It was only with the adoption of 3G cellular service that streaming video from our phone systems became a reality. 4G cellular services offer a bump in data transfer speed with a theoretical maximum that is more than 50 times faster than 3G, making it easy and reliable to stream high-resolution video. Dashcam manufacturers like BlackVue have developed cloud-based solutions that allow you to use a Wi-Fi hotspot in your vehicle, smartphone internet access tethering or proximity to a hotspot in your home or office to keep tabs on your vehicle. Let’s look at how it works.

Dashcam Internet Connection

Once you’ve had your local specialist mobile enhancement retailer install your dashcam for you, all you need to do is use a smartphone app to connect your dashcam to an internet connection. Many General Motors vehicles include Wi-Fi hotspots, and Ford recently announced they’d be including 4G connectivity in upcoming models. You can also source a mobile hotspot solution from most key cellphone companies like Verizon, AT&T and Sprint in the US and Telus in Canada.

Once the connection is set up, you can connect to your dashcam anytime it’s powered to see what it sees. You can also configure notifications to be pushed to your smartphone should the motion sensor be triggered while your vehicle is parked or if someone or something comes into the camera’s field of vision. If you are worried about vandalism or theft or want to know which cat is walking across the hood of your vehicle, this is the way to go.

Several models of Thinkware cameras can send notifications about driving impacts or when the camera enters or exits a preselected zone.

Because these dashcams have an integrated GPS antenna, they can be used to provide an alert if someone tows your vehicle away. The difference between the solutions we’ve discussed is in the ability to see the camera image remotely.

Will We See Dashcams with Built-In LTE Connectivity?

Absolutely! In fact, many are already on the market. The Waylens Secure360 4G is one option. Waylens offers several data plans that vary in bandwidth and cost. There are some solutions from lesser-known brands out there. We haven’t tested them in terms of image quality and video compression nor have we determined how easy their interfaces are to use. Be sure you check those things out before purchasing.

The Importance of a Quality Dashcam

As we’ve discussed in detail, having an inexpensive dashcam is great if you want to know if a light was green or red when you entered an intersection or the direction a car was travelling when it hit someone. If you want to capture details like license plates, something that is crucial in identifying vehicles that have left the scene of an accident, then you need a camera with a high-resolution image sensor, high-quality video compression algorithms that preserve detail and excellent hardware that will ensure the system works when you need it. Expect to spend at least $300 on a good quality dashcam plus the cost of installation.

Protect Yourself with a Premium Dashcam

Undoubtedly, we’ll see more and more dashcams with Wi-Fi cloud solutions and LTE connectivity come onto the market over the next few years. Where a dashcam is like having a co-pilot keeping tabs on everything that happens in front and behind your vehicle as you drive, a connected dashcam is your personal night watchman, guarding your pride and joy all through the night. If you are interested in a video recording system for your car or truck, visit your local specialist mobile enhancement retailer today.

This article is written and produced by the team at www.BestCarAudio.com. Reproduction or use of any kind is prohibited without the express written permission of 1sixty8 media.

Many new cars and trucks come with a feature called stop-start technology. This system senses when the car is stopped at a red light or stop sign and shuts down the engine to save fuel. As soon as you release the brake pedal, the engine starts up again, and you’re on your way. The question for those of us who are interested in upgrading our vehicles is, does this technology work with our new electronics? Read on to find out if your new high-power amplifier, dash camera or radar detector will get upset when your car stops and starts.

How Does Stop-Start Technology Work?

Almost all new cars are controlled by computers. As such, the act of turning off your engine at a stop light is as simple as cutting spark to the ignition system and fuel injectors. To restart the car again, the vehicle initiates the start-up sequence as though you pressed the start button on the dash. The radio keeps playing, the climate control system keeps running and all the lights stay on while the engine is off. Other than an eerie silence and a split-second hesitation when it’s time to drive off, you don’t really notice anything.

In the background, the computer in your car is monitoring several systems to determine when it should stop the engine and when it needs to start it again. If it’s summer and you’re running the air conditioning, the computer will monitor the temperature in the vehicle. If it starts to warm up, it starts the engine so the compressor can run. If it’s winter and you have the heated seats and rear window defroster running, the system pays close attention to the current draw on the battery and its voltage. Brake pedal pressure, the position of the clutch (if you have one), engine coolant temperature, a buckled seat belt and many other conditions determine whether the engine will stop at a light and when it will restart.

What’s the Problem with Stop-Start Systems?

While saving fuel seems like a great idea, there is a drawback to this system in terms of aftermarket electronics in your car. When the engine starts, there is a large draw from the vehicle battery. In some cases, the battery voltage can drop well below 9 volts. For many years, electronic devices designed for use in cars had a low-voltage cutoff around 10.8 volts. In cases where the voltage drops into the 9V or less region, your amplifier, signal processors, source unit, dash camera or radar detector may shut down, then restart once the voltage increases. If the voltage drop is extreme, problems with the microcontrollers in your devices may occur.

Dealing with Stop-Start Vehicles

If you own a vehicle equipped with one of these fuel-saving technologies and are interested in adding aftermarket electronics, search for a specialist mobile enhancement retailer who is familiar with how they operate.

For low-power devices like signal processors, radar detectors, laser jammer and dashcams, voltage stabilization modules are available to help keep everything happy. Companies like ARC Audio design their new amplifiers and processors to handle these low-voltage conditions. Audison offers a product called the ES3 that will help maintain voltage to certain low-power devices. Work with your salesperson to choose products that list stop-start compatibility in their feature list.

You will also want to make sure that the battery or batteries in your vehicle are in good condition. Even after a few years of regular use or in even harsher conditions involving multiple short trips, batteries can build up a layer of sulfate on their lead plates that can dramatically reduce their current delivery efficiency. A high-quality battery charger with maintenance capabilities can be a great investment in maintaining the life of your batteries and, of course, will ensure that your vehicle is ready to go whenever you are. Some companies offer maintenance chargers specifically for start-stop batteries.

Choose Your Technology Upgrades Wisely

If you’re thinking about upgrading the technology in your new car or truck that has stop-start technology, visit your local specialist mobile enhancement retailer and ask them about the solutions they have available.

This article is written and produced by the team at www.BestCarAudio.com. Reproduction or use of any kind is prohibited without the express written permission of 1sixty8 media.

With the rise in popularity of digital media files over the last decade, car audio enthusiasts find themselves being more likely to carry a USB memory stick than a stack of compact disks. When it comes to organizing all those MP3, WMA, AAC and FLAC files, most manufacturers suggest that you don’t put all the songs in one folder. Read on to find out why.

How Car Radios Understand USB File Structure

Unlike a computer, your car radio is very limited in its ability to interpret different USB drive formats and the subsequent file structure. Most systems require that the USB drive be formatted using the FAT or FAT32 file format. Some new multimedia receivers can understand NTFS and exFAT file formats, so larger storage devices can be used.

Next, you need to maintain a standard long file name format that allows for a total of 255 characters, including the file extension (.mp3, .wma or .flac). An important part of the standard is avoiding command characters such as /, \, *, :, ?, “, <, > and|. These characters may be misinterpreted by the system and result in a file being unreadable, or on extreme cases, cause the system to stop reading subsequent filenames.

Folder Structure and File Limits

In most cases, you are limited to no more than eight folder layers. So, beyond the root folder, you may have subfolders by genre of music, artist name and album name. This configuration is fine as the music is stored four layers deep. It is worth noting that extremely long folder names may, depending on the radio and its available memory, cause problems. We recommend keeping everything as short and efficient as possible.

Different source units have significantly different limits on the total number of tracks they can play and the number of files or subfolders they can interpret. Many radios have a limit of 255 or 999 files or folders per directory and can only detect up to 999 files. Some radios increase this to 5,000 or 9,999 tracks. A few units on the market can read an impressive 65,535 files per folder, and there are a couple with supposedly no limits at all.

Don’t Put All Your Files in One Folder

When you are planning on buying a new radio, it’s worth spending a few minutes to find out whether it will play your music as you have it organized on your USB stick. Some radios won’t randomize songs in different folders, and others are extremely finicky about the total number of files. If you need help choosing a receiver that will sound great and play your digital media collection, drop by your local specialist mobile enhancement retailer and give the radio you have in mind a try!

This article is written and produced by the team at www.BestCarAudio.com. Reproduction or use of any kind is prohibited without the express written permission of 1sixty8 media.