[ShreyG]

Fitted one along with purchase of my new car given the state of affairs and my penchant for regular interstate trips.

Product: Safe Cam front and rear dashcam
Purchased from: Konark Accessories, HSR, Bangalore
Price: Approx. Rs7,500 for the dashcam, fitting and accessories (adapter, wire clips, memory card)
Status: Working fine
Life span: >3 years

I am in no way associated with Konark but would like to give a shoutout to their work ethic and customer experience. I had a couple of oops moments during the 1st few months with the wires and they were replaced and fitted at no charge.

[vattyboy]

Qubo Pro X lasted only 3 months.
Warranty is just for name sake, there are no service centres in 90% cities, nor they pick up the toll-free Phone number.

Worst product, worst company and worst service.

STAY AWAY from Qubo.

[Crow]

My Viofo A119 died some time ago. I used it for about 1.5 years. It had two problems:

1. Parasitic power drain when hardwired. I used the official hardwiring kit to get it installed but when the car wasn’t used for a week or so, the battery would get discharged completely. This problem disappeared when I unclipped the dashcam while parking.

2. As a result of unclipping when parked, the dashcam just died at some point. During a six month period when I was travelling for work, the camera was at home and the car was parked and driven a few kms per week to keep the battery charged. When I plugged in the camera after returning, it wouldn’t boot up at all.


I left the camera in plugged in overnight even after this, hoping that it’d boot up on its own but in the morning the car took a while to crank and the dashcam was still dead. This means the power drain issue remained and the camera is drawing power but there’s no output in the display and the boot up chime doesn’t play either.

In case somebody asks, yes the hardwiring kit has a feature that lets you stop drawing power when the battery is low and I’ve enabled it. But it doesn’t really work well. Not sure if these issues are the manufacturer’s fault or the installer’s, but I am disappointed with Viofo because I paid a premium to get a better product and it hasn’t worked out.

So, I’m back to square one: without a dashcam.

[TheGodfather]

Product: DDPAI Z40 (GPS) dual channel dashcam
Purchased from: Nexdigitron shop in Pune
Price: Approx. Rs 11.5k for the dashcam + SD Card (12V charger came in the box), Rs 800 for installation.
Accessories: None (will be getting a CPL filter)

Status: First one stopped working within 6 months which was replaced under warranty by Nexdigitron. Replacement one is working fins for the last 6 months.

Life span: 6 months (for the replacement working so far)

Voted for 'less than 6 months' based on the experience of the first dashcam.

[unni246]

Voted for more 3+ years

In fact I have 2 dashcams running since more than 8 years now:

1. A Xiaomi YI brand Dashcam which I bough via AliExpress back in 2016 - after 3 years the Lithium ion battery just died and I was unable to find replacements anywhere. Finally had to depend on AliExpress again and got this replaced via a technician. Working fine since then.
This was running on my Tiago and had decent output, but now lying idle as the car has been sold.

2. A Viofo A119 which I bought used from a fellow BHPian as he upgraded.
This was at least couple of years old when I bought around 5 yrs ago.
This one has great output and also as it has supercapacitor just runs fine on my Fiesta
Also did a separate hardwiring as Ford's 12v socket still supplied power while car is turned off.

Lately for the Hexa I acquired a VIOFO A129 PLUS model, given the good history of VIOFO and has great output with both front and back cams.

[CmdrShepard]

Originally Posted by raksrules

Is your time too resetting to some old date? Happens with my 70mai A500 dashcam front and rear). I am losing the date setting frequently. The dashcam is almost 3 years old. Right now I am not bothered to change the dashcam as only date is the issue as it is recording everything fine.

IMO, this is a major cause of concern. If the date resets, the footage would be unusable as evidence in case of an accident right? Lawyers can just say that look at the timestamp, there is no way to verify the authenticity as to date and time

[saket77]

I have 3 dash cameras- 1 Yi and 2 DDPAI Pro Mini.

I bought my first dashcam- Yi Smart Dash Camera from Ali Express in 2018. Bought a Sandisk Xtreme SD card to go with it. That combo is still working perfectly after more than 6 years. It has a Li-Ion battery inside which might have gotten weak by now, but it still holds date/time quite well for the time car is not used. Only thing is that the clock accuracy is not that well- it gets a few minutes ahead in a month or so.

I was looking to get more dashcams for my other cars last year as I used to shuffle the camera from one car to another and wanted to end this shuffling business, so I tried to look for the same model so that I could use the same app and the camera performance was satisfactory anyway. But didn't get the Yi cam anywhere on the internet and I settled for the DD Pai Mini Pro dash camera which seem to work decently for the price of about 4K. So, I am currently using 3 dashcams- Yi dashcam (6 years and counting) in my Honda City, and DDPAI Pro mini (2 pieces both bought in 2024) for my Zen and i20. Too early to comment on DDPAI longevity but the YI dashcam has served exceptionally well.

[mp417]

Great thread! Dashcams have become an essential accessory over the past 1+ year, and for good reason.

I joined the dashcam bandwagon in July 2023 after witnessing multiple instances of road rage in city traffic. Since then, I’ve equipped both my cars with different models to suit their specific usage.

1. WagonR (City Commutes)
Dashcam: NexDigitron Ace Plus (purchased in July 2023, now 1.5+ years old)
Features: Full HD, F1.8, 140° wide-angle lens
Accessories: Added the "NEXDIGITRON Circular Polarizing Lens CPL Filter," but it loosened after a year, and the lens came off the housing.

Pros:

1. Clear video quality
2. Affordable price
3. User-friendly mobile app

Cons:

1. Requires an external SD card
2. GPS is an external fitment, not inbuilt

2. Ertiga (Highway Runs)
Dashcam: 70Mai M500 (purchased in January 2022, now 1+ years old)

Features: 1944p resolution, extended ADAS, built-in GPS, eMMC storage (no external SD card needed)
Pros:

1. Premium build quality
2. Reliable storage with eMMC
3. Parking monitoring option (requires additional hardwiring kit)
4. Extended ADAS (it mostly to discipline the driver but a handy feature)

Cons: None so far

Comparison
Between the two, I feel the NexDigitron offers slightly better video clarity on standard smartphones though it has low resolution than M500. However, the 70Mai M500’s build quality, in-built GPS, and eMMC storage make it more reliable for long-term use.

Both the dash cams are working so far and I have never experienced any glitch

One important consideration is your car’s yearly mileage. Dashcams activate when the ignition is turned on, so for cars with lower yearly mileage, the dashcam components may last longer. So only number of years should not be considered.

[anilsurya1985]

Product: 70Mai Pro (ADAS Module, NON GPS) Front dashcam, 70Mai Dashcam lite for the rear. Both are two different cameras.
Purchased from: Amazon
Price: Approx. Rs.9,000 for the dashcam, Rs: 6,000 for the rear dashcam
Accessories: CPL filter (INR800) for front dashcam only
Status: Works without any issues
Life span: More than 4 years

In November 2020 during monsoons after a heavy rain, the car in front of me in the right-most lane suddenly stopped as the driver did not see the bollards in front. Although, I managed to bring my car to a standstill a cabbie rear-ended me. After that incident, I decided to get a dashcam for my car.

I got 70Mai Pro installed and it has been working fine since then. I changed the dashcam from I10 to create and is working perfectly. I got a CPL filter for the camera but since I installed a 3M antiglare film in the car so CPL filter became useless now.

Since I did not hardwire it to the car battery, the date and time reset to 2018 after 3-4 days if we don't start the car otherwise it works absolutely fine.

[unni246]

Originally Posted by MSC

Only thing missing is the recording in parking mode as the camera switches off, the moment engine is switched off.

Check if the date / time is right as each time if it just switches off quickly with engine, there are chances that inbuilt battery is gone. Without accurate date / time there could be issues when in need and we have to go legal.

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

I’m using a Xiaomi Yi (Non GPS) dashcam which was purchased from Aliexpress back in 2017. Camera works and records videos, the app is ok (disconnects often with the WiFi connection) but battery is dead.

Paid Rs 2700 for the dashcam (+ 1465 as customs duties). No accessories.

I’ve a replacement Li-ion battery which I sourced from Robu. May replace it one of these days.

I too remember buying mine in 2016 at around 3-4K
Just like you in 3 yrs time my li-ion gave off and I had to buy suitable one again via Aliexpress. This had to be soldered if I am not wrong. I am assuming its getting weak again and might be time for another round of replacement. However I am not using this unit now

Originally Posted by ShreyG

Product: Safe Cam front and rear dashcam
Purchased from: Konark Accessories, HSR, Bangalore
Price: Approx. Rs7,500 for the dashcam, fitting and accessories (adapter, wire clips, memory card)
Status: Working fine
Life span: >3 years

I am in no way associated with Konark but would like to give a shoutout to their work ethic and customer experience. I had a couple of oops moments during the 1st few months with the wires and they were replaced and fitted at no charge.

+1 to Konark Team
Got a Viofo A129 plus installed in my Hexa few months ago.
The owner was really helpful with suggestions and had almost all great models in stock (that was a rare in an offline shop)
Plus he matched prices with online Retailers.
What surprised me the most was the way the team did the installation, not only was it quick, but it was done in a very professional way and with utmost care.

Originally Posted by Crow

My Viofo A119 died some time ago. I used it for about 1.5 years. It had two problems:


In case somebody asks, yes the hardwiring kit has a feature that lets you stop drawing power when the battery is low and I’ve enabled it. But it doesn’t really work well. Not sure if these issues are the manufacturer’s fault or the installer’s, but I am disappointed with Viofo because I paid a premium to get a better product and it hasn’t worked out.

So, I’m back to square one: without a dashcam.

Sorry to hear about your issues.
The A119 v2 I have is a pre-owned one and at least 7+ years old now.
Works without any issues.
I did extra wiring (cant really say hardwiring), but its drawing power from a point where power dies when engine is switched off.
Had to do this because the 12v socket in my old Ford Fiesta still draws power when car is turned off.
Only issue I have with this is, any settings to be done you need to unplug the unit and connect to a system to update the settings. Haven't found an alternative as it doesn't support Wifi
Still is a nonsense unit.

[raksrules]

Originally Posted by CmdrShepard

IMO, this is a major cause of concern. If the date resets, the footage would be unusable as evidence in case of an accident right? Lawyers can just say that look at the timestamp, there is no way to verify the authenticity as to date and time

Ok so I found replacement battery on the same website I got dashcam from. I will be ordering this and doing DIY replacement after checking some videos online...

https://www.nexdigitron.com/products/hmc1450

[sinharishi]

• Viofo A119S v2: 2 years, went dark!
• DDPai Mola N3 without GPS: Replacement for Viofo, went dark after 6 months.
• 70mai A500s with GPS: Replacement for Mola N3, sold Scross with dashcam. Used it on Polo for 2 years, sold car with dashcam. Have single-channel on Slavia ~ 2 years. Have dual-channel on Jimny ~ 6 months.

[fiat_tarun]

Blueskysea B1W - Bought off AliExpress in end 2018 and still going strong. The only bug is I need to login to the app once in a while otherwise the date resets.

Ddpai Mola N3 (non GPS) - Bought in Mar. 2022 off Amazon and also still running well. Fingers crossed now since I see a lot of failures for this model in the posts above !

[2000rpm]

Originally Posted by PaddleShifter

Issues with lower life span of a dashcam:
1. Frequent waste of time researching for dashcam online or in stores.
2. Compatibility of accessories with newer dashcam is not a guarantee.
3. A dashcam could be found not working when needed the most.

Something I have been wondering for sometime.

Why havent OEMs started providing Dashcams as standard factory fitment!! We are getting wireless chargers but not Dashcams!!!

[BoneCollector]

I've 3 DashCams from different manufacturers.

1. Transcend DrivePro 220 -
This has been with me since last 10 years. Works fine. There was a time when it was throwing some errors but it all got taken care of with a software update. It was purchased for around 9K. Now I use on long drives either for timelapse videos or for keeping a view on driver side seat and windows for unruly people.

Pros -

• Image quality is good for the day and acceptable for the night.
• The computer interface is great with maps showing exact location due to GPS coordinates incorporated in the videos.
• Separate button for taking snapshots.
• This also has ADAS features like lane departure warning & forward collision warning.

Cons -

• Suction mount was useless. It would fall off on many occasions.
• Bulky and easily visible from outside.
• Support of SD card only upto 64GB.

2. Viofo 129A Dual Channel
This has been with me for around 8 years. This is a dual camera one and is doing great. It does duty on my Brezza. It was purchased from Banggood for 11K.

Pros -

• Great videos and good clarity.
• Trouble free as yet.
• Adhesive mount has been there since it was installed.
• Supports upto 128GB card.
• Has GPS.

Cons -

• The phone app takes time to get used to.

3. 70mai Pro Plus A500S Dual Channel
This is nearing 3 years. It is doing duty on my Wagon R. It was purchased for 10.5K

Pros -

• Good image quality.
• Adhesive mount is good.
• Has GPS.

Cons -

• Not happy with the software. The time resets to default every few days.
• Both cameras have different resolutions.

If I've to rank them as per my preference, I'll rate Viofo followed by Transcend and then 70mai.

I've also used a Blaupunkt and a Chinese make dashcam but they didn't last long.