AdventureLive vs the SPOT shared page: which to use?

What is the difference between AdventureLive and the SPOT shared page?

SPOT's Shared View is the page SPOT provides to show your tracking and messages. AdventureLive is a separate service that reads your SPOT shared page and shows the trip on its own page, with the weather where you are. One is the source. The other is a way for family to watch it.

We make AdventureLive, so read our view with that in mind. We limit what we say about SPOT to what Globalstar's support page states, and we write "not stated" where it does not say. That page is linked under Sources. This guide is part of our comparison of the best live tracking for adventures.

At a glance

What does the SPOT shared page do well?

It comes from SPOT, so it works with your device out of the box. Globalstar's support page describes the steps: open the Shared View icon on the SPOT Mapping page, choose Add Shared View, complete the fields, customize your preferences and create it. You then send the Shared View page to friends and family.

Globalstar says a Shared View lets you share your messaging and tracking activity with family, friends and colleagues. The page also offers a SPOT Adventure, which imports your location and messaging activity if you would rather share after a trip. It does not mention a cost or plan requirement, so we cannot say whether it is free. Check your SPOT plan.

What does AdventureLive do well?

AdventureLive reads your SPOT shared page (the XML feed) and puts the result on a 3D satellite map. Followers see the planned route, the line you have travelled and your dot, with "Seen 22 min ago, via SPOT". SPOT OK and Custom messages show as check-ins in order.

It adds the weather where you are, now and for 48 hours, and safety alerts for strong wind, gales, severe cold, heat, heavy rain and thunderstorms. These cover where you are and the route ahead. You also get home contacts: name up to five, and each gets an email with the time, the place on a map and the trip page if your SPOT sends a HELP message. A cancel email follows if you cancel it. Followers never see it.

Rescue is not ours. A SPOT SOS goes to SPOT's emergency response centre, GEOS. Keep your emergency contacts up to date with SPOT, because they are the ones SPOT contacts on an SOS.

The limits: AdventureLive has no phone app, it reads a SPOT no more often than every 2½ minutes, and only while a trip is live. The dot is only as fresh as your SPOT's own tracking interval.

When should you choose the SPOT shared page?

Choose the SPOT page on its own when:

• you want the quickest official link and nothing more;
• your followers are happy with a basic page of your activity;
• you want to share a SPOT Adventure after the trip;
• you do not need weather or extra contacts.

When should you choose AdventureLive?

Choose AdventureLive when:

• your family wants to see the weather where you are, with alerts, next to your dot;
• you want a map they can open on any phone with no app;
• you want HELP emails to named people at home;
• you may carry both a SPOT and an inReach, and want a single dot;
• you plan a trip in legs, with or without a set route.

Plan your trip, then follow linking a tracker.

Can you use both?

Yes. In your SPOT account you create a shared page (XML feed). In AdventureLive you choose SPOT, paste its link or the feed ID, add the feed password if you set one, and choose Link and test it. Your SPOT page keeps working, and your family can use either link.

If you want to compare your options for a longer expedition, read the SPOT shared page alternative and inReach vs SPOT vs ZOLEO. The forecast is a guide, not a guarantee, so check local forecasts and warnings before you set out.

What about going live and privacy?

From an hour before a leg starts, your SPOT's first position puts the trip live. On a leg with a route it must be within 25 km of the line. You can Start now, Pause, Resume and End trip by hand from any phone's browser. You choose who can see each trip: findable, link only, or people you approve. Turning off the trip link stops it for everyone. See going live and who can see you.

What do followers actually see on each page?

On a SPOT Shared View, Globalstar says followers see your messaging and tracking activity. The page we read does not describe the viewer's screen in more detail, so we do not describe it either.

On AdventureLive, followers open one link in any browser. They see the 3D map, your planned route, the line travelled so far and the dot. They see when you were last seen, any check-ins, the weather where you are and a progress line with the day, the leg and, on legs with a route, the distance. The page updates by itself every minute. If you set the trip to people you approve, followers sign in and ask, and you approve or decline.

Does either one change what your SPOT does?

No. Neither changes the device. Your SPOT still sends its own messages and its own SOS over the satellite network. The shared page and AdventureLive only show what the SPOT has already sent. If your SPOT is set to a long tracking interval, both pages will show positions at that pace. If you want fresher positions, change the interval on the device and check your plan first.