![]() That’s why it might be a good idea to beef up the size of the standard card given how cheap microSD cards are these days. ![]() However, there’s a neat option for trimming any clips manually too, which is useful if you only want to showcase a particular part of any journey.įor added reassurance, footage is also stored on the microSD card inside the camera with older footage being overwritten by newer content once the media card is full. While clips are saved to your phone the camera also sends clips of any unusual road events to your unlimited cloud space. It’s possible to fine-tune settings for the camera via the app, such as having auto start and stop enabled, switching on audio recording and, interestingly, toggling a switch notifying the app that you drive an electric car. This menu also shows your unlimited cloud storage as well. This ranges from 20% then 50% (the default setting) and finally 80% of available storage space on your handset. ![]() The latter effectively allows you to tweak all of the core settings, most notably phone storage and how much space you want to allow on your phone for clips. There are three options at the foot of the screen: Activity, Drive and More. Using it in reality is a little different though. The layout of the app interface is, at face value, simplicity itself. This is certainly the case for footage, which is divided into ‘Clips’ and ‘Full Drives’. However, the instructions are a little vague when it comes to learning how and why the app ticks. After launching the software you’ll need to create an account, which requires a username, phone number for the confirmation setup code and an email address. We used the latter edition and, despite a few negative reviews, it installed without issue. In order to use the Nexar Beam GPS dash cam you’ll need to download the accompanying app, which is available for iOS and Android. Overall the setup and installation process was reasonably simple. After that, depending on how you’ve configured the settings in your app, you should be good to go. The Beam’s battery is a 200mAh unit.Two lights on the rear of the unit are worth noting the green one shows the camera is working while the blue one means its paired to your phone. There is a parking mode, which is activated when the camera detects the car is off and is activated by physical movement of the car, such as a bump or the door being opened. In urban areas it copes well with streetlights, so footage from well-lit junctions and roundabouts is still useful. Although the camera performs quite well with low noise, it just doesn’t have the clarity and dynamic range to cope with headlight glare, so the only details and numberplates you’re going to save away from towns and cities are those of the car in front. The voice control and app lets you send a clip directly to a contact, which could be useful if lost or feeling anxious about the behaviour of a vehicle near you. ![]() Unless you’re undertaking an epic drive, the 4.5 hours of footage on the card should be enough you can always upgrade the standard 32GB card up to a 256GB card, but it must be a fast one (class 10). ![]() If you see something you want to save, you either have to remember when it was since the camera is recording all the time, or use the app to save the clip (hence the voice control is essential). You need the app right from the start because you’re relying on it to position the camera as well as sign up for the cloud storage. Once the dash cam is in place, you then must turn to the Nexar app for everything else. Fitment is with a suction cup that secures by rotating the mount 90 degrees – no stickers and very easy to use. Using this slightly larger, more robust connector is a neat touch, you’ll have no problem finding hardwiring kits and adapters. But if you have a car with a USB power port near the rear view mirror then you can just use a short Mini-USB cable. You also get a long USB cable, a set of stick-on clips for it, and a plastic pry tool to hide said cable in the headlining around the edge of the windcreen. It’s a simple but extremely useful touch. In a excellent move, Nexar provide a 12V plug with dual USB ports. Unlike some WiFi enabled cameras it doesn’t seem to be possible to connect it to an in-car hotspot, so it’s easier to think of the Beam as an extension of your smartphone and work with it that way. ![]()
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