The Road Safety (speed camera) alert.

Tony1452 · August 15, 2023

I’ve had my Lexus two years this very month. One of the things I noticed when first using it was a bonging sound and only realised when I went passed a few speed cameras that it related to the cameras and I was given a warning. Great piece of equipment, I thought, and then last week after its annual (Lexus) service, it has stopped working. Thinking that a technician might have turned it off, I contacted them.

This afternoon the service manager called and spent a while going through the settings to locate the problem, but couldn’t even find the means of turning it on or off. He eventually tried a factory reset, with no joy. Subsequently he spoke to their lead technician who told him that the series I have, never had the facility. Well, I know that neither me or the wife are going mad, but it definitely had the technology and was working properly. It even notified me when I was approaching any ANPR cameras.

A few months ago I updated the satellite navigation system from an independent source. The update was successful and the speed camera warning alert continued to work.

I have both owner manuals for the car and have spent hours trying to find reference to the technology and it’s definitely not on any of the pages.

The service manager tells me that he will go back to the workshop and will download everything that my car came equipped with. Until he comes back to me, this is definitely a mystery. Be interested to read the views of any of you folks. Thanks in advance all.

wharfhouse · August 15, 2023

Mine is also a 2014 IS 300h and has always "bonged" when approaching speed cameras that are in the sat nav (though that hasn't been updated since the car was new). The loudness of the "bongs" is IIRC linked to the volume of the sat nav instructions - maybe worth checking that your sat nav instructions are playing correctly if you use navigation. If not then one of the menus controls the volume of the sat nav instructions.

Tony1452 · August 15, 2023

Great and thanks. Apparently the lead technician has been dealing with this model since production. I would have thought he’d know that the car has a warning in its system.

wharfhouse · August 15, 2023

6 minutes ago, Tony1452 said:

Great and thanks. Apparently the lead technician has been dealing with this model since production. I would have thought he’d know that the car has a warning in its system.

TBF lots of owners don't know what the bongs are - but as you say you would think he would have come across it before after all this time!

Mr_Groundhog · August 15, 2023

So, can I have the speed camera warnings without the voice telling me to turn right at the next roundabout, or do I need to activate it again?

wharfhouse · August 15, 2023

14 minutes ago, Mr_Groundhog said:

So, can I have the speed camera warnings without the voice telling me to turn right at the next roundabout, or do I need to activate it again?

As far as I can recall (as once I had set mine up I haven't changed it for many years) you only get the speed camera bongs if you have the voice navigation (telling you where to go) volume turned up as the volume of the bongs is linked to the volume of the sat nav voice (louder voice louder bongs). I don't think you can actually switch the nav voice off but can turn it down in the menu to zero (in effect the same thing but the bongs will not be audible then). Also, again IIRC a quick nav voice volume adjustment is when a nav instruction is coming out of the speakers turning the radio volume control up or down adjusts the volume of the sat nav voice (reverts to radio etc volume as soon as the nav instruction ends).

Tony1452 · August 15, 2023

4 minutes ago, wharfhouse said:

As far as I can recall (as once I had set mine up I haven't changed it for many years) you only get the speed camera bongs if you have the voice navigation (telling you where to go) volume turned up as the volume of the bongs is linked to the volume of the sat nav voice (louder voice louder bongs). I don't think you can actually switch the nav voice off but can turn it down in the menu to zero (in effect the same thing but the bongs will not be audible then). Also, again IIRC a quick nav voice volume adjustment is when a nav instruction is coming out of the speakers turning the radio volume control up or down adjusts the volume of the sat nav voice (reverts to radio etc volume as soon as the nav instruction ends).

Well, I’m astonished, because if I’ve read what you say about it working when instructions are being given, mine works without being given directions. I do have the maps displayed on the screen though.

wharfhouse · August 15, 2023

1 minute ago, Tony1452 said:

Well, I’m astonished, because if I’ve read what you say about it working when instructions are being given, mine works without being given directions. I do have the maps displayed on the screen though.

As I said I'm trying to remember when I first set it up as I know I struggled for a while and so when it was working as I wanted I left it alone after that! I don't have maps on very much but do like the bongs for speed cameras so that could also be a difference too. Another one is that I have the standard (rotary knob) nav and not sure if the premium (mouse controller style knob) may work differently?

wharfhouse · August 15, 2023

12 minutes ago, Tony1452 said:

Well, I’m astonished, because if I’ve read what you say about it working when instructions are being given, mine works without being given directions. I do have the maps displayed on the screen though.

Sorry just reread what you wrote and may be a misunderstanding - yes my bongs work without the sat nav giving directions when I have no route set (with or without maps displayed) but if I have a route set then IIRC the sat nav directions volume is turned right down then the bongs are turned down in volume too. I think this then persists when there is no route set - so no bongs as the sat nav voice volume is all the way down still.

There is definitely some link between the speed camera bongs and the sat nav voice volume but I remember it was not well explained in the manual and took some playing around with.

Trouble is you have to keep driving around looking for speed cameras to test any changes...!

Tony1452 · August 15, 2023

29 minutes ago, wharfhouse said:

Sorry just reread what you wrote and may be a misunderstanding - yes my bongs work without the sat nav giving directions when I have no route set (with or without maps displayed) but if I have a route set then IIRC the sat nav directions volume is turned right down then the bongs are turned down in volume too. I think this then persists when there is no route set - so no bongs as the sat nav voice volume is all the way down still.

There is definitely some link between the speed camera bongs and the sat nav voice volume but I remember it was not well explained in the manual and took some playing around with.

Trouble is you have to keep driving around looking for speed cameras to test any changes...!

Thanks again. Plenty of those cameras around here and even a couple of ANPR cameras. Cheers!

wharfhouse · August 15, 2023

Have a read of the thread I've pasted below from 2020 - it covers what we have been discussing above - one of the posts by @Derant says:

"Regarding the speed camera beeps, I have found you can turn them off/on by turning voice off in the set up menu, I don’t like voice directions when using the sat nav so turned off the voice option in general settings, this switched speed camera alert beeps off. Turned it back on and the beeps returned"

and @Colin Crow also added:

"On reflection, I think that's what happened to me in reverse. I turned the voice on to see what the spoken directions were like, and on a later journey I noticed the beeping - I didn't make a connection with the voice setting at the time."

@Tony1452 it does seem like your sudden lack of speed camera alerts may be the same as the above observations and so possibly caused by inadvertently turning the naviagation voice volume down?

Tony1452 · August 15, 2023

7 minutes ago, wharfhouse said:

Have a read of the thread I've pasted below from 2020 - it covers what we have been discussing above - one of the posts by @Derant says:

"Regarding the speed camera beeps, I have found you can turn them off/on by turning voice off in the set up menu, I don’t like voice directions when using the sat nav so turned off the voice option in general settings, this switched speed camera alert beeps off. Turned it back on and the beeps returned"

and @Colin Crow also added:

"On reflection, I think that's what happened to me in reverse. I turned the voice on to see what the spoken directions were like, and on a later journey I noticed the beeping - I didn't make a connection with the voice setting at the time."

@Tony1452 it does seem like your sudden lack of speed camera alerts may be the same as the above observations and so possibly caused by inadvertently turning the naviagation voice volume down?

I’m with you…will try looking at the voice settings. Odd though that nowhere can I find in both the manuals that I have, where it mentions a warning sound will be given when approaching road safety cameras.

Mr_Groundhog · August 15, 2023

I guess one solution is to turn the voice on but not set any address on the GPS so there are no indications given, only the bongs...

Thanks @wharfhouse

wharfhouse · August 15, 2023

1 minute ago, Tony1452 said:

I’m with you…will try looking at the voice settings. Odd though that nowhere can I find in both the manuals that I have, where it mentions a warning sound will be given when approaching road safety cameras.

Have you got the Standard (rotary) or Premium (mouse pad) nav? If the Standard nav (like I have) then there is nothing about the speed alerts it in the sat nav manual but in the Owners Manual P328 it says that the volume of the voice setting is controlled via the Voice setting that IIRC controls the sat nav (and the linked bong) volume - see:

If you have the Premium nav (I don't) then looking at the online manual there is more control over the Voice settings for nav I think and it looks like the beep sounds can be turned on and off (if that is the camera alert beeps - it's not clear) but it still seems to be linked to the Voice volume otherwise - see:

wharfhouse · August 15, 2023

14 minutes ago, Mr_Groundhog said:

I guess one solution is to turn the voice on but not set any address on the GPS so there are no indications given, only the bongs...

Thanks @wharfhouse

Yes, that's the way I have mine - I don't use the internal sat nav much now (I use Google Maps mainly on my phone) and my Voice setting (as above) is about one-third up and I hear the bongs (regardless of whether or not I'm using the sat nav or not) at what I feel is a sensible volume for me.

Tony1452 · August 15, 2023

1 hour ago, wharfhouse said:

Have you got the Standard (rotary) or Premium (mouse pad) nav? If the Standard nav (like I have) then there is nothing about the speed alerts it in the sat nav manual but in the Owners Manual P328 it says that the volume of the voice setting is controlled via the Voice setting that IIRC controls the sat nav (and the linked bong) volume - see:

If you have the Premium nav (I don't) then looking at the online manual there is more control over the Voice settings for nav I think and it looks like the beep sounds can be turned on and off (if that is the camera alert beeps - it's not clear) but it still seems to be linked to the Voice volume otherwise - see:

Thanks, mine is the premium system. I decided to see if the guy who had been attempting to sort out the problem had done something to make it work. Well, I was delighted when I got the warning bleeps coming towards the first road safety camera, but after that, nothing when I approached another camera and nothing from the two ANPR cameras along a two mile stretch. Will take look at the info you have indicated to.

wharfhouse · August 15, 2023

53 minutes ago, Tony1452 said:

Thanks, mine is the premium system. I decided to see if the guy who had been attempting to sort out the problem had done something to make it work. Well, I was delighted when I got the warning bleeps coming towards the first road safety camera, but after that, nothing when I approached another camera and nothing from the two ANPR cameras along a two mile stretch. Will take look at the info you have indicated to.

Oh - if one camera worked I don't see why others didn't - it does know direction of travel and so if they were on the other side of the road it wouldn't beep, but of on your side it should. Did the cameras that didn't get a beep at show up visually on the maps?

Tony1452 · August 15, 2023

1 hour ago, wharfhouse said:

Oh - if one camera worked I don't see why others didn't - it does know direction of travel and so if they were on the other side of the road it wouldn't beep, but of on your side it should. Did the cameras that didn't get a beep at show up visually on the maps?

I never noticed, I have to be careful looking down at the system as there were lots of traffic and hazards not too far from us. I’ve just been to visit our son and the local camera was bonged but every other camera I past including ANPR cameras never caused the alert to sound. I’ve arrived home and have set the sat nav volume up to seven. I shall check it again tomorrow. Thanks for all your efforts to help. Cheers!

Tony1452 · August 21, 2023

On 8/15/2023 at 7:34 PM, wharfhouse said:

Oh - if one camera worked I don't see why others didn't - it does know direction of travel and so if they were on the other side of the road it wouldn't beep, but of on your side it should. Did the cameras that didn't get a beep at show up visually on the maps?

I decided today to replace the recently installed sd update card, which was cheap enough at £35, and replaced it with the card which came with the car and believe it or not it is operating correctly again, even alerts when I am approaching ANPR cameras.
Doesn't explain why the new card was functioning correctly until I had the car recently serviced and why it actually works when approaching the nearest camera closest to my home but not others.

I shall continue to keep the sat nav operating under the original system. Maybe if I venture far and need to be aware of new road layouts and changes in road speeds I might swap to the new version.

Anyway, I have solved the mystery. Cheers!

wharfhouse · August 21, 2023

24 minutes ago, Tony1452 said:

I decided today to replace the recently installed sd update card, which was cheap enough at £35, and replaced it with the card which came with the car and believe it or not it is operating correctly again, even alerts when I am approaching ANPR cameras.
Doesn't explain why the new card was functioning correctly until I had the car recently serviced and why it actually works when approaching the nearest camera closest to my home but not others.

I shall continue to keep the sat nav operating under the original system. Maybe if I venture far and need to be aware of new road layouts and changes in road speeds I might swap to the new version.

Anyway, I have solved the mystery. Cheers!

That is certainly a strange outcome

Tony1452 · August 21, 2023

49 minutes ago, wharfhouse said:

That is certainly a strange outcome

It sure is. Maybe if I use the Lexus update system which will cost me far more than the £35 I paid to the satnavishop, I might get the updates with the safety camera warnings. But I don’t think I will take the risk. Cheers!