Thinking about buying a U1000

D

DeadEnd

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Hi,
Just wondering what problems are prevalent in this cam? Just looking at the first page seems like a lot but I may be wrong.

Does the manufacturer addressed issues identified by the consumer? I have two Street Guardians in my older car and they seem to address issues brought up by the consumer does, Thinkware do the same?

Was planning on using the a battery pack and radar in conjunction with linking to my home WiFi (car parked outside my home) and using the cloud to monitor, will that work?

Also read this unit runs hot. Is that still the case? Will it melt my front windshield window tint (Luminar Formula One Clear)?

How is the reliability?
 
I would say a vast amount of App reviews are people not understanding the product or using the wrong app for the camera they bought (seen that so many times and it's so frustrating!) Potentially the same for the Camera i checked the other day and we have had a total 14 Returns in the UK since launch of the U1000 which is a very low amount! (and a couple of those we couldn't fault so they were replaced as a precaution)

I very much doubt it would overheat, Thinkware is very good in high temperatures and from this forum i get the impression they are preferred because of that in hotter States.

I will add that when the camera is in Energy Saving parking mode the WiFi shuts down (to save energy lol) so you cant then get notifications / Live View etc. Motion or Timelapse should work fine. I can't comment on the Front Window Tint as they are not legal in the UK. We don't get any issues with Rear Tints though but then were are probably cooler than where you are.

Thinkware does listen to customer suggestions but it does depend on what they are, everything seems simple to add in your head but often involves a full rewrite of firmware as you have to think of every possible scenario. Mobile Speed Camera alerts used to annoy some people, TW couldn't change them on the F770 model but as new models came out they had the option to disable those. Some people wanted to change individual volume levels for Lane departure warning / Camera alerts which on new models is starting to be an option. Thinkware have also worked very hard to minimise any possible DAB Radio Signal issues too.

Hope that helps...
 
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Just to make the OP aware, I am a UK user and I chose the U1000 (front and rear + radar module) and cannot fault it. I chose it after having problems with other cameras that were sold on with the other cars when I did a part-ex for a new BMW X1. I had it fitted by a close friend who now only installs the U1000s alongside other auto electrical work. It definitely does not overheat in the UK climate. Also because I have the radar module, it is set up in energy-saving mode and does not flatten the battery (goes into sleep mode so to speak) when left parked for weeks on end in this covid-19 crisis.
I do follow the instructions and keep the firmware up to date.
 
Hello,

Have used the U1000 for about a month. Parking Mode is reliable, WiFi is hit or miss. It will disconnect while browsing files on App.

The unit has not ran hot as of yet.

Thinkware will address warranty issues. Recently returned a rear facing camera and was sent a new one with cable. User issues may or may not be addressed.

No EMI issues with Keyless Entry and Push Button Start, SatNav and radio.

Have not tried Cloud feature since vehicle parked in driveway with 3 outdoor cameras watching it. It would be overkill.

I am hoping the U1000 will be just as reliable as my 4 year old Street Guardian.
 
Thank you all for the responses. It seems like I will not have a use for the radar. My main reason for purchasing the radar was to extend the battery life while connected to WiFi. My car may be parked outside my home for days before being driven and wanted to use the cam as a security feature/notification system.

One question, how far does movement have to occur before being notified? For example, can some walk in front of the car 25 feet away and not trigger the notification? Can headlights trigger the notification under the same circumstances?
 
The Motion detection goes from Min to Max. It depends on the size of what's moving to how far away it triggers. I did a very basic test on an F770 years ago and on Max it picked up someone crossing the road 20m in front of the car (in daylight), on Min it picked up about 6m. That was by no means a scientific test though, it was purely to give me a rough idea! Headlights would trigger this Option.

If Radar is being used Headlights etc would not trigger a recording it has to be a physical object in front to start the recording i believe the Radar range is 8m max.
 
At home you are much better off putting up a CCTV camera or two, this is also a + for your home unit ( i have a PTZ camera on my parked car, the camera are mounted on my 2 floor balcony door )

The street guardian system i use parking guard on ( SG9663DR ) have a timer function too, and i use that set to 1 hour as that will cover all my shopping, and should i need more the timer can be upped to 24 hours.
But this are useless for me as the back yard where i park my car are pitch black, though there is a PIR light there now, it will just backlit anyone approaching my car, the CCTV camera have IR light and fancy alarms so while i sleep i have my tablet going with the video feed on my bedside table, and if any human form get near my car the alarm will go off and wake me up.

I think if you can avoid using parking guard at home, it will by far be the best thing to do.
But out on the town it can be a nice thing to have going.

 
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The_Tripzter - Can I ask where you purchased your U1000? Was thinking about BlackBoxMyCar but they are in Canada not sure about fees and such...

Kamkar - Trust me I tried to get a CCTV up in front but I live in an area with a homeowner association and they dictate what can be done outside your home, CCTV is not one of them.
 
I did not ask anyone just put up my camera :) it is a rental apartment i have.

You can go covert / get some really really small cameras, and if you have a PIR light in your driveway you dont really need IR light.
Or if you have a window put a camera there on the inside, though that would not work with IR light in the camera as it would just blind itself at night then.

When i first moves here i had my car vandalized.
First i got the side of my SUV keyed all along one side, 2 days before i was to sell it = even larger loss on sale price.
Then i got my current little car and within 2 months i had the passenger side window broken.
Then i moved my car to the back yard, and within a year or so i got a dent in the roof from someone throwing a D cell into the air and then it came down on my car.

And then a month or so ago ( my CCT having been down for a couple of years as camera on car died ) well my car was broken into and ransacked, but nothing stolen.

So now my system are back up and running, and all i can say is if someone do something, and i get my hands on the person, well he / she will have to answer for 4 counts of my property being vandalized.
 
I was thinking about something small just can figure one out. The association does send people out to look over the front outside and confirm everyone is to code so it makes it a little more difficult. For example, I had an old satellite system in and remove it but left the wiring in place, I was cited for that and if you don't fix it they fine you.
 
Daum.
Sound like allotment gardens here, there you also have a range of rules, and plenty to look over the hedge to see if you abide by them.
They have rules like " only XX% of the plot can be lawn, and your house can only be so large and be painted in so and so colors.
And still most of these places have up to a 10 year waiting period. :rolleyes:

01-1-800x480.jpg


Then again getting this apartment i also signed up for some stuff, dunno if cameras is in there.
But it is quite normal that you can not have dogs in some places, or for that matter even visitors with big dogs, most of the places where i look for a new apartment you can not have big dogs, some places you cant even have a dog period.
Other apartment blocks you can not have satellite dishes,,,,,, which i think are one way to keep people from the MENA countries out CUZ those guys sure do seem to love their satellite dish, even if they live in a place with cable or fiber TV / internet.
 
DeadEnd said:
The_Tripzter - Can I ask where you purchased your U1000? Was thinking about BlackBoxMyCar but they are in Canada not sure about fees and such...
Click to expand...
Hello,

Amazon. BBMC and Thinkware are vendors on Amazon whom you can purchase from.

Have you considered a Door Bell Cam? It's discrete, no one should notice unless they are at your front door. Some Door Bell Cams have a wide view, so a vehicle parked in driveway should be seen. If you decide on one, check the voltage of the door bell transformer if you hard wire it. I prefer cams with ONVIF/RTSP support so I don't pay for cloud storage and store video locally on a NAS or NVR.
 
Yes some of the door bell cameras are also nice, also a few stand alone peephole cameras around.
you can also get like a wall / porch light that have a camera build in.
And you could build a bird house and put a camera in it, if it is a starvis camera and it have no IR light, then very hard to spot even if you are looking.
At night IR lights are a dead give away, maybe not to the eye but most cameras will be able to see it if you sweep the neighborhood for cameras.
 
Nut's, amazon charges tax, and on $900 it's a pretty good chuck of change. I might just have to break my purchase up and buy from BBMC, anything under 800 is tax free so they say. Why does BBMC say "North America's Largest Dash Cam Supplier" when they are in Canada? That threw me off.

I can't install a door bell camera, from my door I can't see my driveway. I was thinking about removing the garage door handle/lock and replacing it with a small camera but could not figure an inconspicuous way to do it. Oh wait, peep hole cameras, did not think of that, will check those out.
 
well you could install a garage door bell :)
 
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I found a few wall cameras for you to consider / options, pretty much just dashcams for the wall,,,,, smart cams even with wifi / remote access.
Dont seem to support huge memory cards, but are PIR activated motion detect, so you should not need that, and even if they claim 32GB MAX like with dashcams you can probably force format a larger 64GB card to fat32 and use that too.

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Dunno how your place look, but they seem to be pretty discrete lights that should work with most house designs.

Video.
 
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Thought about doing that but the thing is the association actually installed all the lighting in the neighborhood, can't change it. Garage door bell would get me cited, did think about putting a cam in a garage door opener keypad but again not sure how I could pull that off.
 
@DeadEnd
CCR's and HOA;'s generally suck :mad: and it seems your HOA is one of the worse examples of why. A friend of mine had to take an unobtrusive but visible radio antenna down due to his HOA. His solution was to run for the position of President of the HOA, and when he won he put his antenna back up; nobody dared press the matter :ROFLMAO: By Federal law any HOA rule that goes unenforced for a year becomes null and void, so by him serving 2 years he ensured that his antenna could stay up forever :cool: Gotta admire subversive approaches that win (y)

Though it can be problematic you might be allowed to have a cam inside a window- most HOA rules do not cover the interior of a house beyond the placement of signs in the window. You might also be able to sneak a cam into an allowed object such as a birdhouse or other yard 'decoration'. You can also sue HOA's when their rules cause you direct harm or losses which wouldn't normally occur. Sometimes the mere threat of that coming from your attorney can get you special exemptions granted or get rules changed. But sometimes the HOA busybodies are set up to always win and in those cases are best left alone. I have worked in such places many times over :cautious: Always pick your fights carefully and don't challenge where you can't win :)

Phil
 
Hehe yeah i would imagine construction in such a place could also be a problem.

Same here in general, a few years ago a guy made a garage 10 CM too tall, and he was ordered to tear it down, but at the same time a mega store was build illegally but it of course was not ordered torn down cuz the mega stores board is where politicians go to fester.
And even if there are no HOA where you house are, well often you cant just put any kind of new roof on it you like and so on, especially the glazed tiles can be a problem due to them reflecting sun.
But even putting up a hedge or a fence between you and the neighbor can be a problem in regard to laws, and not forgetting the relationship with the dude.

I am pretty sure Denmark are in the top 5 when it come to free democratic countries riddled by laws.
There would be no problem taking 2 laws down for each new one you make from now and the next 200 years at least.

Years ago we got a dog law, as there was problems with some owners of so called muscle dogs, so several breeds became illegal.
And really the dogs or their brreed are rarely a problem, and still just as many get bitten by dogs as often the biting dogs are little pocket dogs and not larger dogs.
And we also got a knife law, as some apparently was not aware the criminal code said you cant stab other people with knifes, so instead of strengthing that law, we got a new knife law pretty much making all other people carrying knives and not stabbing people criminals.

If i win the lottery and was able to move to or build a house, i would want there to be at least 1/4 mile to the neighbor, and preferably much more, and i would also like a long private road / driveway to my place.
 
You can definitely go for the U1000. I ve got mine since its release day a year and half ago, installed in my 350Z. The front module is bit bulky and obvious on my coupe but it does the job very well. I spent some weeks comparing with Blackvue because I wanted parking mode and the plus for the TW is that the battery module is integrated in the dashcam vs Blackvue with additional parking mode accessory.
Also the bitrate and video quality is overall better than Blackvue .

only downsides that I hoped TW will address is impossibility to define zones for motion detection ( moving trees triggers recording, also at night my car has flashlight red dot that reflect light in windshield that trigger the recording ) also the annoying voice prompt : either on or off but you cannot disable specific alert + at level 1 is already so loud .

overall I am very happy and it serves as replay cam when driving nice road
 
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