F800 installed

All appears not to bode well for the release of the F800 in it's current form, I am keen to fit a dash cam to my Grand-Daughters car, I have in mind fitting my F770 which I purchased earlier this year and purchasing the F800 to replace it in my vehicle, but currently I get the impression all is not well and it's been released too soon given the bugs and non availability of the rear camera.

Max.
 
I did uninstall and reinstalled the Android app yesterday..it said it was updated on Aug 10th, not Aug 11th.

Sorry, I should have stated that I was referring to the iPhone version of the app.
 
The rear camera is available. I have one installed with the F800. Model number is BCFH-200.

Where is it available? I just searched Google for any vendors in the US, as well as the Amazon, Best Buy, and even Thinkware websites.
 
View attachment 32631 View attachment 32632 Just purchased the F800 to replace my F750. Some observations:

  1. As others have noted, Thinkware has moved to an even more complicated mode of connectivity between your phone and the camera for initial setup, configuration, live video monitoring, and downloading of recordings.
    1. It now requires that the user's phone be put into personal hotspot mode (wireless tethering) such that the camera connects as a wifi client to the phone, which also gives the camera Internet connectivity if the phone has a mobile data connection.
    2. I believe this is a HUGE mistake on the part of Thinkware. Not all service providers and/or plans allow the personal hotspot/tethering feature to be activated. For those that do, typically this connection is limited to a small amount of Internet data or an additional service charge. It is unclear at this point what Thinkware intends to use this connectivity for, but it is obvious that they are at least sending/receiving some data to their servers because it announces a successful Internet connection.
    3. This means that just to configure the F800 you MUST have a mobile phone AND active personal hotspot data sharing (tethering) turned on. You also need these to take advantage of wireless downloading of recordings and live viewing for camera positioning. This is not smart on Thinkware's part.
    4. The walkthrough to establish this hotspot connection is poorly executed, confusing, prone to user error, and seemingly unstable.
    5. After making any configuration changes, I had to physically power off the camera to get the changes to "stick" even though they were stated as saved in the mobile app. If I did't power off the camera and instead just continued to other app functions or disconnected the mobile app, the changes reverted to previous.
  2. The unit is slightly smaller than the F750, but essentially the same form factor.
    1. Pictures attached. F800 mounted, F750 held for comparison.
    2. The unit is about 10% thinner.
    3. The mount is changed and more flush to the windshield.
    4. The hardwired power cable can be re-used from a F750 installation.
    5. The 3M tape is (finally) black rather than white, making for a more stealth appearance from the outside.
  3. It appears that the lower "WiFi" LED, which faces into the interior of the car, continuously flashes bright blue when not connected to the phone's hotspot (normal daily operation) and cannot be turned off.
  4. The rear-facing camera for the F800 is not yet available, and the previous version from the F750 is not compatible (although the cable is).
  5. I will report back after some recording time with comparisons of video quality both during the day and at night.

Yesterday I completed the setup for the ADAS. Big Surprise, nothing worked.
 
I received mine with the rear camera this past Wednesday from blackboxmycar.com
 
They are a member here and you can tag them like this:
@BlackboxMyCar

Now they will get a notification of this thread and hopefully be able to hook you up with the rear cam you want ;)


Phil
 
Where is it available? I just searched Google for any vendors in the US, as well as the Amazon, Best Buy, and even Thinkware websites.
@BlackboxMyCar aweome vendor. They have the rear camera. I suggest buying the F800, rear camera, and wiring kit from them.
 
@BlackboxMyCar aweome vendor. They have the rear camera. I suggest buying the F800, rear camera, and wiring kit from them.
Funny because when I asked blackboxmycar.ca yesterday if they sold the F800, I was told that it was not available in Canada and to wait for the pro version instead. I suspect they pulled it off their Canadain site until Bestbuy is done with their -$100 off sale so they won't have to deal with price matching. Btw, the thinkware hardwire kit is cheaper at bestbuy too.
 
I received mine with the rear camera this past Wednesday from blackboxmycar.com
It doesn’t look like they offer the rear camera as a separate purchase, just as a bundled option.
 
I can't offer advice on this at the moment as we still don't have them in the UK yet. I have a pre production model but there is every chance that's a bit different from the final product....
 
I just checked blackboxmycar.com and blackboxmycar.ca. They have the F800 rear camera as a separate purchase. I think it was updated yesterday.
 
You have to pick the right camera. There are 3 different cameras available. Right under the stars and the review, there is a drop down menu titled "UNITS". Pick the F800 one and click add to cart.

Note: the bullets are not written well and they do not change based on the camera selection.
 
F82B3068-BF97-4ED8-A70F-539F869C7D41.jpeg
You have to pick the right camera. There are 3 different cameras available. Right under the stars and the review, there is a drop down menu titled "UNITS". Pick the F800 one and click add to cart.

Note: the bullets are not written well and they do not change based on the camera selection.

Agreed. Very confusing. Bullets conflict and do not represent selection.
 
I think it is sort of Thinkware Marketing team's fault. First of all, they changed the design of the F770 camera so it requires an angled cable; however, the camera is exactly the same as the older camera for the X500 and F750,...etc.

They made a whole new camera for the F800; however, it looks identical to the camera used for F770 and X500. To make matters more interesting, there was no mention anywhere of the F800 rear camera model number and/or part number. I purchased a few F750 camera and returned it thinking they were defective. After a few trips to best buy, it was then I realized the F800 requires a different rear camera.

If you know that know, then you are in a better position than I am.
 
They made a whole new camera for the F800; however, it looks identical to the camera used for F770 and X500

So does the F800 version of the rear cam require the right angle connector? I sure hope not, because I don’t want to have to run a new cable and Thinkware informed me that I could reuse the rear camera cable from my F750.
 
It comes with a right angled connector but depends on where you install the dashcam, the straight cable should be ok. The right angle cable will be useful if you plan to put the dashcam beside the mirror and there is no room for a straight cable to fit.
 
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