Like I mentioned in Phoenix Asshole Drivers #29, I recently bought an Aukey DR01 as a travel dashcam. The DR01 is cheap — $58 on Amazon — so experimenting would not be costly. More importantly, it came with a suction cup mount, so it would be easy to pop on & off a rental car.
My impressions:
- The Aukey DR01 menu is very easy to access & use. Even better than the easy to use Z-Edge S4 Dual Dash Cam that is my normal unit. 👍
- The manual booklet is crap. Some of the menu items, such as “accelerometer” are not explained, or even defined. I think it is crash detection? I left it on the default “low”. 🤔
- Aukey DR01’s shipped in America come preset to Euro settings (50 Hz PAL). You need to change to 60 Hz NTSC.
- It takes 10-12 seconds after your car starts before the Aukey DR01 is ready for action (5-6 seconds until it is on, plus another 5-6 seconds before it is ready to film.) The dashcam turns off immediately, as soon as the car is turned urned off.
- Like others have reported, the microphone is a bit weak. I’ve had to use heavy boost to make it audible on videos. On the positive side, it is clear and does not pick up much road noise.
- Getting the microSD card out is difficult without removing the USB cable, as the L-shaped plug basically covers the card slot. Also, the slot is on the top of the DR01. So, you need to detach your unit from the windshield, unplug the USB, then extract your microSD. Would have been better to have the slot on the side.
- You can fully operate your Aukey DR01 from your laptop: It films and the menu is accessible, along with every other feature. You must use the Aukey-provided USB cable. However, the Aukey-provided USB cable will not make your DR01 visible to your computer, preventing segment download. If you use another brand USB cable, then you will be able to download segments, but will not be able to operate the DR01.
Change of royal gender for this round of Phoenix Traffic Stress Disorder (PTSD):
- Eating concrete. 💥
- Sunnyslope convertible.
- Cash on hand. 💵
- “Detroit Tire Change”
- The Queen Asshole. 👑
Phoenix Asshole Drivers #30
There was a video here, but YouTube deleted my account: I’m now on Vimeo.
