Every time I am on the road, I am reminded that our governments would hand out a licence to just any idiot as long as they pay. Or that I am just old and too many drivers grew up on Mario Karts. This time around I am putting the Thinkware U3000 Pro Dash Cam through its paces on my car.
My car, like so many things in the life of a tech reviewer, is a test mule. I no longer bother running a full installation and tucking cables away, instead opting to just run the cable along the floor and mostly out of the way of the kids.
What is not compromised though, is how I test the gear. I still wire it up to ensure I can test all the features correctly.
Thinkware U3000 Pro design and first impressions
The Thinkware U3000 Pro is a three-channel dashcam that comes with just separate front and rear camera modules out of the box.
By that I mean it has a forward facing camera module, which looks a lot like an old-school radar detector. There is also a rearward facing camera module. There is an interior cabin camera that is available as an optional extra.
Unlike some other dashcams that I have reviewed in the past fifteen months or so, this one does not feature a side camera, or a dedicated wide angle that covers cabin and side impact zones.
My review unit came with a hardwire kit, which you will need to run to your car’s fuse box.
Alternatively, based on the instruction booklet, you can get an OBD2 port version if you are not confident on wiring it into the fuse box.
I have done enough dashcams now that I can wire it in pretty quickly – you only need to wrap two wires into the correct fuse plug, no tools required.
You do need a torque wrench to undo the bolt to hook up the earthing wire though. Don’t skip that step!
Thinkware U3000 Pro Front Camera module in situ
Thinkware U3000 Pro specifications
| Specification | Thinkware U3000 Pro |
|---|---|
| Front Recording Resolution | 4K UHD at 30fps or 2K QHD at 60fps |
| Rear Recording Resolution | 2K QHD at 30fps |
| Front Field of View | 147 degrees |
| Rear Field of View | 156 degrees |
| HDR | Front and rear cameras |
| Night Recording | Super Night Vision 4.0 |
| Video Format | H.264 MP4 |
| Storage | microSD cards up to 512GB |
| GPS | Built in |
| Wi-Fi | Dual-band 2.4GHz and 5GHz |
| Bluetooth | Supported |
| Cloud Connectivity | Thinkware Connected, with optional LTE module |
| Parking Modes | Radar, motion detection, impact detection, time lapse and energy-saving modes |
| Event Recording | Records approximately 10 seconds before and 10 seconds after a detected parking event |
| Advanced Driver Assistance | Forward collision warning, urban forward collision warning and front vehicle departure warning |
| Safety Camera Alerts | Supported through the built-in GPS database |
| Audio Recording | Built-in microphone, with recording able to be disabled |
| Power Storage | Supercapacitor |
| Additional Camera Support | Optional infrared interior camera |
| Australian Warranty | Three years |
Setting up the Thinkware U3000 Pro
Configuration is done via the Dash Cam Link app, available from your respective app store. Refreshingly, Thinkware does not force you to create an account just to set up the U3000 Pro.
I strongly recommend that this step is done before you mount the dashcam onto your windscreen. I’ll explain why later.
The wizard will take you through the steps of getting connected, from:
- choosing your dashcam model
- Bluetooth pairing
- Connect via WiFi (onboard the U3000 Pro)
- set timezone
- set region
It only takes a few minutes to be up and running.
Once this is done, the next step is to connect to the U3000 Pro’s live view.
When this is your first rodeo with the U3000 Pro, the app will display a grid on the scene with a prompt to align the blue (vertical) line with the center of your hood. The green (horizontal) line should be aligned with the front edge of the hood.
The U3000 Pro camera is largely a fixed placement module, there is a small amount of tilt for adjustment, but you want to get this pretty right before you stick it on glass.
The positioning of the centerline may be limited by what technologies your car has. If it has an array of sensors and detection modules, you probably will have to live with it being a little off-center. I don’t imagine this will trouble too many people unless you are really OCD.
The horizontal line though – you will need to work out how high it needs to go up your windscreen to achieve the closest results then finetune it with the tilt.
It is not a test you have to pass, but you do want to get it pretty right for the situation when things go south and you need the footage.
Also don’t forget to plug in the microSD card, the slot is positioned on the right side of the front camera.
App, recording and parking mode settings
Once the physical part is done, it is worth spending a few minutes going through the options of the U3000 Pro.
Thinkware has split the options into:
- Memory Card Settings
- Camera Settings
- Record Settings
- Road Safety Settings
- System Settings
For Memory Card Settings, the important option is choosing how the microSD card is partitioned. Selecting Continuous Priority allocates more storage to normal driving footage than event recordings, giving you a longer recording history before older clips are overwritten. For most drivers, this is the best option.
Dashcam Settings allow you to adjust the image quality and brightness. The higher the image quality, the more space it will consume on your memory card. That said, I still recommend setting the quality to the highest regardless. Memory cards are a cheap consumable and you want the best quality footage possible.
Another interesting setting to take note of here, is the Parking Mode. The U3000 Pro has an onboard radar in both the front and rear modules, which can be used to monitor movement around your car when it is parked.
The advantage is that it proactively monitors the area around your vehicle while consuming less power than conventional motion detection. Using its built-in radar sensors, the U3000 Pro can detect someone approaching the car and wake the cameras before they reach your vehicle. In contrast, many dashcams only begin recording after movement or an impact has already been detected.
Another feature is Wintertime Battery Protection. If you live in very cold regions, you can specify which months it applies, allowing the camera to better protect the vehicle’s battery in freezing conditions.
By default, features such as Front Vehicle Departure Warning (FVDW), Forward Collision Warning (FCW) and Low Speed FCW are disabled. They’re worth enabling if your vehicle doesn’t already provide forward collision warning.
Safety camera and driver alerts
No dashcam worth their salt will go without safety camera warning.
Like the ADAS functions, Safety Camera Alerts are disabled by default.
The U3000 Pro will give you a verbal warning that you are approaching a fixed speed and red light camera site with plenty of warning. Depending on your speed, I have had it inform me 400m ahead of the camera. It also tells you what the actual speed limit is.
It also gives you a warning when you are approaching a known mobile speed camera zone. If you are travelling over the speed limit, it will keep nagging at you.
Thinkware U3000 Pro – Rear Camera module in situ
Video quality and real-world driving experience
After all that, how is the image quality? After all, you can have all the safety features and none of them are useful if the footage looks like it was taken on a potato cam.
In daylight, the U3000 Pro performs well. As can be seen in the sample footage, you can clearly identify the car that decided to squeeze into my lane. ZET-165, yeah I am talking about you.
Night time is where a good dashcam will stand out. The U3000 Pro can still deliver the goods, although there is the expected drop off. When your vehicle is stationary, such as at a red light, the U3000 Pro does an excellent job capturing the vehicle ahead at a typical stopping distance. Once the vehicle in front starts to move off, you start to lose some clarity in the image.
The rear camera struggles a little more due to headlight glare and light halos. But under better conditions, you could potentially still make out registration details.
Overall the image quality is more than acceptable, and certainly well within range of competitors. The reality remains, night time footage remains challenging due to variable lighting conditions.
Another feature that I like is the summary you receive each time you start the engine. The U3000 Pro will tell you the number of motion events detected (if radar motion is enabled) and the number of events (detection). For example it may tell me after parking at a shopping centre, it detected 10 motion events, but two contact events. This gives you sufficient details to make a decision if you need to check the footage immediately.
Lastly, and one feature I really like, is the inclusion of a circular polarising filter (CPL) for the front camera. It helps reduce dashboard reflections and windscreen glare, resulting in clearer footage in bright conditions.
A CPL isn’t magic, though. It needs to be rotated correctly during installation to suit your vehicle. If it’s not adjusted properly, it can actually reduce image quality rather than improve it.
App connection delays
The Dash Cam Link app itself is excellent for features, but connecting to the U3000 Pro can test your patience. The whole process of initiating a connection to the dashcam takes longer than I’d like. Once connected, it’s responsive. But getting there isn’t quick.
I do think that some of the options should have been enabled by default, instead of needing someone to dig through and turn them on.
Thinkware U3000 Pro verdict
The dashcam market is a crowded space to compete in. There are plenty of options, but I remain firmly of the opinion that every car should have a dashcam, even if it’s only a basic model.
The Thinkware U3000 Pro delivers a premium set of features and image quality. Out of the box it provides front and rear coverage, but there is an optional cabin camera.
Although marketed as an interior camera, the 120-degree field of view extends beyond the cabin to provide some visibility through both front side windows. It is however, not a substitute for dedicated side cameras.
Even my partner has commented on the usefulness of a dashcam with side view coverage.
The Thinkware U3000 4K Ultra HD Front And Rear Dash Cam 64GB has a RRP A$1364.99, however Autobarn has it on discount down to A$899.99 at time of publication.
The optional cabin (interior) camera has RRP A$239.99.
For drivers wanting the best parking protection currently available, the U3000 Pro is arguably one of the most sophisticated dashcams on the market. That sophistication comes at a premium price, but if protecting your vehicle while parked is a priority, it’s an investment that’s easy to justify.
DRN would like to thank Thinkware for providing the review unit.
