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Old 6th November 2023, 12:44   #4936
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Re: The Dashcam / Car Video Recorder (DVR) Thread

Hello Everyone,

I have problem in hand and for which I am looking for suggestions. I guess I was one of those early adopters of Dashcams and got one ordered from Aliexpress in Jan 2019. But it was the time when only the front module was available, I am finding it difficult to pair a rear cam with this older model. Anyone has done any cost effective solution for this? Pls help.

Model: 70 Mai dashcam pro with GPS module and 64 GB sdcard
This is discontinued and doesn't support/have rear cam port.

Now with the increase in road rage incidents in Bangalore, one of my close friend had that with a cabbie and was able to convince the police by showing the rear cam footage. I am thinking of putting a rear dashcam also. The challenge is that I am not able to find anything which can go with my existing one.

I have 2 options with me.

1. Buy a new combo which will cost ~13k including CPL filter n sdcard
2. Buy a 70 mai M300 and use it as a rear dashcam which will cost me 5K

Pls suggest if anyone else has done any other setup.

Thanks
Darpan
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Old 6th November 2023, 14:14   #4937
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Re: The Dashcam / Car Video Recorder (DVR) Thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by D'Ro@dSt@r View Post
1. Buy a new combo which will cost ~13k including CPL filter n sdcard
2. Buy a 70 mai M300 and use it as a rear dashcam which will cost me 5K
If it's an amount that you can afford to spend then I'd suggest to avoid optimizing and buy a dual dashcam kit.

The problem with a separate dashcam for front and rear is that the videos will not be in sync (out of the box I mean) and emergency locking of videos will not be possible for rear footages (or highly impractical). On a different note, buy models which offer you an option to "lock" videos manually as often the G-sensors won't work as intended and/or there are situations without G-sensor triggers but require you to lock videos (other accidents, dangerous behavior etc.).

Also, people massively discount the hassle required to transfer files (it is at least to me). In a long drive, the videos get overwritten in a few hours, in my experience 5-6 hrs of drive. Having to review and transfer files before they are overwritten is a lot of commitment. In my opinion, it should be fix it and forget it types, until you absolutely need it.

I see dashcams as sort of an insurance for plying on the road that'll help us from morons. Which is the reason why after extensive research I went with Viofo A129 setup (there could be better options available today though).

Here's my post from past on this thread - https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/car-e...ml#post5201500 (The Dashcam / Car Video Recorder (DVR) Thread)
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Old 6th November 2023, 14:22   #4938
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Re: The Dashcam / Car Video Recorder (DVR) Thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by D'Ro@dSt@r View Post
I have 2 options with me.

1. Buy a new combo which will cost ~13k including CPL filter n sdcard
2. Buy a 70 mai M300 and use it as a rear dashcam which will cost me 5K

Pls suggest if anyone else has done any other setup.

Thanks
Darpan
I will anytime go for a Front+rear combo, of a brand and model that is proven or has good reviews and is reliable. Pls look at the quality of the videos, check reliability of recording from the dual channel dashcams. Benefit of having an integrated front+rear is that there is less point of failures - power, SDcard etc.

If you are planning to go for separate front+rear dashcams, why not buying new dashcam for front and use your existing cam at rear? The thing with separate cameras is that you have to verify that both are powered and recording seamlessly during every drives.

cheers,
narayanang76
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Old 8th November 2023, 09:55   #4939
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Car Dashcam - Indepth understanding

Hello Automasters,

I am looking to install a good pair of Dash cam to my car. After a lot of research i have come down to getting a 4k, 3 channel dashcam. However, whenever researched a bit more, i realized that since there are only 2 main players working to create key components of these Dash cams, brands really dont matter much. Hence, query is if it will be smart to get a set of unbranded dash cams from US, as it a more matured market for Dash cams and hence i have a feeling that there unbranded versions will not only be cost affective but also provide a better output.

Need suggestions on this one and any further guidance will be a cherry on the cake.

Thanks

Last edited by Jaggu : 8th November 2023 at 19:01. Reason: Please use Search before opening a new thread. Thanks.
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Old 9th November 2023, 19:10   #4940
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Re: Car Dashcam - Indepth understanding

Quote:
Originally Posted by medalegend View Post

Hence, query is if it will be smart to get a set of unbranded dash cams from US, as it a more matured market for Dash cams and hence i have a feeling that there unbranded versions will not only be cost affective but also provide a better output.
Matured market or otherwise, the likelihood of getting a quality product from an unbranded manufacturer is low. This is for the exact reason you've mentioned - most dashcams do share internal components, and this is even more likely with an unbranded vendor. In my limited understanding, the key component is the image sensor and here Sony's Starvis 2 is the current gold standard. Beyond that, things like battery technology used, etc makes a difference but those are more down to operating conditions in which case buying something made for and sold in the US market may not be the wisest course of action. You'll almost certainly get a cheaper product, but a better one? Not sure about that.

You'd also need to consider warranty coverage (if that matters to you) before buying something in the US to use in India. If you ask me, get a dashcam that suits your requirements and has a starvis/2 sensor and you should be good to go.
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Old 9th November 2023, 19:21   #4941
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Re: The Dashcam / Car Video Recorder (DVR) Thread

Did anyone check the offers on festive sale on the Nexdigitron website?

I was planning to buy a dashcam by December and came across the sale while researching. Any good offers you can spot? If so, may consider buying one now, else could wait until I get my new car!
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Old 11th November 2023, 12:26   #4942
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Re: The Dashcam / Car Video Recorder (DVR) Thread

So I finally received the Viofo 229 plus 2 channel dashcam couple of days back and I am going to install it in the next 2-3 days.

Mr Vijay (Viofo customer care) has shared a guys's number in Navi Mumbai who seems to be experienced in installation of dashcams. He has quoted 1500 rs for installing the 2 channel dash cam (slightly on the expensive side) but I am fine till the time the job done is top notch.

On enquiring about the method of installation, he said we route it behind the airbags. Is it better to do it this way or just tucking inside the side pillars would be fine?

I am a little apprehensive about how safe it is to tuck it behind the airbags, the possible malfunctions that can happen if one is not careful etc with it. Putting the wires behind the airbags would also make it difficult to do any manual adjustments to the dashcam by oneself. Or simply tucking it in also ideally wouldn't hamper the opening of the airbags in unforeseen circumstances.

Suggestions would be highly appreciated.

Thanks.

Last edited by AlokSharma : 11th November 2023 at 12:29.
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Old 13th November 2023, 09:18   #4943
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Re: The Dashcam / Car Video Recorder (DVR) Thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by AlokSharma View Post

I am a little apprehensive about how safe it is to tuck it behind the airbags, the possible malfunctions that can happen if one is not careful etc with it. Putting the wires behind the airbags would also make it difficult to do any manual adjustments to the dashcam by oneself. Or simply tucking it in also ideally wouldn't hamper the opening of the airbags in unforeseen circumstances.

Suggestions would be highly appreciated.

Thanks.
Congratulations on the new Viofo 229 plus 2 channel dashcam

If you are powering it from 12V socket, its a simple DIY job and tucking the cables in between the plastic trims, roof liners should do.

Cheers,
narayanang76
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Old 14th November 2023, 00:36   #4944
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"Nexdigitron Ace Plus" Dashcam Review

I have been using this dashcam called "Nexdigitron Ace Plus" in my Ertiga for the past 7 months.
This is a super-capacitor based dashcam, and I bought it through Amazon.
And they claim to be "Made in India", which I am not very much convinced, because most of these so called self-proclaimed "Made in India" gadgets are simply just "Assembled in India" re-branded ones, and all the parts are still imported from China.
Anyhow, since I have been using this dashcam for the past 7 months, I thought this is the right time for a long term user review of this dashcam, so that it may be of help to someone who is planning to buy this.

First of all, the build quality of the dashcam is fairly good.
There is no screen, and the device has no in-built battery, but it is super-capacitor based.
You only get a 3M sicker based windshield mount to install it, but it serves the purpose well.
The most notable thing is that you get type-C USB cable connector wth this dashcam, which is a plus-point, because most other budget dashcams still use the older micro-usb, and some brands like Qubo still use the ancient mini-usb port from the stone-age era.

This camera has an optional GPS feature, but it is not in-built, but rather, an add-on module, which means you have to mount the external GPS module separately on the windshield, and this, along with the additional wires from the module to the camera, adds additional clutter on the windshield area, which looks really messy, and so I chose the non-GPS version which has a cleaner, simpler look.


This camera has a F1-8 aperture, 140° wide angle, and recording resolution of 1080p.
It supports memory cards of size upto 128 Gb.
All specifications are the normal specs what you find in other entry level dashcams, and there is nothing ground-breaking here in terms of technology.
Just the normal features and settings.
Their mobile app is also very basic, and there are not many settings you can play around with here.
You can't even change the recording resolution.
It is fixed at 1080p @ 30 fps.
There is no option even to step down to a lower resolution like 720p.

Though it has a F1.8 aperture, the overall lighting is still not the best.
Videos are on the darker side even in full daylight, and you have to increase the screen brightness to view anything clearly.
Number plate visibility is not that great even during day time, but then that is what you can expect from a budget dashcam.
The rear number plate of the immediate next vehicle in our front can be read without much difficulty, but it is almost impossible to make out anything from the number plate of an oncoming vehicle approaching from the opposite side at a fairly decent speed.
The recording resolution is 1080p, but clarity, and details captured is nowhere near what one would expect from a 1080p mp4 file.
It is more like that of a 720p clip, and just the resolution is stretched to 1080p.
That's what I have felt, whenever I play a recorded video.
Night visibility is fairly decent, but still not the best.

Audio recording is fairly weak and could have been way better.
Even the driver's voice is heard as a meek mumble, and one cannot make out anything from that mumble from the recorded clips.
The only sound that gets recorded clearly in the videos is the camera's female voice announcement for starting the recording when the device gets powered on.
But audio is not of prime importance in a dashcam, and so this can be excused, but I hope that they will do something to improve the audio recording levels at least in the future versions.

Another issue that I faced initially was the dashboard reflections on the windshield.
The recorded videos were just a mix of the outside view, merged with my dashboard's reflection on the windshield in a 50-50 ratio.
This is a common issue with many dashcams, and when I contacted their technical support, they told that inorder to get rid of this reflections, I need to buy a CPL filter from them separately, and install it on the dashcam lens.
Since I had no other option, I bought it from them for Rs 500, and thankfully it solved almost 80% of my problem.
Still there is a very slight amount of dashboard reflection, but I think it is ok, and I can live with that.

A small piece of advice - Whoever is planning to purchase this dashcam, please remove any shining golden or silver/chrome plated idols/toys or other decorative articles from their dashboards before installing.
Because if you don't do so, then you are going to see only those articles reflection in your video, more than the outside view.
Even if you install CPL filter, this thing should be taken care of, otherwise it will show reflection in the video even with CPL filter on.

The most annoying thing about this dashcam is that it remembers your personal settings for only 3 weeks or so.
After that it defaults to its original settings and you have to set your personal settings again through the app every month, which is super annoying.
So every 3 weeks or so, It forgets the file length duration settings, and reverts to the default 1 minute length, even though I had set it to 3 minute length.
And initially I had raised this issue to their support team.
They accepted this fault, and asked me to return the unit, and gave me a brand new replacement unit.
They said that the new device won't have this problem, but to my shock, the new one also reverted to its default setting after 1 month's usage.
And when I contacted them again, they first told me to change my memory card, but when I told them that I have already tried 3 different cards without any result they said that they have already given me a replacement unit, and so now they can't do anything because their other devices don't have this problem!
Clearly there is something wrong with their design, and that is why even the second unit had the same issue, but the sad part is that they are not ready to accept this mistake.
So I think this is an inherent defect with this product, and I just have to learn to live with this. That's it.

And another issue that I have observed with both the devices is that sometimes, the camera doesn't start with the car's ignition on.
It starts only after about 1 minute, and then it functions normally.
So the first 1 minute journey won't be recorded once in a while.
This happens at least once daily, and like the previous issue, I think one has to learn to live with this issue too.

Other than these issues, the dashcam is a somewhat decent one for its price.
I hope that they sort out these bugs, and release an updated firmware, so that existing customers like me can flash it and get rid of these minor issues.

N.B - Their customer support is prompt to respond with quick replies. But that's just all about it.
They have no clue on how to solve even these minor issues, and they just do nothing other than giving positive replies like their team is looking into this issue, or they will get back to you soon and so on.
But they will never solve any issue, and you either have to learn to live with all your issues, or buy another better dashcam from a more reliable brand.
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Old 16th November 2023, 17:51   #4945
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Re: The Dashcam / Car Video Recorder (DVR) Thread

I have a 70Mai A500S dashcam bought in December'21 and I haven't hardwired it. Just connected through 12V socket. Now when I switch on the car it says battery low and then shuts down. It seems the battery is now dead.

Can you guys tell me how do I replace the battery and where to get it. Thanks
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Old 19th November 2023, 00:54   #4946
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Re: The Dashcam / Car Video Recorder (DVR) Thread

Finally installed the Viofo A229 plus dashcam in my car. The installation was done via home visit from one of the guys suggested by Mr Vijay from Viofo.

I have not opted to hardwire it. It is simply attached to the 12 V socket and I am good to go. Slavia has the 12 V on even after the car has been switched off. I will be leaving the dashcam on i.e. connected to 12 v socket on all occasions except when the car is parked at home or office for long hours. Otherwise will keep it connected to 12 V socket for continuous recording for parking in public places.

The cable was routed from behind the airbags and the installer did a pretty neat job.

I have selected 3 min loop videos and I find the Viofo app pretty user friendly.

I am attaching the front and rear cam video sample below. The video quality is set to 2k for both front and rear and the quality is crisp and sharp. Please set the video quality to 1440 p. Pretty happy with the dashcam.


Front Cam video sample



Rear cam video sample

Last edited by AlokSharma : 19th November 2023 at 00:56.
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Old 19th November 2023, 01:18   #4947
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Re: The Dashcam / Car Video Recorder (DVR) Thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by AlokSharma View Post
I have selected 3 min loop videos and I find the Viofo app pretty user friendly.
I tried 1, 2, 3, 5 min loops & finally settled on 2 min loops. Long enough & small enough that they download quickly via the app over wifi.

Quote:
Originally Posted by AlokSharma View Post
The video quality is set to 2k for both front and rear and the quality is crisp and sharp.
I tried 1080p, 2k & 4k & settled on 2k with HDR. Good quality & HDR means stuff is visible in low light as well.
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Old 19th November 2023, 01:28   #4948
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Re: The Dashcam / Car Video Recorder (DVR) Thread

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Originally Posted by amitgupta View Post
I tried 1, 2, 3, 5 min loops & finally settled on 2 min loops. Long enough & small enough that they download quickly via the app over wifi.



I tried 1080p, 2k & 4k & settled on 2k with HDR. Good quality & HDR means stuff is visible in low light as well.
I had selected the 5 min loop and found the file size pretty heavy. The 2-3 min loops are perfect. I was contemplating keeping the front set to 2k HDR and the rear to HD to rationalize the file sizes. I have a 256 GB memory card and I guess with the current file sizes of 2k, the memory will be full with 5-6 hours of driving.
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Old 19th November 2023, 02:08   #4949
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Re: The Dashcam / Car Video Recorder (DVR) Thread

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Originally Posted by AlokSharma View Post
I was contemplating keeping the front set to 2k HDR and the rear to HD to rationalize the file sizes. I have a 256 GB memory card and I guess with the current file sizes of 2k, the memory will be full with 5-6 hours of driving.
If it supports a bigger card, use a bigger card. I use a 512 GB one with my A139 Pro.
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Old 19th November 2023, 08:21   #4950
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Re: The Dashcam / Car Video Recorder (DVR) Thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by AlokSharma View Post
Finally installed the Viofo A229 plus dashcam in my car. The installation was done via home visit from one of the guys suggested by Mr Vijay from Viofo.
Great! Could you please post night footage from both cams as well?
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