Code 3 hints at something big: It's a Jack Daniel's app for your iPhone
- Thread starter nerdly_dood
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Jamey@NNE said:
correct me if im wrong, but from looking at the instructions it seams that you have to wire in the inputs that you want, so in theory its just a switch box with a wireless controller
you could use it like that but the intent is to tie it into the outputs you want to activate on the other siren control.
Carlos SpicyWeiner
Lifetime VIP Donor
brooks said:
Yes... it is essentially that.
That's why the 4200 can be used with any siren as well, which is what I'll be doing with it because I've grown fond of my nErgy.
Sidenote: at least they know not to demo the vlink with their own lightbars on the cars :dielaugh:
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HILO
Member
I just do not see this as a big deal. Most agencies with dash cams are on DVR, and always rolling anyhow. We all know the public has no clue what an arrow stick means. Why would you need to hit the air horn or siren if you are out side of the car? And are we supposed to walk around with the phone in our hand and the app up ready to tap the screen? Sorry, if I am on a traffic scene, I need my hands free to set flares, direct traffic, fill out wrecker sheets, or just scratch my rump while four out of five lanes are closed. As far as shutting lights off for HGN tests, the practice I've always seen has been to shut the front lights off after the suspect vehicle is stopped, turn on the take downs, and make sure the camera and mic are on. Outside of that, say patrol curbs a violator, and decides to HGN test, the LEO has returend to his squad to run the DL, and the suspect is still inside his vehicle. The front lights go off and then the testing starts. I just do not see it as a big seller, or really any kind of increase to Officer safety.
Try again Code 3.
Try again Code 3.
FEVER said:
I'm just curious: I just viewed the reveal vid on YouTube, and noted the slide displaying lightbars from multiple manufacturers. Recognized all the bars but one. Who makes the one shown at the top right of the slide, above the Legend? It resembles the Axixtech Legion, but it appears to have different lightheads.
bluestinger90
Member
How hard is it, really, to pull a phone out of your pocket, tap the icon to load the app, tap another icon to do whatever you need, and put the phone away?HILO said:
Some cops don't turn off their forward warning during a traffic stop - now they don't have to walk back to the car and take their eyes and full attention off the suspect to turn the lights off.
And as for the remote noisemaker thing, IMO that's just too cool to need an excuse.
Obviously you don't have an iPhone. That is the LAST piece of tech I'd choose to control my L&S. By the time it's loaded the app and communicated I could have walked to the truck, hit the switch, grabbed the Jack Daniels, walked back, and had three fingers worth.nerdly_dood said:
nerdly_dood said:
If the concern is that it's too dangerous to return to my car for a moment, I'm certainly not going to pull out and manipulate an electronic device.
And all of the features this can do remotely are things that either:
1) I have forethought to do before I leave the car (front cut-off, arrow stick, cruise/marker lights, etc)
or
2) Have to return to the car for anyway (gun lock, open trunk, unlock doors... and thats why I carry a duplicate key on my belt).
The only thing I can see of any benefit is a remote locking if things go south, but best case I'll have key fob (for a newer car) or the reason why I decided my car needs to now be locked will be too demanding of my attention to warrant pulling my phone out and futzing with a touch screen interface. And either way, I presume it will be decided cost prohibitive relative to these few benefits.
IMNSHO this is a solution to a problem that doesn't exist.
SafetyLighting
Member
Zack said:
Couple comments here Zack. First, it's great that you are a forward thinker but as I'm sure you have experienced, some cops aren't, lol. Also, I'm in the process of upfitting ten Ford Expl.....Sorry, Interceptor Utilitys, none of which came with a keyless entry fob and is a complaint from the officers.
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Strobesnmore
Member
Quite honestly using a phone or ipad to program a siren is a nice idea however the points they make in the video in my opinion are way off. I think and officer stumbling with a cell phone and adjusting lights after he's already pulled over to "help" a motorist is incorrect. The car should be parked properly with warning lights activated before he even exits. Most states have laws against the use of cell phones because of the distractions and accidents they cause and now was are asking our emergency first responders to rely on them to do what a switchbox has done for 30 years without any issues. So while the person is stumbling with their lights is he/she going to inadvertently going to step out into oncoming traffic while he's approaching a stopped vehicle?
My opinion is there are many other safety features many of the manufacturers could be working on rather than making things more complicated and I am not just talking about Code 3. Yes there are lots of "cool" ideas and things out there but are they practical? Just my 2 cents.
My opinion is there are many other safety features many of the manufacturers could be working on rather than making things more complicated and I am not just talking about Code 3. Yes there are lots of "cool" ideas and things out there but are they practical? Just my 2 cents.
arsenal10
Member
I just wish they had spent time and resources innovating/improving something lighting related. I feel like traffic arrows and takedowns are something that should be taken care of before officer leaves car. Why would an air horn or siren be needed? To attract attention to the empty patrol car? Hmm...
OK, so I was a bit off in my initial reaction. If it's still got normal controls inside the vehicle then maybe it's not so bad. I see potential for this product for demo cars so a dealer can show off different features without running back to the driver's seat every time. The other applicaiton I see for this is not emergency related at all... show cars. Tie this into the controls for your "dope hydraulics" and the underglow or other accent lighting (see oznium.com for what I'm talking about) and be able to show off your car at a show without the need to be inside it.
Now if this thing had a way for me to start my car in the morning, adjust heat/AC, stereo, and other things all from my phone, I might be interested because of it's lower price compared to other systems for the same/similar features but I feel like while this could be accomplished it would be overly complicated.
As far a locking yourself out of the patrol car/ambulance... do as others have suggested and get a spare key cut. I just dug up an old keyring from when I lived in NJ and I realized I still had my "personal" (I paid for them out of my pocket) copies of my ambulance key and the key to the supervisor's car. Can't tell you how often those came in handy, especially because I knew I could INTENTIONALLY lock the vehicle while running and still have access.
Now if this thing had a way for me to start my car in the morning, adjust heat/AC, stereo, and other things all from my phone, I might be interested because of it's lower price compared to other systems for the same/similar features but I feel like while this could be accomplished it would be overly complicated.
As far a locking yourself out of the patrol car/ambulance... do as others have suggested and get a spare key cut. I just dug up an old keyring from when I lived in NJ and I realized I still had my "personal" (I paid for them out of my pocket) copies of my ambulance key and the key to the supervisor's car. Can't tell you how often those came in handy, especially because I knew I could INTENTIONALLY lock the vehicle while running and still have access.
SafetyLighting
Member
There are a couple Code3 haters piping about how they hate the product, which certainly isn't surprising. Basically, IMHO, it is a low cost option that may be helpful depending on a given situation. If you don't like it, you don't have to use it. It is not meant to replace a standard controller or standard practices, it is meant to be a means to access controls if necessary. Like any other product, if you're skeptical, try it and then give an honest opinion. For the price, I don't think it's a bad backup plan. I'll be stocking some if anyone wants one.
Carlos SpicyWeiner
Lifetime VIP Donor
SafetyLighting
Member
Carlos SpicyWeiner
Lifetime VIP Donor
SafetyLighting said:
No that request has been ignored by most code 3 dealers that have posted here they jsut bragged about the price point without giving a price and EMT Anderson hasn't logged in yet so we have been left in the dark.
badge22
Member
#1 Neat idea, which has been around in the car audio and alarm business since WiFi was invented.
#2 So, how exactly do I have this activate wail on a Federal PA300, Piercer on a Whelen 295SLSA6, Yelp on a V-Con? Your siren will need to be able to control tones via specific inputs in order for this to work "universally". I know you can activate position 3 and then activate the horn ring input and hope for the best...unless your vehicle is equipped with park kill. You would need a siren like the Able 2 Undercovers, Carson Defenders / Volunteers, Feniex Haleo to have control over the tones. Correct me if I'm wrong.
#2 So, how exactly do I have this activate wail on a Federal PA300, Piercer on a Whelen 295SLSA6, Yelp on a V-Con? Your siren will need to be able to control tones via specific inputs in order for this to work "universally". I know you can activate position 3 and then activate the horn ring input and hope for the best...unless your vehicle is equipped with park kill. You would need a siren like the Able 2 Undercovers, Carson Defenders / Volunteers, Feniex Haleo to have control over the tones. Correct me if I'm wrong.
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SafetyLighting
Member
SafetyLighting said:
If an officer is too preoccupied/distracted/stupid to remember to do these things before he or she leaves the vehicle, I'm not going to pay $250 plus up-fitting for them to be too preoccupied/distracted/stupid to remember to do these things after he or she leaves the vehicle.
Carlos SpicyWeiner
Lifetime VIP Donor
Some people must have not real experience in the law enforcement field.
Situations change quickly. I've had to bail out on traffic stops, robberies, burglaries, etc. quicker than I would have liked and have been forced to not activate all of the equipment I would have liked. You cannot pan for everything before getting out of the car. You are trained to do what you think you will need. If a situation escalates or de-escalates, it could be a tool that prevents you from getting back in the car. Also, If you are doing FST's, you have to turn off lights on the front of the patrol vehicle after already having them activated for purposes of initiating the stop.
Do I think this is a replacement for a physical control head? NO. Could it be a nice supplement for that control head? Yes. Think about controls being mounted to the windshield so you never have to take your eyes down below the windshield to control functions. Think about the next advancement in this technology with voice commands and voice to text on our cell phones already on the market.
As with ANY law enforcement tool, the product itself is usually not a problem. It is the training and inappropriate use of the equipment (tasers for instance). Any tool that can give an officer options is good in my book.
I've used my patrol car to remotely give PA announcements as I was far away and be hind true cover. The patrol car with my lights activated and me speaking remotely through the PA gives the suspect an impression that I was indeed in the car. I've been able to call many suspects that were held up inside a residence to come to my patrol car as an arrest team approached from a completely different angle. I've also used the lights to blind some enough to out from behind the car, circle the suspects building and send my canine from the back for an apprehension. Smoke in mirrors can be our best friend in these types of instances. This would give us the expanded option to create decoys in these situations.
As with many tools we use today, there are positives and negatives. To say this type of tech is completely pointless shows lack in progressive and forward thinking.
Situations change quickly. I've had to bail out on traffic stops, robberies, burglaries, etc. quicker than I would have liked and have been forced to not activate all of the equipment I would have liked. You cannot pan for everything before getting out of the car. You are trained to do what you think you will need. If a situation escalates or de-escalates, it could be a tool that prevents you from getting back in the car. Also, If you are doing FST's, you have to turn off lights on the front of the patrol vehicle after already having them activated for purposes of initiating the stop.
Do I think this is a replacement for a physical control head? NO. Could it be a nice supplement for that control head? Yes. Think about controls being mounted to the windshield so you never have to take your eyes down below the windshield to control functions. Think about the next advancement in this technology with voice commands and voice to text on our cell phones already on the market.
As with ANY law enforcement tool, the product itself is usually not a problem. It is the training and inappropriate use of the equipment (tasers for instance). Any tool that can give an officer options is good in my book.
I've used my patrol car to remotely give PA announcements as I was far away and be hind true cover. The patrol car with my lights activated and me speaking remotely through the PA gives the suspect an impression that I was indeed in the car. I've been able to call many suspects that were held up inside a residence to come to my patrol car as an arrest team approached from a completely different angle. I've also used the lights to blind some enough to out from behind the car, circle the suspects building and send my canine from the back for an apprehension. Smoke in mirrors can be our best friend in these types of instances. This would give us the expanded option to create decoys in these situations.
As with many tools we use today, there are positives and negatives. To say this type of tech is completely pointless shows lack in progressive and forward thinking.
FEVER said:
I agree with most of what you've posted here Nic. I believe the highlighted statement applies in ALL public safety fields.
I do have one major concern. If I could remotely use my PA I think I would have WAY too much fun messing with people at the station.
As far as voice control, until computers are as good at recognizing the human voice patterns (especially under stress) as the computers aboard Starfleet vessels I'll stick with my tactile controls.
SafetyLighting
Member
Zack said:If an officer is too preoccupied/distracted/stupid to remember to do these things before he or she leaves the vehicle, I'm not going to pay $250 plus up-fitting for them to be too preoccupied/distracted/stupid to remember to do these things after he or she leaves the vehicle.
I'm going to refrain from commenting on the competence of some PO's, lol.
SafetyLighting
Member
calebsheltonmed23
Member
FEVER said:
Agreed. I don't believe this will be a tool used on every stop or call, but much like a tazer, when you need it, you need it. And $250 sounds like a great price to me. It is one of the only things offered by C3 that is below the price that I think is appropriate. Honestly, I think a lot of y'all have made the decision that no matter what C3 comes out with, it will not be "innovative", and that other companies have made something like this. My key fob can make my siren go off (if I have horn ring on), but to be able to control your lightbar, siren, and other things from your phone is pure awesomeness in my book. And for $250?? Car alarm systems (some) cost more than that. And if it's not a good PSE tool, then why will Whelen be coming out with something similar soon? PSE is a "copy-cat" type business, and while I haven't been impressed with a lot of Code 3's stuff (excluding the defender optics), I am impressed with this. I would use this on my POV just for shits and giggles if I had the money.
Since everyone seems to be bashing on C3 here, I'd just like to point out that I still love the MX7000... :thumbsup:
It was $169 on the code 3 website until yesterday.
I kind of like it, I had thought about mounting a tablet in my POV, I could use this on the tablet for my controls instead of having an actual device mounted to my dash... Then I would also have access to it through my phone while outside of my car...
I kind of like it, I had thought about mounting a tablet in my POV, I could use this on the tablet for my controls instead of having an actual device mounted to my dash... Then I would also have access to it through my phone while outside of my car...
mjMIff said:
Clever idea.
The Code3 system is based off of WiFi though, right?
So I wouldn't be able to say, use an iPad in the cruiser for both MDT purposes (through the vehicle WiFi hotspot) *and* connect to the Code3 interface? (Since you can only connect to one wifi network at a time.)
You are correct since it uses wifi unless your hotspot can use Bluetooth (I don't even know if that is possible) you would be out of luck.
If you get an iPad with the wireless service built in when you add a wifi connection you can tell your iPad to still use the cellular since the wifi won't have internet connection. Would have to google it to remember how....
However, I think this would be fine in my POV I don't think I would do this in an official vehicle...
If you get an iPad with the wireless service built in when you add a wifi connection you can tell your iPad to still use the cellular since the wifi won't have internet connection. Would have to google it to remember how....
However, I think this would be fine in my POV I don't think I would do this in an official vehicle...
emtanderson51
Member
I have been so buried with -end-of-fiscal-year- sales that I have not had time to even look at this product yet. I will get some info when I see my rep.
SafetyLighting
Member
Zack said:
Do you take the MDT out of the cruiser regularly or is it semi-permanently locked in?
mjMIff said:
I'm not sure you can do that with an ipad... Point the browser to use the cellular antenna and ignore a connected wifi network.
I wonder if the Code3 system could piggy-back on the existing wifi hotspot... Two hurdles I anticipate, 1) depends how the iphone communicates with the system, but that would be solved if it's just a static IP address or something and 2) how the wifi is integrated into the Code3 product, if it's integral or whether it's just a LAN type connection and becomes a networked device.
SafetyLighting said:
It normally lives in the cruiser... MDT functions are performed through a Web interface.
But it could be removed to take pictures and then email them to a mailbox and access them back at the station for report writing.
SafetyLighting
Member
Zack said:
Ok I figured it usually stayed in there but didn't want to assume. Soooooo why can't a LAN cable be run from the MDT to the modem/router?
Zack said:
Yes, you just have to trick it, I remembered reading about it where a guy put an airport in his car for music...
AirPlay on the Highway: Put AirPort Express in your Car for Wireless Audio Awesomeness | Evolver.fm
You just have to enter in a static IP and subnet mask (same subnet as the vLink) while leaving router (gateway I assume) and DNS blank. With out that information the iPhone/iPad will use the cellular connection for your internets but you could still open the vLink IP in the browser... I assume LOL
Edit: Can't state for fact when I don't know...
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SafetyLighting said:
Because the MDT is actually an iPad *functioning* as the MDT. There is a wireless hotspot in the cruiser, so any device (in this case an iPad) with Wifi and a browser can access the web-based cjis system.
(Also, you can pull the iPad out, and as long as you are still in wifi range you can run plates, warrants, surf the web for information, etc. You can even take pictures with it.
Awesome if you have a group of people, say at a party or outside a bar, and you want to quickly run them all for warrants while you have them lined up against the wall. Take the iPad over with you, run them and confirm their identity with the RMV photos... take their picture to attach to a report... etc. Don't have to gather their info then walk it back over to the cruiser to run it.)