Road Angel Professional Connected

[grahammackie]

CraigyB/Golfer

Firstly the new firmware will not raise the charging temperature, this is dictated by the battery and its charging circuitry. What it does do is significantly extend the battery life from the original firmware as we managed to find areas where the Connected device was using more power than it needed to. For instance with the original firmware the battery was being drained (albeit by a small number of milliamps) even when the unit was powered off.

The current production firmware is version 1702OTA - this is being installed on all new devices and we are in the process of rolling this out to existing customers. The next version of firmware, which we are beta testing at the moment for release next month, will include better battery low warnings as well as custom red/blue screen for Audi and VW users.

Golfer - with regard to your RA2 I am not sure what you mean by 'will not work on the dashboard'. The new Professional Connected has been tested in an oven to temperatures in excess of 60 degrees for pro-longed periods and still works fine. As I said it is the charging circuit that cuts out when in-car temperatures are high not the unit itself.

The RA2 is a much older product and doesn't have any temperature related charging issues as it doesn't have a battery - it is 12v only. If you would like us to take a look at it for you let me know and I will sort it out for you.

regards

[craigyb]

Graham

I think Golfer was saying, why don't other products have this issue, and that is basically what I was saying as well. I know of plenty of battery powered units for cars that have charging facilities that don't break down and make themselves inoperable for large periods of time when they need to be in operation.

I understand what the circuitry is doing, but the unit is inoperable whilst it is like that, I can travel 20 miles before I can use the, in a congested area this can be 10 or so speed traps etc which makes the unit an bit of a lemon and it could have been potentially a market leader.

[Golfer]

Originally Posted by craigyb

Graham

I think Golfer was saying, why don't other products have this issue, and that is basically what I was saying as well. I know of plenty of battery powered units for cars that have charging facilities that don't break down and make themselves inoperable for large periods of time when they need to be in operation.

I understand what the circuitry is doing, but the unit is inoperable whilst it is like that, I can travel 20 miles before I can use the, in a congested area this can be 10 or so speed traps etc which makes the unit an bit of a lemon and it could have been potentially a market leader.

This is what I thought I said!!!!
My RA2 works fine in any heat or cold, and the only drawback is having to update it at home.

I thought this new unit would update on the move without heat issues, but it does not. So it's inferior to other units in summer heat conditions;therefore in summer will be usless for some period of time in which ,if you don't know the area you could well get a ticket; WHICH IS THE OBJECT OF BUYING IT in the first place.

[grahammackie]

Sorry for the delay in responding.

Like all electronic devices the Road Angel Professional product is a compromise between size, battery life, longevity and functionality. The product is currently unique in that it is the only safety camera locator in the world that contains a GPRS/GSM sim card and modem with a battery that will power it for 5 or 6 hours of continuous use. There is no other consumer unit that I know of that will provide vehicle tracking for such a low monthly cost. Its closest rival is the Road Angel Navigator 9000 - which doesn't currently have the same level of battery life

Golfer - the unit does auto update itself whilst you are driving, even when the interior temperature of the car is excessive, provided there is some charge in the battery. The battery is trickle charging when plugged into the car (subject to interior temperature) and can be charged using the mains adaptor or via a USB connection to a PC. Most users find that a 5-6 hour battery life is sufficient for their normal driving patterns, with the car charger topping up on longer journeys. We have sold many thousands of the products since launch and have received good feedback from customers and the press.

If you would like to upgrade your RA2 for a Professional Connected I am sure I can work out a deal for you.

[Golfer]

Originally Posted by grahammackie

Sorry for the delay in responding.

Like all electronic devices the Road Angel Professional product is a compromise between size, battery life, longevity and functionality. The product is currently unique in that it is the only safety camera locator in the world that contains a GPRS/GSM sim card and modem with a battery that will power it for 5 or 6 hours of continuous use. There is no other consumer unit that I know of that will provide vehicle tracking for such a low monthly cost. Its closest rival is the Road Angel Navigator 9000 - which doesn't currently have the same level of battery life

Golfer - the unit does auto update itself whilst you are driving, even when the interior temperature of the car is excessive, provided there is some charge in the battery. The battery is trickle charging when plugged into the car (subject to interior temperature) and can be charged using the mains adaptor or via a USB connection to a PC. Most users find that a 5-6 hour battery life is sufficient for their normal driving patterns, with the car charger topping up on longer journeys. We have sold many thousands of the products since launch and have received good feedback from customers and the press.

If you would like to upgrade your RA2 for a Professional Connected I am sure I can work out a deal for you.

Graham could you confirm please if the unit has the same plug that RA2 has for power?, so it could be hard wired as is the RA2 and therefore be constantly topped up whilst the ignition is ON. Would I be correct in this assumtion?.

[craigyb]

I'm now running with the latest firmware, the unit was fully charged overnight and I put it in the car at 12:00 PM, by 2:00 PM after the car being left in the sun the charging light started flashing again when I started the car up. Although the unit did power up and it was useable.

I will monitor the operation for the next few days and see if it becomes inoperable again when starting the car.

[bazza_g]

am following this with interest as I'm 'detectorless' at present and am in the market for a new one when I'm back from hols

[henry carey]

bit of a flaw in the professional connected design - they don't actually tell you in the booklet, but it's range is limited to 500 m for police camera vans!! No use at all if you're on a motorway and the van's on a bridge, they get you before your in range. All other warnings can be 1000m. Guess they don't do much motorway driving.

[craigyb]

I'm also finding the RA database very very out of date, it lists a speed camera near my home as 30 mph, when it has been 40 mph for over a year. And then a little further on it shows a fixed camera where one does not exist. And the specs information on the M1 road works is way out.

[Golfer]

Originally Posted by craigyb

I'm also finding the RA database very very out of date, it lists a speed camera near my home as 30 mph, when it has been 40 mph for over a year. And then a little further on it shows a fixed camera where one does not exist. And the specs information on the M1 road works is way out.

This confirms it's money for old rope, all the hype and no results. I have noticed the RA2 updates are wrong in my area too. Some cameras have been moved for some two years and the warning come up for where they "Used to be".
We need to look around for a better unit.