Home Reviews ,,,,, In the past few weeks we have tried Aukey DR01, a dashcam that we liked for its value for money especially as regards the features and functionalities offered. In this article we will not present the reasons that should push a user to buy an accessory of this type as you can find dozens of insights about it among our pages: we will instead focus on our tests, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of a product that, with a small investment could save hundreds of euros in the event of a claim.
Aukey, historic manufacturer with whom we have been collaborating for years regarding promotions and tests of hundreds of electronic products that embrace the most varied categories, is not new to the world of dash cams. Almost a year ago we had the opportunity to test the first experiments with on-board cameras to keep under control what happens on the road while driving. There were two cameras that we tested (here you can find the review) and which, especially for the price, immediately seemed interesting products to us. With the new model we are about to show you our experience, the company has managed to contain costs, which are practically identical to the previous ones, but proposing a clear evolution of the product, now equipped with a screen and some other small finishing touches that improve it. much use in everyday life.
How it's made
Despite, we said, the presence of a 2-inch LCD display, the dashcam still maintains its rather small dimensions (measuring about 6 x 6 x 3 centimeters), thus managing to be discreet and minimally invasive while driving, especially if you let it “disappear” behind the rear-view mirror.
The attachment to the windscreen is guaranteed by the small suction cup support (with pressure lever) included in the package and to which it is fixed through – unfortunately – a proprietary coupling, which therefore inhibits the possible use of other third-party supports: alternatively it is possible to fix it directly on the rear of the rearview mirror – or where it is deemed appropriate – through an additional support with 3M adhesive plate .
The body of the dashcam is made entirely of high quality plastic, satin on the front and smooth on the rear frame. On one edge of the latter there are four control buttons recessed , on the side there is an LED indicator and the hole that protects the Reset button while on the top side there are, in order, the jack input for the GPS (optional), the miniUSB socket for the 1A power supply (excellent choice, that to abandon a proprietary socket, even if the miniUSB cables are more difficult to find at home than the more common microUSB), the slot microSD and the jack socket for the AV output in case you want to connect it to an external monitor.
Going back for a moment to talk about the power cable, the length is 3.20 meters, more than enough to eventually be able to route it around the windshield or where it could be more congenial using the three clips with 3M adhesive supplied.
How does it work
There are no buttons for switching on and off : the dashcam turns on as soon as it is connected to the cigarette lighter socket through the special charger supplied (between the other very compact) or any USB output available in the passenger compartment and turns off when the power is cut off. Furthermore, if a microSD card is inserted (supported up to 128 GB, class 10 recommended), recording will also start automatically as soon as the recording phase is completed. software startup (about 5 seconds).
Technical specifications and functions
Aukey DR01 is equipped with a 2.19 MP Sony Exmor IMX323 CMOS sensor and sequentially records 3–5–10 minute movies in Full HD at 1080p @ 30fps or in HD at 720p @ 30–60fps, in WVGA (848 × 480 pixels) or in VGA (640 × 480 pixels). When the memory is full, will automatically delete older videos to make room for new ones.
It is possible to decide whether to display the current date and time in a corner of the frame and whether or not to record the audio through the built-in microphone . You can also manually adjust the exposure and recording rate and activate a screensaver to automatically turn off the screen after 1–3 minutes of inactivity.
Among the various options it is possible to adjust the sensitivity of the G-Sensor , a component associated with the function that allows you to automatically start recording a video protected from accidental deletion when a sudden movement is detected, very useful for example in the event of an accident or when someone collides with the parked car as the system will not overwrite the file if the memory is completely occupied.
If you enable the Movement Detection function, the recording will not start automatically when the power cable is connected but only when the camera (170 ° viewing angle ) will detect a movement: in this way only movies will be recorded during the race and not when the car is perhaps stopped at the traffic lights. This option is very useful if used in combination with the previous one.
Conclusions
The strength of this dashcam is in its ease of use. At the first start it is necessary to adjust the aforementioned parameters according to your preferences (the menu is available in different languages, including Italian) and to format the microSD card using the specific function integrated in the system: an operation that in fact must be performed only once and that takes a few minutes. Subsequently, every time we get into the car, all we have to do is connect the power cable and leave, without pressing any button: the camera will take care of the rest.
Retail price
Aukey DR01 is sold on Amazon for 69.99 euros.
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