Parking during office hours is like solving calculus equations! It’s good to have someone help with directions while fitting your car into that tight spot. But what happens if you are on your own? In this article, we cover gadgets that become your second set of eyes and ears on the road. These can guide you while reverse parking, tell whether your car needs servicing or even help you stay awake if you are driving late at night.
Rollr Mini is a nice device to start with. Created by Rollr, a Telematics subsidiary of the Samvardhana Motherson Group, this compact gadget is capable of four major functions – Real-time location & Trips tracking, Vehicle Health Alerts, Driving Behavior Analysis and security alerts for your car.
The Rollr Mini makes your car connected (Source: rollr.io)
Rollr’s Car health analytics application (Source: rollr.io)
Amit Upadhyay, CTO, Rollr, says, “This plug-and-play device fits to the car’s on-board diagnostics (OBD) port and can start functioning in a matter of a few steps. The USP of Rollr Mini is that it’s a completely Made-in-India product built and tested on 100’s of Indian cars models – including high-end luxury cars” The gadget comes with an embedded SIM card with preactivated plan. You need to download the Rollr mobile application to activate the device. Thereafter you are ready to roll with Rollr. You can keep a constant tab on your vehicle’s navigation route as well as the driving incidents if someone else is driving it. In case of any vehicle engine malfunctions, you get an alert immediately and can find the root cause of the issue.
CarSense, another plug-and-play device, is also a great choice. Similar to Rollr Mini, it fits into the OBD port and comes with an embedded SIM for GSM connectivity. The CarSense application provides all necessary data. Other than real-time GPS tracking and trip history analysis, CarSense delivers on the safety and emergency front too. If someone tries to break into your car, or if it is being towed, you will get instant alerts.
CarSense
CarSense automatically sends an SMS to emergency contacts in case of SOS situations like accidents. It also has a roadside assistance option, which sends your information to the nearest available assistance team in case your car breaks down or runs out of fuel. You can also ensure efficient fuel usage through analytics delivered by the application. Finally, you get notified if you are driving too rash, and also receive some instant driving tips. CarSense costs INR 6900 with one year’s free subscription and warranty. After a year, the subscription fee will be INR 900 annually.
For easy reverse-parking, you can install the Bluetooth-powered Autostark Full HD rear-view monitor. Not only does it give you a clear picture of what’s going on behind while you are reversing the car, it also plays your favourite movies, videos or audios when you are not driving. Bluetooth connectivity lets you control the device with your phone.
AutoStark Full HD rear-view screen (Source: amazon.in)
Alternatively, there is a remote to do the same. The device has USB connectivity, allowing you to watch your favourite media stored on a USB stick. Autostark Full HD monitor costs about INR 3000 on Amazon.in.
Imagine yourself on a long drive along a highway, when your car’s tyre starts losing air. In such a situation, Windek digital tyre inflator can be a great companion. It is a compact (15.2×15.2cm2) portable device that comes with a charger and an air nozzle that can pump up the tyre at just the push of a button!
The charger wire fits to your car’s charger. It is long enough to carry down to any of the tyres while staying in place at the charging port. After fitting the air nozzle into the car’s tyre, you can set the desired air pressure using buttons on the device. The screen shows the amount of pressure to be set—select the measurement unit as desired (PSI, Bar or KPA).
Windek digital tyre inflator
Apart from that, the gadget also comes with an LED light that works in two modes: Normal mode to see things in dark environments and SOS mode to seek help during emergency. Windek digital tyre inflator starts from about INR 1600.
Finally, if you want a complete wireless entertainment suite for your car, go for Blaupunkt Cape Town 940 series in-car entertainment system. Powered by Android operating system, it comes in a 17.3cm (6.8-inch) touchscreen form factor with 800×480 resolution.
The Blaupunkt Cape Town 940 series system (Source: www.avhub.com.au)
It accepts various data-sharing options including USB, SD Card, DVD, CD-ROM and VCD among others. Also, the system comes pre-installed with default media player software.
The device supports screen mirroring. It can be controlled with a remote or a smartphone via Bluetooth. It is Wi-FI compatible too and can be controlled from the driver’s seat. While driving, you can refer to the navigation map on the screen. The system also has FM tuner with equaliser option. It costs around INR 40,000.
