Devine Concepts

Mobile Electronics Expert in Naples, Florida

RESOURCE LIBRARY

Why Drone Is the Perfect Choice for Fleet Management

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Fleet Management

Whether you are a small auto parts store with two delivery vehicles or run a local courier or moving company with dozens of trucks, Drone is the perfect fleet management tool. Drone uses high-performance telematics technology to monitor the location and behavior of the vehicle it’s installed in. DroneMobile – the powerful web and smartphone interface – makes managing the information collected by Drone efficient, so you can optimize the operation of your company vehicles and increase safety.

Drone Fleet Management Packages

Depending on the specific needs of your company, Drone offers three tracking solutions for business owners. The Premium package logs individual vehicle trips, monitors for speed violations and includes four geofence and 10 point-of-interest alert options. You can look up a vehicle location in seconds using the DroneMobile app on your smartphone or the web interface.

Stepping up to the Premium Plus plan adds turn-by-turn and breadcrumb trail logging that updates every two minutes. Geofences and point-of-interest locations are unlimited on the Premium Plus and higher packages.

Finally, the Ultimate package increases breadcrumb trail logging to every 30 seconds and adds location-based alerts. All three options include Drone’s standard vehicle control features like locking and unlocking, as well as battery voltage and vehicle temperature monitoring.

The packages include maintenance reminders, and vehicle diagnostic trouble code information is also logged to help ensure that the fleet is operating reliably and efficiently.

Fleet Management
You can choose from three GPS-enabled tracking packages to provide the connectivity and information you require to manage your fleet.

How Fleet Tracking Saves Companies Money

As a business owner, understanding how your equipment is being used is paramount to your profitability. Ensuring that delivery routes are being followed can save money in reduced fuel expenses. Information about arrival time to each destination can be used to optimize itineraries to avoid traffic congestion or construction. Curfew alerts ensure that your vehicle fleet is being used for business purposes only.

Using the Trips feature (available on the DroneMobile app or at accounts.dronemobile.com on any web browser), managers can review up to six months of data for each vehicle and look for driving behavior issues like speeding, unnecessary stops and unscheduled detours.

Fleet Management
Drone tracks start and finish points, including date, time and distance, based on when the ignition is turned on and off.

The Activity Log function at accounts.dronemobile.com includes options to sort information by vehicle, date range and activity, enabling you to analyze operational status with impressive detail. Data from the Activity Log can be exported into a spreadsheet-compatible .CSV format with a single button-click to help create presentations and reports.

Fleet Management
Management can download Drone activity information quickly and easily through the website portal.

Additional Fleet Tracking Benefits

It’s been proven repeatedly that company drivers who know a tracking system has been installed on the company vehicle drive more safely and efficiently. Safer driving reduces fuel and vehicle maintenance expenses, and can also reduce insurance costs from reduced claims. Speaking of insurance, it would be worth asking your insurance company if they offer a discount for vehicles that have tracking systems.

Drone hardware can be upgraded with security features to add another level of protection to your fleet. The Firstech DAS-II sensor monitors the vehicle for impacts, glass breakage, towing and motion. Likewise, sensors can be added to tool storage compartments or cargo loading doors. These alerts are not only logged in the activity report, but notifications are sent directly to the driver’s smartphone so he or she can contact law enforcement if the vehicle is being tampered with.

Fleet Management
Alerts from optional security features are displayed instantly on a smartphone.

Accurate Data Makes Asset Management Easier

As a company owner with a fleet of vehicles, managing their expense can be a daunting task. From fuel and regular maintenance to insurance claims and damage repairs – your overhead can be thousands of dollars a year. Knowing where and how your vehicles are used is the first step to implementing policies that ensure their efficiency and safety. Drone can provide that information.

Fleet Management
Information from the Drone Telematics System offers details about how your vehicles are being used.

Contact your local Firstech retailer today to find out how you can equip your fleet with Drone Fleet Management solutions. You can find a dealer here. To stay up-to-date with the latest from Drone, be sure to follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

This article is written and produced by the team at www.BestCarAudio.com. Reproduction or use of any kind is prohibited without the express written permission of 1sixty8 media.

What Is Android Auto?

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Android AutoWhen it comes to staying in touch with your family and friends while behind the wheel, we all know that it’s best to keep your cellphone in your pocket or purse. What do you do when you just have to communicate? Do it intelligently and safely with a smartphone integration system like Android Auto. Let’s look at the functionality of this unique communication solution.

What Is It?

Android AutoAndroid Auto is a software suite that runs on a multimedia source unit. Android Auto will work with most Android-based cellular phones running version 5 (Lollipop) or newer of the Android operating system.

Android Auto provides users with an intuitive and easy-to-use interface that allows them to make phone calls, send and receive text messages, play music, and use Google Maps for GPS-based navigation. The entire interface was designed specifically to be used while in the car. The icons are large and easy to read, and you can use Google’s voice recognition interface to execute commands for most functions.

How Do I Use It?

Android AutoIt’s very easy to use Android Auto. Start by downloading and installing the Android Auto application on your smartphone from the Google Play store. Pair your phone to the radio over Bluetooth. Plug the USB cable into your phone. Depending on the model of your source unit, Android Auto should launch automatically or may require that you should press the Android Auto button. From there, you will see the home screen with information such as recent navigation searches and weather information. All you have to do to start using Android Auto is press the microphone button and talk. If you prefer to press buttons, there is a row of smart keys at the bottom of the screen.

What Can I Do?

Android AutoLet’s say you get stuck in traffic and you need to call someone with whom you have an appointment. Press the voice button and simply say, “Call Sam Smith” or “Call 321-555-1234.” The radio and phone will take care of the rest. The same goes for sending a text message; simply press the voice button and say “Send Sam Smith a text message.” The system will respond by asking what you want to say, to which you can reply, again verbally, “Hi, Sam, I’m stuck in traffic. I will be 20 minutes late. Please accept my apologies.” Google will send your text message. If and when Sam responds, you can ask Android Auto to read you the reply message.

Picking a song from the music stored on your phone is just as easy. Press the voice button and ask it to “Play Lorde” or anything else you have available.

Android AutoYou can use the voice recognition system to select a navigation destination just as easily. Simply press the voice button and say, “Take me to the nearest gas station” or “Find me an Italian restaurant” or “Plot a route to 555 Renegade Road in Bismarck.” There are several benefits to using Google Maps to assist in planning your route. You have access to the latest destination information from the inconceivably massive Google database. You always have the latest mapping. There is never a need to buy anything. Google provides real-time traffic flow information to help plan your route efficiently.

Additional Android Auto Applications

Android AutoAndroid Auto has released a development kit to allow third-party companies to create applications that will integrate with Android Auto. These apps include Pandora, iHeartRadio, Spotify Music, TuneIn Radio, Skype and many more. You also get access to Google Play Music for free for 90 days when you first start using Android Auto. That’s 30 million songs, right at your fingertips.

If you have an Android phone and are looking for a safe way to stay in touch, be entertained and get the best driving directions available, all while driving, then drop into your local car audio specialist retailer. Bring your phone along – chances are they will have a unit on display that you can try out.

This article is written and produced by the team at www.BestCarAudio.com. Reproduction or use of any kind is prohibited without the express written permission of 1sixty8 media.

How Does the Drone Vehicle Smartphone Control System Work?

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How Drone Works

Drone is the world-class vehicle telematics system from Firstech – the manufacturer of Compustar security and remote start systems. Drone will let you remote start your vehicle, control the door locks and trunk release, pinpoint the GPS location, monitor driving behavior and much more using the DroneMobile app on your smartphone or their website. How all these features work may seem like magic, but it’s actually quite logical. Let’s look at how the Drone system works.

A Look at the Drone Telematics System

In terms of hardware, Drone is a small computer module that a professional technician can integrate into your vehicle to provide remote control functionality. The module includes a cellular data radio to communicate with your smartphone. The vehicle hardware works with the DroneMobile app on an iOS or Android smartphone or the accounts.dronemobile.com web interface to send commands to and display information from your vehicle.

How Drone Works
The compact Drone module is mounted inside the dash of your vehicle and serves as a high-speed interface between your smartphone and your car or truck.

What Can Drone Do?

Remote control functions like remote start, door lock control, trunk release and auxiliary output activation are just one aspect of the Drone solution. Each Drone module includes a GPS receiver that receives information from several of the 32 GPS satellites that orbit the earth at any given time. Tapping on the map button in the DroneMobile app sends a command to the vehicle module to report its location. The longitude and latitude are relayed back to your phone and overlaid onto Apple Maps (in iOS devices) or Google Maps (on Android smartphones). Accuracy is usually within several meters, so you will always know exactly where your vehicle is located.

Any command or request from the app is sent from your phone using WiFi or a cellular data connection to the Drone servers. Drone uses Amazon Web Services to host their servers because their service is one of the fastest and most robust Cloud connectivity solutions available. The command, which includes security authentication information, is checked by the servers, then forwarded to the Drone hardware in your vehicle using a cellular data connection. The Drone module receives the command and activates the appropriate function, or returns the requested information. In most cases, the entire communication process takes only a second or two.

The beauty of Drone is that there are no range limits. If your vehicle is in range of a cell-phone tower and you have access to the Internet, you are in complete control. You could be in your house, an office building, or lying on a beach in Mexico – you are still connected.

How Drone Works
Users can log in to accounts.dronemobile.com from any browser to control and locate their vehicle or configured the Drone system.

Drone Security and Vehicle Tracking Features

If you have chosen a Compustar, Arctic Start, FTX or iDatastart security system or upgraded a remote starter with security features, alerts from the vehicle will be sent to your smartphone and displayed as notifications. Firstech’s DAS-II sensor will monitor your vehicle for impacts, tilting (if someone were to jack up the vehicle to steal a wheel or the catalytic converter), glass breakage and motion or acceleration. The X1-MAX has the features of the DAS-II built into the unit. You can also configure Drone to send notifications when the ignition is turned on or off, or when the remote starter is activated. Speed limit warnings, curfew alerts and geofence notifications are also available.

How Drone Works
With push notifications, you’ll know in seconds if someone is tampering with your vehicle.

Easy and Fast Remote Control from Almost Anywhere

If you are shopping for the easiest-to-use, fastest remote-control system for your vehicle remote starter or security system, look no further. We can demonstrate the features of this amazing product and let you know what it will take to upgrade your car or truck. For more information about Drone, visit their website. You should also follow them on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Their YouTube channel contains hundreds of videos that offer in-depth explanations of specific Drone features and technologies.

This article is written and produced by the team at www.BestCarAudio.com. Reproduction or use of any kind is prohibited without the express written permission of 1sixty8 media.

Product Spotlight: Hertz SPL Show Neo

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SPL Neo

If you enjoy cranking your music, the SPL Show Neo speakers from Hertz might be the perfect solution for your car, truck or motorcycle. Designed with ultra-compact, high-flux neodymium magnets, these speaker solutions are capable of delivering rock-concert volume levels to ensure you hear every part of your music loudly and clearly.

More-Powerful New Magnets

The Hertz SPL Show line has been upgraded with new, stronger neodymium magnets. These N38H magnets are rated for high-temperature applications to ensure the speakers will continue to sound great for years, even after prolonged use at high output levels.

Hertz has designed each of the new SPL Show speakers with weather-resistant materials and properties to ensure they can withstand prolonged exposure to rain and the sun’s UV rays. The motor assemblies are treated with a corrosion-resistant electro-coating using a process called cataphoresis.

High-Efficiency Bullet Tweeter

The ST 25A Neo is a compact, high-efficiency, high-frequency compression driver that features an aluminum diaphragm mated to a 1-inch copper-clad aluminum ribbon voice-coil. The unit has a nominal impedance of 4 ohms and an amazing efficiency of 107 dB. The driver is rated to handle 100 watts of power when filtered at 5 kHz with a 12 dB/octave crossover. These same drivers are available in the ST 25K Neo kit version with inline passive crossovers and thread-on metal mesh grilles.

SPL Neo
The ST 25K Neo Kit includes a pair of compression-driver tweeters, passive crossovers and mesh grilles.

SPL Neo Midrange Drivers

The new Neo line includes 6.5- and 8-inch midrange drivers. Both speakers use a lightweight pressed paper cone that has been treated with a water-repellent coating. Compliance is provided by a double-roll cloth surround and a flat linear spider.

The 6.5-inch SV 165 NEO features a 1.5-inch voice-coil former that is wound to a nominal impedance of 4 ohms. Continuous power handling is rated at 150 watts, with peak power at 400 watts. With a resonant frequency of 120 Hz and an Xmax specification of 1.5 mm, high-pass crossover points around 250 to 300 Hz will ensure maximum output with minimal distortion. Efficiency is specified at 97 dB and the compact neodymium magnet allows for a mounting depth of only 2.25 inches.

SPL Neo
The SV 165 NEO midrange driver is a perfect drop-in upgrade for your Harley-Davidson motorcycle.

The larger 8-inch SV 200 NEO uses a taller 1.5-inch-diameter voice-coil to increase Xmax to 2.7 mm and power handling to 200 watts continuous or 500 watts maximum. Efficiency also jumps to a mind-blowing 100 dB. Mounting depth for the 8-inch driver is a manageable 3.3 inches.

SPL Neo
With a sensitivity rating of 100 dB, the SV 200 NEO is perfect for high-output applications.

Coaxial High-Efficiency Speaker Solutions

Hertz developed a set of high-output two-way speaker solutions to make upgrading motorcycle audio systems easy, efficient and reliable. The solutions start with the 6.5-inch SX 165 NEO coaxial driver. This two-way speaker features the same weather-treated pressed-paper cone material as the SV 15 NEO. A large-diameter 1.4-inch PEI-dome tweeter provides excellent high-frequency output to beyond 20 kHz. The tweeter is protected with a resettable solid-state protection device to ensure years of reliable operation.

Hertz rates the speaker at being able to handle 100 watts of power when filtered with a high-pass crossover set to 150 Hz at a slope of -12 dB/octave. Peak power handling is 200 watts.

SPL Neo
The SX 165 NEO includes dual terminals to make it easy to daisy-chain multiple speakers together.

For saddlebag speaker applications on touring bikes, the Hertz SX 690 NEO is a great choice. This 6×9-class speaker features a three-way design with a 0.8-inch super-tweeter and a 1.4-inch tweeter. Both high-frequency drivers use Tetolon dome materials and feature the same resettable protection circuit used on the 6.5-inch driver. A rubber surround at the top edge of the weather-treated pressed-paper cone ensures reliability.

Efficiency is specified at 94 dB and Xmax at 5.5 mm. With lots of excursion capability available from the woofer, the SX 690 Neo can easily play down to 100 Hz or lower, depending on your output expectations. Power handling is listed at 130 watts continuous and 260 watts peak.

SPL Neo
Both the SX 690 NEO and the SX 165 NEO feature a flexible seal around the tweeter pole piece to ensure water and debris can’t enter the tight-tolerance voice-coil assembly.

Great Sound with Less Weight

One of the key features of the new NEO speakers is their weight. Compared to their ceramic-magnet brethren, they have much less effect on the handling of your motorcycle. For example, pair of SV 165 NEO weighs 3.96 pounds. A pair of the SV 165.1 comes in at 8 pounds. The SV 200 Neo is 5.3 pounds per pair compared to 12.4 pounds for the SV 200.1.

Turn Your Next Drive into a Concert with Hertz SPL Show Neo Speakers

When it comes time to upgrade the sound system on your motorcycle or side-by-side, or the one in your vehicle, if you want the system to play at extreme volume levels, drop by your local Hertz retailer and ask about the new SPL Show Neo speakers. For more information about Hertz products, visit their website. You can follow them on social media by liking their Facebook page, following their Instagram feed and Twitter, or subscribing to their YouTube channel.

This article is written and produced by the team at www.BestCarAudio.com. Reproduction or use of any kind is prohibited without the express written permission of 1sixty8 media.

The Importance Of Professional Mobile Electronics Installation

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Installation
Photo courtesy of Prestige Car Audio And Marine

Several aspects of the automotive industry have always been embraced by hobbyists and do-it-yourself enthusiasts. Being able to say that you created something with your own bare hands would make anyone feel proud. In the mobile electronics industry, carmakers have been rapidly advancing the technology used in new cars. From computer data networks and advanced vehicle construction materials to elaborate factory audio system tuning, all of these technologies present unique challenges that many people simply aren’t aware of. Failure to compensate for these can wreak havoc with your vehicle’s electrical system, damage the products you are installing or simply result in poor performance from your audio equipment.

Let’s look closely at why it’s best to put the reliability of your vehicle, and the performance of your audio equipment, in the hands of a a shop offering professional installation.

Computers

Installation
Photo courtesy of Cartronix.

Automobile manufacturers are always striving to make their vehicles as fuel-efficient as possible while offering the latest technologies and features. One way they save weight is by putting different devices and computers on a computer data network. Rather than running a myriad of control wires from component to component, they run power and ground, and a pair of data wires. Everything from door locks and trunk release modules to ABS brake and traction control systems can talk to each other on the data network.

Where these networks pose a challenge is when you want to add or remove something from the vehicle. Say you have a vehicle that has a secondary radio display in the dash, but you want to upgrade your audio system. The display may get very upset when you take the radio away. Likewise, you typically can’t add new devices to the data network to add new features.

Your car audio specialist retailers have the experience to work with these data networks. They know what interfaces are available for options like a remote starter or backup camera integration, and they have the manufacturer support to program and install them without causing Check Engine or MIL lights.

Reliability

When working on a vehicle, there are many different ways to run wires and make electrical connections. Automotive mechanics know that it’s hard to beat the knowledge and experience that a veteran car audio installer possesses when it comes to working on vehicle electrical systems. They make dozens, if not hundreds, of electrical connections each and every day.

InstallationThe connections are electrically sound, offering little to no resistance to current flow. Equally, the connections are mechanically sound, ensuring that they will be at least as reliable as the factory connections, if not much better.

Finally, many shops use materials like split loom, nylon sleeves or cloth tape to protect wires as they run through the vehicle. These protective coverings also make the wiring look as if it came from the factory.

Product Warranty

Many mobile electronics manufacturers offer extensions on their product warranties when the products are sold and installed by an authorized dealer. Authorized retailers have been trained on the features of the products they sell. In the case of high-end brands, this training often extends to techniques and methodologies that make the products sound better in your vehicle, and subsequently last longer. The proper installation and configuration of mobile electronic components is the key to their performance and reliability.

Audio Integration

Installation
Photo courtesy of Prestige Car Audio And Marine.

Factory audio systems are becoming more and more complicated. They still don’t rival what is available from the aftermarket, but they have improved. One big step automakers have made in the performance of their audio systems is in their tuning. More and more factory source units and amplifiers include advanced equalization and time correction to maximize the performance of the audio system. When it comes time to upgrade these systems, installers have the techniques and equipment required to test the signals going to the speakers to determine if signal correction is required. If you omit signal correction when installing a new speaker, the tuning that made a cheap factory speaker sound mediocre will work against you, and make a great speaker sound only so-so. Factory audio system signal measurement and correction is now a way of life for a car audio installer.

Modern Vehicle Chassis Design

Did you know that automakers are now using aluminum panels in the construction of their vehicles? In the ongoing battle to reduce weight, the use of aluminum will continue to increase year after year. The downside for the mobile electronics enthusiast is that aluminum is not as good a conductor of electrical current as steel is. In fact, pound for pound, it offers 30% more resistance to the flow of electrical current. This dramatically affects the amount of current we can deliver to high-power audio amplifiers.

Worse than the fact that they are using aluminum is that they have also started using structural adhesives to bond panels together. Spot welds are quick, but they only connect a small area. A good bead of 3M, Loctite or Proform structural adhesive between two aluminum panels connects the entire overlapping surface of the panel together. There is less chance of movement and less chance of corrosion. There’s a downside to this as well: These structural adhesives do not conduct electricity.

If you work with experienced installers, they know how to deal with vehicles that have aluminum chassis and/or adhesive construction. Failure to compensate for these modern construction methods could result in damaged equipment and poor performance.

Choose Professional Installation

For most people, their vehicle is their second-most expensive purchase after their homes. When it comes time to have work done, the knowledge and experience of a trained professional can help ensure that you get all the performance you want from your purchase without any of the headaches of nonprofessional installation. Contact your local car audio specialist retailer today.

This article is written and produced by the team at www.BestCarAudio.com. Reproduction or use of any kind is prohibited without the express written permission of 1sixty8 media.