Settings and Instructions

Ok, you’ve got Drive Aware now. Great! But how do you use it? Here’s how…

Drive Aware average speed

Switching of and off

Press and hold the power button for 3 seconds to switch on.

Just switch on and after a few moments, you’ll see your current speed and a few moments later (if you are connected and near a main road) the speed limit.

Press and hold the power button to switch off.

If you keep Drive Aware connected to your car’s USB socket, you’ll never run out of charge.

Drive Aware

You’ll hear alerts from the expertly verified Trinity™ 3.0 database as you drive, plus alerts for any approaching road hazards that have been recently reported.

If you are above the speed limit, your current speed will be shown in amber. During a camera alert, this will be red.

Drive Aware of hazards
Drive Aware display landscape

Volume and brightness

Use the volume + and – buttons to adjust the volume.

To adjust brightness, swipe down twice from the top and you’ll see the Brightness bar (shown set to maximum). Adjust to your preference.

Or if you want the screen off, just click the Power button. You’ll still hear audio alerts.

Only touch the screen when it is safe to do so – not when driving.

Getting connected

Drive Aware SIM

If you have an active Drive Aware SIM plan, you are already connected and ready to Drive Aware!

You can manage your SIM plan within My account > Subscriptions.

Connecting to WiFi

If you don’t want to use a dedicated SIM, Drive Aware will automatically update when it is connected to home or in-car WiFi.

  • Swipe down from the top of the screen twice
  • Tap the Cog to enter device settings
  • Tap Network & Internet
  • Tap WiFi
  • Select your WiFi

Lastly, open Drive Aware settings and scroll to “Manage offline areas”, then “Add large offline area”. This downloads around 500 miles worth of alerts around your current location.

When connected by SIM or WiFi, Drive Aware automatically updates with the latest Trinity database every 10 minutes. (It checks and updates community alerts every 10 seconds.)

Setting up your own SIM

If you prefer to use your own SIM instead of the multi network Drive Aware SIM, swap over the SIM card and check the APN settings in Drive Aware match your SIM card provider’s.

 

  • Unscrew the back cover, slide the cage to open, replace SIM, slide back cage and replace cover
  • Swipe down from the top of the screen twice
  • Tap the Cog to enter device settings
  • Tap Network & Internet
  • Tap Mobile network
  • Tap Advanced
  • Tap Access point names
  • Check the APN (small text under each entry) is correct
  • Adjust each entry if required (Tap each entry, tap APN, edit as required, tap the 3 dots at the top right, then Save)

 

Settings

When you are safely parked, you can tap the cog to access all the Drive Aware settings.

Most are self explanatory with descriptions, but here’s a quick guide to more involved settings:

View and manage tags – use the GeoTag web interface to view any hazards you shared and update them with a detailed description. You’ll also see any feedback you’ve given. Open on your PC or tablet for a larger view.  

Shorten voice alert – this removes the introductory voice description of the coming alert.

Manage alerts – choose which types of alert you’d like to hear.

Manage offline areas – store small (local) or large (500 mile) areas in the memory in advance, if you know you won’t have any internet connection as you drive.

Manage journeys – if you know your route in advance, you can use our web interface to save alerts for your whole journey. This is especially useful for longer, more remote trips. Access this via “View and manage tags”, then “Plan a journey”. Sync it to Drive Aware and it will download alerts along your chosen route.

 

Viewing and editing tags

You tagged a nasty pot hole – well done! Everyone approaching that will hear a “Road hazard” alert for a few days before it expires. But you can define what that hazard was and extend its lifespan. Just make sure you are stopped and it’s safe to do so.

In Settings, click “View and Manage Tags” to edit.

Open on Drive Aware or type the code into your tablet or computer for a bigger view.

Choose which tag to edit and then choose the best description from the drop down list.

You can see all the feedback you’ve given and you can add any new tags directly on the map by clicking Tag actions then Add a new Tag 

We examine every tag and will add any extra descriptions that we feel are necessary.

Other functions

Emergency camera – open the camera app and take any snaps you need. Very useful if you don’t have your own smartphone to hand. 

Choosing your own SIM

If you choose to use your own SIM, you’ll need to adjust the APN settings. Please ask for the APN settings from your SIM provider. Contact us for further instructions if required.

Other apps

Drive Aware uses the Android operating system. You can optionally add or create a Google Play account to allow you to use other apps.