[drive.helios]

I had been meaning to install a dashcam in our VW Taigun, Helios, since the day I got it. One thing after another kept causing delays until my brother-in-law's car met with an accident, and he had to settle by paying the expenses for no mistake of his own. In a scenario where a small vehicle hits a big one, it's always considered the fault of the larger vehicle, regardless of whether the smaller vehicle broke any rules to be in that situation. Following this incident, my significant other also embraced the idea of investing in a dashcam.

After scouring reviews on Team BHP for the past year, I almost settled on a Viofo dashcam. My model preference kept changing until, after extensive research, I chose the Viofo A229 Pro 4K dash camera. I cannot wait to see how it will enhance my driving experience. I must mention that I have been in constant conversation with Vijay, who is the distributor for Viofo products, for the past year. He has been very supportive, providing me with inputs and dealing with my indecisiveness for many months.

Eventually, my choice narrowed down to A229 Pro or A139 Pro. I opted for A229 because the rear camera also features a stravis sensor, and the price for both seemed the same. This decision was partly due to my nature of wanting the best available if I can afford it, to avoid possible regrets later—a habit my significant other doesn't approve of. No discounts were offered,

In this review, I will share my Initial thoughts on the car dashcam, its features, and the installation process (apologies for not documenting the steps).



Viofo A229 Pro Key Features:
- First 4K+2K dual dashcam with Sony STARVIS 2 Image Sensors
- 4K Front with Sony STARVIS 2 IMX678 8MP Sensor
- 2K Rear with Sony STARVIS 2 IMX675 5MP Sensor
- HDR for Front & Rear Cameras
- 140° + 160° Wide Viewing Angle
- Dual-Band Wi-Fi Built-in 2.4GHz & Ultra Fast 5GHz
- G-Sensor & Motion Detection Supported
- Loop Recording & Auto Emergency Lock
- Smart Voice Control & Notification
- Easy Installation & Friendly User Interface
- GPS module & Circular Polarizing Lens (Included)
- Bluetooth Emergency Remote (Optional, Not Included)
- Support MicroSD Card up to 512GB (Optional, Not Included)

What I like:
- Crisp, clean video
- Display screen
- Simple button interface
- Lots of settings in the app
- Easy to watch videos on the app or download them to the phone
- Good Polarizing lens

Cons:
- Expensive
- Size because of the display

Recording Quality:
The dashcam's recording quality surpasses my expectations, capturing sharp and clear video footage during both day and night. The wide-angle lens covers a broad area, providing peace of mind knowing that any incident on the road is adequately recorded.

Additional Features:
The car dashcam comes equipped with various useful features. The built-in GPS tracker records my vehicle's speed and location, while the G-sensor detects sudden impacts and automatically locks the footage to prevent overwriting. Additionally, the dashcam's loop recording feature ensures that the oldest files are replaced by new ones, optimizing storage space.

Installation:
Initially, I wanted to try installing it myself, but my professional life has been hectic. I opted for a home installation and contacted Mr. Waseem of Cars Glamour, Kaggadasapura. He did the installation, routing the wires via the A pillar to avoid impacting the curtain airbags. I chose not to hardwire the cameras, as suggested by the service manager at VW Service Domlur. I might invest in something like a Rhundo RV31 to use on the 12V socket and leave it on. (https://aatusa.in/product/rhundo-rv-...-auto-cut-off/)

Prior to this, I contacted Konark Accessories in HSR Layout and the person who answered the call didn't seem too keen and couldn't confirm a slot for Saturday. I was willing to drive in as they open
and Sachin's Auto Shop in Koramangala for installation. The person who picked up the call was polite and confirmed a saturday availability but the quoted price was high.

Conclusion:
The A229 Pro is a new dashcam from VIOFO. I found it easy to set up, configure, and install, with crisp and clear videos. Saving important videos is simple, and viewing them is easy with the VIOFO app. Overall, I am genuinely impressed with the product, counting on it to become an invaluable companion during my daily drives, providing added security and confidence on the road. If you're considering investing in a car dashcam, I recommend this model for its ease of installation and outstanding performance, despite the high price.

- Dash Cam Price: Rs 34,000
- Memory Card - SanDisk Extreme - Rs 2,100
- Installation Charges - Rs 1,500 at my doorstep.
- Where to buy: VIOFO’s online store

[flashgo]

Congratulations on the new dashcam. After reading about the dashcams extensively, I have purchased the VIOFO a119 mini 2 for my car. Thankfully, my cousin got it from the USA for far cheaper price. It has the same latest starvis 2 sensor that captures brilliant footage even in the night. My only complaint is that the footage is sometimes 500MB+ for a 30 second video. I have purchased the SanDisk MAX endurance SD card for my dashcam.

VIOFO dashcams need their brand name SD cards or the SanDisk MAX endurance because of the constant writing cycles. Please remember that in future, if you face any recording issues, it is because of the SD card that you are using and not because of the camera itself. Normal SD cards give up soon because of the heavy cycles.

[drive.helios]

Few quicks that I noted:

1. The Wi-Fi is turned off by default and doesn't have a memory function. The moment you unplug it is reset. Don't think it's a problem as I use the WiFi to connect to wireless AA always.

2. Initially I couldn't mute the audio from recording, but then the app has settings where you can turn it off. Helps reduce the size of the video.

3. I initially set-up the dashcam to record at its highest resolution. This resulted videos being stored as 1gb/5 min loop. I have reset it to 1440p for now and the size has reduced. I've not been able to take the car out for a drive yet. I will do that this week and should have a couple of sample of videos for uploading.

4. I might either get a Rhundo RV31 or a USB A to USB C adaptor sooner. I'm pretty sure in one of the days I'll forget to unplug the 12V socket after I stop. The muscle memory needs to be built. Considering the adaptor for now as the C ports only get powered after I unlock the car and not always. This should also help mitigate the initial 5-15 second load time for the dashcam everytime it starts.

[drive.helios]

Originally Posted by flashgo

VIOFO dashcams need their brand name SD cards or the SanDisk MAX endurance because of the constant writing cycles.

Congratulations to you too! Vijay recommended that the extreme version of sd card should suffice, and may not need the extreme pro. I'm willing to wait it out and see if any issues arise and then consider an upgrade.

I agree that the file sizes are quite huge and the video quality from the drives I did with in the apartment premises seem really good.

[Ranger747]

I am using the earlier model A129 4K front + 2K rear model for about 2 years now. They are good. I am using Samsung Evo Plus 256 SD card and it worked well so far. Only problem I faced is if you set the resolution to the best, it is only 30fps and my video came out as - not smooth - its like the video pause every second and then just jump to the next frame. that is when on highway speeds. in city traffic, no such problem. I guess this is the 30FPS causing it. I had since reduced to full HD 60fps, but have not check the playback after that. Could this be SD card problem? I have to check.

Their own SD card is priced very high compared to these Samsungs an Sandisks. Vijay himself told me I can go for Samsung Evo when I checked with him. So not sure what caused it. Anyway, havn't had to download the video after that. so it's kind of forgotten till I read your post.

on the Wifi, I also hope it stayed on. Not sure if it will further add to the heating. There is an AV out port ( 3.5mm TRRS ) also on the main camera. I am yet to try and connect a monitor to it. I bought a 7 inch screen but reluctant to further clutter the dash. so haven't tried it.

[drive.helios]

Originally Posted by Ranger747

There is an AV out port ( 3.5mm TRRS ) also on the main camera.

The new 229 Pro model has swapped out the AV out port to add a third channel for an inward facing camera. I did not opt for it however. I am sticking to the viofo app for reviewing the recordings for now and the screen also comes handy,.no need for an additional device.

I am yet to fiddle with the fps settings. Let me try that over the weekend and have some sample videos ready.

[narayanang76]

Originally Posted by Ranger747

I am using the earlier model A129 4K front + 2K rear model for about 2 years now

on the Wifi, I also hope it stayed on. Not sure if it will further add to the heating.

Originally Posted by drive.helios

Few quicks that I noted:

1. The Wi-Fi is turned off by default and doesn't have a memory function. The moment you unplug it is reset. Don't think it's a problem as I use the WiFi to connect to wireless AA always.

The one thing I found and liked in Viofo A139 Pro dual channel dashcam, is Wi-Fi gets on automatically during startup, also gives audio alerts of Wi-Fi getting on/off. For many years with my previous dashcams, I wanted this 'auto Wi-Fi' feature and when I found it in A139 Pro, I really liked this feature.

It helps with:

1. The camera connect to phone automatically and stay on.
2. I also think it ensure any feature updates within the App, date/time etc. are synced every time, during car start.
3. I also found it easy to check rear camera live feed during drives (for additional parking assistance), and can avoid few steps of turning on Wi-Fi, connecting to Wi-Fi and then checking live feed.

However the possible drawbacks of this 'always on Wi-Fi', I think:

1. You may not need this 'always on Wi-Fi' for dashcam - MOSTLY
2. You need it mainly for checking/downloading video footage or checking live feeds mostly
3. If you have other Wi-Fi connection needs inside car, this cannot be used or becomes useless
4. Any disconnection/conflict with phone, I found the Dashcam Wi-Fi gets disconnected with audio alert (happened few times in my case so far)
5. Some phones when they detect Wi-Fi, automatically switch off mobile data. Then if you need to use data for navigation or entertainment, you need to turn off Wi-Fi on your phone. I don't have this issue with my current phone, by the way.

So far, I leave my dashcam being connected to my phone, with this 'always on Wi-Fi connectivity' feature on Viofo A 139 Pro dashcam.

Cheers,
narayanang76

[callmeneo]

I just ordered the A229 plus from the Viofo Website. They are providing 1000 off if you prepay to their UPI ID. A great deal in my opinion for a great piece of hardware.

[Burgman_tales]

Noob question, how does it justify the 34k price over let's say a 70mai dual channel (2k + HD) priced at 9-10k ?

[mav2023]

Hello all, first post . I am in a lookout for a dual channel dashcam for my Altroz in Pune.
I was wondering if the A229 plus makes more sense than A229 pro, considering we will anyway be forced to use full HD/2k due to high memory usage. The price diff is coming to around ~9k. If I consider the CPL (which is another 2k), still the difference is 7k. Not sure if I am missing any feature difference.

Also how would you rate the A229 plus compared to nextdigitron or 70Mai a500S/A800S ?

Thnaks a lot !!

[callmeneo]

Originally Posted by Burgman_tales

Noob question, how does it justify the 34k price over let's say a 70mai dual channel (2k + HD) priced at 9-10k ?

Better image and video quality.
Capacitor instead of a battery. No risk at higher temperatures.
Has HDR which will help in identifying number plates in low light or reflective conditions.

[callmeneo]

Could not edit the message hence adding to it.

Some data i could pick up from the websites

A229 pro 2CH: ₹32k

1) Rear Camera is Sony Starvis-2 based
2) Supercapacitor
3) Buffered parking mode so record before an event, the actual event and after an event.
4) True Motion sensor.
5) Support to 512gb card.
6) 5Ghz WiFi
7) 30FPS True 4K all cam
8) Possibility to connect an Interior camera .
9) 1.5 yr Warranty on DashCam and 1 yr on accessories (cable, mount, adaptor).
10) Voice Commands to Turn on/off Audio Recoding, screen and WiFi and to lock the Video or switch on the screen.
11) 24 x 7 Customer Support including holidays n weekends.

70mai A810 4K: ₹19k

1) Lithium battery. Might have a limitation at higher temperatures and also a fire hazard.
2) 25fps front 4k video
3) Video based ADAS instead of RADAR.
4) No Sony Sensor in rear camera, let alone STARVIS-1 or 2.
5) No possibility to connect an interior camera.
6) No motion sensor
7) No buffered parking mode. It will miss recording Before an Event and the Event itself possibly.
8) 6x slower 2.4Ghz wifi
9) No 512gb SD card support
10) 1 yr warranty on DashCam and 6 months on accessories.
11) No Voice commands.
12) Customer support on Weekends n holidays is unknown.

So A810 has 30-40% features of What features & hardware Viofo has. So price should be 30-40% of what Viofo has.

Still lets say it should cost 50% of Viofo,

But customers are buying at ₹19000 which is more than its actual worth.

[drive.helios]

Originally Posted by callmeneo

Better image and video quality.
Capacitor instead of a battery. No risk at higher temperatures.
Has HDR which will help in identifying number plates in low light or reflective conditions.

Adding on to this, superior sensors, support for a higher storage capacity and perhaps an important one, support. Plus I have so far see that viofo releases updated firmwares for their product. I hope longevity too. But cannot comment yet.

[drive.helios]

Originally Posted by mav2023

Hello all, first post . I am in a lookout for a dual channel dashcam for my Altroz in Pune.
I was wondering if the A229 plus makes more sense than A229 pro, considering we will anyway be forced to use full HD/2k due to high memory usage. The price diff is coming to around ~9k. If I consider the CPL (which is another 2k), still the difference is 7k. Not sure if I am missing any feature difference.

Also how would you rate the A229 plus compared to nextdigitron or 70Mai a500S/A800S ?

Thnaks a lot !!

Don't think you are missing out a lot with this one and it suits your budget. I'm possible going to use the lower 1440 resolution in most cases but we drive extensively compared to our friends and not with other team bhp folks who munch miles. We may also want to have some good footage which the 4K res can help. My reasoning to get the pro version is very personal and habitual. Hard to change.

I believe 70mai A800s is has a lithium ion battery and is not super capacitor based along with a different sensor when compared. The storage support also is limited to 128gb. The adas features that gets advertised does not work as far as I've read. Those are either incorrect or too slow to respond.

I'd say to each, their own, and pick what works best within your budget and consensus.

[drive.helios]

Originally Posted by narayanang76

So far, I leave my dashcam being connected to my phone, with this 'always on Wi-Fi connectivity' feature on Viofo A 139 Pro dashcam.

Cheers,
narayanang76

How does your navigation work? Are you using connected Android Auto to Apple maps? I've decided to leave the WiFi as is and turn it on only when I need to review and back up recording.