Photo: Amazon
Getting by in today’s traffic is most of the times an adventure. Crowded streets, unpredictable drivers and unforeseen events require all to be better prepared and pay more attention than ever before. Luckily, technology is here to help.
One of the best ways be a decent driver these days is to allow the car and its systems to help. Some of the newer cars, manufactured in the past decade or so, are factory-fitted with sensors, cameras and screens that allow drivers to have a better understanding of the surroundings. But the fact is that most of the cars on the world’s roads today are not new, and lack a lot of the present’s technological aides.
You may already have an idea of what’s out there, available as aftermarket hardware. The range of available sensors, cameras, screens and head-up displays is so vast that it is nearly impossible not to find something that can suit any car and driver.
One of the tools that have helped drivers get by while behind the wheel is the rearview interior mirror. Born in 1908 in France, this tool started being used in mass-produced cars from the early 1920s. Since then, the mirrors themselves have evolved little.
More recently, though, they too started gettin high-tech. There are now countless car mirrors on the market that come with embedded video systems, making them more of a screen than an actual mirror. Using cameras facing front or rear, or both, they can relay images far better than the standard mirror, eliminating blind spots more efficiently, for instance.
Below is a shortlist of such mirrors, that can be fitted to virtually any car and completely transform the driving experience.
Toguard (ad) - this is a 7-inch touch screen mirror that comes complete with a front and backup camera. It allows video recording, taking photos and even playback on the mirror surface itself. When turned off, the Toguard can be used as a regular rearview mirror.
The cameras that come with it can record images at 1080P front and 480P rear. Doubling as a dashcam, it features a parking monitor and a G-sensor: it automatically turns on when parking, and locks the recorded video in case a collision is detected.
The Toguard can be fitted on top of the existing mirror, without having to remove that. You will have to pay attention though to make sure the existing mirror can support the extra 1.8 pounds weight of the gadget.
The mirror draws power either from a DC 5V/2A outlet or a mini USB slot. On Amazon, the Toguard dual dash camera sells for $99.99.
DuDuBell (ad) - another 7-inch dashcam-mirror gadget is the DuDuBell. It too comes with a mirror-mounted dashcam, but also with a rear camera. In this case, though, the resolution for both cameras is 1080P.
The system adds an external GPS, which can be used to log information about the route and speed of the car. This info, along with the recorded videos of the trip, can only be viewed on a computer.
A gravity sensor, loop recording, and a parking monitor are offered here too, alongside night vision capability.
The DuDuBell system is priced at $69.98 on Amazon.
Akaso (ad) - this mirror dashcam also offers front and rear images, both at 1080P quality. The kit includes the front-facing dashcam, the rear camera and a 32 GB SD card needed to store the captured images.
As do most of the systems of its type, Akaso automatically switches to the rear camera when the car is put in reverse, and even displays guide lines to help the driver park the car. It too comes with loop recording, a gravity sensor, a parking monitor, and night vision.
Unlike the previous two mirrors however this one is larger, sized at 10 inches, and displays 170 degrees view.
The Akaso mirror is priced at $109,99.
Campark (ad) - the smallest in-mirror screen in our list is the Campark. Sized at only 5 inches, it offers images at 1080P front and 720P rear right in the center of the mirror, and comes with both the cameras needed for it to work correctly.
Despite – or because – of the smaller screen, the Campark comes with picture-in-picture capability. It too makes use of a gravity sensor and a parking monitor. Additionally, an included motion sensor will automatically activate when something or someone passes by the car.
The Campark mirror is also the cheapest in our list, at $49.99. And it does not come with an included SD card.
Auto Vox T2 (ad) - it comes from a company that claims to have worked with carmakers like GM, Nissan, or Citroen. The gadget is not a full-sized screen, but a rearview mirror on which a 4.3-inch image of whatever the rearview camera sees is projected.
This gadget does not work as a dashcam, at it has no forward facing camera, and offer 720P quality images taken from the rear. The camera can, however, see in the dark thanks to light provided by 6 LED lights, and the images it sends to the mirror are automatically displayed when the vehicle is put in reverse.
The Auto Vox T2 mirror is priced from $139,99.
Regardless of the mirror you choose, make sure to check its compatibility with your car and its systems and wiring. Reading the customer reviews of each product is the best way to have a more accurate picture before buying.
You may already have an idea of what’s out there, available as aftermarket hardware. The range of available sensors, cameras, screens and head-up displays is so vast that it is nearly impossible not to find something that can suit any car and driver.
One of the tools that have helped drivers get by while behind the wheel is the rearview interior mirror. Born in 1908 in France, this tool started being used in mass-produced cars from the early 1920s. Since then, the mirrors themselves have evolved little.
More recently, though, they too started gettin high-tech. There are now countless car mirrors on the market that come with embedded video systems, making them more of a screen than an actual mirror. Using cameras facing front or rear, or both, they can relay images far better than the standard mirror, eliminating blind spots more efficiently, for instance.
Below is a shortlist of such mirrors, that can be fitted to virtually any car and completely transform the driving experience.
Toguard (ad) - this is a 7-inch touch screen mirror that comes complete with a front and backup camera. It allows video recording, taking photos and even playback on the mirror surface itself. When turned off, the Toguard can be used as a regular rearview mirror.
The cameras that come with it can record images at 1080P front and 480P rear. Doubling as a dashcam, it features a parking monitor and a G-sensor: it automatically turns on when parking, and locks the recorded video in case a collision is detected.
The Toguard can be fitted on top of the existing mirror, without having to remove that. You will have to pay attention though to make sure the existing mirror can support the extra 1.8 pounds weight of the gadget.
The mirror draws power either from a DC 5V/2A outlet or a mini USB slot. On Amazon, the Toguard dual dash camera sells for $99.99.
DuDuBell (ad) - another 7-inch dashcam-mirror gadget is the DuDuBell. It too comes with a mirror-mounted dashcam, but also with a rear camera. In this case, though, the resolution for both cameras is 1080P.
The system adds an external GPS, which can be used to log information about the route and speed of the car. This info, along with the recorded videos of the trip, can only be viewed on a computer.
A gravity sensor, loop recording, and a parking monitor are offered here too, alongside night vision capability.
The DuDuBell system is priced at $69.98 on Amazon.
Akaso (ad) - this mirror dashcam also offers front and rear images, both at 1080P quality. The kit includes the front-facing dashcam, the rear camera and a 32 GB SD card needed to store the captured images.
As do most of the systems of its type, Akaso automatically switches to the rear camera when the car is put in reverse, and even displays guide lines to help the driver park the car. It too comes with loop recording, a gravity sensor, a parking monitor, and night vision.
Unlike the previous two mirrors however this one is larger, sized at 10 inches, and displays 170 degrees view.
The Akaso mirror is priced at $109,99.
Campark (ad) - the smallest in-mirror screen in our list is the Campark. Sized at only 5 inches, it offers images at 1080P front and 720P rear right in the center of the mirror, and comes with both the cameras needed for it to work correctly.
Despite – or because – of the smaller screen, the Campark comes with picture-in-picture capability. It too makes use of a gravity sensor and a parking monitor. Additionally, an included motion sensor will automatically activate when something or someone passes by the car.
The Campark mirror is also the cheapest in our list, at $49.99. And it does not come with an included SD card.
Auto Vox T2 (ad) - it comes from a company that claims to have worked with carmakers like GM, Nissan, or Citroen. The gadget is not a full-sized screen, but a rearview mirror on which a 4.3-inch image of whatever the rearview camera sees is projected.
This gadget does not work as a dashcam, at it has no forward facing camera, and offer 720P quality images taken from the rear. The camera can, however, see in the dark thanks to light provided by 6 LED lights, and the images it sends to the mirror are automatically displayed when the vehicle is put in reverse.
The Auto Vox T2 mirror is priced from $139,99.
Regardless of the mirror you choose, make sure to check its compatibility with your car and its systems and wiring. Reading the customer reviews of each product is the best way to have a more accurate picture before buying.
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