Took delivery of my new Pogo Alert v4 some weeks ago. Initially the big issue was in fact getting one at all. When I ordered way back in MAY 2013 the original Pogo Alert company had or was about to be taken over by Road Angel. I don't know the politics of what went on but there was certainly an issue with lack of stock caused by the change in ownership which when you have dealt with Road Angel directly becomes easily understandable.
As an owner of the previous model and having paid for the new one I was prepared to hang on and patiently waited the until it eventually arrived. It was suggested by Pogo Alert that I should be given some compensation in the form of extended subscription by perhaps 3 or 6 months.
When I received the unit I was advised to inform Road Angel that this had been agreed. When I did so I was fobbed off with 'no one had authority to authorise that' by a subscription person who was clearly acting beyond their pay grade. The web site was also down so couldn't register the unit which was actually done via telephone and the 'new' software for the camera database updates was promised within 5 minutes. 24 hours later I phoned to ask again for the software link to be sent. On this occasion I did receive it, along with being told again 'no one had authority to promise extending subscription as compensation' but she would pass my comment on.
It seems as though the original Pogo Alert company are now just a retail trader who rely on Road Angel for their stock of the unit previously owned by them and this appears to have been 'choked' supply during the take over for internal politics with the customer being 'pig in the middle' - which is ever the way.
As for the actual kit. It seems like a very nice and much improved unit. The main features being it's very small footprint, touch screen ability and that it can operate via internal re-chargeable battery or cig-lighter power connection. To be fair the touch screen for most settings is not something you would want to be doing while at the wheel moving, but some of the basic things like mute are easily achieved on the move. Once you have made the settings there is not much need for further messing anyway.
The unit can be screen or dash mounted and the mounts provided are much smaller and less weighty than the previous ones. In fact the unit is far less intrusive than dash or screen mounted sat navs. The ability to run it off the battery for supposedly 8 hours can remove the need for cabling. In any case the unit can be removed from the mount fairly easily for updating it on your PC, but you need to do it carefully as it does click in place very securely and you need to avoid rough handling of the mount as it looks as though a bit of brute force would not be a good idea. The screen mount once you have followed instructions for loosening the plate covering the suction pad and then pressing that against the screen is a very firm and rigid connection and then easy to remove for cleaning or stowing away.
I have a small magnetic disc mount for mounting a mobile that can fit on the dash and I'm sure that a couple of small metal plates glued to the bottom of the unit without obstructing the connectors for USB and power cables would enable the unit to sit neatly with very little footprint and enable it's removal very quickly. Haven't tried that yet but will when I have checked the unit out more fully. Could be useful if brave enough to use the unit in France or Spain where they are not welcome and lightning fast removal might be prudent.
You can set way points and add new hazards and also useful for some is the ability to track previous journeys and indeed radar traps passed through. These are recorded in the unit and can be accessed from a PC via USB and the software. Not hugely useful for me but I can imagine that these can be very useful for those travelers who need to cost and record journeys and register stop off points for their work. Useful for checking your info if you do get zapped by plod.
I find the unit very useful mainly as a secondary easily visible speedo and gives good warning of known cameras and likely mobile sites. It has a laser detector which it is not advisable to rely on as if you are zapped it's too late. However it does detect radar activity in the vicinity so can give some degree of warning.
The new model seems to be much better at filtering out cameras which are nearby but not aimed at cars in your direction of travel. The old model often picked up cameras on other roads close by if the capture settings were too wide. The unit deals with pretty much every type of camera I have ever heard of.
All in all it seems to be a very nice piece of kit. Is it worth the money? I paid about £250 via Pogo Alert. Probably no for most people, but I like gadgets and although not a boy racer feel that I actually drive much better and safer with the unit installed. This is contrary to the accepted 'wisdom!?' by the police and authorities that the real purpose of such units is to enable speeding and avoid detection. In my case exactly the opposite. I find that if I set the limiter sensibly, the warning is usually sufficent to at least make me think about whether I should be doing that speed. In a fast car it is very easy to get carried away without realising.
It is just a pity, at least for me it is, after my initial dealings with Road Angel that they now hold the reins for the unit and are the supplier. I would much prefer to deal with the original Pogo Alert company who have always been excellent and helpful. I would certainly not advise dealing with Internet companies that sell the unit a bit cheaper as they can't offer the support you may need.
As an owner of the previous model and having paid for the new one I was prepared to hang on and patiently waited the until it eventually arrived. It was suggested by Pogo Alert that I should be given some compensation in the form of extended subscription by perhaps 3 or 6 months.
When I received the unit I was advised to inform Road Angel that this had been agreed. When I did so I was fobbed off with 'no one had authority to authorise that' by a subscription person who was clearly acting beyond their pay grade. The web site was also down so couldn't register the unit which was actually done via telephone and the 'new' software for the camera database updates was promised within 5 minutes. 24 hours later I phoned to ask again for the software link to be sent. On this occasion I did receive it, along with being told again 'no one had authority to promise extending subscription as compensation' but she would pass my comment on.
It seems as though the original Pogo Alert company are now just a retail trader who rely on Road Angel for their stock of the unit previously owned by them and this appears to have been 'choked' supply during the take over for internal politics with the customer being 'pig in the middle' - which is ever the way.
As for the actual kit. It seems like a very nice and much improved unit. The main features being it's very small footprint, touch screen ability and that it can operate via internal re-chargeable battery or cig-lighter power connection. To be fair the touch screen for most settings is not something you would want to be doing while at the wheel moving, but some of the basic things like mute are easily achieved on the move. Once you have made the settings there is not much need for further messing anyway.
The unit can be screen or dash mounted and the mounts provided are much smaller and less weighty than the previous ones. In fact the unit is far less intrusive than dash or screen mounted sat navs. The ability to run it off the battery for supposedly 8 hours can remove the need for cabling. In any case the unit can be removed from the mount fairly easily for updating it on your PC, but you need to do it carefully as it does click in place very securely and you need to avoid rough handling of the mount as it looks as though a bit of brute force would not be a good idea. The screen mount once you have followed instructions for loosening the plate covering the suction pad and then pressing that against the screen is a very firm and rigid connection and then easy to remove for cleaning or stowing away.
I have a small magnetic disc mount for mounting a mobile that can fit on the dash and I'm sure that a couple of small metal plates glued to the bottom of the unit without obstructing the connectors for USB and power cables would enable the unit to sit neatly with very little footprint and enable it's removal very quickly. Haven't tried that yet but will when I have checked the unit out more fully. Could be useful if brave enough to use the unit in France or Spain where they are not welcome and lightning fast removal might be prudent.
You can set way points and add new hazards and also useful for some is the ability to track previous journeys and indeed radar traps passed through. These are recorded in the unit and can be accessed from a PC via USB and the software. Not hugely useful for me but I can imagine that these can be very useful for those travelers who need to cost and record journeys and register stop off points for their work. Useful for checking your info if you do get zapped by plod.
I find the unit very useful mainly as a secondary easily visible speedo and gives good warning of known cameras and likely mobile sites. It has a laser detector which it is not advisable to rely on as if you are zapped it's too late. However it does detect radar activity in the vicinity so can give some degree of warning.
The new model seems to be much better at filtering out cameras which are nearby but not aimed at cars in your direction of travel. The old model often picked up cameras on other roads close by if the capture settings were too wide. The unit deals with pretty much every type of camera I have ever heard of.
All in all it seems to be a very nice piece of kit. Is it worth the money? I paid about £250 via Pogo Alert. Probably no for most people, but I like gadgets and although not a boy racer feel that I actually drive much better and safer with the unit installed. This is contrary to the accepted 'wisdom!?' by the police and authorities that the real purpose of such units is to enable speeding and avoid detection. In my case exactly the opposite. I find that if I set the limiter sensibly, the warning is usually sufficent to at least make me think about whether I should be doing that speed. In a fast car it is very easy to get carried away without realising.
It is just a pity, at least for me it is, after my initial dealings with Road Angel that they now hold the reins for the unit and are the supplier. I would much prefer to deal with the original Pogo Alert company who have always been excellent and helpful. I would certainly not advise dealing with Internet companies that sell the unit a bit cheaper as they can't offer the support you may need.