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When I start CamerAlert and the database is out of date, I get a spoken warning that I need to update. But CamerAlert has already launched TomTom, meaning I have to switch back and update manually.
Would it not be possible to have a setting that, when turned on, causes the database to update automatically on launch if it's out of date, rather than telling me I need to update? It could then announce once it's done the update.
(In other words, "I've updated your database for you" is a lot more friendly than "you need to fiddle around updating the database before you drive off" :)
Joined: Feb 27, 2006 Posts: 14902 Location: Keynsham
Posted: Wed Jul 25, 2012 5:41 pm Post subject:
Hmm. I thought last time that was raised, it was concluded to be a poor idea - may not be connected, may not want to incur excess data charges, that sort of stuff??? _________________ Dennis
Joined: Aug 31, 2005 Posts: 15311 Location: Bradford, West Yorkshire
Posted: Wed Jul 25, 2012 5:48 pm Post subject:
DennisN wrote:
Hmm. I thought last time that was raised, it was concluded to be a poor idea - may not be connected, may not want to incur excess data charges, that sort of stuff???
I don't think it was concluded to be a 'poor idea' - from what I recall the outcome was that it's not a simple job to 'auto download' the database. There are lots of things to take into account such as connectivity, user preference etc.
Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2012 4:15 pm Post subject: Re: 115 kph, 125kph, 135kph, 145kph and 155kph
Sorry for my tardy response, I must have changed my email notification settings so didn't know you'd responded ;-)
DennisN wrote:
What are your settings? On my iPhone, CamerAlert warns me of every camera irrespective of my speed - I have it set to give me 30 seconds Pre-warning and whether it's a 150 or 20 speed camera, it warns me there is a "speed camera, xx speed limit ahead", 30 seconds before I'll reach it at my current speed (unless it's at the camera's speed), either way, it does NOT wait until I'm over the speed before warning - that's the Overspeed warning, not the camera warning.
My settings are as follows:
Pre-Warning=None
Warning Sound=None
Shortened warnings=ON
Over Speed=Male Voice
All Clear Sound=None
This configuration provides me with an alert only if travelling past a camera AND travelling over speed.
M8TJT wrote:
Why would you be flashed at speedo reading of 145 when your actual real speed is 140 (measured by your GPS) and the cam is a 140kph cam?
You would prob be ok at speedo reading 145, but I personally have have a ticket traveling at speedo reading 147, so it seems anything over actual speed 140 and the cameras will Flash.
MaFt wrote:
If we start adding cameras at 145kmh then users will be confused as they are not real speed limits.MaFt
I totally agree, this would be confusing - and possibly dangerous. However as you can see, I posted a second suggestion
sturmey wrote:
Alternatively, have a variable in the settings to warn of speed cameras even when vehicles are Xkmph under speed limit. This would probably be more practical, and less risky for the app.
This seems reasonable, and in my case extremely useful. Due to sensitive nature of the UAE cameras, and +/- effects of individually calibrated cameras, I would rather be warned of the camera when actually few kmph under the camera speed (i.e. 138kmph) to avoid any risk of a flash.
Before anyone says "well turn on the constant warning sound then!" on my commute to work there are somewhere in the region of 50 speed cameras every 1-2km. This voice does get quite annoying if you have seen the camera, and you know full well what the speed limit is and you are travelling beneath it!
Joined: Apr 04, 2006 Posts: 10118 Location: Bexhill, South Sussex, UK
Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2012 4:52 pm Post subject:
sturmey wrote:
This configuration provides me with an alert only if travelling past a camera AND travelling over speed.
Then what is the problem? A 140kph camera will alert at a true speed of 140kph regardless of what your speedo reads. What you seem to be asking for is that a 140kph camera not to alert until you are travelling at a true speed of 145kph, again regardless of speedo reading. And to quote MaFt
MaFt wrote:
We have no plans to add a feature that allows a "percentage over" speed warning.
Joined: Apr 04, 2006 Posts: 10118 Location: Bexhill, South Sussex, UK
Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2012 4:56 pm Post subject: Re: 115 kph, 125kph, 135kph, 145kph and 155kph
sturmey wrote:
Alternatively, have a variable in the settings to warn of speed cameras even when vehicles are Xkmph under speed limit. This would probably be more practical, and less risky for the app.
But would give you even bigger 'troubles', as the cameras would alert at (say) true speed of 135kph
Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2012 8:04 pm Post subject: Re: 115 kph, 125kph, 135kph, 145kph and 155kph
M8TJT wrote:
But would give you even bigger 'troubles', as the cameras would alert at (say) true speed of 135kph
Assuming that the 'under speed' variable configured in CameraAlert settings was -5kmph, then yes, this is exactly the behaviour I'm asking for.
I don't tend to have CameraAlert visible when driving, so I only look at my speedo for referring to my speed. This way, I'm alerted of a saved 140 speed camera when my speedo reads over 140, everything marries up :-)
Default could be set to 0 for those not bothered with this functionality.
Joined: Feb 27, 2006 Posts: 14902 Location: Keynsham
Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2012 8:59 am Post subject: Re: 115 kph, 125kph, 135kph, 145kph and 155kph
sturmey wrote:
My settings are as follows:
Pre-Warning=None
Warning Sound=None
Shortened warnings=ON
Over Speed=Male Voice
All Clear Sound=None
This configuration provides me with an alert only if travelling past a camera AND travelling over speed.
..................................................
Due to sensitive nature of the UAE cameras, and +/- effects of individually calibrated cameras, I would rather be warned of the camera when actually few kmph under the camera speed (i.e. 138kmph) to avoid any risk of a flash.
Before anyone says "well turn on the constant warning sound then!" on my commute to work there are somewhere in the region of 50 speed cameras every 1-2km. This voice does get quite annoying if you have seen the camera, and you know full well what the speed limit is and you are travelling beneath it!
I think it is important to say that the purpose of the database is to warn of cameras, but NOT to enable you to speed as a normal driving manner. And the overspeed warning is to get you to slow down because you have still not done so - I'm sure it really is intended to act in conjunction with the pre-warnings.
The overspeed warning is, in any case, when you are actually overspeed within the actuation cone of your settings. And it's as accurate as you can get. The overspeed warning will activate before you reach the camera. If the cameras are calibrated to flash with a zero tolerance level, you'll still have to be driving at more than the speed limit to be flashed after you have ignored the overspeed warning. Is your speedometer absolutely accurate? When it reads 141 are you actually doing 141? And if there are 50 speed cameras in 2km, that's one every 40 metres unless my maths is as bad as it used to be. So you don't need any warnings at all, there'll be half a dozen new cameras in sight before you can get past the nearest one - more frequent spacing than street lighting columns! I'd have thought you wouldn't have chance to exceed the speed limit between cameras (admittedly, I don't drive a monster car, but do you?).
Hang on! I think I've misunderstood - perhaps you commute 100 km and there are 50 cameras along the route? Even I could get over the speed limit in 2km (well, the UK speed limit, not 141kmh).
I guess the answer to your dilemma is to drive within the speed limit at all times. For myself, CamerAlert is already becoming complicated enough since its origins and it won't be long before setting it up will be beyond my ability (if it isn't already ). I'd hate to see the database become so complicated it starts to fall over like all the other "clever" programs out there. _________________ Dennis
Guys, I fear that I might not be explaining my proposal well enough.
First of all, I certainly do not drive a monster car, just a mere Honda Civic which was an economical choice seeing as though I travel 160kmph to work, and then another 160 back again (Dubai to Abu Dhabi commute). Apologies for any confusion in my previous post, I meant I pass approx 50 cameras in 1 leg of my commute, which are spaced approx 1-2km apart (in reality there are probably even more than this - money grabbers!).
I do not want to travel faster than the speed limit - its too expensive!
I regulate my speed by observing my car speedometer (as most do). I rarely observe CameraAlert to check actual speed.
I do not propose to change the way CameraAlert feeds back actual speed, or even the speed limit signs that CameraAlert displays - these should, and must stay there are now.
My proposal is merely to do with the audible alerts. I would like the alert to sound when I exceed an actual speed, which is Xkmph UNDER the saved speed of the camera. In this sense, I actually want to travel slower than the speed limit! however my real desire is to have an audible warning system which ties with my car speedometer (my reference for speed regulation).
As mentioned the default would be +/-0kmph which would be unchanged from current operation. I dont see that this would over complicate things for users as this would be a one off variable to be configured in the settings of the app, and the variable would be given a suitably intuative description e.g."OverspeedWarning-ActualSpeed Offset".
I really do feel that this would be beneficial to the app, and I would be interested to hear if anybody else has described a similar problem, i.e. overspeed warning only sounding once car speedometer reads over saved speed of the camera.
Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2012 12:22 pm Post subject: Re: OverspeedWarning-ActualSpeed Offset
sturmey wrote:
the variable would be given a suitably intuative description e.g."OverspeedWarning-ActualSpeed Offset".
Actually a more intuative representation would be to alter the Camera Warnings Settings screen with 1 extra line e.g:
...
Shortened warnings (ON)
Over speed (Male Voice)
Sound Over speed (XX) Kmph under saved camera speed
All Clear sound (None)
etc...
Joined: Feb 27, 2006 Posts: 14902 Location: Keynsham
Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2012 1:53 pm Post subject: Re: OverspeedWarning-ActualSpeed Offset
sturmey wrote:
sturmey wrote:
the variable would be given a suitably intuative description e.g."OverspeedWarning-ActualSpeed Offset".
Actually a more intuative representation would be to alter the Camera Warnings Settings screen with 1 extra line e.g:
...
Shortened warnings (ON)
Over speed (Male Voice)
Sound Over speed (XX) Kmph under saved camera speed
All Clear sound (None)
etc...
Have I convinced anyone yet??
Not me, sorry. Apart from the fact that I'd need to read however much you've written previously on this subject to get my head round it, you might like to consider how to get that "more intutive representation" down to about 12 characters to fit on the screen. I already have no idea what the intuitive representation means from those three symbols entitled "Audio route" _________________ Dennis
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