Buffered Parking mode

[Tis]

OK I just had some experience with the new v1.9 firmware.

• Parking mode overnight: everything seems OK, several 45 second clips (pitch dark, no clear indication of why the clips were filmed. Possibly the blinking alarm LED on the dashboard, I need to cover that or whatever).
• Going for a 10 minute drive: everything OK, entire trip was filmed.
• Parking mode while parked: everything seems OK, several 45 second clips of actual events.
• But then there was a problem while driving back home; another roughly 10 minute trip: this wasn't filmed at all! I noticed upon arrival that the red [Rec] LED was blinking fast.

 

[CaptnEric]

I don't see the wifi password show up on my screen

The SSID and password are displayed on screen when you turn wifi on

 

[CaptnEric]

It is not recommended to have WiFi always on, as it significantly affects image quality by reducing the video bitrate.

I don't use WiFi on the the A129, but if I did it would only be for a very short duration, so the chance of someone else connecting to the camera is remote.

I understand that @TonyM, I don't have the wifi on either unless I have to change settings. My issue is with the password being displayed. Not worried about random strangers on the street but say I take my car to the mechanic and he or his apprentice decides to play around with the dashcam or look at footage etc. Worse...even delete footage. The wifi password should not be easily displayed and perhaps a 4 digit pincode could be used to access the dash cam's menu so the settings can't be changed by everybody or files accessed

 

[jokiin]

Camera has a screen and a menu, they don't need wifi to view or delete files

 

[CaptnEric]

Camera has a screen and a menu, they don't need wifi to view or delete files

Exactly my point and why having a 4 digit pin to enter the cam's menu would be a great idea

 

[TonyM]

Mechanics must see cars with dashcams all the time. I'm sure they have far better and more interesting things to do than watch or delete someone's video files. The worst they normally do is unplug dashcams so they aren't recorded at work.

 

[CaptnEric]

Mechanics must see cars with dashcams all the time. I'm sure they have far better and more interesting things to do than watch or delete someone's video files. The worst they normally do is unplug dashcams so they aren't recorded at work.

I suppose I'm.just paranoid lol

 

[Gooffeyguy]

If someone other than you wants the video footage bad enough they'll just remove and take the SD card.

No messing with menus or pin codes

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[Dashmellow]

I suppose I'm.just paranoid lol

You can't be too careful these days!

 

[Gooffeyguy]

My dashcam doesn't download email, so I'm safe! .... Lol

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[StrayCam]

You can't be too careful these days!
View attachment 47532

Hmmmm... I'm not buying the idea of an email causing my computer to blow up or a signal sent to my dashcam blowing me to smithereens... Maybe I'm a bit naive!

 

[StrayCam]

I checked out fw 1.9 and all seems to be working fine. However, even though I have parking mode/motion detection set to low, the dashcam picks up trees slightly blowing 50 yards away. One work-around on that could be to lower the dash cam view so the view is not picking up the moving tree tops or whatever motion from far away is setting off the video trigger. You'd obviously be seeing more of your car hood or trunk/back area above your car seat, but that would be no big deal.

 

[Dashmellow]

I checked out fw 1.9 and all seems to be working fine. However, even though I have parking mode/motion detection set to low, the dashcam picks up trees slightly blowing 50 yards away. One work-around on that could be to lower the dash cam view so the view is not picking up the moving tree tops or whatever motion from far away is setting off the video trigger. You'd obviously be seeing more of your car hood or trunk/back area above your car seat, but that would be no big deal.

That's the problem with motion detection on dash cams; either you get false triggers or the camera may fail to record. Motion detection is really a technology from the CCTV industry that is intended for use in a static environment such as a warehouse, office environment or retail space at night when no one is around. I can see it being used for dash cams in a similar static environment such as a parking garage. Outdoors, there are numerous things that cause false triggers such the aforementioned trees blowing in the wind and also pedestrians, stray animals, birds flying past, moving clouds etc. can all trigger the camera. Now in my ninth year of dash cam use and experience has taught me to avoid motion detection entirely.

Most CCTV systems have the capability to mask off areas within a grid where you do not want motion detection to function specifically for avoiding false triggers or for designating a zone of capture where you anticipate motion such as a doorway. Does the A129 have this? If not, and if the DSP is capable perhaps it would be a good addition to the buffered parking mode feature? One could create a "bubble of motion detection" within a designated distance surrounding one's vehicle.

Here masking is used on a CCTV cam to avoid triggers from the motion of the trees.

 

[StrayCam]

That's the problem with motion detection on dash cams; either you get false triggers or the camera may fail to record. Motion detection is really a technology from the CCTV industry that is intended for use in a static environment such as a warehouse, office environment or retail space at night when no one is around. I can see it being used for dash cams in a similar static environment such as a parking garage. Outdoors, there are numerous things that cause false triggers such the aforementioned trees blowing in the wind and also pedestrians, stray animals, birds flying past, moving clouds etc. can all trigger the camera. Now in my ninth year of dash cam use and experience has taught me to avoid motion detection entirely.

Most CCTV systems have the capability to mask off areas within a grid where you do not want motion detection to function specifically for avoiding false triggers or for designating a zone of capture where you anticipate motion such as a doorway. Does the A129 have this? If not, and if the DSP is capable perhaps it would be a good addition to the buffered parking mode feature? One could create a "bubble of motion detection" within a designated distance surrounding one's vehicle.

Here masking is used to avoid triggers from the motion of the trees.

View attachment 47535

Dashmellow-

You've obviously got more experience than me! 9 years vs 3 or 4 weeks...lol....

So, one way of achieving the "mask" without new settings/adjustments from Viofo would be to lower the horizon line on your camera if you find yourself in that blowing tree environment routinely. Just a slight hassle, but would only take 2 seconds to click the lens down a bit.

Since you don't use motion detection, what do you use when parked? Low-bit rate parking mode? Whatever you use, how is it working for you? As a new person to the dashcam worlk, I'd like to take the best approach to all this. Thanks!

 

[Dashmellow]

Dashmellow-

You've obviously got more experience than me! 9 years vs 3 or 4 weeks...lol....

So, one way of achieving the "mask" without new settings/adjustments from Viofo would be to lower the horizon line on your camera if you find yourself in that blowing tree environment routinely. Just a slight hassle, but would only take 2 seconds to click the lens down a bit.

Since you don't use motion detection, what do you use when parked? Low-bit rate parking mode? Whatever you use, how is it working for you? As a new person to the dashcam worlk, I'd like to take the best approach to all this. Thanks!

I guess you could adjust each time if you wanted to. I would imagine that each environment you park in would be different though so it might require a different adjustment each time. I think this would drive me bonkers having to aim the camera each time and I'm 100% sure that sooner or later I would drive off without remembering to put the lens back where it belongs.

To answer your question, I run four cameras in full time recording "Parking mode" using two power banks. I've been doing this for approximately 5 years now with at least one camera at a time back when I started. In fact, I think I might be the first person here on DCT to start experimenting with "parking mode" of any sort. Somewhere around here there's some old posts from me about it.

I can run the cameras for many hours at a time, (usually two to six or more). This technique is not practical for any sort of 24/7 use but nowadays with the advent of lower cost large capacity memory cards and higher capacity power banks, longer term full time recording may well be achieved. Recording full time when parked requires a certain amount of caution and common sense both with your cameras and with the power banks, especially in extremely hot weather. I can probably get away with this because I live in northern New England whereas someone in Arizona probably shouldn't even consider it. Another factor is that I live in a relatively low crime area where I can leave my windows partially open in hot weather and not feel too concerned about security.

EDIT: It's nearly 100º F outside today and if I were out and about in my truck I would probably elect not to use any parking mode recording until after dark.

 

[DarthMaul]

That's the problem with motion detection on dash cams; either you get false triggers or the camera may fail to record. Motion detection is really a technology from the CCTV industry that is intended for use in a static environment such as a warehouse, office environment or retail space at night when no one is around. I can see it being used for dash cams in a similar static environment such as a parking garage. Outdoors, there are numerous things that cause false triggers such the aforementioned trees blowing in the wind and also pedestrians, stray animals, birds flying past, moving clouds etc. can all trigger the camera. Now in my ninth year of dash cam use and experience has taught me to avoid motion detection entirely.

Most CCTV systems have the capability to mask off areas within a grid where you do not want motion detection to function specifically for avoiding false triggers or for designating a zone of capture where you anticipate motion such as a doorway. Does the A129 have this? If not, and if the DSP is capable perhaps it would be a good addition to the buffered parking mode feature? One could create a "bubble of motion detection" within a designated distance surrounding one's vehicle.

Here masking is used on a CCTV cam to avoid triggers from the motion of the trees.

View attachment 47535

I believe Thinkware F800 Pro has this feature.

 

[Dashmellow]

I believe Thinkware F800 Pro has this feature.

Interesting, thanks for the info. It would be interesting to hear of any other dash cams that can do motion detection masking.

 

[jokiin]

Exactly my point and why having a 4 digit pin to enter the cam's menu would be a great idea

then they'd just take the card out to view your files

 

[jokiin]

You can't be too careful these days!

this was from another forum, not a bomb but still questionable, poor response from the retailer

Purchased a low cost ($80 ) dash cam (Kogan branded) just for occasional international travel use.
Formatted the SDCard in the dash cam as instructed. When I removed the SD card and tried to view it on a pc my AV blocked it as X2Player.exe infected by malware.
I tried this a few times with the same result. Managed to get the file up to www.virustotal and 40 AV engines detected the malware.
I contacted Kogan and informed them. The initial response was"this is not a manufacturing defect so the warranty does not apply".
Second reply after I pushed them was"Please provide a photo of the malware ". I had already provided a screen shot of both may av blocking it and virustotal.
I reasonably thought that a company would be concerned about selling products infected with malware but they still seem to be fighting it.
Time to talk to ACCC me thinks

 

[Dashmellow]

this was from another forum, not a bomb but still questionable, poor response from the retailer

Purchased a low cost ($80 ) dash cam (Kogan branded) just for occasional international travel use.
Formatted the SDCard in the dash cam as instructed. When I removed the SD card and tried to view it on a pc my AV blocked it as X2Player.exe infected by malware.
I tried this a few times with the same result. Managed to get the file up to www.virustotal and 40 AV engines detected the malware.
I contacted Kogan and informed them. The initial response was"this is not a manufacturing defect so the warranty does not apply".
Second reply after I pushed them was"Please provide a photo of the malware ". I had already provided a screen shot of both may av blocking it and virustotal.
I reasonably thought that a company would be concerned about selling products infected with malware but they still seem to be fighting it.
Time to talk to ACCC me thinks

Gotta' love the propensity of some sellers (usually Chinese but not always) to demand a photo of the un-photographable in order to obtain a return or refund.