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Product Spotlight: Rockford Fosgate T1T-S

Rockford Fosgate T1T-S

When defining realism in a car audio system, frequency response is one of the most crucial aspects. We want the midbass, midrange, and high-frequency information to be reproduced at similar levels. When done correctly, voices and instruments sound like they did in the mastering room at the recording studio, and not like a clock radio or smartphone. A key factor in delivering this sense of realism is to use high-quality tweeters with your midrange speakers. In that regard, Rockford Fosgate has the perfect solution with its Power Series T1T-S 1-inch tweeter set. Let’s check them out!

Rockford Fosgate T1T-S Design

The T1T-S tweeter set includes a pair of 1-inch audiophile-grade fabric dome tweeters, passive crossover networks, mounting rings, and installation hardware. Rockford Fosgate rates the set to continuously handle an equivalent of 75 watts of power. Maximum power handling is rated at 150 watts, and efficiency is specified as 90 dB SPL 1W/1M. Finally, the tweeters have a nominal impedance of four ohms. Like all Rockford Fosgate speakers, these ratings comply with the ANSI/CTA-2031 Automotive Loudspeaker standard.

Rockford Fosgate T1T-S
The T1T-S set includes a pair of tweeters, crossovers, and high-quality mounting hardware.

The tweeter diaphragms are made from treated fabric. The balance of low mass from the fabric and damping from the treatment helps ensure linear operation up to extremely high frequencies without unwanted resonance. Undamped designs can cause resonance, which many people find harsh. Rockford Fosgate claims an upper-frequency limit of 22 kHz, which is very good. The design has a resonant frequency (Fs) of 1.8 kHz, which is nice and low for a 1-inch tweeter. An integrated neodymium magnet drives the tweeters. Neodymium provides a much stronger magnetic field than ferrite magnets, so you get more efficiency and output from a compact design. These are the same drivers you’d find in the T-162S and T-1652S two-way component speaker sets.

Rockford Fosgate T1T-S
The T1T-S tweeters have 1-inch treated fabric dome diaphragms.

Passive Crossover Networks

The Rockford Fosgate T1T-S set includes a pair of passive crossover networks designed with a 3 kHz cutoff frequency and a third-order -18dB/Octave attenuation slope. Your installer has input connection options to adjust the output sensitivity to 0, -2, or -4 dB to ensure the tweeters blend well with the midrange speakers. On the output side, on- and off-axis connection options subtly alter the signal phase around the crossover point to improve the system’s coherence further. The crossovers use high-tolerance polypropylene capacitors and air-core inductors for good power handling. The circuit also includes a Positive Temperature Coefficient (PTC) thermistor. Should you drive the amp you are using into clipping, the PTC will limit the power going to the tweeters. Unlike fuses, the PTC resets itself to normal operating conditions once everything cools off.

Rockford Fosgate T1T-S
The passive crossover networks include tweeter attenuation and options for on- or off-axis installation compensation.

Premium Mounting Hardware

At a time when many of the most expensive tweeters on the market require mounting with hot glue or backstraps, it’s refreshing that Rockford Fosgate provides real metal mounting hardware. You can mount the tweeters either flush or on the surface using the Discreet Dual Clamp (DDC) hardware. An installer might also create a custom mount to position the tweeter behind an OE grille in your car or truck.

Another key feature of the T1T-S set is the inclusion of a mesh protective grille with each tweeter. Without protection, many expensive tweeters have suffered damage, making this a welcome addition.

Rockford Fosgate T1T-S
Rockford Fosgate includes proper installation and mounting hardware with their tweeters.

Upgrade Your Car Audio System with Rockford Fosgate T1T-S Tweeters

Whether you want to add clarity to a dull factory-installed audio system, need a solution to keep up with a few woofers in each of your vehicle’s doors, or are putting together a clean and classy system, the Rockford Fosgate T1T-S tweeter set is a great choice. They sound great and include premium mounting solutions that ensure they function reliably for years without any headaches.

Use their website’s locator tool to find a Rockford Fosgate retailer near you. You should also follow Rockford Fosgate on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube for new product releases and event updates.

This article is written and produced by the team at www.BestCarAudio.com. Reproduction or use of any kind is prohibited without the express written permission of 1sixty8 media.

Product Spotlight: Rockford Fosgate RFK1D Dual Amp Kit

Rockford Fosgate RFK1D

Knowing that it takes power to make power isn’t rocket science. When feeding high-power car audio amplifiers, skimping on wiring invites problems. If starved for voltage, your amplifiers will run hotter and clip earlier. Rockford Fosgate offers a unique solution to ensure your amp gets the current and voltage it needs. Let’s dive into the Rockford Fosgate RFK1D Dual Amplifier Installation Kit.

Rockford Fosgate RFK1D Overview

The Rockford Fosgate RFK1D is a 1/0-AWG kit that simplifies installing two amplifiers in your vehicle. It includes 1/0 power and ground wire, 4-AWG wiring, a fuse holder, distribution blocks, a ground lug, three stereo interconnects, speaker wire, ring terminals, grommets, and zip ties. Everything needed to install amplifiers like the T1500-1bdCP for your subwoofers and a T1000-4ad for your mids and highs is included.

Rockford Fosgate RFK1D
The Rockford Fosgate RFK1D is the ideal wiring solution for a high-power dual amp system.

Power Wiring

The highlight of the RFK1D kit is the 17 feet of 1/0-AWG power cable and three feet of ground cable. Rockford Fosgate wiring meets the full American Wire Gauge (AWG) specification for size at 53.5mm², exceeding the 50.3mm² minimum. The wiring uses Pure Crystal Oxygen-Free Copper (PC-OFC) for maximum conductivity. The 1/0-AWG cable has 4,702 strands, making it extremely flexible.

The kit also includes four feet of 4-AWG power and ground cables. Like the 1/0-AWG cables, the 4-AWG cable is full AWG-sized with 1,862 strands, more than required for its size. It offers a cross-sectional area of 21.1mm².

Additionally, the kit provides 30 feet of two-conductor 16-AWG speaker wire. This wire also uses PC-OFC, with a high strand count for flexibility and AWG compliance.

A high strand count is crucial for speaker wire as it helps prevent work hardening when the wire bends. For instance, if your installer uses Rockford Fosgate’s 65-strand wire for your door speakers, it’s less likely to fail than “value” products with just 26 strands.

All wiring in the kit exceeds ANSI/CTA-2015 Mobile Electronics Cabling Standard requirements and meets the BC-5W2 marine wiring standard. The flexible PVC jacket resists arcing up to 600 volts and handles temperatures up to 105°C without melting or becoming gummy when exposed to oil or fuel.

I can’t stress enough the importance of looking for cables that conform to industry standards. Many brands sell “4 Gauge” wire for a bargain, but once you inspect the number of strands and bundles, you realize there’s more insulation than the wire itself! Undersized or aluminum wire will starve your amplifier and prevent it from producing its rated power.

Rockford Fosgate RFK1D
Car audio fanatic Brett Leavitt wired his amazing Chevy Astro Van with Rockford Fosgate power wire.

Fusing and Power Distribution

The RFK1D kit includes an RFFANL Inline ANL or Maxi fuse holder to protect the battery if the wire shorts. The block accepts the included 300-amp ANL fuse. It’s made from solid brass and features a High-Performance Plating (HPP) finish for corrosion resistance and durability.

Rockford Fosgate RFK1D
The RFK1D kit includes an RFFANL fuse holder to protect the vehicle.

The kit also includes one-input and two-output distribution blocks, which feature 4-AWG adapter inserts. You can run a 1/0-AWG cable from the battery and alternator, then split it into 4-AWG for a four-channel amp and 1/0-AWG for a sub amp like the T1500-1bdCP. The brass blocks have an HPP finish and come with injection-molded plastic covers.

Rockford Fosgate RFK1D
Brass distribution blocks are provided for power and ground connections.

RCA Interconnect Cables

Just as your amplifiers need efficient power delivery, they also need clean signals. The RFK1D kit includes three 16-foot, two-channel Rockford Fosgate twisted-pair interconnects. Twisted-pair geometry helps reject noise when used with amplifiers featuring differential inputs.

The interconnects feature split center pins for a solid connection. Injection-molded RCA ends provide strain relief, and gray and black markings make it easy to distinguish between channels.

Rockford Fosgate RFK1D
Twisted-pair RCA interconnects work with the differential input circuitry on Rockford Fosgate amplifiers to eliminate noise.

Kit Accessories

The kit is complete and well-designed. It comes with ring terminals crimped onto the 1/0-AWG power and ground cables and the 4-AWG ground cable. A spare 1/0-AWG ring terminal and a brass grounding lug are also included. Additionally, there are 20 feet of 18-AWG remote turn-on wire, butt connectors, grommets, and zip ties.

Complete Dual Amplifier Installation Kit

You could piece together a similar kit from other brands, but matching this quality would take a lot of work. If you have two amplifiers that need reliable power, visit an authorized Rockford Fosgate retailer and ask about the RFK1D kit. If it’s too much, Rockford Fosgate also offers dual amplifier 4-AWG and single-amp kits in 4 and 8-AWG sizes.

To find a Rockford Fosgate retailer near you, use the locator tool on their website. You can also follow Rockford Fosgate on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube for new product releases and event updates.

This article is written and produced by the team at www.BestCarAudio.com. Reproduction or use of any kind is prohibited without the express written permission of 1sixty8 media.

Differential Inputs are Your Friend

Differential InputsIn the 80s and 90s, it seemed like car audio installers were often having to resolve noise issues after installing a system that included an amplifier or signal processor. In many cases, the problem was called a ground loop. However, in some cases, the noise was present because one of the signal cables passed by a source of noise. The only solution was to reroute the wire. No matter what the problem was, or what cure was applied to resolve the problem, ultimately it wasted time and frustrated installers.

Noise problems are not as common these days. They do crop up from time to time, but certainly not with the same frequency as before. One simple technology that has helped to reduce noise issues is the inclusion of differential inputs of modern amplifiers and processors. In this article, we will explain what differential inputs are, how they work, and what benefits they offer.

Amplifier Input Circuitry – Single Ended Inputs

The RCA input connections on your amplifier have a relatively easy life. They do not need to pass any significant amount of current. They do not get connected and disconnect very often. They just sit there and do their thing.

Behind the connections, where the circuitry of the amplifier starts to do its job, there are two circuit designs commonly used. The aforementioned differential input, and single ended inputs.

In a single ended input design, the shield of the RCA cable is connected to ground through a resistor. This resistor is often around 1000 Ohms. The center pin of the RCA cable, which contains our audio signal, is connected to the preamp stage of the amplifier. The preamp stage includes the sensitivity control, crossovers and so forth.

The image below shows an RCA with a sine wave and noise on both the shield and the signal conductor.

Differential Inputs

When we feed the signal shown above into an amplifier with single-ended inputs, the noise on the ground wire is ignored, and the sine wave and noise on the signal wire are amplified. The unfortunate and unwanted result is below:

Differential Inputs

Amplifier Input Circuitry – Differential Inputs

In a device with a differential input design, the shield of the RCA cable is completely isolated from the chassis. Before the audio signal passes to the preamp stage of the amplifier, it goes through an op-amp. An op-amp (or operational amplifier) is a small IC that has two inputs and a single output. One input is labeled as +, and the other as -. When we put a signal on the + input, it is passed to the output of the device with little to no change. When we put a signal on the – input, the polarity of the signal is inverted and sent to the output. In a differential input configuration, the – input of the op-amp is also connected to the shield of the RCA.

If we have an audio signal on the + input, and nothing on the – connection, the audio signal is passed through to the output of the op-amp, then on to the pre-amp stage of our amplifier.

The image below shows an RCA with noise on the shield and the signal conductors.

Differential Inputs

If we have noise induced on the shield and signal conductor of the RCA, then the noise signal on the shield is inverted and passed to the output. The inverted noise signal adds to the non-inverted signal and cancels out.

Differential Inputs

We call the system a differential input because it is looking for the difference between the shield and the signal conductors. More accurately, it subtracts any signal that is common to both conductors from the output signal.

How does Noise get into the System?

When our interconnect cables run through the vehicle, they come close to all sorts of electrical noise devices. High-current wiring, computers, sensors, electric motors and even the alternator can produce radiated noise in the form of a pulsing magnetic field. When a conductor passes through this field, a current will be imposed on the wire.

When this imposed current (or signal) reaches our amplifier, it gets amplified. If the noise is a high-frequency buzz, then that buzz is amplified, and we hear it through our speakers. Yuck!

Another source of noise is a ground loop. In a ground loop, current is flowing on the shield of our interconnect to equalize the ground potential between two devices.

Differential InputsLet’s look at an example. Perhaps someone has installed a radio in the dash of a truck and grounded that radio to the dash support. In some cases, that dash support is isolated from the truck chassis with big rubber bushings. When we connect the RCA cables from our radio to an amplifier in the trunk that has single-ended inputs, the radio seeks an improved ground location through the RCA shield. The resistor in the amp prevents massive amounts of current from flowing, but there is often enough to induce noise in the signal conductor.

A quick test for a ground loop is to pull the RCA out of the amp until only the center pin is touching. If the noise goes away, you have a ground loop. A remedy is to install a ground loop isolator. A ground loop isolator is a device with a transformer in it. The audio signal is transferred through the magnetic interaction of the transformer windings. There is no direct electrical connection between the input and output cables. With no electrical connection present, current cannot flow. The drawback of a ground loop isolator is that it can detrimentally affect the frequency response of the signal passing through it.

Do the Interconnects Matter?

For differential inputs to work, we need the noise signal to be equal on both the signal and shield conductors of our RCA cables. In a coaxial cable design, the shield can block noise from getting to the center conductor. If you use coaxial interconnects with differential inputs, the noise on both conductors is not equal and can induce noise into the signal path.

Differential Inputs

The easiest way to ensure that any induced noise is equal on both conductors is to use a twisted pair interconnect. In a twisted pair configuration, both conductors have the same effective amount of shielding and subsequently, the same amount of noise.

Differential Inputs

Differential Inputs are Your Friend

The next time you are shopping for an amplifier or signal processor for your car, remember that one of the questions you should be asking is if it has differential inputs. While you can certainly build a great sounding audio system around an amp with single-ended inputs, there is no point of taking the risk of having noise or installation headaches. Your local mobile electronics specialist retailer would be happy to assist you in finding an amp or processor with differential inputs.

This article is written and produced by the team at www.BestCarAudio.com. Reproduction or use of any kind is prohibited without the express written permission of 1sixty8 media.

Product Spotlight: Rockford Fosgate PMX-1

Rockford Fosgate PMX-1

As much fun as it is to check out top-of-the-line products, sometimes the right solution is surprisingly affordable. The marine and powersport audio experts at Rockford Fosgate offer a full line of digital media receivers. In fact, there are five stand-alone units, plus an add-on multi-zone unit with several controller options. There is, indeed, a solution for every application. We will highlight the affordable but full-featured PMX-1 Punch-Series marine-grade receiver in this spotlight.

PMX-1 Physical Design

When we talk about source units, we usually discuss single or double DIN units designed for cars and trucks. The PMX-1 chassis, designed for marine and powersports applications, is intended to be flush-mounted on a flat panel. Rockford Fosgate has several vehicle-specific audio upgrade kits for side-by-sides that include mounting provisions for this unit.

Rockford Fosgate PMX-1
The RZR14-STG1 audio kit for Polaris RZR vehicles includes a PMX-1, speakers, and a mounting pod that fits on the top of the dash.

The face of the PMX-1 is 4.5 inches wide and 4.2 inches tall. It protrudes 1.5 inches forward of the mounting surface, and the chassis and heatsink extend 2.9 inches rearward. The kit includes a rubber mounting gasket to ensure the face seals perfectly against the mounting surface.

The radio can be installed in one of two ways. If you have a dash with a round three-inch mounting hole, your installer can mount the radio using the supplied aluminum U-bracket, just like a speedometer or tachometer in a boat. Alternatively, the kit includes a metal mounting bracket that can be positioned behind the mounting surface, and four screws secure the display to the plate and sandwich on either side of the mounting surface. An included trim ring conceals the mounting hardware once in place.

Rockford Fosgate PMX-1
Two mounting options are provided to maximize installation options.

The radio is rated to have an IPX6 water intrusion rating, so you can blast it all day long with a hose or let it get hit by waves. This is crucial in Rockford Fosgate’s Element Ready™ marine, motorcycle, and powersport products. Further, the radio has been tested to exceed prolonged UV and salt fog exposure requirements. Few, if any, other brands talk about the durability of the overall design. Rockford Fosgate punishes their Element Ready™ products with impact and vibration testing to ensure you’ll always have tunes when on the trails or ripping the waves.

Rockford Fosgate PMX-1
Whether on the water or the trails, the Element Ready™ PMX-1 is ready for anything you can throw its way.

User Interface Design

The first feature you will see when you look at the PMX-1 is its 2.3-inch dot-matrix monochrome display. While this looks simple, the display is constructed with a wet-bonded process that makes it easy to read in bright sunlight. The glass screen over the display has a 9H hardness rating, so it’s scratch-resistant. Many competing products use plastic over the display.

A sizable rotary encoder in the center of the front panel allows for volume adjustments or navigating through different menu settings. Four buttons on either side of the encoder provide direct access to source selection, track adjustment, play/pause, menu access, and a dimmer control. Bass heads will love that there are subwoofer + and – buttons on the front panel.

Rockford Fosgate PMX-1
The layout of the front panel is intuitive and organized. Importantly, it’s durable.

Rockford Fosgate PMX-1 Source Options

You have four options for playing music from the PMX-1. The built-in terrestrial radio tuner includes AM and FM reception capabilities. It also has a weather band tuner for those near larger lakes or the ocean.

You can connect a 32GB or smaller USB memory stick to the USB port to play MP3 or WMA files. The system supports up to 255 folders with a maximum of 1,000 songs.

The radio has stereo RCA input jacks on the back as a third option. So, if you want your installer to connect it to a laptop, DVD player, or similar device, it’s ready to go.

Finally, the PMX-1 includes a Bluetooth receiver. The system uses Bluetooth 3.0+EDR and supports the Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP) version 1.3. You can connect almost any smartphone and play music stored on it or stream audio from Pandora, iHeartRadio, or Spotify. Album and artist information will scroll across the screen if your device supports sending this information over Bluetooth.

Power, Preamp, and Installation Considerations

The radio includes a four-channel amplifier rated to produce 25 watts of continuous power into four four-ohm speakers with less than 1% THD+N. It also has two sets of RCA jacks on pigtails, rated to produce up to 2 volts of output.

The radio includes a three-zone crossover set to high or low-pass modes with 60, 80, or 120 hertz filter frequencies. The crossovers work on the built-in amplifier and the preamp signals. For the second set of RCA outputs, your installer can select between the rear and subwoofer output functions in a nearby menu.

The radio has a seven-band graphic equalizer with Flat, Rock, Classic, Acoustic, Dance, Electronic, and Hip-Hop presets. A custom EQ mode allows you to fine-tune the system to suit your audio system design or listening preferences. Of course, Rockford Fosgate includes their famous Punch EQ in the PMX-1. You can dial up to 18 dB of boost at 45 Hz and 12 dB at 12.5 kHz.

Power conservation can be a concern for marine and powersports vehicles, so the PMX-1 includes a battery voltage display, so you can keep track of things. The radio uses non-volatile memory to store all setting information. As such, it only requires an accessory and ground power connection. There is no clock, so your installer doesn’t have to hook up a wire likely to drain the vehicle battery. If you turn the radio off but leave it powered, it draws under two amps of current. At the other end of the spectrum, the radio has a 20-amp fuse, so ensure your installer uses large enough wiring to power it.

Rockford Fosgate PMX-1
The PMX-1 was designed with a 12-pin Molex connector for speaker and power connections.

Compact and Durable Audio Solution

If you are looking for a reliable, easy-to-use radio for a boat, side-by-side, ATV, or jet ski, the Rockford Fosgate PMX-1 is an excellent solution. If you’ve had a craving to build a portable boombox from an old ammo can, the PMX-1 is perfect for that as well. You can pick up a PMX-1 at any authorized Rockford Fosgate dealer. You can find a dealer near you using the locator tool on their website. Be sure to follow our friends from Tempe on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube to keep up with new product releases and the events they attend.

This article is written and produced by the team at www.BestCarAudio.com. Reproduction or use of any kind is prohibited without the express written permission of 1sixty8 media.

Thinkware U3000 Dash Cam: Innovating Vehicle Safety with 4K Clarity and Radar Technology!

Thinkware U3000 Dash Cam

It’s no exaggeration to say there are hundreds of dash cams on the market. Many are budget models plagued by low-resolution sensors, excessive image compression, and contrast issues. Others offer upgraded optics but still lack state-of-the-art convenience features. However, leading the way in surveillance technologies are dash cams like the Thinkware U3000. Equipped with a Sony image sensor, radar-based parking mode, and Wi-Fi connectivity, this dash cam offers nearly everything you could ask for. Let’s dive in.

Thinkware U3000 Image Sensors

Image quality is paramount when purchasing a dash cam. Clarity and detail largely depend on the choice of image sensor and its resolution. However, data compression settings also play a crucial role in capturing vital information, such as a license plate. The U3000 features a 4K UHD front-facing Sony IMX678 Exmor R Starvis 2 image sensor with a 152-degree lens. With 3840 by 2106 pixels, it captures impressively subtle details.

The most popular U3000 package includes the U3000R rear-facing camera and a cable. The rear camera uses an IMX335 Exmor R Starvis 2K QHD image sensor with a 128-degree lens angle. Although this sensor is higher in quality than most forward-facing sensors on the market, it doesn’t offer the same low-light capabilities as the Starvis 2.

Thinkware U3000 Dash Cam
The most popular U3000 kits include the 2K QHD U3000R rear camera.

Speaking of night recording, Thinkware’s Super Night Vision 4.0 technology reduces sensor noise at high gain levels, allowing for brighter, sharper images after sunset. Capturing clear images in low-light conditions is essential for comprehensive protection.

Thinkware U3000 Dash Cam
Thinkware’s Super Night Vision 4.0 brightens low-light settings while minimizing video noise for a clear image.

In addition, Thinkware includes a circular polarizing filter to reduce glare during the day, further enhancing image quality and clarity.

Compact Chassis Design

The U3000’s chassis was designed for discretion. The image sensor mounting position allows the electronics to fit neatly into the space typically blocked by the sun visor at the top of the windshield. Four buttons across the body’s center control manual emergency recording, power down the camera, activate the dash cam’s Wi-Fi connectivity, and toggle audio recording mode on and off. To clarify, the camera begins recording automatically when you start your vehicle, so you never have to worry about forgetting to turn it on. The power button is simply an option to turn the system off, if desired.

Thinkware U3000 Dash Cam
The low-profile chassis design helps the U3000 fit behind the rearview mirror.

All electrical and peripheral connections are located along the rear edge of the chassis, near the top of your windshield. This design reduces clutter and ensures a clean installation. The most popular camera kit includes Thinkware’s OBD II power cable. However, some retailers may use the dealer-exclusive hardwire kit for integration into the vehicle. Both cables automatically enable parking mode when the vehicle ignition is turned off.

Adding an external battery pack like the Thinkware iVolt Mini or iVolt Xtra is a popular upgrade. These packs prevent the main vehicle battery from heavy discharge if the vehicle isn’t driven for a few days, thereby extending battery life.

Thinkware also includes a piece of heat-blocking film and a second piece of two-sided adhesive. The film is ideal for hot climates like Florida or Texas, where interior temperatures can easily exceed 140 degrees. It also simplifies removing the camera if you decide to purchase a new vehicle.

Radar Parking Mode

One of the U3000’s most important features is its radar-based parking mode. Parking mode allows the U3000 to continue monitoring the area around the vehicle after you’re parked. Historically, cameras would monitor the image sensor’s signal and store recordings when motion was detected. This feature, however, consumes a noticeable amount of power from the vehicle’s electrical system.

Uniquely, the kit’s front and rear cameras include radar transceivers. If someone approaches behind to steal your license plate, you’ll have it on video.

Thinkware U3000 Dash Cam
The radar-based parking mode consumes minimum current while monitoring in front and behind your vehicle.

Thinkware’s radar-based monitoring solution consumes just a fraction of the energy compared to video monitoring. This allows the camera to monitor the area around your vehicle for days rather than hours. When it detects someone or something nearby, it records a 20-second video. You can fine-tune the radar detection range to suit your parking location.

The U3000 features a built-in supercapacitor. This energy storage solution ensures that recorded video files are saved and closed correctly when power is removed from the camera. In the unlikely event of a severe accident, having a small onboard power source greatly increases the likelihood of retaining evidence compared to a low-cost dash cam.

Video Storage

The popular U3000-2CH kit includes a 64 GB microSD memory card, though the camera supports cards up to 256 GB. Data storage bitrates are selectable between 24 and 30 Mbps. Less compression results in a clearer image and more detail. Best of all, videos are encoded using the MPEG H.265 codec, which offers impressive file compression without significant detail loss.

Connectivity Features

The U3000 supports 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi connectivity, allowing you to download video files to your smartphone via the Thinkware Dash Cam Link App. Once connected, you can adjust menu settings and view camera images in real-time.

Thinkware U3000 Dash Cam
The Thinkware Connected App allows you to download videos stored on the U3000 quickly to your smartphone over a Wi-Fi connection.

The Thinkware Connected App provides a suite of remote monitoring solutions. From viewing what the dash cam sees to receiving alerts from the built-in impact or radar sensors, it’s like being in the car. You can even access an image from when you last parked the vehicle. If you’ve ever lost track of your car after a day of shopping, this is a huge time-saver and stress reducer. By connecting your U3000 to the Internet using a vehicle or mobile hotspot, you maintain complete control.

Thinkware U3000 Dash Cam
When your U3000 is connected to the Internet, you can access it using the Thinkware Connected App.

ADAS Features

The U3000 offers a full suite of Advanced Driver Assist Systems (ADAS), similar to those found in lane-keeping assist and even self-driving cars. Lane Departure Warning (LDWS), Forward Collision Warning (FCWS), Front Vehicle Departure Warning (FVDW), and Rear Collision Warning (RCWS) are all included. These systems act as a computerized copilot, monitoring what other vehicles are doing around yours. Unlike many other dash cams, the U3000 uses the rear camera’s monitoring capabilities for these features. You can fine-tune which systems you want to activate and at what speed they are enabled via the smartphone apps.

The system supports both GPS and GLONASS global navigation systems. Location and vehicle speed information is stored along with the video. When you play back videos using the PC/MAC viewer software, the vehicle’s location is displayed on a map on the right side of the screen.

Class-Leading Dash Cam Technology

If you’re in the market for the best dash cam to protect your pride and joy, visit a local authorized Thinkware retailer and ask about the U3000. For more information about Thinkware products, visit their website. You can learn more about the U3000 and other impressive products they offer by following them on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and of course, YouTube.

This article is written and produced by the team at www.BestCarAudio.com. Reproduction or use of any kind is prohibited without the express written permission of 1sixty8 media.