Mobius or Viofo A119

Hermes14

Member
Joined
Apr 1, 2017
Messages
97
Reaction score
98
Location
Randburg
Country
South Africa
Dash Cam
Viofo A1119s
The more I search the more I seem to come back to these two.
The three requirements I am looking for in a dashcam is stealth, definition, super capacitor, It must be able to handle the heat over here I South Africa & I would like it to be hard wired into my car.
A screen & WDR isn't important.
I don't want GPRS unless it can assist me in tracking my car if it is stolen.
I have been to that our climate is very similar to Australia so a camera that can handle the heat there should be alright here.
I have looked locally & one of the main problems they have with the dashcams here is the freeze when they get hot
 
Sorry guys I forgot to ask a few questions (been a long day)
I want to be able to capture number plate I know it take skill to get that right but I am looking for something that is capable of doing it.
I was thinking of getting the Mobius with an extended lens, attach the dvr to my roof so that it is not in direct sunlight & attach the camera to my windscreen. (if that is not going to affect the quality of my footage I would prefer this method).
My second option would be to attach it to my windscreen without the extended lens.
Closer to the end of the year I will be looking for a better-quality camera & would like to use this one as a rear camera so this is also an important factor.

Which camera do you think would be the better choice?
 
mobius 1 is more stealth, more reliable (has proved by time)
A119 has better image quality.
Your call
 
Sorry guys I forgot to ask a few questions (been a long day)
I want to be able to capture number plate I know it take skill to get that right but I am looking for something that is capable of doing it.
I was thinking of getting the Mobius with an extended lens, attach the dvr to my roof so that it is not in direct sunlight & attach the camera to my windscreen. (if that is not going to affect the quality of my footage I would prefer this method).
My second option would be to attach it to my windscreen without the extended lens.
Closer to the end of the year I will be looking for a better-quality camera & would like to use this one as a rear camera so this is also an important factor.

Which camera do you think would be the better choice?
for capture plate, you should chose lens A, dont chose lens C.
And with lens A, mobius will has a better chance to catch than A119.
 
Will the extension weaken the quality of the footage or will it not really make that much difference?
 
The length of the extension cable available from the manufacturer is tested to work without any issues or loss in quality. I too bought an extension cable thinking It'll help 'stealthify' the install further but the Mobius is so tiny and discreet, doesn't really need the extension cable for a front install IMO.
 
Because the Mobius uses a standard 1/4-20 'tripod thread' for mounting it's easy to male your own mount system which will keep the cam out of direct sun yet still aim it where you want it. I used a short metal bracket and a bolt: https://dashcamtalk.com/forum/attachments/p8240032-jpg.25523/

The main issue with Mobius is that it's outdated and better images are available from newer hardware. In it's favor are that it's nearly bomb-proof, and it gives the best images achievable with that sensor/chipset. Many run Mobius in high-heat, and some run it 24/7 too and it has a history of utter reliability. Other cams might do equally well or better, but that kind of usage history is lacking for them. The A119 series cams seem to be good but are so new that nobody can yet assure you that they will do equally well in your climate, so between these two I'd choose Mobius right now.

Phil
 
Because the Mobius uses a standard 1/4-20 'tripod thread' for mounting it's easy to male your own mount system which will keep the cam out of direct sun yet still aim it where you want it. I used a short metal bracket and a bolt: https://dashcamtalk.com/forum/attachments/p8240032-jpg.25523/

The main issue with Mobius is that it's outdated and better images are available from newer hardware. In it's favor are that it's nearly bomb-proof, and it gives the best images achievable with that sensor/chipset. Many run Mobius in high-heat, and some run it 24/7 too and it has a history of utter reliability. Other cams might do equally well or better, but that kind of usage history is lacking for them. The A119 series cams seem to be good but are so new that nobody can yet assure you that they will do equally well in your climate, so between these two I'd choose Mobius right now.

Phil
I like your home made bracket idea much better than sticking it to the windscreen.
You don't get as much direct sunlight in the lens & it has less chance of being damaged in an accident.
Number plate & facial is important as well as date & time stamp printed on the footage if you want to use it as evidence in a South African court.
A few months back one of my security guards caught someone stealing.
It should have been an open & closed case with all the evidence I submitted to the court but the defense attorney argued that the person in the cctv footage wasn't the accused.
All the guard had to do was say that the accused was the one he court stealing but the guard got scared & disappeared, eventually the case got kicked out of court.
I wouldn't like the same thing to happen if someone bumps my car & drives away.
 
Capturing number plates is hit-or-miss with any cam. Mobius does OK in daytime, some other cams are somewhat better. At night Mobius isn't very good save for up close with some light or a bit further off with some extra light. Cams with Sony sensors are better at night- this is one area where Mobius shows it's age. Still there is no cam which can assure you of good plate pics so Mobius doesn't really lag much overall.

Dashcams are best used to show that you did nothing wrong to protect you against false claims. Anything else they give is a bonus and cannot be counted on to be totally reliable. It just can't happen at these prices/ sizes/ usage conditions. You're still better off with one; it might get you the evidence you need and it will certainly be better than your testimony alone ;)

Phil
 
If any other South African's are looking for a dashcam, I purchased a A119s Spytec yesterday.
They are one of the few companies that do ship to South Africa.
I have asked for it to be sent registered post as we know what out post office services are like.
They do have the option to courier it but the price is a bit hefty for one item.
I found the staff very helpful.
I will give a further update when I receive it.

I have been looking at the Gearbest website.
They say they do ship to South Africa but the A119S has been out of stock for the last few weeks.
 
Spytec’s service was very impressive up to the point where an investigation needed to be started.

From that point on my rating for them dropped from Hero to Zero.

On 7th July Spytec acknowledged that my dashcam they sent via USPS first class post was missing & reshipped a new order.

After spending over an hour on three different occasion to the United States Postal Service I was still unable to speak to anybody & had to eventually resort to social media (their facebook page) to get hold of someone.

I contacted the South African Post Office & they say that neither of the parcels have entered South Africa.

United States Postal service have acknowledged the first parcel is missing & told me they are trying to locate it.

The tracking information they provide says that the first left the USPS Regional Facility at Jamaica New York International distribution Center on 9th June & the second left on 8th July but they are unable to tell me where they sent it to.



So far I have spent R900.00 on telephone calls & $167.00 ON A DASHCAM & accessories & still don’t have a dashcam.
 
Sorry to hear of your problems :( That Jamaica NY postal facility has a bad reputation for losing things and slow service too.

SpyTec used to be a top-notch company but in the last couple years there have been quite a number of problems reported with their after-sales services. They used to have an active presence here on DCT but they shifted over to another cam website where the site owner fawns over them and their advertising money to the point of deleting any posts casting SpyTec in a bad light :eek: SpyTec no longer seem to care about their customers. I can no longer recommend them in good conscience :mad:

I don't know how SA is regards importing dashcams and such, but if you can still get your money back I'd do that and see if @viofo could hook you up with a better seller who can ship to there.

Phil
 
Sorry to hear of your problems :( That Jamaica NY postal facility has a bad reputation for losing things and slow service too.
SpyTec used to be a top-notch company but in the last couple years there have been quite a number of problems reported with their after-sales services. They used to have an active presence here on DCT but they shifted over to another cam website where the site owner fawns over them and their advertising money to the point of deleting any posts casting SpyTec in a bad light :eek: SpyTec no longer seem to care about their customers. I can no longer recommend them in good conscience :mad:
I don't know how SA is regards importing dashcams and such, but if you can still get your money back I'd do that and see if @viofo could hook you up with a better seller who can ship to there.
Phil
Spytec has made a bit of an effort, on the 8th July they reshipped they order at their expense, but it looks like they don't know how to trace their own parcels.

The South African Post Office haven't got a reputation of loosing parcels, but that is mainly parcels without a tracking number.
With the recent arrests at OR Thambo international airport, ( used to be Jan Smuts Airport) there is quite a bit of office furniture being moved around & all employees at the airport including Post office employees working there are sitting on edge.
http://m.news24.com/news24/SouthAfr...pended-in-or-tambo-security-clean-up-20170721
I have put a bit of pressure on The South African Post Office & they say neither of the two parcels have entered South Africa.
Currently all fingers are point to USPS.
The tracking information on both parcels are exactly the same.
I have blacked out the tracking number but from the tracking information the last place Jamaica NY, International Distribution Center.
Now from USPS International Center on 9th June 2017 at 11:58pm where did they send the parcel?

upload_2017-7-29_12-30-29.png
 
For international parcels, as per my experience, USPS's tracking sucks!

I received two parcels via USPS recently, both delivered within a week but the tracking still shows that they haven't left the US, many days after being delivered. Very slow and inaccurate updation.
 
For international parcels, as per my experience, USPS's tracking sucks!

I received two parcels via USPS recently, both delivered within a week but the tracking still shows that they haven't left the US, many days after being delivered. Very slow and inaccurate updation.
That is most probably why Amazon will only use courier services to South Africa.
If I knew USPS tracking services was so bad, I would never have used them.
If this is the case & USPS can confirm that they have sent it to South Africa, I will definitely be demanding some answers from the South African Post Office.
In future I know I must only use a courier service when ordering something from USA.but that doesn't help me at the moment.
 
In all fairness to USPS (not my favorite organization by any definition) once it leaves their hands, as it appears it has in these cases, their only ability to track an item is by status reporting by whatever organization that does have custody.
 
In all fairness to USPS (not my favorite organization by any definition) once it leaves their hands, as it appears it has in these cases, their only ability to track an item is by status reporting by whatever organization that does have custody.
What I am trying to find out is when it left their hand, where did it go to? (Jamaica NY, International Distribution Center)
Surely someone must have fetch it from them or one of their employees must have taken it to a certain place. Who picked it up or where did their employee take it to.
If they put it a container to be shipped oversees, how was it shipped (e.g.by air or by see) & what was the destination of the shipment?
I am hoping a leprecorn didn't pick it up at the USPS distro center.
I have heard some funny stories about those little tricksters.
 
There is always a chain of custody. Unless the next entity in the chain of custody acknowledges and verifies receipt and status of a parcel it cannot get logged into the system, even of it has been shipped out by USPS and has left the country. USPS has excellent and timely tracking within US borders but once it is out of their hands there is not much they can do as they can't provide data they don't have. Many foreign shipping services and postal services are notoriously slow to provide data. Some don't even bother, or may only show an item to have been delivered long after the fact. Some countries are worse or better than others. Generally, private couriers like FedEx or DHL who handle deliveries end-to-end are able to provide up to the minute tracking. If that's what you want or require, then avoid government or regional postal services altogether, from any country .
 
Last edited:
Due to the reputation of the South African Post Office, I am suspecting that is disappeared when before it reached customs, but that is only an assumption , they can give me the middle finger & there is not much I can do about it.
If USPS can confirm that they sent it to OR Thambo airport or Capetown airport, I can then start asking question.
It doesn't matter if South Africa doesn't acknowledge receipt of it, but while USPS can't confirm that they have sent it to South Africa, my hands are tied.
Clearly I can now see why Amazon send anything to South Africa via the Post Office, even if it has got a tracking number.
In future I will only have parcels couriered.
One thing I do find a bit strange though is that & one week after I bought ny dashcam, I bought a cable for my car from ebay I also specifically stated I need a tracking number.
The tracking shows that it was shipped from China & is currently at OR Thambo Airport.
 
Due to the reputation of the South African Post Office, I am suspecting that is disappeared when before it reached customs, but that is only an assumption , they can give me the middle finger & there is not much I can do about it.
If USPS can confirm that they sent it to OR Thambo airport or Capetown airport, I can then start asking question.
It doesn't matter if South Africa doesn't acknowledge receipt of it, but while USPS can't confirm that they have sent it to South Africa, my hands are tied.
Clearly I can now see why Amazon send anything to South Africa via the Post Office, even if it has got a tracking number.
In future I will only have parcels couriered.
One thing I do find a bit strange though is that & one week after I bought ny dashcam, I bought a cable for my car from ebay I also specifically stated I need a tracking number.
The tracking shows that it was shipped from China & is currently at OR Thambo Airport.

Tracking is a fickle thing sometimes. Several years ago I sold an expensive view camera lens to a fellow in Holland and shipped via USPS. It appeared to have arrived in the country on time but the buyer couldn't get any information from his local post office and I couldn't get anything definitive from USPS. It was as if the package had disappeared once it got to Holland. Maybe it was stolen? I requested an investigation from USPS which apparently I had a right to do because I had purchased insurance on the parcel and it was required before I could file a claim anyway. They cautioned me that it could take awhile. Luckily for me the buyer was very nice about the whole thing and accepted my promise to make things right by him regardless of the outcome. He had tried to get information from his local post office but they would tell him nothing. Long story short, after a month had gone by while we were both waiting for the results of the investigation, the package was suddenly delivered to the buyer. It turned out that it had been sitting in Dutch customs the whole time. About a week later, I got word from USPS that the item had been delivered but they were not able to provide any details. I can only assume that the Dutch postal service wouldn't provide any interim data except to confirm delivery. Maybe they didn't want to admit that it had been sitting in customs that long?

Every country is different but we are all at the mercy of the bureaucrats.

Sounds like a private courier would be the best option in the future.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top