Today I’ll be reviewing the Road Angel Halo Ultra, a multi-awarding dashcam which features a 4K UHD camera. The Road Angel Halo Ultra packs in so many features, I’ll try to go through each of them in this review, but I should probably warn you, it’s likely to be a long review.
Let’s start with the Which award, the Road Angel Halo Ultra won the Which Best Buy Dash Cam award for 2022, quite an impressive achievement. So, when Road Angel contacted me asking for a review I was impressed with the features and accolades.
You get an in-built 64GB memory (no SD card needed), built-in 5GHZ Wi-Fi, the latest ADAS technology to monitor traffic conditions whilst driving, a dedicated Road Angel Halo smartphone app, a winter heating mode which ensures the windscreen remains clear from frost and ice, and much more.
To get the most from the Road Angel Halo Ultra you need to hardwire the dashcam into your vehicle, luckily Road Angel has a kit available, I’ll also be going into this too.
I remember Road Angel from way back in the early 2000’s, I had one of their speed camera detection devices. Road Angel utilised GPS technology, something very new at the time, this tech-minded ethos hasn’t left Road Angel, they’re still producing devices with the latest technology.
So, is the Road Angel Halo Ultra any good? Time to test it out!
Packaging and Contents.
The Road Angel Halo Ultra comes packaged in a black box which shows product images and specifications printed on it. The box measures 12.0cm x 14.0cm x 7.5cm. Inside the sleeved box your dashcam is positioned in internal packaging.
Inside the box you’ll find the following items: 1x Dashcam, 1x 3M Sticker, 1x Cradle, 1x USB Power Cable, 1x USB Power Adapter, 1x Trim Tool, 1x Quick Start User Guide.
I was sent more items from Road Angel. I’ll mention these as I progress through the review, the above is standard of ordering just the Road Angel Halo Ultra.
Road Angel Halo Ultra.
The Road Angel Halo Ultra measures just 5.0cm x 11.1cm x 3.5cm and weighs a mere 440G. You don’t get a screen on the dashcam like many other models available on the market. All recordings are stored within the 64GB internal memory, and you can view and download via the official Road Angel smartphone app (more on that later).
On the left side of the camera there’s a user button. A single press turns on voice recording, press again to turn it off, an audio prompt alerts you to the status. A long 6 second press resets the camera to factory reset.
I popped an arrow on the image above too, this is the LED status indicator.
- Normal Recording: Constant Blue Light.
- Parking Monitoring: Constant Red Light.
- Upgrading: Quick Flash Red Light.
- Collision or Photo: Quick Flash Purple Light.
- USB Data Transmission: Constant Green Light.
- Storage Error: Quick Flash Green Light.
At the other end of the dashcam you’ll see the USB-C port.
The 6 holes you see on the above image is the microphone, this picks up all the audio and swear words whilst you’re driving, unless you turn off audio recording.
Installation.
Before installing the cradle to your windscreen, you’ll need to give it a clean to ensure maximum adhesion from the 3M sticker. The Road Angel Halo Ultra is designed to be position in a discreet location, I opted to place behind the centre mirror.
The cradle can be adjusted to get the perfect angle, you need to ensure you’re 100% happy before placing the 3M sticker on your windscreen. Once it’s on, it stays on, replacement 3M stickers can be purchased on Amazon if you change vehicle at some point.
As you can see from the above image the Road Angel Halo Ultra is hidden behind the driver’s centre mirror from a driver’s perspective.
Whichever power source you chose, you’ll need to supply power to the Road Angel Halo Ultra dashcam, Road Angel supplies a trim tool to help push cables into the interior of your vehicle. My cable runs above the dashcam, along the edge of the roof lining, down the passenger door seals and tucked underneath the glove box area. All neat and tucked away. You get 3.5M of cable to do this type of installation too. More than enough for my Vauxhall Meriva.
Hardwire Kit.
To get the most from your Road Angel Halo Ultra hardwiring the dashcam into your vehicle is highly recommended. This ensures you can benefit from 24-hour parking protection and the Winter Heating function. Road Angel sent me their hardwiring kit.
Inside the box you’ll find the following: 1x Power Cable, 4x Fuse Lines, 1x Fuse Puller, 1x Selection of Small Cable Ties, 1x User Guide.
The Amazon listing for the hardwire kit for the Road Angel Halo Ultra is incorrectly displaying a Micro USB plug, you’ll need a USB-C wiring kit, I couldn’t find a correct Road Angel branded version on Amazon. I found a listing on the Road Angel website though.
Please ensure you select the option for Halo Ultra. The supplied user guide is written in a way that a novice installer won’t be able to understand the installation process. I tried to contact the live chat on the Road Angel website for assistance. After ten minutes I had no response and closed the chat window. Hopefully I can talk you through the installation process in an easy way.
Installation of Hardwire Kit.
The Road Angel Halo Ultra hardwire kit requires both a ground and power source. A ground is the negative, most cars have a negative grounded circuit. To check, locate your car’s battery, look at the negative connection, look at the cable (usually black) it should attach to your car’s bodywork or other metallic object. If it does, then this kit will work. You’ll need to locate a suitable ground to attach the supplied black cable from the kit. I located a threaded metal stud underneath the carpet to my Vauxhall Meriva, right underneath the glove box fuse box.
I removed some of the foam sound proofing to expose the stud further, then attached the ground cable and ensured a tight connection.
I also tested the earth between the crimp and a part of the external body work and confirmed continuity via my multimeter. Next up, the power source, the Road Angel Halo Ultra can use both a 12V and 24V DC power source. You’ll need to use a constant power source. Ideally you should have some fuses located within your dashboard area, I located mine just behind the glove box area.
Fuse Selection.
My car switches most stuff off when the keys have been removed from the ignition, so it’s mostly a switched connection. But, if you can turn on the radio with no keys in the ignition, then this is a constant power source you can use.
So, I used that fuse, simply remove the fuse, push in the fuse tap cable with you original fuse in the adapter.
Then simply push the crimp cable into the regulator. That’s it! The hardwire function monitors and conserves your vehicle battery, automatically turning off the power if it falls below 11.4V. So, there’s no risk of a flat battery. Using this installation method allows to use the automatic heating function (more on this below).
I found the terminology of the Road Angel user guide over complicated for such an easy installation.
App.
As the Road Angel Halo Ultra doesn’t feature a screen, you’ll need to download the official Road Angel Halo App. I’ll pop the download links below.
- For Android Users: Download via Google Play Store.
- For iPhone Users: Download via the App Store.
The app is free. Once downloaded you’ll need to pair with your Road Angel Halo Ultra to the app. This can be done by pressing the plus (+) icon in the top right hand corner. Follow the onscreen instructions, the default password for pairing is 1234567890.
Right, let me say it now, the app is quite a disappointing experience. It’s clunky, glitchy and user friendly it isn’t. It’s so slow, like slow enough to wonder if it’s working or not kind of slow. I’m using a Samsung Galaxy S20 FE using Android Version 13 and using Version v1.0.3.1202 (latest available at the time of this review) from the Google Play Store. So, it’s not my device or an older version of the app at fault.
Using the App.
The recorded content is hard to scroll through, you literally must scroll through numerous recordings to get a time you’d like to view. Anything serious such as hitting a pothole or anything that triggers the camera is located elsewhere within the app. Both a still image and video is saved.
To use the app, you need to connect your device via the in-built WiFi connection, this renders your device useless for anything else such as mobile data or the use of any other online apps, you need to forget the connection to return to normal mobile data use. So, ensure you don’t select the option to pair automatically to the dashcam. You’ll lose all your mobile data internet connection. Only connect manually as and when you need too, and then forget the network straight afterwards.
Using the Dashcam.
Right, this is the good part. The Road Angel Halo Ultra is an incredible piece of equipment. The recorded content (when you can get to it) is of the highest quality. Crystal clear. As it’s discreet you quickly forget it’s even on, but it’s on and recording everything. The 4K UHD camera capture everything, every detail, every number plate, even on bumpy back roads.
As you’re driving about the advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS) alerts you to numerous situations. These include location of pedestrians, vehicle proximity, lane departure violations and other potential hazards. But my god it’s annoying as. It’s like on edge and screaming WATCH OUT! PEDESTRIAN for what? some dude walking on the path next to my car, like chill Road Angel.
Try driving and swerve between parked cars, Road Angel goes berserk warning me I’m too close to a car and then tells me off for driving over the white lines to get passed. I’m sure it’s a great feature on a motorway or something, but not on town roads, my god it’s like a back seat driver telling me how to drive. I turned that off via the app, go the settings and you can silence this feature.
Other Features.
Having your Road Angel Halo Ultra hardwired means you can take advantage of the winter heating mode. This is a brilliant feature. This week in the UK we had a cold snap and was perfect for testing this feature. Basically, your dashcam emits a warm blast of air to keep the camera lens area defrosted, this ensures you can still record whilst parked up.
As you can see from the above image, the screen near to the camera has been defrosted enough to record clearly still.
The Road Angel Halo Ultra features a 64GB loop recording feature, this means your dashcam will loop and record over any unsaved footage that you don’t require. The Road Angel Halo Ultra has been designed to set up and forget about, until you need to access footage, it’s not ideal for everyday footage viewing, downloading of any footage saves on your smartphone, there’s an option to share the footage too.
Technical Specifications.
- Brand: Road Angel
- Model: Halo Ultra Dashcam
- Manufacturer Code: HALO-ULTRA
- Manufacturer Reference: N/A
- EAN: 5060801410243
- ASIN: B0BK91HSSC
- Recording Resolution: 4K 2160p
- Viewing Angle: 140°
- Memory: 64GB Built-In
- Connectivity: USB Type C
- Image Sensor: Sony IMX415
- Battery Protection: Variable Voltage Battery Cut-Off
- Power Input: 5V USB C
- Processor: HiSilicon 3559
- Compliance: CE, FCC, RoHS
Conclusion.
I’m very impressed with the Road Angel Halo Ultra. The quality recording, the compact design and the winter heating mode are all brilliant. But the supporting app needs some updates, it’s a let-down with comparison to the awesome quality of the dashcam itself. I’m sure Road Angel will investigate this, especially how technology focused they are as a company. The idea of the app is great in principle, but it needs to be more user-friendly, but as I’ve said above, you set up the dashcam and basically forget about it.
I would still highly recommend the Road Angel Halo Ultra though, you can’t fault the quality and when you need it, the captured video will ensure you have proof of any incident that may occur.
If you’d like to purchase this item, please check out the purchasing options below. The RRP for this product is £199.99.
Road Angel Direct Best Option | Amazon | eBay |
Product sample provided by Road Angel in exchange for a detailed, unbiased review.
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