Thermal Master NV300 Max car night-vision camera review

Thermal Master NV300 MAX: One minute review

The Thermal Master NV300 Max is one of a new generation of advanced road detection systems that utilises infrared thermal technology and AI to highlight dangers and obstacles on the road, even in the dark and when weather conditions make it otherwise hard to see.

The system is made up of three separate parts; the camera, which sits on the exterior of the vehicle, the screen, which is linked to the camera by a cable and sits on your dash and the OBD II dongle that plugs into your car's OBD II port. This port is often hidden away under the dash and once plugged in wirelessly links with the rest of the system.

The main unit, which sits on the exterior of the vehicle, features two cameras, one standard and the other IR, and this attaches via a large magnet onto the roof of your car. This unit is relatively large, and there's no way that you can miss it once it's attached; on some vans, such as the Ford Transit Custom, with the unit on the roof it's over 2m in height which could be an issue, especially for height restricted barriers. However, with the magnet attachment system it is quick and easy to remove, as long as you remember.

The other two parts are the OBD II plug, that simply plugs directly into the car, and the screen that magnetically attaches to a fold-up stand, which is stuck permanently with a sticky pad to your dash. 

The overall fitting process takes some DIY skill, and how you do it really depends on where your skill level is and your car; essentially, once the camera is in place, the cable can then be fed around the Window Screen and secured. Then, the cable is routed through the engine bay to the interior of the car and into the LCD screen, which is then plugged into the 12V socket for power. The OBD II is then plugged in, and the App downloaded to your phone - that setup process involves a few adjustments to your phone name, which is a bit off, but once done, everything can be switched on and you're ready to go. 

In use, the system works well with the dual camera design, giving you a clear view of the road using the standard camera in the day and the IR as soon as dusk falls. On the screen, boxes highlight in red, amber and green the level of the threats, and audio alerts accompany these. All settings and options are controlled through the connected App with a cut down settings menu that can be accessed through the screen. 

As an alert system the Thermal Master NV300 Max works incredibly well - it's easy enough to fit although that additional bulk might be an issue for some. Once it is up and running, it is incredibly fast at spotting potential dangers, and the audio alert "hazard" is superb. As a passenger checking out, the screen as it highlights objects and dangers in thermal mode the vivid colours are impressive alongside those audio alerts. If you want the support of a night vision and alert system, then the NV300 Max is a great choice.

Thermal Master NV300 Max: Price and availability

The Thermal Master NV300 Max is currently on Kickstarter, which you can check out by clicking here.

• Value: 4.5 / 5

Thermal Master NV300 Max: Specs

Thermal Master NV300 Max: Design

This night vision system has been designed to attach to the exterior of your vehicle quickly, and while the camera section and the screen are connected by a cable, they can both be disconnected quickly. The connecting cable is essentially fed through the engine bay to the vehicle's inner cabin during the initial setup, but after that, it can be left in place. When it comes to the installation, set aside at least an hour, after which the link cable can be left in place while the camera can be quickly removed. 

The overall quality of each part is solid, with both the camera unit and screen being made from metal and having a high-quality feel. The main camera unit that attaches to the vehicles roof measures approximately 153 x 148 x 63mm weighs 630g, and is weatherproofed. This unit has two forms of attachment, either the large magnet that is built in or the large sticky pad, one obviously being more permanent than the other. 

The screen is relatively large as well at 167 x 80 x 10mm with a weight of 180g and a resolution of 512×384. This is worth noting as the screen fits to a magnetic stand which can be stuck to your dash, then rather than leaving it in place when you leave the car, it can be quickly removed so it doesn't attract unwanted attention. Its connection to the rest of the system is via a standard USB cable so it is nice and easy.

The last hardware part of the system is the OBD II dongle, which plugs directly into the vehicle - if you are unfamiliar with car maintenance, refer to your car's manual, and its position will be highlighted there.

Other than the hardware, you also have the iOS or Android App, which can be quickly downloaded and installed. This is used for the setup but can also used to monitor the feed from the cameras.

• Design: 4 / 5

Thermal Master NV300 Max: Features

As an AI-driven automotive camera, the Thermal Master NV300 Max has quite a list of features that stretch well beyond just being a standard night vision system. 

On the front, the main focus of the product is obviously the cameras, both standard and thermal, which enable the unit to work in both day and night conditions. Both cameras also feature a recording function, so all visuals are stored on a MicroSD card that can be inserted into the screen. This means that before you even get started on the object detection, you essentially have a dashboard cam. 

The system consists of three parts: the camera, which mounts on the exterior of the vehicle; the screen, which sits on the dash and connects to the camera via a cable; and finally, the OBD dongle that plugs into a port in the car and connects wirelessly. In addition to the hardware, there's also the App that enables you to access and adjust settings, playback footage and receive a live feed from the camera. 

Thermal imaging and AI object detection are the main features of the unit, and all options and settings for these can be adjusted through the Thermal Master App, which is available for both Android and iOS mobile devices. Once everything is connected, you can then adjust the settings, including the AI detection distance and IR colour overlays and alerts.

The IR camera, when selected manually or using the systems auto mode will at night, during fog, smog or under the glare of bright headlight, will pick up what's ahead, so while it might be too dark to see using traditional methods, the specialist IR, camera will see all. As standard, the display for this is just black and white; however, with pseudo colours selectable, you can quickly change the display to something far more visually appealing. 

With the display set, the AI can then start to work, and any objects that could pose a potential threat are highlighted with a boundary box and highlighted in red, amber, and green, depending on their threat level; it's very clever. 

Alongside the visual alerts are audio alerts, which are again handy and, in fact, far more useful when driving than the visual as you can keep your eyes on the road. The AI camera will also alert you if you get too close to the vehicle in front, which is another nice safety feature. 

Alongside the safety features are a couple of nice additions, including voice control, which enables you to flick through the different displays, as well as a few other options by just using your voice. Then there's speed display that utilises accurate data from the OBD.

• Features: 5 / 5

Thermal Master NV300 Max: Performance

Before you get started with the Thermal Master NV300 Max, the system and all components need to be installed and fitted. The first step is to unscrew the protective camera cover and then plug in the first cable before screwing it back together; there are five screws in total, so nothing complex. Next on the base of the camera unit is a large magnet with a softer surface covering to protect the car; this holds firmly in position and, once in place, doesn't require any additional fixings. If you have a glass roof, then part of the base of the unit features a large 3M sticky pad, which will securely attach the unit, but using this does mean that it will be an almost permanent feature. 

After the cameras are positioned, the cable can be fed around the windscreen; there's usually a gap, and then hooked in under the bonnet and through the engine bay so that it can then be fed through to the interior cabin. With electric cars, this is a little more tricky, so it's best to refer to the car's manual to see if there is a way through. Once into the cabin, you can then link up the screen and plug in the 12V plug, tidy the cables, and you're essentially done with this part of the installation. 

Next, you plug in the ODB II reader, which is usually found under the dash and can often be covered; the good thing about the design of the dongle is that once it is in place, you can close the ODB II cover, and it's then hidden from site. These ports are essentially a direct data connection to the car's computer and are used by garages mainly for diagnosing faults, but you can also use this port for re-tuning or, in this case, getting a direct live feed of some of the car's statistics, such as speed, RPM and acceleration. 

The final step is to download the Thermal Master App. We did this on the iPhone 15 Pro. One quirk for the use of the App is that you need to change the name of the phone to "nv' in order to create a hotspot with the correct name and password, which is hard set in the Thermal Master NV300 MAX and at present can't be updated.

Once that's done, you can switch it on, and it's ready to go. Realistically, once the unit is setup, you only need the App to adjust settings, firmware updates, or view the footage you've captured, so you can change your phone name back to what it was before. If you do need to access settings for the system, then most can accessed by quickly by touching the bottom right-hand corner of the screen.

One of the settings that you'll want to update from the outset is the "Infrared pseudo-color", and there's a good selection of colour options to choose from; as standard, the IR or Thermal display is obviously just in black and white. 

As you start to drive, the usefulness of the system quickly becomes apparent, with the small screen alerting you to the audio "Hazzard" every time it detects a car, van, person, or animal. On the screen, you can see the hot spots, and across the top, small icons pop up showing what type of object has been detected; it's all very quick and clever. Another feature of the detection system is that the objects are surrounded by a boundary box, with green showing that they're at a safe distance, amber showing they're getting closer and red being that they could be an imminent threat. The detection system works well, and while you can't really make the most of viewing the screen while driving, the audio alerts are really handy - the visuals, on the other hand, will keep your passenger entertained. 

Alongside the thermal imaging, the OBD II reader is also working to transmit Speed, RPM and acceleration information to the display. Essentially, this is much the same as your vehicle's speed dials, just a little more involved with plenty of additional data - at present, this data isn't recorded down, but if it is in future, then this could be handy alongside the dashboard cam footage if you are involved in a crash.

The other handy feature is voice control; this enables you to switch display types, but is most handy for increasing or decreasing the volume or brightness of the screen, with all commands activated with "Hey Max". 

Overall, the performance of the NV300 Max is exceptional, alerting you to potential hazards at night and when the conditions mean that visibility is poor. The audio alerts are key, and the visuals are handy. One of the early reservations about the system was the bulk of the unit on the exterior of the vehicle, but actually, as it's secured with the large magnet, removing and replacing the unit only takes a few moments, and the cables can be routed in and left in place, so its really not an issue. You can install it when you need it and remove it when you don't.

• Performance: 4.5 / 5

Thermal Master NV300 Max: Final verdict

As an automated night detection system, there's no doubt that the NV300 Max works exceptionally well. Early doubts about the size and bulk on the exterior of the vehicle were quickly dismissed, and even on the van where the height of the vehicle with the addition of the unit would be an issue for barriers, the unit was quick to remove so aside from some slight inconvenience this was a non issue. The only slight stumbling block for some people will be if they have glass or plastic roof sections where the unit would need to be stuck in place, at which point this becomes a more permanent fixture. The App connection to mobile is also a bit of an odd one, requiring you to change the name of the phone in order to make that connection; still, once done, you can always switch back, so again, it's just a small inconvenience rather than a huge issue. 

Otherwise, the NV300 Max is fast to fit and remove when needed and works flawlessly in daylight as well as at night and in adverse conditions, highlighting potential dangers. Then there are those additional features that really make this stand out - the fact that it can be used as a dash cam with a MicroSD recording the footage in case you need to review it. Then there's the OBD II data, which is really interesting and could be helpful if you do have a crash or even if you're caught speeding and want to check. 

All these features make it a comprehensive safety feature that you can add to your vehicle and is suitable for anyone who hates driving at night, fears hitting something that they cannot see and will be reassured by the presence of a reliable alert system.

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