Thinkware FA200 Pro Dashcam Review
In today’s world where video is king it has become almost mandatory to have a dashcam.
In our, he said she said world if you can follow up the discussion with video proof the argument seems to dissipate resulting in faster and fair outcomes.
A dashcam is slowly but surely moving from the domain of a novelty car item to an absolute necessity. The Thinkware FA200 Pro we’re testing here offers the same flexibility as the more expensive models but at an affordable price point.
I must confess up front that I like gadgets. I particularly like useful apps that work with my smartphone. The Thinkware FA200 Pro
Dashcam turned out to be just the right solution for me.
While there are numerous Dashcams on the market, the FA200 Pro allows you to buy a mid-range camera, with a rear camera add-on that provides almost a 360-degree view of your vehicle.
Most of us have experienced or know someone who has come back to a nasty dent on their car after shopping for groceries or and have no way of determining who is responsible for the damage.
The Pro addresses that problem quite well. You no longer need to count on an honest person leaving a note with contact information. Now you have proof!
Regardless, if you drive a BMW or a Hyundai this tool allows you to set up the camera with the features needed to protect your vehicle.
Out of the box, this camera is quite easy to install and for the most part, intuitive to set up.
While it draws power from your car battery, if disconnects automatically if it detects that the battery has only 12.2 volts left. For those of us in cold climates that is a useful feature. I adjusted mine so that it films any impacts as well as the parking mode solution, that is all I need.
The FA200 Pro comes with a hard-wiring kit as well as a power cable that plugs into the 12V charger, Parking mode will only work if it is hardwired. The absence of a screen means it is small and compact. But it pairs with your smartphone enabling you to view the videos on your phone screen. Configuring it requires a Wi-Fi connection while a Thinkware Dash Cam app is available for both Android and Apple. To access the video you can either remove the SD card and load it onto your computer or simply download the video to your smartphone. A 32GB card is included with the cameras.
How it Works
If you want to track your car’s GPS location and speed, you will need to get an external GPS antenna which costs $33 extra. I highly recommend getting the extra attachment as it makes the FA200 Pro a better-rounded package. It provides crucial information such as the time, speed, and location data to your driving videos. It also warns you of red-light cameras and in the case of an incident, you don’t have to worry about recalling the specifics when you most need it. You can view the GPS data on the THINKWARE PC Viewer.
As mentioned above, the Pro can also do time-lapse parking mode, so it supports all three of the parking modes. Quite impressive for a dash camera at this price.
If you have the camera hardwired to your vehicle, as I have, a motion sensor automatically triggers the camera so if someone even comes close to your BMW you will have a record of it. And with simple and easy access to the settings of the camera, you can adjust it so you only record impacts to your car.
Unfortunately, my camera stopped working after 2 days. My immediate reaction was dread. Now I must trouble shoot, perhaps call the help desk. Get put on call avoidance and fight to get it fixed. NOT!!!
All it took was one phone call and a total of 10 minutes to troubleshoot the whole problem. The response I got was we will send you a new one. Honestly, I was blown away. I got the new one in days and it worked perfectly. Things happen with technology and how companies react tell you about their priorities. I was quite impressed with the customer service.
The Thinkware FA200 Pro is completely easy to use and once you have it set up you forget it is even there until you need it. The way it is installed you’ll be unable to even see it from the driver’s seat. This is my idea of good technology, easy to install, configures to my needs, works the way it is supposed to, and the camera does not stick out like a sore thumb.
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Pros | Good video quality / competitively priced / setup and forget |
Cons | Could be more compact |
Bottom Line | For the average car owner it is excellent coverage at a reasonable price and is obscured from the driver's vision |
More by Tom Donohue
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