Are some GPS devices more accurate than others?

I need a device that can detect GPS coordinates precisely. Do most (all?) GPS devices pinpoint locations equally? Or do I need to buy a super expensive device?





Any suggestions on which GPS device to buy?





Thanks!|||Yes, some GPS systems are better than others. But you pay a lot for the extra accuracy.





Note: Precision is how many digits the display gives you, accuracy is how many of those digits are correct. Most GPS systems will be precise down to ~1cm however very few will be that accurate.








Within mass market consumer devices there will only be slight differences, electronically and from a software point of view they are all very similar. They will all perform about the same, between 2-5m average error for a good unit and 4-10m for a bad unit.


The difference between a good and bad unit is almost entirely the antenna, a tiny antenna with a poor view of the sky jammed in next to lots of high speed electronics won't work as well as a big antenna pointed in the correct direction and shielded from noise.





In the consumer space get a reasonably priced GPS and an external antenna for it and you'll be as accurate as is possible working with a reasonable budget.








If you want more accuracy then the price starts to go up.





You can get Sub-meter GPS (typically defined as meaning 68% of points will be within 1 meter of the true location) for about $1000 upwards.


Google will find you a few places that sell those to the public.





Anything better and you're generally into the region where you need to go through a GIS, mapping or survey equipment dealer rather than just buying online.





If you want errors under 30cm then you're looking at ~$5,000 or more depending on the features, if you want to accuracies in the 1-2cm region then you'll be looking at $20,000+





Edit:


And I'd like to thank Jhonny for the nice copy and paste of my explanation of self jamming taken from another question. I notice he removed the part about external antennas, presumably because his GPS doesn't have that feature.


I am however a little disappointed that he didn't list me as a source for his answer ;-)|||GPS devices are a very good source to use when traveling. It's difficult when your traveling and don't know where to go. So i decided to invest in one with the help of Pikimal. Pikimal is a seach engine site that helps consumers review products and find whats best. http://gps-device.pikimal.com/

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|||Nope, they are all not created equal. The Newelectronx GPS will have better position accuracy due to a better antenna and less self jamming (one big problem with other GPS systems is that the electronics in the GPS generates RF noise which gets into the antenna and makes it harder to pick up the GPS signals, the tighter packed things are the worse this gets. My GPS has 12 satellites and they all lock on to give me an accurate read all the time. Also the software is very fast and efficient unlike your common garmin or tomtom. A lot of GPS devices have an crappy antenna inside of them. Google problem with the gps that ppl are referring here and you will find out that allot ppl complain about garmin. You also want to consider a GPS with good battery life. Mine gets at least 10 hours in standby and last all day under use. Also comes with house, car, and computer charger - and kitchen sink too, just joking about the sink. LOL





The other big difference is cost - you dont have to spend allot of money to get the best GPS. I think that phrase you get what you paid for was made up in the 60's - well this is not the 60's any more... LMFA Nowadays you just know where to look to get the deals. Most ppl buy refurbished crap off of eBay or amazon because they dont know any better, but if you knew where to get quality USA made products for half the price then would always have the best for less in price. So, dont believe that cliche about if you spend more you get the best. I have spent $450 on a garmin before and still wasnt happy, but my new gps fits me perfectly and I didnt spend half as much on it.





Also consider map updates,they will normally cost you $60-$100 per update. That expense alone will supersede the cost of the GPS in one payment.





Dont get any lower model GPS's and make sure the GPS can at least include free map updates, bluetooth for wireless and hands free cell phone talking (i love this feature), a big screen (anything 5 inches or bigger is GREAT - helps with visibility while you drive and keeps you out of accidents LOL - dont fall for the 4.3 or 4.7 inch screen crap), and turn by turn spoken word directions. Anything less than that is not worth buying - no matter how much it costs.|||No, all GPSr's are not created equal. The more satellites the GPS can lock onto the more accurate. My Garmin can handle 12 channels, with all 12 channels locked in, it is accurate to within about 12 feet. Good enough for hiking or geocaching, but not good enough for surveying.|||it honestly doesnt matter if you buy a expensive one or not i have a garmin gps and its fine ,and i'm never afraid of getting lost anymore :-) it also tracks the fasttest you went on your trip or ride and when i go to the high way i always try and go over 100 lol|||hey dude the cheaper one you buy the crappier it is thats the rule of life but the gps i have is decently priced and it gets you about a block or less where you wanna go|||You can get commercial GPS systems that are somewhat more accurate than consumer GPS receivers.