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Speed camera databases and detectors

12K views 32 replies 14 participants last post by  gouden 
#1 ·
Both Road Angel and Snooper have stand alone units and both provide ways to adapt
a mobile `phone via the car`s bluetooth connectivity.

The stand alone units need positioning just behind the windscreen where they can see
the sky, normally having the disfiguring (to my mind) windscreen suckers. These also
have the disadvantage of needing removal, when parking, to discourage opportunistic
thieves causing damage to get in the car.

The mobile units, utilising a mobile `phone appear not to be so restrictive in positioning,
as the signal is coming through the car`s system.

Has anyone experience of the latter or can say whether or not they are equal in
effectiveness with the stand alone ones? If that is the case, the advantages of the
mobile `phone approach appear decisive.
 
#2 ·
"Both Road Angel and Snooper have stand alone units and both provide ways to adapt
a mobile `phone via the car`s bluetooth connectivity."

I am not clear quite what you mean by this Harwilk :?:
I have the Road Angel Professional Connected and swear by it. It is positioned very neatly on the dashboard of my car and has not ever failed. I changed the car recently to the 3.00, with the acoustic screen and the performance was fine. Indeed, the performance is so good that at the end of the day I remove it to take it in for recharging. I drop it in my pocket and only today after being in the house for 10 minutes with it still in my pocket it declared that I should take a "Rest Stop" :lol:
It was plainly picking up a signal and functioning whilst actually in the house and in my pocket.
As for
"the stand alone units need positioning just behind the windscreen where they can see
the sky, normally having the disfiguring (to my mind) windscreen suckers. These also
have the disadvantage of needing removal, when parking, to discourage opportunistic
thieves causing damage to get in the car."
This is not necessary if it is mounted in the manner that mine is, as seen in the pictures in the link below.

I should add that the Road Angel doesn't utilise the cars Bluetooth system, rather it gathers updates via an O2 GPRS Sim card built in to the device.

viewtopic.php?f=22&t=1013

viewtopic.php?f=26&t=998
 
#3 ·
Thank you Pekem. I was aware that the Road Angel does not utilise the car`s bluetooth system, but have become aware recently of Road Angel and Snooper devices which do.
I would refer you to the following two web sites:

http://www.roadangelmobile.co.uk (for the Road Angel mobile)
http://www.snooperuk.com (for the Sapphire S270XE mobile)

The Road Angel mobile application is downloaded through the `phone`s GRPS system.The site lists a number of compatible Nokia mobiles.
The Snooper system is set up by inserting a supplied micro or mini SD card into the `phone.
I have not yet done a full compatibility search, but initially, the Snooper appears to have compatibility with a greater number of `phones.

Both receive data updates continuously through GRPS signals, which I think to be
vital, rather than periodic updating through a PC.

I have an outdated mobile phone and can see the attraction of buying a new compatible
one and then having the advantage of a dual function device, potentially even cheaper
than buying a new stand-alone detector, provided that the `phone option performs
equally well, which was the core of my concern. Moreover, there appears to be the
further advantage of the positioning of the `phone in the vehicle not being critical and
no aesthetic concerns about the interior of the vehicle being affected by suckers or
adhesives, etc.

I have also discovered that Jaguar has a list of compatible `phones.

If Jaguar has provided this bluetooth functionality, perhaps we should be looking to take full advantage of it. In this regard. would this way of getting an incoming signal
be more reliable? (I noticed that a previous poster referred to drop outs and temporary loss of signal).
 
#4 ·
harwilk, I am not an expert in these matters, but I think there is a missunderstanding here.
The cars bluetooth system facilitates handsfree calls via the car microphone and speaker.
To make it user friendly it has add on features such as phonebook download etc.

In very simplified terms, the car system is a microphone and loudspeaker for your chosen handset. It does not communicate with a network operator, Vodafone or O2.
That is purely a handset activity.
This means the devices you list would have no benefit connecting to the XF bluetooth system as all they would do is "see" each other, but could not communicate with the outside world.
The database updates you mention would need to be done over the air using a phone, or a sim in the device. Again, this would be done independantly of the car.

Hope that helps clear things up
 
#5 ·
I think I can see what the OP is referring to.

There are such devices available that are just pure GPS locators which can connect to a mobile phone by bluetooth. Ie your phone doesnt have GPS built in, so you can have a seperate adaptor which connects to your phone via bluetooth.

As the XF clearly has a gps locator (I guess this may be built into the windscreen surround?) and bluetooth connectivity, I believe the OP is trying to figure out if the bluetooth connectivity of the Jag can be used o connect the GPS locator to a mobile phone which is compatible with the camera location software which youcan have on a mobile phone.

Sadly though, I believe this is not possible. The GPS aerial within the car will no doubt connect directly to the sat nav unit and come no where near the bluetooth connectivity.

The bluetooth connectivity in the car as posted above is purely for hands free telephony. I.e. your phone will only see the car as one big headset/hands free unit.

If you connect to a bluetooth device using a phone, the phone will detect which type of device it is. In the case of the Jaguar it will be detected as a headset, with the functionality of allowing numbers to be dialed, calls to be picked up/dropped etc. It will not detect a GPS receiver.

In order to use one of these mobile phone software solutions as a speed camera database/detector item, you will either need to position the phone in an area which will receive a good gps signal, or connect the phone to a seperate GPS aerial which will need positioning in an area which receives a god GPS signal (so you may as well just buy an all in one unit like the road angel).

Plus you will need to mount the phone where you can see it to see the speed limits indicated...

Hope that helps :)
 
#6 ·
Harwilk, thanks for the links; I didn't know about that development.
I have to say that, after a very quick look at the web site information, the device/s are not as attractive as a standalone unit. It seems to me that via the "Mobile" method the device/s Telephone and GPS receiver would both need to be fixed for optimum performance.
I did have Tom Tom Navigation software on a Nokia Phone which utilised the phone's Bluetooth to connect to the GPS receiver. It was necessary to position the GPS receiver on the dashboard, it had an anti slip base so did not need a clamp.
However, in the case of the Road Angel software that you plan to install, it seems on Nokia phones only, if you do not want to use a cradle you would have to sacrifice the undoubted benefit of the visual information display being out of your driving sight line.
Also and more importantly,I think I am right in saying, you would lose functionality when the phone was in use; that might be crucial.
 
#7 ·
Many thanks to the people who have put me right: I am very grateful to all.
I started on this quest in the belief, which has turned out to be false, that I had found a way to avoid what I considered spoilation of the beautiful XF (which I have not yet got, but is on order - promised for September).

This illustrates the wonderful value of this forum, without which I might have gone in a wrong direction.

Pekem, I have found your earlier posting, which I failed to do previously and have to say
that the picture of the Road Angel mounted on the dash looks alright.
Please tell me, did you use the adhesive pad for this and if so, what you think of its effects on the surface there? Alternatively, has anyone mounted the unit securely without adhesive? I have seen non-slip pads advertised but am doubtful of their effectiveness.

Elsewhere, someone else has claimed that he has been able to put the unit on the dash
temporarily, until it locks on, and then remove it, placing it in the central cupholder section, from where he has said that it then continues to function successfully for the remainder of his journey.

What have people found to be the length of time the Road Anger Professional Connected will continue to operate before the battery loses its charge?

I wish it had the facility for its battery to be replaced by a newly charged one (which
would need a re-design).
 
#8 ·
Good to read that your car is now on order Harwilk; you are now on the Roll of Honour :)
viewtopic.php?f=25&t=707&p=5335#p5335

I do use the adhesive pad to anchor the Road Angel and it works well. If the presence of it is thought to be a risk factor when the device is removed, it is a simple thing to lay a duster or a newspaper over it whilst away from the car.
I positioned mine, as you have seen in the picture on the other post, on the dashboard speaker grill. I chose that area because I was concerned about possible surface damage caused by the adhesive.
Had it been an issue I was told by JAG /MT that the speaker grill was easy to remove and clean.
However, when I changed my car recently I found that the adhesive was not a problem at all. The pad was lifted off with my finger nail and the adhesive residue was rolled off in the same way that you may have done when removing a free disc etc, from a magazine cover.
Road Angel kindly provided me, free of charge, with a new adhesive anchor complete.

I have tried positioning the Road Angel in the cup holder as you describe and it does work well enough but I still prefer to have the speed display in line of sight. I have to say that I do not any longer refer to the car's speedo; relying entirely on the Road Angel.

Road Angel are constantly upgrading the firmware in order to improve the functionality and battery life etc.
On a journey this week which meant I was out from 9.00 am to 5.30pm with a couple of breaks of around 2 or 3 hours, I found that, after the latest firmware upgrade to improve battery life, the Road Angel power had not been exhausted. This is particularly interesting because in the past on a similar journey I would have needed to resort to the power cable before getting home.
Improvements have been made in areas such as the incidence of audible warning, all battery draining functions. Hitherto, the alarm would have sounded repeatedly when traveling along a road equipped with "Specs" cameras. Now, after the firmware upgrade, the alarm only sounds if the vehicle speed exceeds the speed limit in the area being monitored. Other changes have been made to reduce battery drain without compromising the driver information in anyway.
 
#9 ·
Thanks again Pekem. All my worries and reservations have now gone and I shall order.

Still think though that it could be improved by having a user replaceable battery. I
envisage starting one morning, to go on unknown territory and finding the battery flat.
Of course, although unlikely, this could happen with the car itself also. Maybe the starting handle was the better device after all !! ?
 
#10 ·
Harwilk, my guess is that you are not someone that would leave things to chance :)
It is my practice to remove the Road Angel everyday and leave it to charge overnight.
If the occasion ever arises when you discover that the battery is flat because you forgot to charge it, you will need to resort to the old fashioned "Starting Handle" in the shape of the in car power lead :lol:
I agree it would be useful to have a detachable battery pack but do keep in mind that the inbuilt battery is, as I have described above, now very good indeed and adding one would impact on the retail price of the unit.
I suspect that most people would be happy to use an in car cable if the need arose rather than pay extra for a battery pack which might prove to be quite expensive.
 
#17 ·
Harwilk said:
Ah, mea culpa. My bad choice of a word. What I meant to have said was finding the battery expired, not "flat". :oops:
I understand Harwilk :)
I think that it will not be an issue at all for the reason that Road Angel have created an impressive brand loyalty, no doubt due, in part, to a first class after sales service.
Keep in mind that their business is based very largely on the income stream generated by subscriptions from services as such as private car and commercial vehicle, fleet tracking, speed camera notifications and a range of navigation products; all requiring a subscription.
It is not in their interest to produce a product that is not fit for purpose or in any way unreliable.
I would guess that by the time a device's battery is exhausted in the normal manner, many users would opt for a discounted upgrade via the Road Angel Upgrade Scheme.
And if that service is not utilised an out of warranty repair, cost of which presently varies between £30 and £75. :)
 
#18 ·
Funny old thing about customer loyalty. I have had my road angel compact now for coming on 4 years, I recieved an email offering me the connected for £195 that's £100 off! My only dissapointment is that they no longer cover mainland Europe so I may have to start sticking to the local limits :cry:
still, glad I've now got the connected, just have to wait till I come back to blighty to use it properly.
If anyone has an older unit and is tempted to upgrade, the discount code is " hotstuff " and just tell them that you recieved an email offering it for £194.99.
Cheers Benn.
 
#19 ·
zx10ben said:
Funny old thing about customer loyalty. I have had my road angel compact now for coming on 4 years, I recieved an email offering me the connected for £195 that's £100 off! My only dissapointment is that they no longer cover mainland Europe so I may have to start sticking to the local limits :cry:
still, glad I've now got the connected, just have to wait till I come back to blighty to use it properly.
If anyone has an older unit and is tempted to upgrade, the discount code is " hotstuff " and just tell them that you recieved an email offering it for £194.99.
Cheers Benn.

The price is reduced now to £244.99 so with the discount you should be able to get it for 45% off, i.e. £159.99, but you will have to give them the serial number of your old unit. It is a real pain that they no longer cover mainland Europe.
 
#21 ·
Sorry, I got it wrong! On the UK site the Professional Connected is listed at £294.99. I had an offer against my Road Angel Classic of 45% off and when I rang them earlier this week was offered the Professional Connected for £159.99 with 6 months free updates. That's a pretty good deal.
 
G
#22 ·
A bit of a find this....

I used to have a Road Angel, and then a Tom Tom (which showed fixed camera sites but not mobile ones) and have been hunting around for another solution which works well with the XF. So I decided to try the smartphone app route. I tried a whole bunch of apps (including the Road Angel one) before coming across what is probably one of the best apps of all time!

May I introduce you to CamerAlert (by PocketGPSWorld). It detects all manner of cameras has masses of customiseability and is a mere 15 quid a year. What is even better is it integrates nicley with the in car stero when using the phone in IPod mode (please note I have an iphone and haven't any exoperience of other handset).

When properly configured the app fades or pauses your music (your choice) gives the appropriate alert and then resumes. The warning voices are all very professional and it has a quality feel about it. It also allows sentistivity to be adjusted in three different ways to reduce false alerts and is updated weekly.

The principle problem I discovered is that my car doesn't has A2DP and when I turned down the music on the 'ipod' the warnings went too (the app has a function to force the sound out of the phones speaker which solves this but spoils the quality feel of the product).

So I came up with a work around for when I don't want to play music and created an empty Mp3 which i unimaginatively called CamerAlert and downloaded it onto my phone. By selecting this in the ipod settings it plays 'nothing' and my alerts coming through whenever required. Better yet I can still get traffic alerts via the radio or have it running behind the SatNav. If i want music I simply select a different album. If I want full radio then i have to have it coming through the phones speakers.

Anyway as you can tell I am impressed - its cheap, professional and accurate. I think the MY12 may have A2DP so it will work even better with them!!

Recommended!
 
#27 ·
May I introduce you to CamerAlert (by PocketGPSWorld). It detects all manner of cameras has masses of customiseability and is a mere 15 quid a year. What is even better is it integrates nicley with the in car stero when using the phone in IPod mode (please note I have an iphone and haven't any exoperience of other handset).

Anyway as you can tell I am impressed - its cheap, professional and accurate. I think the MY12 may have A2DP so it will work even better with them!!

Recommended!
You may have got them another sale, and as I have a 2012, I mayfind out about A2DP if I knew what to look for! I assume this app only warns of fixed cameras as I assume there is no radar sensors?
 
#23 ·
I've been using this database for some years, downloading it into my TomTom. It is quite accurate and I tend to download the latest version whenever I'm heading off on a long journey. I'm reasonably happy with the XF's satnav but the TomTom is better - and has the speed camera alerts as a bonus.
 
G
#25 ·
I use the Road Angel app for the iphone & a charger/holder plugged into cigar lighter socket.

The only problem is that when the phone is plugged in to charge the phone speaker is disabled. Does anyone know how to stop this?
 
#26 ·
I'd like to suggest the Inforad K2. Small (about the size of a cigarette lighter), self contained (charges from a USB port), free updates and cheap! I have mine clipped to the very top right of the windscreen - nobody notices it at all. Only criticism is the warning beep being loud - fived by spliting the case and putting some foam over the speaker then re-assembling.
 
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