Recap
We introduced you to Transcend's interesting little dashcam earlier that features a wide-angle (130-degree) lens facing forward. There's a bright 2.4-inch screen on the other side with four function buttons below. It sticks on to the windscreen with the help of a sucker mount. As shown earlier in the introduction report, the long cable can nicely be tucked over the passenger visor and down through the glove-box to the 12V power socket. We also used it on the rear windshield of an SUV while connecting it to the secondary 12V power outlet without any issues. Well, now let's get into its intricate details.
On the go
Pairing this device with the DrivePro app on a smartphone is very convenient. A touch of a button enables WiFi on the device making it easy to connect it to the phone via a Live mode or Dashcam mode. The former mode enables your phone's screen as an auxiliary screen to adjust the cam for the perfect recording position. This also helps in the latter Dashcam mode in which the captured footage can be viewed, deleted or secured.
The red (emergency) button the device when pressed on the run, anyway secures the current footage. What's the need to secure it you may ask? The recording on the device works in a loop meaning once the card is full, it will delete older videos and continue recording. This is where the feature comes handy, when you don't want the device to over-write that particular footage. What’s more, there's a handy snapshot button for clicking a picture which automatically saves it in a different folder on the device.
Connect it, Forget it
Once plugged with a power supply, the cam automatically starts recording and wiping previous recordings if the card gets full. Except the emergency recordings, old footage will be replaced by new shots. Whenever you switch on the ignition of the car, the device will go on, start recording and stop after 10/30seconds after switching the ignition off. So you can literally fix this dashcam for once and never really bother about its operation.
Any good?
The wide angle helps capture quite an extensive view of surroundings and the clarity on this device is phenomenal thanks to the Sony Exmor sensor. Yes, even the night-time recordings. Also, the registration numbers on the cars are snapped clearly. In fact, we noticed the smaller motorcycle/scooter number plates can also be read from the footage captured. All thanks to full HD allowing recording at 1920x1080 at 30fps. With GPS, the co-ordinates, date, time and speed is also stamped onto the footage. We, in fact, also used the footage captured by this device in one of our feature videos for our road trip to the Far East of India. As the manufacturer says, it's indeed 'a fellow traveller ready to explore more of the world with you'.
All you should know
There are a few more pointers which we would want to highlight for your quick reference -
- The snapshot button enables you to take still photos while recording video
- A Sony sensor with WDR ensures capturing of high-res images
- With external power supply one can safeguard the car 24x7 with a time-lapse video recording too
- A GPS/GLONASS receiver logs date, time and coordinates into the recorded video
- A G-sensor (which can be manually activated) detects impact in the event of a collision and begins recording
- Driver fatigue alert reminds of taking a break from driving after a particular (user-determined) amount of time
- Forward collision warning system (FCWS) works nicely by displaying an onscreen warning and even an audible alert, when the car exceeds a set speed
- Lane departure warning system (LDWS) when activated displays an on-screen warning and a sound alert when the driver is veering out of a lane
- An on-screen notification comes on as a headlight reminder in low lighting conditions
- Transcend’s DrivePro Toolbox software is good for PC users. One can map the videos if the GPS information has been recorded.
Verdict
Not once did the device come off the suction mount when secured firmly. The build quality is sturdy, without many confusing buttons and compact in size to not hinder vision while driving. The image and video quality is incredibly impressive as the footage looks crisp and detailed with optimal lighting and colour, irrespective of the time of day/night or weather conditions. Sure, it could do with a better internal battery for longer duration of recording. Also, it doesn't get the potential life-saving features like calling emergency services like in many new dashcams. But then, this doesn't hold us back in any way from recommending this dashcam to you. In the price range of Rs 10,000 to Rs 12,000, it's by far one of the best safety devices one can have.
Pictures by Kaustubh Gandhi
Pros and Cons
Pros
Car numbers can be read clearly even in the night
Wi-Fi connectivity
Easy installation and operation
Long cable
Emergency recording prevents overwriting the current recorded file
Cons
Screen cannot be turned off
Internal battery not enough to record for longer duration
Cannot be paired to a secondary rear camera
Specifications
Specifications
Dimensions 70.2mm × 63.1mm × 34.5mm (2.76" x 2.48" x 1.36")
Weight 81g
Display Type and Size 2.4" color LCD Lens F/2.0, 130° wide angle
Power Supply -
Input: DC 12V~24V Output: DC 5V 1A
Video Formats H.264 (MOV: up to 1920x1080 30fps)
Operating Temperature -20°C (-4°F) ~ 65°C (149°F)
Certificates CE, FCC, BSMI, KC, NCC, MIC
