We tested the LAMAX S9 Dual car camera and we have mixed impressions

The panel also has a speaker, microphone, connectors for other accessories, power supply (mini USB – 12 V) and a slot for a microSD card. The control takes place primarily via the display, the screen goes out and the camera is switched on / off by the button on the lower edge. The GPS module is a common small “cube” on the cable, the rear camera then has the form of a small roller. Unfortunately, during the installation, it turned out that this piece does not have a completely solid cover, which I managed to peel off and no longer holds.

Installation

When installing, a lot depends on how perfectly you want to connect the system and hide in the car’s padding. As part of testing, I set out on the most difficult option – hide everything as best I can and involve as many elements as possible. Without the help of service. So the cables from the front panel he carefully hid the padding, Hid the GPS module in the windscreen pillar and connected the rear camera to the parking light (reverse) with a special contact. Everywhere the first similar installation (I never installed anything so complex in the car) took me about two hours. But if I had to do it again now, I’d probably get it in half.

Pay attention to the size of your mirror

What “bacon” did I come across? The first one came right at the beginning, when I found out that I don’t have a chance to get the camera in the mirror in my Octavia II Scout, because it’s too big (tall). The panel could not be slid onto it because the plastic straps with hooks were not spaced enough. In the end, I mounted the camera in the Fabia 2017, where it is mirror smaller. After extending the lens to the side, simply attach the camera and secure it with the enclosed rubber bands. It holds up very well, you don’t have to worry about any swinging or bouncing. The GPS module does not need much care. You can also stick it in the corner of the glass or dashboard. However, I put it in the post, so in addition to hiding the cable behind the edge of the padding, I also needed to snap a few connectors.

The rear camera was the biggest nut. Of course, it required the longest cable routing and hiding, but that’s the least problem. It is glued to the rear window with double-sided tape, which was difficult in the winter with a wet rear window. I had to do it and after a long drive, when the car warmed up, otherwise the tape did not hold. In a car with a rear window on the fifth door, it is necessary to think about the reserve of a few centimeters, which the cable must get for hinge opening. On and then there is the connection of the solo cable to the reverse light, which I really recommend leaving to the service. I succeeded, but the solution is very temporary and imperfect.

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Recording and control LAMAX S9 Dual

The camera is preset to start recording when the connector is plugged into a 12V socket. It saves files to a microSD card separately from the front and rear cameras. The video is above average quality. You can even choose exposures. The camera records in cycles and overwrites old files when the card is full. The record locking function is very useful in this regard. If you know it will come in handy, you can protect it. Moves to a non-rewritable folder. After launching, you can see a preview of one of the cameras, which can be easily switched between swipes or buttons. The display shows icons of running functions, selected driving data and, among other things, a button for accessing settings. It cannot be accessed while recording is in progress.

Because the display is very wide, the driver does not see the entire image, which is then in the resulting video with an aspect ratio of 16: 9. However, there is a shift in the selected cutout, so you can set how much you want to see the front of the hood or at what angle you want to look at the space behind the car when parking. When you connect the mentioned cable for the parking assistant (view into the space behind the car), the system on it automatically switches each time reverse gear is engaged. That’s very handy. However…

The system is suffering from memory loss

I don’t know if it’s the current firmware version or a defect of a particular piece, but the camera does she refused to remember the settings I had selected in the menu. The things you have to switch on or off manually in the settings include the rear parking assist. In addition, for example, the language or volume of the system, the length of the recording cycle or several advanced functions. Everything I set disappeared from the power supply after disconnecting and reconnecting the camera. But I guess it’s one a single mistake. An error that also affected the relationship of the camera with the mobile application, which I address in one of the next paragraphs.

Fancy advanced features

The LAMAX S9 Dual really has a lot of useful gadgets that go beyond the normal shooting of the area in front of and behind the car. For example, the Lane Departure Warning System (LDWS) for lane departure warning and Front Collision Warning System (FCWS) indicating the possibility of a conflict. Both work surprisingly reliably, sometimes even too sensitively. Then there’s the gyroscopic sensor, ready to automatically lock the record while you’re crashing while driving, or even when the car is parked. recognize the impact and start recording.

There is also an alert for speed cameras and other traffic controls. Within a few days, however, I came across only a few places where the system sounded. I did not find the exact database of locations and points. One of the most interesting advanced features is voice control. There are twelve of them, and quite surprisingly, there is a lack of start and stop recording. I have no idea why they are not there. However, you can turn the display on or off, WiFi, switch between shots, or take photos. The microphone is not very sensitive, even when the radio was turned off, I had to raise my voice on the panel to do the desired thing.

LAMAX S9 Dual and mobile applications

The communication between the camera and the smartphone is solved by the Kacam application with the help of a connection via WiFi Direct (the camera transmits its own network). Unfortunately, I can’t say much about this mobile tool, because it didn’t work for me most of the time. After the first start of the camera, everything seemed fine and I verified that the application is possible view and move captured recordings or change settings. In subsequent attempts for several hours and days but later she refused to connect to the camera or even just find her. All the network settings were the same, so I have no idea where the problem was. It didn’t help to reset the camera to factory settings or turn off mobile data when connecting.

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In terms of camera settings, the application actually only duplicates items that are also available directly in the panel. So the big user doesn’t lose anything here. The biggest advantage, however, should be the possibility of wireless transmission of records, which is a nice tool. When the application did not fulfill this task, I had to download the recordings directly from the microSD card in the laptop.

It occurs to me that complications with the application occurred at the same time as problems with saving settings in the camera. My tip is one šotek and firmware, which would be a tolerable and software solution. I will continue to look if it only happened to me and how it can be corrected. But the average user certainly does not want to solve something like this.

Price and availability

You can buy the camera from many retailers and it is also available on the manufacturer’s official website. The price is CZK 4,990. The closest to the S9 Dual is the S7 Dual variant, which uses only a smaller display in the cut-out in the mirror and hardware buttons on the panel.

Final evaluation

The camera is currently crashed by the listed software problems I encountered. Even with regard to other available reviews, I believe that this is an isolated or temporary problem. However, it is here and there is no point in covering it. The moment I manually turned on all the functions in the camera (before she forgot them again), they worked very well well and reliably. Under normal circumstances, this handy helper would definitely cost for the price and the gadgets on offer are practically usable. In addition to them and also interesting security elements, the camera also excels in its successful design and, apart from a few flies, also in its high-quality workmanship.

What would you ask for an on-board camera?