Can't seem to find an answer anywhere. When I'm away from Wifi, is the GPS supposed to work on my 3G iPad without my having purchased a month's data plan? Or do I have to have a 250MB or an Unlimited to have any GPS functionality?

The GPS in the 3G ipad does NOT need the 3G account to be active. The GPS in the ipad functions as a standalone unit. This has been discussed to death in several threads.

GPS is only dependent on 3G for an initial fix to make it faster to acquire the satellites. That's what assisted GPS is all about. WiFi performs this as well. However the GPS will work without the 3G service. It will probably take longer to acquire the satellites the first time since there is no initial reference to help the GPS find the closest satellites. Hope this helps.

Alex

Thank you Aburman. Sorry to trouble you Star56

While GPS will work and find your location without Wifi or 3G, keep in mind that you need to use data to load the maps - unless you're using an application that stores them locally such as TomTom, etc. or iNavX for example with marine navigation.

The Maps application on iPad (Google Maps) does not store them locally and depends on a data connection to load them.

You can use Motion X GPS HD which allows you to store an unlimited number of map sections. It is a low cost app, $2.99. Very useful for traveling outside the US since maps are stored.
Alex

Just to pile on, I tested my iPhone navigational apps, and can confirm that everything is working without an active 3G SIM installed.

The GPS works without a cellular connection, it has a dedicated GPS chip in the device. However apps like the google maps app all though will know what your current location is, it wont be able to show you on the map because that app downloads the maps in realtime.

a navigation or map app that has all the maps saved on the device will fully work when disconnected from the internet. Navigon and MotionX HD are an example of some that actualy store the maps on your device.

I thought the iPad didn't have a dedicated GPS, that it only uses WiFi/3G towers to point to your location?

Originally Posted by Matth3w

I thought the iPad didn't have a dedicated GPS, that it only uses WiFi/3G towers to point to your location?

No, the 3G version has a dedicated GPS just like the iPhone. It uses cell towers to assist, aGPS, but also has a dedicated satellite GPS too.

I've tried it with no sim installed and no wifi and it works