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CarChip
Written by: Michael Mardings
Watch what your car is doing behind the scenes or when somebody else is driving it.
CarChip
It's a simple, small box. It's probably no bigger than an oblong matchbook. I never knew such a thing existed but, now that I see it exists, I wonder why there's not more. OK, with that vague introduction, what is it?
The CarChip is a little device that connects right to your car to collect driving data. Consider it your own personal black box. You can then take this box and connect it to your computer and look at the data.
Now, what can you do with it? Well, I kept the device in my car for almost a month and can tell when I was stressed while driving. I would have harder breaks and acceleration. I can tell when my fiancé' borrowed the car and hit 82 on the highway. I can tell when I was sitting in standstill traffic.
The good news is that the data reporting is every five seconds and is very elaborate. You can add in stuff such as coolant temperature, air intake and any other stuff, which should make a car buff quite happy. If you're a parent worried about your kids, this is a great way to see how they drive when you're not there. Plus, since the box is really inconspicuous, you won't even notice it's there - let alone will the driver you're spying on.
The bad news is that it connects via a serial port. Yes, a serial port. Since all of our computers are brand new here in the office, I had to get an adapter as most people use USB ports at this point. This is a feature that really should be improved. The other minus is that one out of every few hundred cars cannot handle the CarChip. My boss's Prius was one of those cars.
That's your good and bad news. It's a great idea for learning more about what your car is doing. If you're a spying parent or a car buff, who is really detailed on his car, this is perfect. It's one of those features that should have been built right into the car. The serial port issue is a bit annoying; however, it's no insurmountable. Overall, I would recommend it to anyone who wants more information on what his car is doing.
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