Gadget

The NEOLINE X-COP 9300c model is a hybrid device that combines several functions at once: a radar detector, a Full HD recorder and a GPS informer. As a result, the manufacturer covered almost all the needs of a car enthusiast, with the exception of a navigator, which many already have in their car’s head unit or on their smartphone.

A few words about the new technologies used in this hybrid.

Features of the radar detector

First of all, we will touch on the new capabilities of the radar detector itself, in which the company’s engineers have made a number of improvements and introduced special technologies for detecting violations fixing posts. In particular, a special enlarged horn is installed in the device to ensure reliable reception of signals against «elusive» police complexes. This allows the device to easily cope not only with widespread emitters of a wide frequency range (K, Laser, Strelka), but also with new varieties of low-power police radars (Scat, Oscon, Kordon, etc.), which conventional detectors do not fix.

The special «Turbo» mode shows particular effectiveness against such radars. It can be turned on manually or entrusted with automatic activation by setting the AutoTurbo function in the settings. With it, you can move around the city in a quiet «City» mode, and when you enter the highway and upon reaching a certain speed, for example, 90 km / h, the device will automatically turn on the long-range «Turbo» mode.

Note that the X-COP mode is also available in the settings, which automatically changes the “City” / “Route” modes and alert settings depending on the speed and type of road.

To prevent the radar detector from disturbing the driver with false positives, the X-COP 9300c uses NEOLINE’s own development — a Z-signature filter. Simply put, the device can distinguish police radar signals from other similar ones (for example, radars of active car safety systems).

A very significant point in equipping this device is the use of a GPS receiver with an increased antenna area, which ensures fast search and reliable reception of signals from satellites.

New features of the DVR

Video recording is NEOLINE’s forte, and the X-COP 9300c demonstrates excellent performance here. The DVR is equipped with a 130-degree wide-angle lens with six glass lenses, and a Sony photosensitive matrix is ​​used as a sensor in the design. In the video recorder (DVR) settings, you can activate the extended dynamic range (WDR) function, which will allow you to get good detail in the dark and high-light areas of the frame.

In addition, NEOLINE has added to the menu the ability to change the video bitrate (by default, the average level is 15 Mbps), thus allowing the user to choose between super high image quality and economical use of space on the memory card.

In X-COP 9300c it is possible to activate «Parking mode» when the engine is off. Unlike most similar devices, this model has an operating voltage of 12-24 V, which allows you to connect it not only through a car socket, but also directly to the on-board network. But for this you will need to purchase a special cable and mount it, for example, in the area where the radio is connected. The device has a “Voltage Shutdown” function that will turn off the camera when the car’s mains voltage reaches 11.9 V and thereby prevent the battery from being discharged to a critical state.

Design and equipment

Hybrid X-COP 9300c has an elongated body, which has some design differences from other counterparts from the 9000 series line. Strict straight lines of edges add elegance and solidity to the device. However, it does not look bulky. The color screen is slightly turned towards the driver, which improves the readability of information from the display.

Included with the hybrid is only a power cable with a unique plug and a holder with a spherical bracket. The latter allows you to turn the camera in the right direction, including the interior. Mounting on the windshield is carried out using 3M double-sided adhesive tape, which is included in the kit.

Buttons and controls

There are only six controls: on the front side, on the left, two buttons are responsible for moving through the “up, down” menu, on the right, the top one calls the settings menu, and the bottom one is confirmation (selection). There is also one button on each side: on the left is a «Hot Button» with a user-assigned frequently used function, such as changing the brightness of the display or adding the location of the «Danger Zone» to memory. On the right side is the power button of the device.

All face buttons have dual functions, which are activated by holding one for 2 seconds, or by holding two buttons at once for 2 seconds. For example, if you hold down the Menu and Select buttons for 2 seconds, you can quickly enable or disable the Z-signature filter. And if you hold the “Menu” button for 2 seconds, then you will be taken to the quick settings menu for disabling / enabling the radar module, disabling / enabling the microphone, disabling / enabling video recording. From the first time, remembering all these combinations is quite difficult, and at first you may need to often look at the instructions (or make a short cheat sheet).

Radar recognition

While driving around the city or on the highway, the device applies different algorithms for responding to the detected radio study, while simultaneously using data from the GPS radar database. At the same time, the radar itself provides detection of signals of a wide frequency range, including K (wide, narrow, super narrow), Laser, Strelka, and notification occurs when counter radiation or in the back.

To exclude false alarms from various radio interference and laser mechanisms of supermarket doors, the City mode and the Z-signature filter are usually activated, which cuts off all false sources. By characterizing the signal with a filter, the detector determines whether it is really a radar or something extraneous.

But you can help the detector to eliminate false positives yourself. To do this, during a false operation of the device, you need to press the «Hot button» — the so-called «Zone of silence» will be set. Conversely, if you pass a speed bump or notice a large hole in the road, and the radar detector is silent, just press the «Hot Button» and the «Danger Zone» will be added to the base of the device. You can assign a function to the «Hot button» by holding it for 2 s.

Impressions of the X-COP 9300c hybrid

We tested the operation of the hybrid both in the city and on the highway in the Moscow region. When driving around the city, only two triggers were found on automatic store doors, and on the highway, the detector clearly determined the type of radar and the distance to them. In addition to this, the GPS-informer system showed excellent results, notifying in advance of speed limits when entering settlements. The database of radars and hazardous areas is regularly updated by the manufacturer on its website. It can be downloaded and installed on the device via a microSD flash card. Through it, a new firmware is also installed in the device, if it is released by the manufacturer.

The operation of the DVR camera demonstrated excellent image quality, both in the daytime and in the evening. A bright image with good elaboration of details and sufficient clarity to recognize license plates even at a long distance (20 meters or more) is exactly what we expect from devices of this class.

Some criticism was caused only by the exposure of the frame in side and direct sunlight — the work of a very light-sensitive Sony matrix affects. To level the effect of glare from the sun and the windshield illuminated by it, the manufacturer suggests using a special filter on the lens, which is purchased separately.

As for the screen, the matrix installed here has small viewing angles, which makes it almost impossible for a seated passenger to read the screen. At the same time, the manufacturer thought about the night mode, in which the screen does not blind the eyes in the dark. When you turn on the «Auto-extinguish» function, the display turns off after a specified period of time, while the splash screen will be displayed on the screen. There are two types to choose from: «Speedometer» — speedometer and current date or «Dark» — GPS alerts appear on a black background + speedometer.

Product Conclusion

The hybrid radar detector and DVR NEOLINE X-COP 9300c will be a good help for both motorists and professional drivers who often travel long distances on highways. It is there that you can most often find mobile photo fixation complexes that are not indicated in the GPS database of radars and cameras. In such cases, the radar detector will warn of an ambush in time. It is convenient that the GPS-informer itself will give a signal if your speed suddenly exceeds the allowable threshold.

The video quality is at the level of the best examples of such devices. At night, you can turn on the night mode, in which the noise in the frame will increase, but the detail will be at a high level. The hybrid is easy to install and requires virtually no pre-configuration. The date and time in the DVR is set automatically by the GPS signal. Not many will like the use of double-sided tape to attach the bracket, but the manufacturer does not have a suction cup option. But on the windshield, such a bracket is practically not noticeable.

The NEOLINE X-COP 9300c hybrid is already on sale at a price of 11,990 rubles.

Read also:

• Review of the Neoline G-Tech X77 DVR: shoots and monitors the speed
• Overview of the Neoline X-COP 8700s radar detector: the all-seeing eye