Buffered Parking mode

[valkyrie]

I can have the G-sensor go off while in parking mode and the yellow exclamation point triangle appears. Will that triangle ever go away until you start the car? I have parking mode set to auto event detection with FW v1.9, parking g-sensor set to high, and parking motion detection set to medium. I was expecting that with buffered parking mode, the recorded video in the cache will be saved in the memory card 15 seconds before the even and 30 seconds after. So while testing parking g-sensor, I was expecting it to go away after 30 seconds. Am I missing something?

Why would you want the notification to go away after 30 seconds? It's practically useless to display a warning notification and then clear it while in parking mode (no one is there to see it if it's cleared). When you come back to your vehicle after being parked and someone backed into your bumper you'd have no indication something happened.

If your events notification stays on the A129, I wish they would do that on the A119 V3 as it's parking mode notification is useless unless your sitting in the car. I personally would much prefer coming back to my parked vehicle and seeing a notification that something happened to my vehicle while I was away.

 

[StrayCam]

Why would you want the notification to go away after 30 seconds? It's practically useless to display a warning notification and then clear it while in parking mode (no one is there to see it if it's cleared). When you come back to your vehicle after being parked and someone backed into your bumper you'd have no indication something happened.

If your events notification stays on the A129, I wish they would do that on the A119 V3 as it's parking mode notification is useless unless your sitting in the car. I personally would much prefer coming back to my parked vehicle and seeing a notification that something happened to my vehicle while I was away.

You make good points, but I believe you are confusing "what makes sense"and what Viofo has the A129 do... furthermore, just like with the A119, there is no active screen notification or audible warning that your g-sensor was triggered when you return to your car.

And what doesn't make sense is how Kevin got his g-sensor to even trigger in parking mode with the A129... because the g-sensor doesn't work with the A129 in parking mode!!

 

[TonyM]

Why would you want the notification to go away after 30 seconds? It's practically useless to display a warning notification and then clear it while in parking mode (no one is there to see it if it's cleared). When you come back to your vehicle after being parked and someone backed into your bumper you'd have no indication something happened.

If your events notification stays on the A129, I wish they would do that on the A119 V3 as it's parking mode notification is useless unless your sitting in the car. I personally would much prefer coming back to my parked vehicle and seeing a notification that something happened to my vehicle while I was away.

Yes, it would be nice to have a visual or audible notification that an event was recorded while you are away from the car. I'm sure it's on the long list of wished-for features.

As it is, the camera uses the same 'event save' routine in parking mode as it does in normal driving mode, so the triangle notification should go away at the end of the respective video file.

 

[valkyrie]

You make good points, but I believe you are confusing "what makes sense"and what Viofo has the A129 do... furthermore, just like with the A119, there is no active screen notification or audible warning that your g-sensor was triggered when you return to your car.

And what doesn't make sense is how Kevin got his g-sensor to even trigger in parking mode with the A129... because the g-sensor doesn't work with the A129 in parking mode!!

Well I don't have a A129 to compare to the A119 V3 but started reading this thread because it was very active, and because the A119 V3 has some serious design flaws with it's parking mode with its flagging and protection of files (Lack of) I wanted to see if it were similar issues with the A129. I'd be curious to know if the A129 saves G sensor triggered events to the Movie folder while in parking mode that get overwritten when the SD card is full.

 

[valkyrie]

Yes, it would be nice to have a visual or audible notification that an event was recorded while you are away from the car. I'm sure it's on the long list of wished-for features.

As it is, the camera uses the same 'event save' routine in parking mode as it does in normal driving mode, so the triangle notification should go away at the end of the respective video file.

Even if they use the same 'event save' routine for parking mode and normal driving mode it makes sense to leave the warning in the header for both until user clears it.

As it is now it goes through a little logic in
1. Full screen warning 3-4 seconds
2. Header warning
3. Finalize file and apply attributes
4. Clear header warning

There may be other steps done in the background or different order but 4. does not need to be cleared automatically in either normal driving or parking mode IMO. And it absolutely makes no sense to clear it in parking mode in my mind.

 

[TonyM]

4. Clear header warning

There may be other steps done in the background or different order but 4. does not need to be cleared automatically in either normal driving or parking mode IMO. And it absolutely makes no sense to clear it in parking mode in my mind.

Good point.

 

[StrayCam]

Even if they use the same 'event save' routine for parking mode and normal driving mode it makes sense to leave the warning in the header for both until user clears it.

As it is now it goes through a little logic in
1. Full screen warning 3-4 seconds
2. Header warning
3. Finalize file and apply attributes
4. Clear header warning

There may be other steps done in the background or different order but 4. does not need to be cleared automatically in either normal driving or parking mode IMO. And it absolutely makes no sense to clear it in parking mode in my mind.

By full screen/header warning, do you mean the triangle you get on the screen while you're driving? And, if you're getting g-sensor to work in parking mode with your dash cam, you're very fortunate. We a129 users don't get that feature....maybe by New Years!

 

[valkyrie]

Good point. Not sure how or when you would clear it though.

If it were me and I came back to my vehicle after being parked and seen a warning, I'd review the recordings on the cam while still there in hopes I could find the vehicle that caused the event and then clear the header warning at that point. If an event happened while driving, I'd be aware of what happened and who was involved (unless unconscious) and I'd just clear the header warning at that point.

 

[valkyrie]

By full screen/header warning, do you mean the triangle you get on the screen while you're driving? And, if you're getting g-sensor to work in parking mode with your dash cam, you're very fortunate. We a129 users don't get that feature....maybe by New Years!

By warning on mine on initial G sensor trigger the entire screen is filled with a Yellow triangle warning for 3-4 seconds, then it's removed and reverts to camera view with all notification icons including a small Yellow triangle warning in the top of the screen "header" for the remaining duration of that recording.

 

[StrayCam]

Okay, your triangle goes away in the same time as ours (a129 users), depending on your video length...1 min - 10 mins.... And with driving mode giving you indications of running over bumps/potholes, etc...that's kind of a non-important warning.

On our cameras (a129) the g-sensor videos (both driving mode & parking mode) get segregated and locked in the RO (Read Only) file. As it is presently with us a129 users, we get "no g-sensor notifications in parking mode, period. So some people, and most of the experts, are using low bitrate parking mode. Although they should still get g-sensor notifications while parked, they don't; so, it's up to each user to visually walk around their car every time they get back in in to see if there happens to be any damage. If there is damage, hopefully they detected it on the "same day" the damage occured.. Then they might only have to sift through hours of video; If it's days later, they need to make a big pot of coffee and dig in for a long search!

ps: Do you actually drive around with your dash cam screen on, or does it just go on when there's an alert? With the positioning of the cam (behind my rear view mirror) and angle of the cam (screen facing towards floor), there's no way I could even see the screen. I typically remove the camera from the mount if I need to do anything on the face of the camera...

 

[valkyrie]

On our cameras (a129) the g-sensor videos (both driving mode & parking mode) get segregated and locked in the RO (Read Only) file. As it is presently with us a129 users, we get "no g-sensor notifications in parking mode, period. So some people, and most of the experts, are using low bitrate parking mode. Although they should still get g-sensor notifications while parked, they don't; so, it's up to each user to visually walk around their car every time they get back in in to see if there happens to be any damage. If there is damage, hopefully they detected it on the "same day" the damage occured.. Then they might only have to sift through hours of video; If it's days later, they need to make a big pot of coffee and dig in for a long search!

On the A119 V3 Auto event parking mode, G-sensor triggered recordings are stored in the "Movie" directory with the Read Only attribute set to the file. That is not a "Lock" it's only a file attribute preventing that file from being edited or modified any further.and those files are overwritten with the normal loop recording overwrite of the "Movie" directory as the SD card becomes full. Now if your saying they are segregated into the \Movie\RO\ directory that's different as it does not appear the \Movie\RO\ directory is overwritten as far as I can tell on the A119 V3. But if the A129 parking mode files are placed into the \Movie directory with the Read only file attribute set then I bet you have the same problem with file protection as the A119 V3 which is they will be overwritten and are not protected.

To be clear I cant state how well or poorly the G sensor parking mode works in real world conditions on the A119 V3. All my tests of parking mode have been on my desk with a black piece of foam over the lens to prevent motion detection triggered events. But with abrupt movement I can trigger events. But that doesn't really tell me what force is really needed to trigger an event.

ps: Do you actually drive around with your dash cam screen on, or does it just go on when there's an alert? With the positioning of the cam (behind my rear view mirror) and angle of the cam (screen facing towards floor), there's no way I could even see the screen. I typically remove the camera from the mount if I need to do anything on the face of the camera...

I set my screen sleep to 30 sec. If I recall correctly it will sleep 30 sec after initial start but becomes active on a G sensor triggered event and goes back to sleep 30 sec. after the completion of writing that file. In the case of Time Lapse events it may be on several minutes before it goes back to sleep until that file is closed. My cam is mounted right above rear view mirror with plenty space to see the screen or use the manual controls. Full size truck with rear view mirror mounted maybe 6" below interior of top of cab maybe more. I can understand on smaller size vehicles or installation preferences it may not be as easy for some to see or manage / navigate the menu while mounted as it is for me.

 

[StrayCam]

On the A119 V3 Auto event parking mode, G-sensor triggered recordings are stored in the "Movie" directory with the Read Only attribute set to the file. That is not a "Lock" it's only a file attribute preventing that file from being edited or modified any further.and those files are overwritten with the normal loop recording overwrite of the "Movie" directory as the SD card becomes full. Now if your saying they are segregated into the \Movie\RO\ directory that's different as it does not appear the \Movie\RO\ directory is overwritten as far as I can tell on the A119 V3. But if the A129 parking mode files are placed into the \Movie directory with the Read only file attribute set then I bet you have the same problem with file protection as the A119 V3 which is they will be overwritten and are not protected.

To be clear I cant state how well or poorly the G sensor parking mode works in real world conditions on the A119 V3. All my tests of parking mode have been on my desk with a black piece of foam over the lens to prevent motion detection triggered events. But with abrupt movement I can trigger events. But that doesn't really tell me what force is really needed to trigger an event.

I believe the RO Directory is a sub-folder of the movie directory. As far as I know the RO files don't get overwritten, and certainly not by regular driving mode videos. There is a slight chance they could or would if enough g-sensor events were to get filed there. That would almost take forever as we don't get g-sensor notifications in parking mode. It would take an incredible amount of potholes/bumps to fill that folder. (I'm not sure of the file capacity.)

Btw, I'd recommend you test your G-sensor on your dash cam when it's mounted in your truck. Then jump up and down in the bed or on the back-bumper to see if it gets triggered. Yours may be just like ours; hopefully for your sake, it isn't!

 

[valkyrie]

I believe the RO Directory is a sub-folder of the movie directory. As far as I know the RO files don't get overwritten, and certainly not by regular driving mode videos. There is a slight chance they could or would if enough g-sensor events were to get filed there. That would almost take forever as we don't get g-sensor notifications in parking mode. It would take an incredible amount of potholes/bumps to fill that folder. (I'm not sure of the file capacity.)

Btw, I'd recommend you test your G-sensor on your dash cam when it's mounted in your truck. Then jump up and down in the bed or on the back-bumper to see if it gets triggered. Yours may be just like ours; hopefully for your sake, it isn't!

I will test it by jumping onto and jiggling side to side while in parking mode at some point. It does seem to work fine in driving mode as I'ts triggered while going over extreme bumps in our roads from time to time.

I believe your right in that they are written to the \movie\ro\ folder, as someone else had earlier stated that to me about the A129.

But you had said:

(both driving mode & parking mode) get segregated and locked in the RO (Read Only) file.

So I was trying to make that clarification. There is a significant distinction between file, folder & directory and they're not interchangeable.

 

[StrayCam]

The g-sensor with A129 works going over bumps.... as I said, having g-sensor in driving mode is "almost" useless. Whose car is going to be driven for days or hours after an accident??? It the car is totaled, it's not driving anywhere. And even if there's significant fixable damage, it's going to a bodyshop and won't be driven. - - And virtually everyone will know you have a dashcam in your vehicle, so most likely you, your friends or family would pull your camera....

I'd rather be notified it someone ran into my car and I was nowhere around my car, like when my car was parked. - - That's when g-sensor, to me, would have the biggest value.

I'm not sure on the protected-files on the SD card. Here is what Viofo says (see pic) - RO Files are locked according to them in the A129.

 

[kevindd992002]

You make good points, but I believe you are confusing "what makes sense"and what Viofo has the A129 do... furthermore, just like with the A119, there is no active screen notification or audible warning that your g-sensor was triggered when you return to your car.

And what doesn't make sense is how Kevin got his g-sensor to even trigger in parking mode with the A129... because the g-sensor doesn't work with the A129 in parking mode!!

Now you lost me there. Are tou saying that the "parking g-sensor" in the a129 duo for firmwares v1.8 and up don't really work? Just like others here, I was able to trigger it by tapping the front camera 3 to 4 times while it is in parking mode. The yellow triangle appeared but it didn't go away, which @valkyrie has a good point with and it practically makes sense for it to stay until the driver comes back to the car.

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

 

[StrayCam]

Now you lost me there. Are tou saying that the "parking g-sensor" in the a129 duo for firmwares v1.8 and up don't really work? Just like others here, I was able to trigger it by tapping the front camera 3 to 4 times while it is in parking mode. The yellow triangle appeared but it didn't go away, which @valkyrie has a good point with and it practically makes sense for it to stay until the driver comes back to the car.

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

Kevin,

I think you're giving Viofo too much credit! I don't think the yellow triangle stays anywhere or that the A129 does "anything" (audible or visual) to notify users that their sensor went off while they were away from their car. The only way you could find out is if you opened your RO file (Read Only) and saw some videos there....

I mentioned earlier that the g-sensor "in parking mode" has not worked for the A129 in firware versions 1.6, 1.7, 1.8 and 1.9. Yet, when you read their comments about the 1.9 firmware (see pic attached), Viofo says they've fixed the problem. The fact is, they have not fixed the problem. AND it sounds like Joe384 has several other problems with the A129, like random single beeps that I also experience. - - I'd like to hear whatever other issues Joe has with his A129. It sounds like too many of us users, mostly new users, are clueless about the problems facing the A129.

And unfortunately, presently we A129 users need to stand in line behind the "prospective customers" for the A129 Pro 4k as that's where Viofo is placing their priority....Of course, you can't blame them because that means more revenue!!!

 

[kevindd992002]

Kevin,

I think you're giving Viofo too much credit! I don't think the yellow triangle stays anywhere or that the A129 does "anything" (audible or visual) to notify users that their sensor went off while they were away from their car. The only way you could find out is if you opened your RO file (Read Only) and saw some videos there....

I mentioned earlier that the g-sensor "in parking mode" has not worked for the A129 in firware versions 1.6, 1.7, 1.8 and 1.9. Yet, when you read their comments about the 1.9 firmware (see pic attached), Viofo says they've fixed the problem. The fact is, they have not fixed the problem. AND it sounds like Joe384 has several other problems with the A129, like random single beeps that I also experience. - - I'd like to hear whatever other issues Joe has with his A129. It sounds like too many of us users, mostly new users, are clueless about the problems facing the A129.

And unfortunately, presently we A129 users need to stand in line behind the "prospective customers" for the A129 Pro 4k as that's where Viofo is placing their priority....Of course, you can't blame them because that means more revenue!!!

I'm not giving anyone too much credit, I was simply stating the facts that I've observed as I updated from 1.5 to 1.9 last night. Besides, I don't work for Viofo so if they have issues with their cameras then I have no problem being in the same bandwagon as you are. Would a video recording of these observations be helpful for all to better understand what I experience?

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

 

[valkyrie]

The g-sensor with A129 works going over bumps.... as I said, having g-sensor in driving mode is "almost" useless. Whose car is going to be driven for days or hours after an accident??? It the car is totaled, it's not driving anywhere. And even if there's significant fixable damage, it's going to a bodyshop and won't be driven. - - And virtually everyone will know you have a dashcam in your vehicle, so most likely you, your friends or family would pull your camera....

I'd rather be notified it someone ran into my car and I was nowhere around my car, like when my car was parked. - - That's when g-sensor, to me, would have the biggest value.

I see value in both parking mode and normal mode G-sensor triggered events. I want to be alerted to both and I want both to be placed into a secure directory location that's never overwritten until the owner does so. If nothing else it let's me know the G sensor is working in some capacity while in driving mode on each false positive. If you didn't have G sensor in normal driving mode you'd have to sift through all your normal recordings to find that one G sensor triggered event and I don't want to have to do that. When in normal driving mode, G sensor triggered events from pot holes & bumps have been so infrequent for me I'd have no problem clearing those warnings if they did stay on screen. I agree parking mode G sensor events are probably more important only to the fact no one may be around to witness an event.

I'm not sure on the protected-files on the SD card. Here is what Viofo says (see pic) - RO Files are locked according to them in the A129.

I think the terms "Locked", "Flagged" & "Protected" are very loosely used catch words that don't necessarily define anything specific at least with the A119 V3, A129 may be different.

 

[StrayCam]

I'm not giving anyone too much credit, I was simply stating the facts that I've observed as I updated from 1.5 to 1.9 last night. Besides, I don't work for Viofo so if they have issues with their cameras then I have no problem being in the same bandwagon as you are. Would a video recording of these observations be helpful for all to better understand what I experience?

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

I certainly wasn't disparaging you Kevin. I just have come to know what Viofo has done over the last 7 months or so with their a129. - They have a reputation for releasing new dashcam models without fully testing hardware and firmware; and then the problems just drag-on. .. And then, a new product gets created with its own set of problems. And the dance goes on....

Sure, I think "anything" that enlightens/informs users what to expect when they purchase a product is a good thing. Amazon has reviews where a number of people have expressed their dissatisfaction. YouTube could be helpful for some. Or better yet, since DashCamTalk.com is the "World's Largest Dash Cam Site", I think starting a "new thread" that is organized to let "new users" and "existing users" know what problems really exist with the a129. - - As I've said earlier, there are many posters here who will not say anything that could be deemed detrimental to Viofo. - - We need more people like you, Joe384, Old64, CaptnEric, Dashcamuser567, sdeel7491 and valkyrie who are willing to share their challenges with the a129; how else are consumers going to learn about this product? - - And we all have plenty to learn!

 

[StrayCam]

I see value in both parking mode and normal mode G-sensor triggered events. I want to be alerted to both and I want both to be placed into a secure directory location that's never overwritten until the owner does so. If nothing else it let's me know the G sensor is working in some capacity while in driving mode on each false positive. If you didn't have G sensor in normal driving mode you'd have to sift through all your normal recordings to find that one G sensor triggered event and I don't want to have to do that. When in normal driving mode, G sensor triggered events from pot holes & bumps have been so infrequent for me I'd have no problem clearing those warnings if they did stay on screen. I agree parking mode G sensor events are probably more important only to the fact no one may be around to witness an event.



I think the terms "Locked", "Flagged" & "Protected" are very loosely used catch words that don't necessarily define anything specific at least with the A119 V3, A129 may be different.

Good points as always Valkyre. I think the old adage, "trust but verify" should be as applicable to Viofo as anyone. They've told us the g-sensor in parking mode was fixed. - - I and many others here can attest that is not true!

Viofo says the A129 g-sensor files are locked... Are they really locked?? - - Someone with the expertise to verify that should let us know. - - I would think with all the "experts" running around here, if that was not true,, they would have surely told us by now...