How App-Tronics SmartNav 5 rear-view mirror ready for NHTSA Rear-View Cameras in 2018

With the U.S. Department of Transportation’s NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) ruling that all new Cars should have Rear-View Cameras by Rear-View Cameras by Tuesday May 1^st 2018 getting closer and closer as reported in my blog article entitled “NHTSA passes ruling for Car Manufacturers to install Rear-View Cameras by Tuesday May 1st 2018 - Self-Driving Cars First Steps as Jamaica falls behind in Vehicle Regulations”, Auto accessory makers are upping their game.

Introducing the App-Tronics SmartNav 5 rear-view mirror a product that finally brings navigational smarts to your rear-view mirror as stated in the article “The smartest rear-view mirror in the world”, published November 5, 2014 11:11 AM PST by Wayne Cunningham, CNET News.

App-Tronics SmartNav 5 rear-view mirror was so good that it won Best in Show award for Mobile Electronics at the 2014 SEMA aftermarket automotive show.

It is somewhat like a hybrid in functionality between the US$499 Navdy HUD Projector as described in my blog article entitled “Navdy HUD Projector – Heads Up Display for Apps with Voice and Gesture Commands to control your Car while Driving” that allows you to control your Car's Navigation and in-Car Entertainment System and a Rear-view Camera plus some other perks thrown in.

The App-Tronics SmartNav 5 rear-view mirror is a Windows CE Computer powered by a 12 volt connection from your Car's Electrical System. It can be installed as a replacement for your existing rear-view mirror or as a clip-on device for your existing rear-view mirror.

It then projects a translucent 5” screen in the middle of the rear view mirror that gives you access to navigational information. It comes with adjustments in brightness based on the time of day so as not to be a distraction to the driver and allowing him to focus on the mirror or on the navigational aid.

Navigation in my rear view mirror is great, but what other tricks does the App-Tronics SmartNav 5 rear-view mirror have up its sleeve?

App-Tronics SmartNav 5 rear-view mirror – Turn-by-turn Navigation powered by iGo

Well a simple answer to that question is a lot. Accessing these features can be done via a series of buttons along the lower bezel or the touchscreen that places all the buttons on screen for easier navigation.

This is a safety hazard, as to enter data, you have to basically stop and reach your arm across to the center of your vehicle to enter data. As an option, you can customize the menu to as little as three buttons to make using the App-Tronics SmartNav 5 rear-view mirror as distraction free as possible.

You also have the option of programming the App-Tronics SmartNav 5 rear-view mirror via an app on your smartphone as the Windows CE computer can be controlled via Bluetooth connection. One of the many functionalities that it has is turn-by-turn navigation powered by iGo navigation software. It can also provide Odometer and speedometer information, albeit that's derived from the GPS module and not from the car's own CAN bus system.

App-Tronics SmartNav 5 rear-view mirror - Camera DVR and Police Radar Detector

If you get the App-Tronics SmartNav 5 Radar Detector accessory, it'll allow you to detect Police radar trap before you reach them and even has a real-time database of known speed traps, making avoiding police tickets that much easier. But the feature of interest is the Camera system, which surprisingly, is a lot like an smartphone Camera system.

The App-Tronics SmartNav 5 rear-view mirror has a built in front-facing Camera tied to a DVR (Digital Video Recorder) inside of the Windows CE computer that runs the unit. It can record the conditions inside as well as outside of the vehicle during a crash and can serve as a dash-mounted crash recorder.

This is a feature that should be of interest to the Road Traffic Act Joint Select Committee as they make amendments to the Road Traffic Act as recommended in my blog article entitled “Island Traffic Authority Charging for Services - Road Traffic Act Backs ITA as HD CCTV Cameras, Rear-View Cameras, JDF, JCF”.

Best of all that DVR can connect to other Cameras installed on the vehicle, including the rearview Cameras, making it possible to have a live recording of when you're reversing your vehicle in case of crash incidents.

App-Tronics SmartNav 5 – Because Cameras inside and outside of Vehicles makes you safer

So despite fact that it seems to be a bit involved in terms of configuration, it does provide the service of being an in-card DVR Recorder for your Cameras, masking the App-Tronics SmartNav 5 rear-view mirror an excellent product that Americans can purchase to improve Road Safety.

Hopefully too, our ITA (Island Traffic Authority) will flow the lead of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s NHTSA and make Rear-View Cameras with DVR like the App-Tronics SmartNav 5 rear-view mirror mandatory by 2018 as well.