Origin b2 Review

Overall Rating

Does everything it says in the adverts

Broken lead in the power supply required for downloading software updates.

The neatest option I found was the Origin b2 and it was given very good reports by those who properly tested it. In one weekend I was flashed by two different speed cameras. The first of the intended prosecution notices duely arrived for doing 36 in a 30 limit. I am expecting the other notice this week (another 36 mph ticket I believe). Another bad weekend like this and I can say goodbye to my license. I decided to get some protection and studied the available kit on the market to detect cameras.
The Origin b2 requires quite a bit of installation wiring to deal with particularly if you want a permanent but descrete installation as I did, so I had a professional installation rather than doing it myself. To be honest there wasn't anything I couldn't have dealt with but initial setting up was tricky and I was glad that somebody else was dealing with it.

If you have a car with a reflective front windscreen or a Ford (I have a Mondeo) with a heated front screen than you will need to locate the GPS antenna on the rear parcel shelf. This is no problem since the lead supplied is long enough. Other than that the installation went reasonably smoothly but even a professional installer took about 2 to 3 hrs. Just a note, after installation check that you have positioned the GPS antenna in a good place and that the satellite signals are being received, before you make the installation permanent, you might want to move the antenna round a little to ensure good satellite lock.

After installation I tried to download the latest camera location info from the Origin website. I then discovered that the power supply you need to power the b2 unit when removed from the car had a dodgy lead. The detector supplier changed the power supply with no quible, the downloads worked just fine after that.

The Origin b2 works exactly as they claim it does and I'm very impressed with it's accuracy and response. It has even more features than I expected and I'm amazed at what info it can give you. I've checked it with all my local speed cameras and it responds to every one in good time.

One thing I haven't been able to verify yet is how well the laser gun detector works because I haven't actually been zapped by one. If this feature works as well as the others I will be very pleased.

The b2 can be slow to lock on to the satellites when first setting off and the alarm which advises of this is both loud and persistant. Fortunately you can mute this alarm until satellite lock has been achieved and you can be confident that the detector is fully functioning.

When in the immediate vicinity of a traffic camera etc. the alarm is highly visible and the sounds attention grabbing. A sythisised woman's voice also advises of the camera type and the correct road speed for the road you are on so you have plenty of time to check your actual speed before the camera location is reached. Note that all settings, including the distance or travelling time to reach the camera site are adjustable by the user, a very handy feature.

I can't say if this b2 is any better than the other products on the market but I'm highly impressed by how well it functions and how neatly it can be fitted. I also like the way the display can be slid out of it's docking station in the car and put into your pocket when you leave.

Thoroughly recommended, money well spent.

Note that buying one of these doesn't incite me to drive faster. In fact I probably drive more carefully now because I've become very much more aware of the speeds I ought to be doing.

Members' Comments onpigmeat2000's Review

• pigmeat2000 on 5th Jan 2004

  UPDATE TO THE ORIGINAL REVIEW
  
  I've used the Origin b2 for 2 weeks now. I've noticed the quick connect/disconnect electrical contacts between the display unit and the mounting module can be a little iffy. This occasionally results in the display believing it has lost contact with the satellites and an alarm sounds to let you know. Squeezing the display onto the mounting module usually restores the connections and all is well again.
  
  Positioning of the GPS satellite antenna is critical. Mine is located on the rear parcel shelf of my Mondeo and now that I've fiddled with it to find the best location it now normally locks onto at least 6 satellites all the time. This gives great reliability and I never lose reception of the signals from them.
  
  This idea of using an separate antenna gives the b2 a great advantage over other units like the Road Angel where the re-radiating antenna costs an extra £70 or so, and would definitely be needed in a car like the Mondeo or others with a heated front screen.
  
  One gripe though - the Origin only comes with 6 months updates of the camera trap database and it costs a futher £50 per year after that. This is similar to the update costs from other manufacturers but is still a rip off.

• pigmeat2000 on 6th Apr 2004

  UPDATE TO ORIGINAL REVIEW (3 MONTHS ON)
  
  Was zapped by a police laser speed gun last weekend. On a dead straight road with unhindered visibility I got more than a 1 kilometre warning that the gun was in use. I actually wasn't speeding but it was reassuring to know that the b2 can work so well. I now understand that the police don't turn on the laser gun until they are confident that an offending motorist will register on their equipment. This way the laser doesn't give us detector users too much advance warning of the trap's presence. OK, the performance of the detector is amazing when in direct sight of the gun but is likely to be considerably less effective in busy suburban environments or when situated round corners etc.
  The message is - don't rely too heavily on advance warnings, keep your speed down instead.

• bigaudio on 1st Jul 2004

  Excellent review pigmeat, very informative indeed.
  I too have a mondeo and I have installed satellite navigation and my gps antenna sits on the front dashboard and works no problem whatsoever, I usually pick up around 8 satellite's.
  The point I'm trying to make here is will the unit work with the GPS antenna located on the front windscreen? I am considering buying the origin b2 solo model which has the antenna built into the docking unit and I would like to sit it on my dashboard, could you possibly try and see if your unit will work with the antenna on the front shelf?

• pigmeat2000 on 17th Jul 2004

  Re bidaudio's query - the installer tried to get the gps receiving antenna to work on the front dash. It wouldn't unfortunately, it never picked up more than 2 satellites from the front. In practice, the receiver needs good signals from at least 4 satellites. So he had to install the antenna on the rear parcel shelf. To be honest, this makes for a neater installation. Incidentally, I've discovered that if you are forced to drive with the parcel shelf removed you can attach the antenna (it has a velcro pad attached to the underside of it) to the furry material which lines the boot and the b2 works just fine. Didn't expect that !