Origin B2

[MOSE]

Wasn't quite sure exactly where to place this, so stuck it here.

Am toying with the idea of getting one of these, basically down to the size of the unit over its features etc. Have seen these up for £329 but question is, is it a reliable product and exactly how does it differ from the B2 Solo?

[crasher]

Been very happy with my B2 since I got it back in Feb. I'd had an original Road Angel before however it didnt work in my S8 due to the metalised reflective coating on my windscreen.

Not seen the B2 solo, but i've been impressed with my B2 reliability and accuracy (espcially with traversing the M6 SPECS section).

Go for it, you know it makes sense

[stevebower]

I am really pleased with the B2, now available at lower price. Only compared to Snooper, which was clumsy and unreliable. B2 Solo has the built-in GPS aerial. You might need to check whether it will work with your windscreen. No experience of the optional Radar Detector at a fairly hefty £150.

Overall, must have - cheaper than fine + increased insurance, plus its a gadget. Nuff said!

Steve

[Tizzy]

I'd also highly recommend the B2, it's very compact and has all the features in one unit that some of the others don't. Downside is that the normal unit doesn't have a built-in GPS aerial so you have to install the aerial somewhere in the car (rear shelf on my Audi S4 as the aerial comes with a very long lead) and you can't take it from car to car. The B2 solo obviously has a built in-aerial, and thus is easily transported between cars. It probably won't pick up signals through heated front screens and also some of those with solar shielding (like some Renaults and Vauxhall Omega's) not sure if the Monaro has this screen? Origin's customer service people are really helpful (in my experience) so ask them before buying.

[MOSE]

Hhhhhmmmm, thanx for the advice and food for thought. Seen a few of these up for grabs on eBay at a starting price of .99p, but assume they will get higher in price of the three days they are up for.

Is the location of the unit itself an issue, cos there is a nice space in the dash where the ash tray should have gone and i would fit perfectly in there.

[Paul]

should be fine with a remote antenna.

[CarMad]

Not been mentioned yet, but why not get a Tomtom Go ?

You can get all the fixed speed camera sites, specs gatso etc. and a lot of the regular temp sites. The updates are free and very accurate and updated every month. Oh and heres a think you get sat nav thrown in for free. Plus pay a bit more and get it as a bluetooth car speaker and with all the maps of Europe on it.

It makes the B2 and Snoopers look very expensive these days, they are one trick ponies IMO.

[MOSE]

to be honest I hadnt thought of the Tom Tom cos I thought they looked a bit naff. Might site some reviews on it and see whats said about them

Is the Tom Tom critical on placement?

[CarMad]

There are reviews on TSN that others have done MOSE, I think XC90 did one a while back.

Mounting is a simple suction cup affair to the window to the left or right of the wheel, or other alternatives are avaliable.

The updated Tomtom is excellent. I have it on a Palm and its got loads of features, 6 digit postcode look up, well up to date maps, there must be 100+ Point of interest from all Shell / BP garages, to millets or McDonalds all to download for free.

Have a look at this site. Pocket GPS It has loads of reviews and is also the site to get the software to download the POIs which also include all the camera data.

Have a look at the Tomtom 300 for the basic model you can pick it up for £300 or a little less these days if you look around.

[MOSE]

Price really sint much of an issue to me, more the reliability of the product. I'm looking more for something that has GPS Speed Camera/SatNav capability, although I wouldprobably hardly ever use the SatNav, would only need it for those moments of being brain dead after a nite on the Hennessy. Have been tempted by the Snooper Indago, and the unit fits perfectly where I need it to. Am not one for having stuff stuck in the window, think it looks tacky and would end up going back in the box and on Ebay if it did my head in.

Still early days am not in a rush for anything, just very conscious of the amount of new cameras about the place. I saw a classic one the other evening where a camera is placed on the exit of a tunnel, and unless you saw it coming from the other direction, you would have not idea it was there. Its placed on a dual carriageway limited to 50mph....and there is no prior warning to it being there.

[DaveBS8]

I currently have a Snooper S4 evo installed above the rear view mirror and a Lidatec 30, for the same reason, sneaky camera and van locations keep popping up!

The Snooper has been great part froma few freeze ups, with the cost of gps devices now at £199 I would say it is a must buy,

Before buying the S4 i looked at the Origin blue, the Road pilot range and the Road angel, the only real difference is user pefference and mouning location.

The lazer unit is completely useless, unless you are lucky enough to catch a stray laser from another car,

The reason I looked at the snooper was the above mirror mounting option for line of sight use, its out of sight in carparks and in traffic, and the European coverage. I added the lidatec as im regularly in warwickshire and northhants they have allot of vans.

In August I was lasered in south yorks at about and I am yet to hear a thing, apart from the piezo on the lidatec.

Hope this helps a little, I personally think that just a detector is not enough for me as the vans are as faceless as the cameras!

Just got to find a nice S8 now....