Klashwerks Raven
Much more than than just another dash cam, the Raven by Klashwerks ($299) is touted as a consummate connected car organisation that lets you run into where you're going, where yous've been, and how you got there. Information technology uses ii cameras, LTE cellular technology, and your car'south OBD-Ii (On-Lath Diagnostics) port to let you monitor action on the route ahead every bit well as inside your automobile, using your phone or a desktop PC. Although the Raven brings some of the coolest machine tech out in that location, you'll need a monthly subscription to take advantage of all it has to offer. We got our hands on a pre-product unit and gave information technology a ride, and have some starting time impressions alee of its release afterward this twelvemonth.
Design and Features
Measuring ii.0 by 7.7 by i.1 inches (HWD), the Raven looks like an upside-downwards rearview mirror. The black enclosure is jam-packed with the latest technology, including GPS, Wi-Fi, and LTE cellular radios, motion and air force per unit area sensors, a speaker, and a pair of noise cancelling microphones. Information technology's powered by a Qualcomm SnapDragon 650 CPU and boasts a full color display, although well-nigh of the information is shown in white to avert distracting the driver.
The Raven houses two cameras: one is on the rear of the device facing the road, and the other is on the front, facing the auto's cabin. The road camera has a 140-caste field of view, and the cabin camera is slightly narrower in bending at 130 degrees. Both tape in 1080p.
The device attaches to your motorcar nuance using an adaptable mount with adhesive backing, or yous can attach it upside on your windshield (the display volition reorient itself). It comes with an eight-foot data cablevision that plugs in to your car'south OBD-Ii port, which is typically located on the driver'due south side, merely below the steering bike.
The LCD can exist configured to show different status groups including Speed and Clock, Fuel and Speed, RPM (tachometer) and Coolant Temperature, or Altitude and Heading. It'll also display navigation aids such as Adjacent Turn and ETA when the Navigation feature is enabled. One of the Raven's neatest features is that it tin stream live video from both cameras to anyone you want to share it with. Simply printing the Share push in the app to transport a link invitation via text or email, and the recipient volition be able to see what'due south happening on the road and in the motorcar's cabin in real-time. Eventually you'll exist able to have ii-way audio communications with the car's occupants, but that's not nonetheless enabled.
Some other cool feature is Gestures: When you lot're driving and see something of involvement, y'all can use a hand gesture to tell Raven to go back 20 seconds and put bated the next infinitesimal of video in a Brusque Prune. Simply move your hand toward the device to brainstorm the process. Y'all'll hear a beep and see a brief white flash that lets you know the camera is recording. In addition to Brusk Clips the Raven also creates a Trip Card for each trip your auto takes. It contains time-lapse video, a journey map, all stops and starts, event-triggered video, and fuel usage data.
Other enabled features include alerts for ambitious dispatch, harsh braking, engine on/off, low battery, and turn-by-turn navigation with in-app maps and spoken directions. There are lots of other features that have yet to be enabled only are on the way, including automobile wellness diagnostics, driver reports, speed limit notifications, geofencing support, traffic and blow alerts, and parked alerts that let you know what'southward going on when you're not in your auto. These include Loud Sound, Smashed Glass, Car Bumped, Car Moved, and Door Opened alerts.
You lot can access the Raven via an Android or iOS mobile app or a web-based console. The web console lets you view live video and a navigation map, and yous tin share trips, but the mobile app offers more functionality, at to the lowest degree at the fourth dimension of this writing.
The app opens to a Dashboard screen that contains a video window up top and a navigation map window below that display your most electric current navigation asking. In betwixt is a thin panel that displays the proper name of your vehicle and a fuel level gauge. It will too show any vehicle problems once the auto diagnostics characteristic, which scans your motorcar's onboard estimator for error codes, is enabled. At that place's a small camera button in the bottom right corner of the video panel that lets you toggle betwixt the front and cabin cameras. At that place are ii buttons on the map: ane lets you share the current trip by sending a link via electronic mail or text message, and the other lets you find your electric current location on a map and create a navigation route using the search office or by using a long press to create a route on the fly.
At the bottom of each screen are buttons for the Dashboard, Driver Reports, which when available will present a report based on data such as driving speeds, distances, and amount of driving time. The History button opens a calendar where y'all can view Trip Cards for a specific day, and the Media Manager button takes yous to a screen with all available video clips and their date and time. Tap any clip to download information technology to your phone (if you're using an iPhone you must be in the motorcar with your phone connected to the Raven in order to download video). The Settings button takes you to a screen where y'all can make up one's mind what is displayed on the Raven's LCD panel and set its brightness level, turn alerts on and off, and sign out of your account.
Klashwerks offers a free three-calendar month trial subscription with each Raven that gives you access to all of its features, including an LTE connection with 24/seven access. Once the trial is upwardly you can subscribe to a Basic Plan ($viii per calendar month) that gives you full access with up to threescore Alive Check-Ins (live video streams). A Video Streaming Plus Programme ($16 per month) gives you lot everything plus 150 Alive Cheque-Ins, and a Live Streaming Ability User Plan ($32 per calendar month) gives y'all everything plus 400 Alive Check-Ins and remote admission to video stored in the deject. If y'all choose not to pay a monthly fee you'll still be able to use Raven every bit a dash cam with gesture-triggered recording and have it display speed, compass, fuel, and altitude readings, like to the Hudly. You'll also have access to the Media Manger in the app and have the ability to view historical commuter reports and trip data.
Installation and Performance
To install the Raven I fastened it to the mounting subclass and affixed it to the windshield of my Ford F-150 using the supplied adhesive. I was able to tuck most of the power cable away and out of sight, merely there were areas where it remained exposed (a thinner cablevision would exist easier to hibernate). I fabricated sure Bluetooth was enabled and downloaded the Raven app. I created an account and entered the activation lawmaking that was sent to my registered email address. So, post-obit the in-app instructions, I continued the device to my auto's OBD-Ii port and gave the vehicle a name. The Raven was identified and registered within seconds, and I was prepare to hit the road.
I tested the Raven over a period of several weeks and during that time the folks at Klashwerks were adding features via app updates. Every bit mentioned, several features were not still available, simply the Raven's agile features worked well. Paw gestures made it easy to capture video without having to take my optics off the route, and they worked every fourth dimension without fail, capturing the action prior to my gesture and recording the following minute of action. The speedometer was spot-on accurate, and turn-past-turn directions worked pefectly.
Video quality from both cameras is relatively abrupt, with good color representation. I dear the time-lapse feature as it makes it easy to discover a specific point in time rather than having to view an entire route trip video.
The display actually consists of 2 side-by-side ane-inch square panels that are sharp and articulate, fifty-fifty when viewed in direct sunlight. However, some images, such as the Gesture recording timer, were a bit too minor and difficult to read. There appears to be room for larger ane.five-by-1.5-inch display panels, which would go a long way toward making certain text easier to read, or maybe a larger i-piece panel.
I did encounter a few issues in testing, but again, this was not a terminal product unit. One such consequence had to do with slightly noisy cooling fans that would kick in oftentimes and were occasionally accompanied past an Overheating warning on the Raven's display. Restarting the device usually resolved this problem, but at i betoken during testing the unit of measurement stopped working birthday and wouldn't restart. A Klashwerks spokesperson informed me that my Raven had get corrupted and a fix was pushed to the device.
Additionally, the adhesive that holds the Raven's mountain to the windshield is weak and gave fashion afterward a couple of days in the sun. I had to constantly printing the mount back on the windshield, but it would come loose once again after an 60 minutes or so.
And finally, I noticed that the Raven drew power from my truck's battery while plugged in to the OBD-II port, even when I wasn't using information technology. Co-ordinate to Klashwerks, the battery draw is non meaning and the device will automatically shut downward if information technology senses that battery is getting below a certain voltage level, merely in my testing it drew plenty ability to trigger a low-battery alert on my truck's Sync communications system, which in turn shuts down the Sync's audio playback when the engine is not running.
Conclusions
Whether you're interested in keeping tabs on how your teenager drives and where they take been, or if y'all but want to document your road trips with video and maps, the Raven has y'all covered. This smart car device lets you lot utilize simple manus gestures to capture events on the road and will use the motel camera to connect with family members and friends to let them know you're OK and to share your trip with them.
In our tests, recorded video appeared precipitous and colorful, and fourth dimension-lapse video made information technology easy to find segments of a road trip without having to view the entire clip. Turn-by-turn navigation also worked quite well. Considering I was testing a pre-production unit, several features were not withal enabled and there were a few bug that need to exist ironed out before the final release, but if our early on impressions are any indication, the Raven looks to be i of the smarter auto tech offerings we've seen in some fourth dimension.
Well-nigh John R. Delaney
Source: https://sea.pcmag.com/t-mobile-syncup-drive/20437/klashwerks-raven
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