Configuration

At the heart of getting CamerAlert to behave as you want it to are the configuration settings. There are a number of different pages in the settings to further configure items in a contextual manner. To enter the main configuration page simply tap on the cog icon to the far right of the toolbar. This will display the following page:

Starting at the top of the page and working to the bottom remembering that you will need to scroll the screen to see the options:

On the navigation bar you can return to the main application by pressing ‘Done’, or display the app info screen by pressing the

Main

Manage cameras: Maintain the CamerAlert database and subscription.
This has been covered above.

Sound warnings: Determines if audible warnings are issued.
This allows you to select if warnings are sounded. Set it to “No” and you will not get a sound from CamerAlert. Set it to “Yes” and you will be warned.

However the amount and type of warning will vary between different users, and what you need may be too much for someone else. As we realise that you will all want different settings we designed this into the system. Simply tap the ‘Sound warnings’ menu item itself (as opposed to just the on/off switch) and the Camera warnings screen is displayed:

In the Camera warnings display you can fine tune the features of the warning system to your precise requirements.

Starting at the top there is the range when the camera becomes active. If this is not enough for you then you can move the slider to the right. Tapping the arrow button displays a further configuration screen with advanced tuning parameters.

Next you can select the sounds that will be issued. Tapping on the text previews the sound, whilst the arrows select your sound. You can choose the sounds for the following events:
- Pre-warning: the sound played to get your attention before your main alert.
- Warning sound: the main alert sound (e.g. ‘Fixed speed camera, 40 miles per hour’).
- Shortened warnings: a toggle for shorter warnigs when Male/Female voice is selected for the main warning (e.g. ‘Fixed, 40′).
- Over speed: the sound to play when approaching a camera and you are over the set speed limit.
- All Clear sound: this is issued once you have passed a camera or left an average speed zone.

We have a certain amount of iPod integration. This allows you to play music or podcasts using the iPod app, but have them interrupted when an alert sound is played. The default is ‘None’ and the alert will be played at the same time as the music. You can also set it to ‘Pause’ (recommended for spoken word / podcasts) or ‘Fade’ (recommended for music).

Underneath is a list of cameras to be warned about. This will allow you to select which cameras generate warnings, and which are just displayed on the map. By default all verified, active cameras generate warnings, unverified cameras do not. Unverified cameras (such as mobile sites that have been submitted but not seen again in use) are shown on the map with a greyscale version of their normal icon. You can switch the categories on and off by tapping the list item.

The final option is ‘Ignore direction data’. This allows you to receive warnings from cameras on the other side of the road that wouldn’t normally raise an alert. You may want to use this to test your alert settings and volume, for example without having to worry about being ‘caught’ by a camera.

Above is the Advanced warning parameters display. This can be used to fine tune the warning system. This is used to narrow or widen the criteria by which CamerAlert determines if a camera should be warned about. The defaults were determined by using CamerAlert in an area with a lot of cameras and is a balance between accurate and timely warnings and minimal false alerts.

If you have changed the advanced settings and wish to return them to the originals just move the sliders to the centre.

Now back to the main Settings page:

Record track: Keep a record of the journey.

Returning to the main setup screen the next option is to record your track. By default this is set to no, but it is possible to trace your route and then further options allow you to email the track to your email account. Be aware that track recording uses up valuable resources and should only be used if you have a genuine need for it. Use the on/off switch for master control and press the ‘Record track’ menu item itself to enter the settings.

Map

Show: Determines when the map is displayed, Always, Near cam, or Never.
When “Always” is selected you will need to have an active data connection to download the maps. The maps are downloaded from the Internet as they are required. If for some reason the map cannot be downloaded then a grid will be displayed instead.

When “Near cam” is selected the normal display will be the camera list until a camera becomes ‘active’. At this point the map will be downloaded from the internet and displayed. If you do not have a data connection then a grid will be displayed.

If you select “Never” then maps are never displayed. This is useful if you are travelling in a foreign country and you do not have a roaming data plan. Note that if you select ‘Never’ then the rest of the map options will not be available to you.

Type: Select the type of map to display.
This option lets you select the type of map to show in the map display. By default you get a road map, but you could select a satellite image or a hybrid combination of both. Some people find that the satellite or hybrid map is less bright and more suited to night use.

View more ahead: Controls GPS location on the map.
If you select the View more ahead option then rather than centre the GPS location on the screen the map is positioned to see more of the road ahead.

Rotate map: Determines the map orientation.
If you select to rotate the map then the map will be orientated to your direction of travel, much the same as you expect from a SatNav application. If this option is not selected then the map will be shown with north at the top of the display. If you select to rotate the map then CamerAlert will literally rotate the map provided from the internet, this means that all text and images on the map will be rotated too. The camera icons will retain their correct alignment though.

Zoom Automatically: Speed sensitive map displays.
By default “Zoom automatically” is off. Selecting this option allows for speed sensitive zooming of the map. The faster you travel the larger the area of map is displayed, the slower you go the more detailed it becomes.

Misc

Prevent standby: Stop the iPhone entering standby.
As you are driving the iPhone will typically dim the screen and then enter standby mode switching the screen off. “Prevent standby” forces the screen to be on at all times whilst CamerAlert is active. However this does use a lot of battery life and it is strongly recommended that you use a car power adapter to charge the iPhone when CamerAlert is active. Even in Standby mode you will still get audio alerts for upcoming cameras, you just won’t see them on the screen!

Use night colours: Determines which colour set to use.
By default we use bright daytime colours as seen in the above displays. Some people find this too bright at night time. Configuring the main iPhone settings for auto brightness will dim the display at night and some people find this perfectly acceptable, whilst others require a more subdued display. If you select yes for use night colours then the list display will have this colour scheme. As the map data is provided by Google we are unable to provide night colours for that.

Mirror display: A very basic Heads-Up-Display (HUD).
Turning this on will invert the main map / list views. You can then place the device on your dashboard and use the reflection as a basic HUD.

Unit of measure: Select metric or imperial.
The “Unit of measure” options allow you to switch between MPH/Yards and KPH/Metres.