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Dashcams are a bit like nuclear weapons. They are supposed to do their own thing, but also act as a deterrent, preventing others from doing awkward stuff. Although I have been a dashcam user for many years, I experienced the actual power and the increasing need for one in today’s India while testing the Qubo Dashcam Pro 2.7K over the past few weeks.
First, a bit about the Qubo Dashcam Pro 2.7K: I must say that this is the simplest and most practical dashcam I have set up in recent times. It was as simple as popping in an SD card and connecting to the Qubo Pro app using the phone’s Wi-Fi. All very straightforward. The device also does not have too much to confuse you: one wire connects to the power source, while four buttons below the display let you control settings. Once set up, you will be using mostly the app and rarely touching the dashcam itself.
The fact that there is audio from inside the car is an added advantage. (Image: Nandagopal Rajan/The Indian Express)
The Qubo Dashcam Pro 2.7K has a 5MP wide-angle camera that records at 2880x1620p resolution. The camera was wide enough to capture a bit of the car itself, and the placement will be important to get a good view of the road. I did not have the rear unit for review; I would suggest you get both.
While the dashcam is on, it can connect to your phone and give you a live view. You can also use this link to download videos and photos that are relevant. It gives you a timeline view that is supplemented by a map. However, clips are downloaded only in chunks of a minute each, so you will need to slide to the point of action. Thankfully, the app shows points in the timeline where it detected a jerk or overspeeding.
So, how does a dashcam act as a deterrent?
While a dashcam can record everything that is happening in front of it, as well as behind it, it can’t stop bad drivers from doing what they do. One of my captures was a woman on a scooter who swerved across many lanes at the start of the Noida Expressway, prompting evasive action from my driver, which saved her. While I have a record of what happened, a dashcam cannot prevent stupidity on the road.
What it can prevent, to a certain extent, is bad behaviour on the road, at least with some people.
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A few days into my review, I got a panic call from my wife that a woman was trying to attack her. The rash driver had bumped her car into ours and then tried to threaten my wife with a baseball bat. I rushed to my wife’s side when I heard of the incident. After calming her down, I skimmed the footage from the Qubo Dashcam Pro 2.7K to see what happened.
The camera showed the entire sequence, and gave the audio from inside the car too. While the actual hit at the back was not recorded, I could scan the audio of the time to figure out what happened and also get a sense that it was not a big deal, at least not big enough to trigger road rage. The subsequent visuals showed a car trying to side slam ours, before going on to park blocking our way. A woman then gets out and tries to intimidate my wife, who is in the rear seat. She then goes back to her car and pulls out a metal baseball bat and tries to threaten my wife and the driver. At this point, my driver sees an opportunity and drives away, only to be chased again by the woman for a few kilometers.
I am not sure the woman saw the dashcam, but the Qubo Dashcam Pro 2.7K gave us enough evidence to show the police. The fact that there is audio from inside the car is an added advantage. Plus, you can plot where the incident happened using the map. The video clips could be downloaded easily to the phone and shared with the authorities.
The Qubo Dashcam Pro 2.7K has a 5MP wide-angle camera that records at 2880x1620p resolution. (Image: Nandagopal Rajan/The Indian Express)
However, I realised that no sync happens with the phone, and you have to be in the car to download any footage. Also, you need to figure out the exact point in the footage to be able to download the 60-second clip or more. Still, the dashcam more than works in situations like this. Also, I realised that though this does not have a 4K camera, it does capture clear videos at night too.
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Dashcams are still not very popular in India, and as a result, seeing one does not still trigger caution in lawbreakers. So, using one as a deterrent might not work yet. But having one gives you the evidence needed to bring wrongdoers to book and also helps you in case of insurance requirements. At Rs 7,990, the Qubo Dashcam Pro 2.7K is a no-frills, no-nonsense option to help you on the road.