USING THE BLACKVUE DR550GW-2CH

As always i recommend checking the official support page for any firmware/software updates since these correct bugs and also improve the image quality of both cameras.

To install the firmware you just need to plug the microSD card into your computer either via a card reader or via the bundled mini USB card reader. The procedure will take a few minutes and after that all you have to do is place the microSD card back to the DR550GW-2CH (the camera firmware will self-update once you turn it on).

The DR550GW-2CH can also be used to keep an eye on your car even when you're not driving it but to do so you need an optional accessory by Pittasoft called Power Magic Pro.

This device will keep sending power to the camera until it feels that your battery is starting to get weaker or until the time you set is over. Installation is very easy but unless you use it for a few hours like we did to test the device i strongly recommend going to a certified car mechanic to install it.

The best place to mount the DR550GW-2CH is as high up as possible at the front as seen above.

Unfortunately if you happen to own a convertible like i do you will have a hard time mounting the rear camera. It can be done on the windscreen but then you have to route the cable in plain site and that is neither easy nor will it look that good (i installed the rear cam temporarily just to finish testing).

In order to complete installation you will need to install the BlackVue Android/iOS app in your smartphone/tablet (from the Play Store/Apple Store).

After enabling Wi-Fi and connecting both devices you can see what both cameras see and you can also make several changes in their configuration (brightness levels, recording modes, recording time and more).

To check what both cameras have recorded you will need to remove the microSD card and mount it on your computer with the bundled card reader (after you have installed the BlackVue program). One of the things you may not like (same as i) is that the DR550GW-2CH records for a maximum of 3 minutes so inside just 1 hour you will have 20 recordings of the front camera and 20 recordings of the rear camera.Two things that i liked with the BlackVue program is that you can zoom in wherever you place the cursor just by using the center wheel (above picture) and that you track your movements via the Built-In GPS and Google Maps.

From the settings menu you can set your time zone, the video resolution, brightness and adjust the recording via the 4 available modes (Normal Recording/Manual Recording/Event Recording/Parking Recording). Even so however 3 minutes for each file is way too short for my taste.

The settings menu also allows you to adjust the sensitivity of the G-Sensor (3 axis acceleration sensor that provides event based recording based on sudden acceleration, braking and spinning), enable/disable Wi-Fi, set the user name and password, enable/disable the activity LEDs and set the available voice alarms and their volume.