How do I know if it's working?

Old Grumpy

New Member
Joined
May 27, 2018
Messages
11
Reaction score
3
Country
United Kingdom
Nextbase 512GW. When the screen saver blanks the screen, how can I tell if the dash cam is recording as there doesn't appear to be any indication, lights, etc.?
 
Check the memory card and see if you've recorded any files.

Unfortunate that it doesn't have a recording indicator pilot light. To my mind that is an essential feature on a dash cam.
 
Check the memory card and see if you've recorded any files.

Unfortunate that it doesn't have a recording indicator pilot light. To my mind that is an essential feature on a dash cam.

Thanks Dashmellow. That's confirmed what I thought, i.e. there's no visible indication when it's recording if the screen saver is on. That would appear to be a flaw.
 
Nextbase 512GW. When the screen saver blanks the screen, how can I tell if the dash cam is recording as there doesn't appear to be any indication, lights, etc.?

According to the user manual:

1322620683b31f3a6546342f12d1a582.png


Edit: Never mind. I misread your post. Didn’t register you were asking for when the screen isn’t lit up.
 
Last edited:
According to the user manual:

1322620683b31f3a6546342f12d1a582.png

LOL! If the screen display was on, I'd know if it was recording! My question related to when the screen saver blanks the screen.

Yeah I must have been editing my post while you were replying. I realized I hadn’t registered that you were asking for when the screen is off which I edited in my OP.
 
When I first started using dash cams eight years ago, the only ones available were basically generics from China that had a tendency to be quite unreliable and it was common to discover the recording had stopped when you least expected it. This left me with somewhat of a permanent paranoia that this might occur (and it still does on very rare occasions) and so I'm in the habit of periodically glancing at my cams to make sure all is well. Some cameras have a slowly blinking LED and some a solidly lit one. Some cameras even have an audible alarm if they stop recording. I can't imagine a well known dash cam manufacturer not including this mission critical functionality.
 
@Old Grumpy, I'm not personally familiar with the Nextbase 512GW so I had no reason not to accept what you are reporting but after thinking about this a bit, I found it hard to believe that a camera like the 512GW wouldn't have such a feature as a recording indicator light so I went over to their web site and downloaded the instruction manual. Apparently, this camera does indeed feature an LED recording indicator that should flash RED during operation. Perhaps your unit has a problem if you are not seeing the multi-indicator light?

nextbase.jpg
 
When I first started using dash cams eight years ago, the only ones available were basically generics from China that had a tendency to be quite unreliable and it was common to discover the recording had stopped when you least expected it. This left me with somewhat of a permanent paranoia that this might occur (and it still does on very rare occasions) and so I'm in the habit of periodically glancing at my cams to make sure all is well. Some cameras have a slowly blinking LED and some a solidly lit one. Some cameras even have an audible alarm if they stop recording. I can't imagine a well known dash cam manufacturer not including this mission critical functionality.

It does seem odd. Of course I may have a faulty unit but I can't see any indication that the dash cam is working once the screen saver cuts in. I had an SD card full of video clips, so assume it works at least most of the time but short of checking each clip or at least the date & time of each one, I won't know whether there's a chance of it missing that one vital moment!
 
It does seem odd. Of course I may have a faulty unit but I can't see any indication that the dash cam is working once the screen saver cuts in. I had an SD card full of video clips, so assume it works at least most of the time but short of checking each clip or at least the date & time of each one, I won't know whether there's a chance of it missing that one vital moment!

If the indicator light shown in the instruction manual graphic doesn't light up, your camera is indeed faulty. It should be clearly visible under most lighting conditions and function as stated in the manual. That light is there specifically for when the screen is blank.
 
@Old Grumpy, I'm not personally familiar with the Nextbase 512GW so I had no reason not to accept what you are reporting but after thinking about this a bit, I found it hard to believe that a camera like the 512GW wouldn't have such a feature as a recording indicator light so I went over to their web site and downloaded the instruction manual. Apparently, this camera does indeed feature an LED recording indicator that should flash RED during operation. Perhaps your unit has a problem if you are not seeing the multi-indicator light?

View attachment 38462

Dashmellow. What a clever person you are. If I'd re-read the manual again, I'd have seen that! HOWEVER , the reason why I couldn't see any recording indicator is that although it is there. The light is not visible from the rear of the device, only from the underside!!!
 
Always good to read the manual and then re-read it if something isn't quite right! :)

I'm surprised the light isn't visible from behind the camera but only from below. I would think it should be visible from behind, especially with the way it appears to be designed.
 
Always good to read the manual and then re-read it if something isn't quite right! :)

I'm surprised the light isn't visible from behind the camera but only from below. I would think it should be visible from behind, especially with the way it appears to be designed.

Me too. The clear plastic lens wraps around the bevelled edge at the rear/base of the unit but the led light only shows through the bottom part of that lens. If I tilt the camera so it's pointing to the ground, I can see the light clearly but of course that's not much use for funtionality! To be able to see the light from a normal driving position, I would need to position the camera about a foot above the top of my windscreen (windshield)!! I have e-mailed Nextbase support and await their reply with eager anticipation. If I don't get a satisfactory response, I may dismantle the unit and see if the LED has any leeway for movement (or I may just assume the dash cam does work when it's supposed to!) Thank you for your assistance.
 
@Old Grumpy, I'm not personally familiar with the Nextbase 512GW so I had no reason not to accept what you are reporting but after thinking about this a bit, I found it hard to believe that a camera like the 512GW wouldn't have such a feature as a recording indicator light so I went over to their web site and downloaded the instruction manual. Apparently, this camera does indeed feature an LED recording indicator that should flash RED during operation. Perhaps your unit has a problem if you are not seeing the multi-indicator light?

View attachment 38462

I completely missed that when I went through the manual myself. Always good to have multiple members helping out. What one person misses, someone else always picks up on. [emoji2][emoji106]
 
Nextbase 512GW. When the screen saver blanks the screen, how can I tell if the dash cam is recording as there doesn't appear to be any indication, lights, etc.?

Very prompt reply from Nextbase Support. It would appear that some users complained the indicator light showing to the rear of the unit was too bright. They've cured that by now making it invisible! That's progress for you!! :)
 
It certainly shouldn't be invisible this is sat directly under 30ft worth of LED strip lighting brighter than most conditions outside: https://we.tl/7O7vWAHNhe

If yours is invisible can you email me a photo/video so I can take a look for you?
 
It certainly shouldn't be invisible this is sat directly under 30ft worth of LED strip lighting brighter than most conditions outside: https://we.tl/7O7vWAHNhe

If yours is invisible can you email me a photo/video so I can take a look for you?

Have replied by e-mail but for the benefit of viewers, I include my response below:-

"I'm struggling to get a video clear enough to see properly. See attached. In bright daylight, I just cannot see the light from the rear. If I close the curtains to make the room dark I can see the light dimly.

In the video you posted the link to on the dash cam forum, the dash cam has been angled so that the base of the unit can be seen. That's cheating! If I put mine at that angle, I would be able to see the light dimly but I would only be filming the top of my dashboard, not the road ahead! Try re-making your video with the dash cam at the normal angle it would be mounted in a car and you'll see what the problem is." ;)
 
When its on the windscreen that is usually at or above eye level.

It's not looking directly up at the unit from the bottom.

What does your look like? Is it similar to this?
 
When its on the windscreen that is usually at or above eye level.

It's not looking directly up at the unit from the bottom.

What does your look like? Is it similar to this?

Not quite sure what you mean. The dash cam, when fitted in my car is just above eye level. In daylight, I cannot see the indicator light at the rear of the unit. I would have to crick my neck and look up from underneath to be able to see it. I accept that it would just be possible to see the light from the rear in darkness but certainly not in daylight.
 
I have mentioned in the last that my only gripe with my 412gw is that the led recording/charging indicator is too dull therefore your not able to tell whether it’s recording or not? Would of liked it slighter brighter as it’s almost impossible to see during the summer months...the winter months aren’t too bad tbh
 
Back
Top