Zenfox T3 Triple channel dash cams free test invitation, limited quantity

kuoh said:
I'm using the official Zenfox power adapter plugged into a portable DC power pack. The memory card this time around is a Lexar 16GB class 10 which is at least 5 years old if not much older. I'm not getting any individual camera drop outs, but it does seem to consistently encounter the 11 second segment followed by a short missing period, possibly from a reboot, then a 58 second segment once in each of the 3 hour runs I've tested so far and there have been no corrupted files. I've noticed it takes around 20 seconds from power on to recording start and that missing period after the 11 second segments are suspiciously similar in length. I'll probably stick a 128GB card back in and let it run overnight to see if there's any pattern based on time.

KuoH
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If it freezes up again in a cool environment, I'll test with the Zenfox Power adapter with normal driving. I don't own a battery pack nor trust using a hardwired 12V socket fuse tap to accessory fuse.

It very well could be the Viofo Kit isn't compatible with this camera. Either not supplying enough power or some other anomaly taking place.
 
So it seems like only @HonestReview and I are reporting potential heat issues? When I ran the T3 for maybe 30 minute indoors a few days ago next to me with a power bank (without rear camera), the T3 got pretty hot, especially the memory card when ejecting it. I will try to test it more over the weekend.
 
EGS said:
Surprise surprise...
I drove to the grocery store this morning and now reviewing all that footage. I found no corrupted files but View attachment 52197View attachment 52198the rear camera stopped recording and later on the interior stopped recording as well, leaving the front camera recording only. So no, samsung evo cards are not exempt from the issue. Card was formatted in the camera to FAT32
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How about the temperature outside, in extremely heating condition, the camera will keep only front camera recording.
 
runtohell121 said:
So it seems like only @HonestReview and I are reporting potential heat issues? When I ran the T3 for maybe 30 minute indoors a few days ago next to me with a power bank (without rear camera), the T3 got pretty hot, especially the memory card when ejecting it. I will try to test it more over the weekend.
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Memory card, USB port is always the most easily heating part for most of the dash cams, especially for the dashcam chipset that supports real 4K recording .
 
It's only a single overnight test so far, but my T3 was able to record for 7 hours straight without any gaps or corrupted files judging by Window's ability to generate a thumbnail, not planning to review 7 hours of my garage walls. The only files less than 1 minute were the ones immediately before switching to parking mode at 58 seconds and the last ones just before power off. Neither the camera or card felt abnormally warm at shutdown in my 87F garage. There is however still a problem with the date being 2 days ahead as all the filenames and recorded video indicated 20-06-2020. The time appeared to be GMT instead of the timezone I had set. I went into the menu and manually changed the date to be correct, checked the timezone, GPS status which showed good signal and formatted the card, but after exiting the menu the date changed to 2 days ahead again.

KuoH
 
Zenfox_Official said:
How about the temperature outside, in extremely heating condition, the camera will keep only front camera recording.
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I didn't check how hot the camera was to touch but yes, ambient temperature was very hot, plus that day the vehicle was parked under direct sun light. So it makes sense.
 
EGS said:
I didn't check how hot the camera was to touch but yes, ambient temperature was very hot, plus that day the vehicle was parked under direct sun light. So it makes sense.
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Pretty much, we have all confirmed the camera is overheating if left outside, causing the rear and later the interior camera to stop recording. So we have a design flaw here or improper cooling taking place.

Real life scenarios don't have this camera sitting in a nice shaded area all the time to record. Since the camera cannot handle being left in the sun without overheating and freezing while in parking mode, this product has a major design flaw.
 
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I'm about to head out to la playa on a fairly warm day @ 92 deg f or 33 C and it will be a good opportunity to do more testing while driving and some after the vehicle builds some temperature while it is parked. Will see how it goes. I will give some feedback later today after I get back home...
 
EGS said:
I'm about to head out to la playa on a fairly warm day @ 92 deg f or 33 C and it will be a good opportunity to do more testing while driving and some after the vehicle builds some temperature while it is parked. Will see how it goes. I will give some feedback later today after I get back home...
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The only way this camera will exhibit the symptoms I have described are when the camera sits in parking mode. During regular driving, most people will have the air conditioner on or windows down. So the Camera will get a fresh supply of cool air. Unfortunately, when we park our cars, most people aren't going to leave their windows roll down. So the camera gets baked in the sun while recording in parking mode, causing the rear camera to fail first, and later the interior camera.
 
I think it's a bit early to say that the camera has failed testing. You're still on the first FW version. Zenfox already stated that shutdown of the rear and interior cameras is intentional in high temperatures. What they do about the issue remains to be seen.
 
TonyM said:
I think it's a bit early to say that the camera has failed testing. You're still on the first FW version. Zenfox already stated that shutdown of the rear and interior cameras is intentional in high temperatures. What they do about the issue remains to be seen.
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I hypothesized this being a safeguard before confirming that heat was definitely the issue. I'm not sure a firmware update will be successful in resolving the problem. Clearly ZenFox put in a tj max shutdown for a reason to prevent the complete failure of the camera. So if ZenFox ups the temperature and overrides the safeguard, I presume the camera risks damaging its internal circuitry.

The only possible fix would be to lower the bitrate in parking mode in hopes that it prevents the camera from getting as hot while in the sun.
 
Admittedly my opinions may be slightly skewed by having received an evaluation unit, but I don't think this is even in the retail channels yet is it? It may be more appropriate to say testing has been successful in identifying some areas of concern for additional R&D focus. Maybe I should think about work in marketing? 😉

I will say that the overall packaging shows some good thought with the inclusion of a pass through USB port on the power adapter, USB card reader, extra USB cable, mount & adhesive pads as well as a very useful removal tool for the mount and trims. All the previous dashcams I've purchased basically came with just the power cable, a single mount and maybe an SD card adapter.

KuoH

TonyM said:
I think it's a bit early to say that the camera has failed testing. You're still on the first FW version. Zenfox already stated that shutdown of the rear and interior cameras is intentional in high temperatures. What they do about the issue remains to be seen.
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HonestReview said:
The only possible fix would be to lower the bitrate in parking mode in hopes that it prevents the camera from getting as hot while in the sun.
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There are hardware and software options that could be considered to extend operation in parking mode, including:
- More cooling vents / larger heatsink etc
- Active cooling (fan)
- Force WiFi off
- Force screen off
- Switch to 2 channels (drop the interior cam)
- Switch to 3x (or 2x) 1080p, with or without low bitrate
 
The heat sink in the T3 are actually pretty large,,,,,,, yes i peeked as my GPS issue had me looking for a loose plug inside.
T3inside.webp
 
TonyM said:
ss
There are hardware and software options that could be considered to extend operation in parking mode, including:
- More cooling vents / larger heatsink etc
- Active cooling (fan)
- Force WiFi off
- Force screen off
- Switch to 2 channels (drop the interior cam)
- Switch to 3x (or 2x) 1080p, with or without low bitrate
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You basically confirmed what I said to be true. Major design flaw. From a practical standpoint, most of us beta testing aren't going to rip open the camera, with the intent of making modifications.

So the only "practical" change that might resolve the issue is setting the low bitrate parking mode to an ever lower bitrate. Hoping the camera won't overheat. If this revision fails, then there are no other remedies at our disposal.

Meaning ZenFox will need to go back to the manufacturer and see about adding additional cooling to the T3.

1. - More cooling vents / larger heatsink etc <-- Design Revision

2. - Active cooling (fan) <-- Design Revision

3. - Force WiFi off <-- Wifi isn't enabled or left on while in my parking mode tests. So this isn't an issue.

4. - Force screen off <--- Screen timeout set to 3 minutes. Again not an issue.

5. - Switch to 2 channels (drop the interior cam) <-- Design Revision. Removes the whole purpose of being a 3 channel camera.

6. - Switch to 3x (or 2x) 1080p, with or without low bitrate <--- Setting front to 2K to 1080 might help or lowering bitrate while in parking mode.

Generally, the failure will only occur while in park mode. When we drive our cars, the Air Conditioner or Windows are rolled down. Giving the vehicle and camera ample air flow for cooling. The issue arises when the car is parked, windows are rolled up, and the camera bakes in the sun.
 
kamkar1 said:
The heat sink in the T3 are actually pretty large,,,,,,, yes i peeked as my GPS issue had me looking for a loose plug inside.
View attachment 52223
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Passive cooling as to be expected. Looks like a rather large heatsink. Unfortunately, it appears to be insufficient in nature. I hope that lowering the resolution / bitrate in parking mode can fix the problems we're experiencing. If not, this camera will need to go back to the drawing board for revisions.
 
There is the T2 for lesser channels as i recall from the zenfox web page.

for sure lowering the bitrate when parking will need to be done.

DID you try both H.264 and H.265 encode ?
 
kuoh said:
Admittedly my opinions may be slightly skewed by having received an evaluation unit, but I don't think this is even in the retail channels yet is it? It may be more appropriate to say testing has been successful in identifying some areas of concern for additional R&D focus. Maybe I should think about work in marketing? 😉

I will say that the overall packaging shows some good thought with the inclusion of a pass through USB port on the power adapter, USB card reader, extra USB cable, mount & adhesive pads as well as a very useful removal tool for the mount and trims. All the previous dashcams I've purchased basically came with just the power cable, a single mount and maybe an SD card adapter.

KuoH
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Correct. The product is not ready for post production. Even though it's advertised with a price, you cannot actually add it to your car on their website. Just tried to do so.

https://www.zenfox.com/en/dash-cams...nterior-1080p-rear-wi-fi-gps-dash-camera.html
 
If marketed as just a dashcam with uber functionality it will be okay, but i would probably make some kind of statement that in regard to parking mode the nature of the system are not suited.

After all most dashcam users still do just fine with no parking mode, myself i will only use it on a very fast timer like 1 or 2 hours at the most, in general i dont feel a need for it, but maybe with a nice car paid by a lotto win my take on this will probably change with the first scratch / dent in my car.
 
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