercial map provider. Unit identifier needed to be added.

The developers blog provides details of the changes.

http://poinspect0r.blogspot.com/

See the discussion thread that has run on this subject since June 2018 for further information and questions.

Related to speed cameras is enabling TSR if you have lane assist and traffic sign recognition (TSR) is not enabled. A speed cameras database and TSR cover all bases of exceeding the road speed without some form of warning.
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