Performance -
Performance of a video device is not just about the picture quality. It is also about ease of use and how well any additional features integrate into the device. In the case of the P2 Pro we have to take all of the many extras into consideration while also dealing with how well the P2 Pro actually works as a recording device.
So let’s start off with the obvious, video quality.
As you saw in our walk through video, the quality of the P2 Pro is very good. You do see a high contrast ratio for tail and head lights, but that is not unexpected. For just about everything else it is very clean and clean. The running GPS location and time clock is very cool and would be great for insurance purposes. Where things get a little interesting is in the fact that the microphone records everything, including the beeps from the many active systems (like stop and go, lane tracking and front end collision detection). You will hear these quite clearly through the camera while other sounds are very muted including the radio and conversations inside the vehicle. On the one hand this is a good thing (would you really want all of your conversations recorded?) on the other it makes us wonder if the mic would be sensitive enough to capture conversation with someone outside the vehicle (in the case of a road rage incident). Still having the video of an incident is good and even with the lower audio, as it can almost always be improved to be clearer.
Lane drift detection -
I had high hopes for this feature as it can come in handy. Sadly, I found that it did not work all that well without constant adjustment. When I first calibrated it things seemed to work well with the exception of taking off/on ramps. When changing lanes into these the system would alert and often stay that way until the vehicle rounded the corner and was on the next straight road.
Another issue with lane detection is when you need to remove the camera from the vehicle. There are times that you simply do not want to leave a camera on your window. This might be due to a fear of someone stealing it or damage from other factors (extreme heat etc.). When you do this you will need to recalibrate the lane detection feature simply because there is very little chance you will get the camera in exactly the same sport every time. It is not a deal breaker, but it might make someone stop using it due to the continual maintenance.
Stop and Go -
The Stop and Go feature is very cool. It is designed to keep an eye on cars in front of you when you are stopped. If you are stationary for more than 10 seconds the camera will note any objects in front of you and when they move the P2 Pro will make the sound of a car horn to let you know to get moving. In practice we found that this worked perfectly as long as you have a car in front of you. If you are at the front of the pack, well then you are on your own.
Front End Collision Detection –
Fortunately we did not have the chance to test this one as we did not get close enough to any vehicles (moving fast enough) to make the alarm go off. Still it is a great feature.
Speed Camera location -
Speed Cameras are not used in the area where we tested so we were not able to test this either. However it is still a nice feature and easy to set up.
Ease of use –
Although the menu and entries are not all that intuitive, the P2 Pro is fairly simple to get setup. We highly recommend finding a quiet spot to set this up. If you try to change things while moving you just might end up needing the G-Sensor feature.
Over all we were happy with the way the P2 Pro performed (with the few exceptions noted). The video quality is very clean and all of the features worked as expected.
