Hello, if you are having issues with your U3000 rearview camera, please send an email to support@thinkware.com with the subject line " Issues with U3000 rearview camera radar"
Hi, as per my post I've been in contact with Thinkware who have advised me that this is a known issue in the US not the UK, I'm in the UK and asked in my post if anyone knows if this claim is true. They've agreed to send me replacement front and rear camera's once I've returned mine, due to a recent no fault accident I don't want to be without a dash cam and explained the situation to them and asked if they send them to me to swap out with mine which I'd return unfortunately and understandably company procedure disallows this but I had to ask. Fortunately the retailer I purchased the U3000 from has agreed to send me new camera's with a rear camera cable and free return postage label if I leave a £250 deposit I get back once they have my camera's. Given there's a number of reports of multiple rear camera replacements not working I'll clarify what happens if the replacement camera's or cable make no difference.
It maybe something to do with different laws regarding radar frequency.
I'm in the UK and my rear camera in parking radar mode doesn't react to movement and record. I own a Hyundai Ioniq 5, I installed my U1000 first and the rear camera LED used to illuminate when I moved in front of it. I replaced the U1000 with the U3000 for the rear radar function but it doesn't work. The retailer I bought it from sent me another rear camera plus cable and front camera, I've tried them all but movement at the rear still isn't sensed and recorded on impact plus the rear camera LED doesn't illuminate when I move in front of the camera. It seems to work OK if I remove the rear window from the equation. If I change parking mode from radar to motion the rear camera LED stays on continuously and movement is recorded through the back window. I don't understand why in radar mode the LED doesn't light when I move in front of the camera behind the rear window surely it should sense the movement and the LED come on even if there's a radar issue. It's as if there's a design issue with the rear camera.
Rear windows tinted like many are these days and I tested the rear camera with the rear window removed from the equation by placing the camera on a rear seat and moving directly in front of it through an open door. Tinting shouldn't affect radar.
I wondered if the rear screen heater elements were an issue but my rear camera is positioned in a large gap at the top. Somebody has posted in this thread that they had to position their rear camera with a heater element in front of the lens and the camera senses fine. It's also been mention that those heat reflective windscreens with a blue shiny coating can cause issues, my rear window doesn't look like that, it looks like a normal tint. I don't understand what's going on especially as my U1000 rear camera senses movement through the same rear window fine.
Metallic film tint, where there is a layer of metal covering the whole window could certainly cause problems, but that would, as you say, look bluish.
I don't know how you know that it wasn't the front radar that was detecting you, in fact I think it was very likely. If you could extend the cable out the back of the hatch and more or less close the hatch with the camera/radar outside the rear window then that would be a much better test.
Nobody seems to understand!
Normally, these radar modules can see 360°, but can see much further in the forwards direction. There is also the possibility of the radar beam bouncing back into the car, maybe off another vehicle, or maybe just off your own A-pillars. Either way, there is a likelihood of the front radar seeing people in the front seats, and I wouldn't rule out it seeing people in the rear seats.
I'm not convinced that there are relevant differences, it is using a radar band that is globally available for this type of sensor. There are different regulatory bodies that need different tests done, so it is possible there are two versions, but that doesn't normally seem to be the case for these sensors.
That was my next thought on testing the U3000 rear radar issue.
