FAQs
FAQ & Troubleshooting
Drive Smarter 2.0 FAQ
Drive Smarter App Specific
Please visit our Devices Supported page to review whether your device is compatible with Drive Smarter. This site contains information on current and future compatibility of the Drive Smarter app with Cobra and Escort models.
No, the Drive Smarter app is free to download and use. All users who use Drive Smarter in conjunction with compatible Cobra devices, such as the SC-series Dash Cams, are entitled to free service at the Standard level – video recordings created via the Dash Cams and uploaded directly by the Dash Cams or the Drive Smarter app are stored up to 7 days from creation. The storage limit per user is 5 GB. Stay tuned for Premium services and features in the upcoming months.
‘- First verify that you have a compatible Device. – Ensure that the Device is turned ON and within 6 feet of your smartphone. – *Only for Android users* If you have Drive Smarter running on an Android phone, please go to the Bluetooth Settings screen on your smartphone and check if the Dash Cam you are trying to connect to may have previously established a Bluetooth connection with the camera; i.e. it shows as “paired” to your smartphone. If this is the case, please go into your phones OS Bluetooth menu and ‘Unpair’ your camera from your phone.
Simply enable the G-Sensor and Mayday setting on your camera, andenter your Emergency Contact info into Drive Smarter. From there, Drive Smarter and the Dash camera will take care of the rest. If the camera detects that you have been in a serious collision, it will automatically lock the latest recording and notify your emergency contact.
(iOS)
Use the Photos App to view downloaded videos. If it’s a recent video, start with the Recents folder. Video and Photos can be located under the ./internal storage/DCIM folder.
(Android)
Your phone should have a default “Gallery” application. Open the Application. Within Gallery, videos can be located in an Album titled “Drive_Smarter”. The location of the folder is ./internal storage/DriveSmarter/Drive_Smarter. Within Gallery, Drive Smarter Photos can be located under Images. The location of the folder is ./internal storage/DriveSmarter/Images.
Drive Smarter App + Cobra/ESCORT
The Drive Smarter mobile app makes it extremely easy to connect your compatible device to your Drive Smarter account. Once you have created an account, you will see a series of steps:
- Create or log in to your Drive Smarter account.
- Create a new vehicle or click on an existing vehicle in your Drive Smarter app to start the process.
- Power on your device and follow the steps in the app to discover your device.
- Select the device you want to add, and follow the steps in the app to add it to your account. If you can’t discover your device, check the following items:
- Ensure your device is powered on
- Ensure your phone’s Bluetooth is on and Drive Smarter Bluetooth permissions are enabled in your phone’s settings
- Ensure your phone is not already connected to the device’s Bluetooth in your phone’s settings
- Your device may need a firmware update. If one is available, your device will automatically update. Wait for this to finish before completing device setup.
- Done!
Your Drive Smarter comes with the following free services:
- Mayday Emergency Notifications: Text and/or email a designated contact in case you are in a serious accident. collision or if you hit the red Mayday button on your application.
- You will also be able to ensure communication with your insurance provider is a snap. A convenient report is generated with relevant details about the collision or other emergency; so at your discretion, you can send it via email or text to your insurance carrier.
WiFi communication between the Smartphone (DriveSmarter) and device is automatically managed by the app; you will only need to confirm the connections that the app requests. You should not have to enter a Wifi password. Separately, when adding certain models to your Drive Smarter account under a Vehicle, you will have the option to indicate whether the device is expected to connect with a hotspot nearby (typically your car’s WiFi hotspot or a personal WiFi hotspot). If so, the Drive Smarter App will show you a list of available Hotspot SSIDs nearby. Select the hotspot you want your device to directly connect to in the future, adding password information if needed. This information is then stored in the device so it can directly connect to WiFi in the future without requiring the app to facilitate a connection.
Was this device previously connected to another Drive Smarter account, created by you or someone else? Any device can only be connected to one account at a time.
Log into the older account and delete the dash cam. If you don’t remember your password, use the “forgot password” feature in the app. Then you should be able to logout and login to the new account and add the Dash Cam.
- Check to make sure your device has power
- Was your device previously connected to Drive Smarter running on a different smartphone? If so, it cannot be scanned and added by another phone.
- On the other smartphone, go into Drive Smarter and delete the device from the setup (under a Vehicle).
- On the other smartphone, go to the Bluetooth Settings in the OS Settings menu, and unpair the device (if it is still paired)
- Retry the onboarding process from within Drive Smarter. i.e. Now try to “Add” the device again.
- If it still does not work, close the app and re-start; attempt again.
- Turn off the device and turn it back on. Then attempt to Add the device again.
- Please confirm you have Bluetooth turned on, on the smartphone.
- Confirm that the device is powered on, turned on completely, and is responsive to button presses.
- The app scans for devices periodically, so user can try waiting for a minute or so for initial connection. Typically, device is seen in 5-10 seconds but there may be differences based on the OS/ version / hardware.
- Try tapping on the tile showing the Device under the “Vehicle” to refresh its status.
- Android Users: Check that Drive Smarter’s location permissions have been set to “Allow All the Time”. Certain versions of Android prevent automatic Bluetooth connectivity when this setting is disabled or set to “While Using the App”. This can be changed by going to your phone’s permission (Settings > Apps > Drive Smarter > Permissions > Location > “Allow All the Time”)
Drive Smarter (Android Specific)
This issue can occur if the user has “Settings > Developer Options” Enabled AND one of more of the following settings turned OFF.
- Windows animation scale
- Transition Animation Scale and
- Animator Duration Scale
Set these values back to 1X or default values.
While Drive Smarter is available on Android and iOS, there are some important caveats.
DS supports iPhone 8 and newer.
DS supports Android 9.0 and newer.
Phone models need to support Dual band WiFi (2.4 GHz / 5 GHz) for full compatibility. For instance, some older Android phones may only support a single band (for example 2.4 GHz); these models may not be compatible.
Product Specific FAQ
Dash Camera Specific FAQ
- Power on your dash cam so you can see the camera’s view while mounting. We recommend centering your camera and mounting under the rear-view mirror.
- If your unit has a display, you can use the camera’s “Calibrate” feature found in the ADAS menu to line up your view. SC100 users can use the Drive Smarter app to get a live-view of what the camera is seeing to help with mounting.
Model:
SC100 – 128GB
SC201 – 256GB
SC200 – 256GB
- Please ensure your unit is properly connected. If you have turned the unit off, press and hold the power button to turn on again.
- If you are using Parking Mode and Motion Detection Mode with a hardwire kit, the unit might not “wake up” when you enter. Simply begin driving and when your unit detects this it will wake up and begin recording.
This is normal operation of the Infrared LED night-vision camera. Infrared recording allows the camera to accurately record your vehicle’s cabin in low-light conditions. You can turn Infrared recordings off in the settings menu.
Parking Mode and Motion Detection can be turned on in the camera’s settings. These two features will monitor your vehicle automatically when the unit is connected directly to the car’s vehicle via hardwire kit (part CA-MICROUSB-001 available at www.cobra.com) for SC100 and SC201. Hardwire kit for SC200 and SC200D is coming soon. Note: When the car is parked your unit will go into a low-power “standby”/sleeping state where it monitors for activity. The unit will automatically wake up when it detects significant motion or driving.
The GPS inside the device locks in with the satellite best when you are on the road. You may not be able to get a GPS lock while in your garage, parking structures, or if testing the camera in your home.
Via App
- Simply connect your camera to the Drive Smarter app and the app will check if there is an update available for your camera. From there you will be asked to update and can push update firmware to your camera straight from your app.
Manually
- View the current firmware version under the About menu item on the Dash Cam
- Stop loop recording
- Press the MENU button, cursor down to the ABOUT item
- Note the firmware version shown on the screen
- Connect the Dash Cam to your computer using the included USB to Micro-USB cable.
- The camera will be listed in Windows Explorer/Finder.
- Download the update file from www.drivesmarter.com and save it to your computer. It will end with “.bin” as the file extension. Note: You do not need to double click or open this file on the computer.
- Copy/paste or drag the update file you downloaded .bin file into the root directory of the Camera’s SD Card (by root directory we mean directly onto the SD card, do not place into a folder such as ‘Normal’ or ‘Events’)
- Wait for the file to transfer and then safely disconnect the Dash Cam from the computer. The Dash Cam will turn off.
- Plug the Micro USB cord into a reliable power source such as your home’s outlet or your vehicle’s CLA adapter. The Dash Cam will turn on and automatically boot into the Firmware Update Menu.
- Follow the directions on the camera display to update firmware if the unit has one. Units without displays will update automatically. You will see blinking LED’s when the FW update is installing
- You can check if your camera is up to date by checking the firmware in your camera’s ‘About’ setting submenu in the camera or via the app.
Troubleshooting
Drive Smarter App Troubleshooting
– Check to make sure Dash Cam is powered On
– Make sure BT is ON on your smartphone
– If you have an Android phone, check to make sure the camera is not already paired. You can do this by visiting your Bluetooth Settings screen on your Android device, and checking if your Dash Camera model shows up as “paired” device. If paired, please unpair it (tap wheel next to the listing, tap “unpair”. Now repeat the process of connecting your dash cam using the Drive Smarter app.
– Ensure you are in proximity of your dash cam. While the wireless technology used does extend to several feet, please make sure your phone and dash cam are within 6 feet of each other.
– If you use more than one smartphone, please ensure you do not have Drive Smarter running on your other phone(s), in case they may be connected with your dash cam.
– If the “Out of Range” state persists, quit the Drive Smarter application and re-start.
– Restart dash cam
– Tap on the camera icon (if it still showing “Out of Range”) on your home screen.
– If none of these steps work, delete the Camera via the Drive Smarter Home screen, and go ahead and “add camera” again.
– Logout and Login