A329S boot time

@VIOFO-Support Replied in another thread with my inquiry about boot times. They said they are planning on it but needed a lot of work with the SDK. It would be interesting to hear if there is any progress at this time or a possible expected timeframe.
 
amdpowered said:
@VIOFO-Support Replied in another thread with my inquiry about boot times. They said they are planning on it but needed a lot of work with the SDK. It would be interesting to hear if there is any progress at this time or a possible expected timeframe.
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The funny thing is it boots up and records in 1.5 seconds in low power parking mode. SO the camera is capable of quick bootup so why the deficiency in normal recording.
 
SafeDriveSolutions said:
The funny thing is it boots up and records in 1.5 seconds in low power parking mode. SO the camera is capable of quick bootup so why the deficiency in normal recording.
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I would guess that in low-power parking mode, the file structure and memory allocations are already made and sitting in reserve... sort of a hot standby, or sleep mode. In an initial power-up sequence, there is all this housekeeping that must be initiated from scratch. Just a guess.
 
SafeDriveSolutions said:
The funny thing is it boots up and records in 1.5 seconds in low power parking mode. SO the camera is capable of quick bootup so why the deficiency in normal recording.
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That is interesting. In my opinion the boot up time should be a higher priority item at this point. 21 seconds is a long time to wait before recording.
 
lufa6977 said:
I would guess that in low-power parking mode, the file structure and memory allocations are already made and sitting in reserve... sort of a hot standby, or sleep mode. In an initial power-up sequence, there is all this housekeeping that must be initiated from scratch. Just a guess.
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I agree with you . In our case , to shorten the booting, we have to use more bigger buffer. I mean , during prepare file system and etc, first we have to init the camera and encoder and buffering , until every thinis is ready for writting to SD card. it is most diffult job when our team develope the S1 4K, fast boot cause many kind of bug .. ^^
 
Funny, I thought the 329s booted fairly fast. I guess it fits my needs. I guess if you are in a hurry it could be faster. Or maybe for a reason I do not know about.
 
I believe it runs linux.
Like any operation system it must go through the initiation steps to start, but after that it comes down to how well the code is written and what is considered a priority to check / start first.
It would seem obvious in hindsight that the first thing to get going is the recording then miscellaneous things like the screen and storage and gps and even the other cameras that may be plugged in.
So it would start recording the front camera first as it initialises the screen / gps / other cameras / other housekeeping.
Checking if there is a memory card is not necessary if the unit fails to save and has a error log check to identify this. So it could make assumptions that the system is setup correctly.
But if it is not setup correctly the errors can prompt the user to fix them. It is fair to expect this to only happen when first setup.
A diagnostics option or keypress could be implemented so the user can start the unit is the long form startup to help identify if anything is faulty. The diag software process would need to be written to do a through step by step check with a report displayed on screen and or saved to the memory device.

There is no mention on the start up test if the units all find gps within that 1.5 seconds or even how many cameras are plugged in or even if they're using all the cameras supplied.
A stopwatch that all the units are pointing at would help to prove if they actually started recording when it appears they have started. Perhaps that was done but not shown in the test.
 
BlackVue Elite - up for 2 sec! With the same sony sensors.
If someone drives by, hits you, and drives off - we won’t even catch it on camera; they’ll be long gone by the time we wake up.
What’s the current estimated time of awakening up?
 
minzak said:
BlackVue Elite - up for 2 sec! With the same sony sensors.
If someone drives by, hits you, and drives off - we won’t even catch it on camera; they’ll be long gone by the time we wake up.
What’s the current estimated time of awakening up?
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When A329S is in LPID (low power impact detection) PARKING MODE it only takes about 1 second to wake up, and start recording.
Bootup time refers to how long it takes to power up, and start recording when the camera is completely turned off.


Here is Bootup time.

 
Have been reading about the boot up times for the 329s dash cam. And have stated before that the time did not pose a problem with me. Bought the A329S two camera unit about a year ago. After looking at the different brands, Viofo seemed to have the camera for me. Did not need a cell phone to operate and had plenty of options. And in my mind the price was acceptable, so it was a buy. Since then they have improved their product with some software upgrades to include geo fencing (which was a big deal for me) and more options on the remote. What I had first accepted at their price just got better.

I realize this market is very fast paced in development and a year’s difference can make big changes in options being available such as boot up time. Maybe a software change could get you back those 18 sec. But maybe not. There might be differences in the electronics that won’t allow a software fix for boot up time. I like the 329s exactly like it is. When it is off it is off. Seems rugged, very dependable, truly a set it up and forget it type device. I have read how I just want to stop for coffee and then I need to wait the 18 sec. again at start up. Why are you not using one of the parking modes to cover that time ? At start up coming out of Low Power Impact Mode only takes 2-3 seconds and you would be covered while you are inside the store also.

Will admit Viofo might need to come out with a brand new unit that has faster boot up time and sure a sleep mode that draws very very low current is one way. But as this forum has some very brilliant members with great reviews and testing of dash cams, (that helped me a lot with my pick) that will give advice to Viofo on what they want. I will sum this up with saying I am very happy with my choice made a year ago. Different brands have newer models and higher prices, but my work horse is still plowing.
 
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@Forester25
Having you call A329S “329s” is driving my OCD crazy. lol
I’ve got to mention this so newcomers don’t get confused.
There’s already enough confusion between;
1.) A329 2CH (2024)
2.) A329S 3CH (2025).
These are two completely different cameras with different firmwares.
I’m not jumping on you, I’m just trying to eliminate confusion for new members.

@Forester25 said:
Why are you not using one of the parking modes to cover that time?
At start up coming out of Low Power Impact Mode only takes 2-3 seconds and you would be covered while you are inside the store also.
@Chuck McCoy said:
This is the part that confuses me.
This whole issue of Bootup time does NOT effect users who have the unit hardwired (HK6), and using one of the 5 parking modes.
This “long” Bootup issue only effects users who are instead using the included Type-C power cable & CLA car charger inside the box with camera.
I wish we had hard data to know how many paying customers hardwire with optional HK6, or just use the included power cable & CLA car charger.
-Chuck
 
@Chuck McCoy
You are correct and I apologize. My dash cam was purchased in 2025 and this is what is on my order. I should be more careful since Viofo has models that could be confused. And it would be strange to me why this dash cam if you were not going to hard wire.

VIOFO A329S 2 Channels 4K 60FPS Front Camera+2K Rear Camera

productThumbnailQuantityLabel1
VIOFO A329S 2CH 4K 60FPS+2K HDR Dash Cam with Sony STARVIS 2 Sensor, Built-in Wi-Fi 6 and GPS, Support SSD Storage, Low Power Impact Detection, Hybrid Parking Recording
Rear Cable 8 Meters
 
@Forester25 said:
it would be strange to me why this dash cam if you were not going to hard wire.
@Chuck McCoy said:
Not strange at all.
I bet 70% of first time buyers DO NOT hardwire, and install with included power cable & CLA car charger.

@Forester25 said:
You are correct and I apologize.
@Chuck McCoy said:
I grant thee absolution, (3 hail Mary's, 1 our Father). lol
 
>This whole issue of Bootup time does NOT effect users who have the unit hardwired (HK6), and using one of the 5 parking modes.

I have my A329S set up hardwired with an HK4 wiring kit. My wife tells me that when she hops in the car and takes off, after it has been sitting at least overnight and more often a day or two, the dashcam's startup time is very long. I've watched the videos, and yeah, she's sometimes driving as much as 100 yards away from our driveway when it comes on. That would miss important things that might happen right when she's pulling out.

Whenever I've checked it out the thing seems to come on immediately, but that's usually after the car's just been driven. I am using hybrid parking mode, and a quite long (I think I set it to 12 hours) 1 FPS recording time before switching to impact mode (I have a good car AGM battery that just never seems to die).

Do I need to unwire my HK5 kit and put in an HK6 instead so my A329S will better coordinate power usage? Will that eliminate the longer startup time? Or is this just what's expected after long vehicle down times?
 
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NoelC said:
>This whole issue of Bootup time does NOT effect users who have the unit hardwired (HK6), and using one of the 5 parking modes.

I have my A329S set up hardwired with an HK4 wiring kit. My wife tells me that when she hops in the car and takes off, after it has been sitting at least overnight and more often a day or two, the dashcam's startup time is very long. I've watched the videos, and yeah, she's sometimes driving as much as 100 yards away from our driveway when it comes on. That would miss important things that might happen right when she's pulling out.

Whenever I've checked it out the thing seems to come on immediately, but that's usually after the car's just been driven. I am using hybrid parking mode, and a quite long (I think I set it to 12 hours) 1 FPS recording time before switching to impact mode (I have a good car AGM battery that just never seems to die).

Do I need to unwire my HK5 kit and put in an HK6 instead so my A329S will better coordinate power usage? Will that eliminate the longer startup time? Or is this just what's expected after long vehicle down times?
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A cold start will require a longer time especially the camera was turned off in the parking mode due to the low power.
 
> A cold start will require a longer time especially the camera was turned off in the parking mode due to the low power.

I guess what's being unsaid here is that the low voltage cutoff must be turning the power off entirely, so the next start is a cold start.

The crux of my question is this: Does the HK6 wiring kit allow better power management than the HK4, to ultimately reduce the likelihood of a "cold start" if the car is left alone overnight - or is it just bells and whistles? An ideal answer would say something like "In condition xxx the HK4 will just shut off the power, but with the HK6 the camera can go sooner into low power impact-only mode, meaning it will still be a warm start the next morning".

Looked at another way, if I don't change the wiring, should I shorten the 1 frame per second recording time to a few hours so the camera will then be able to stay in the low power impact-only mode for days? What is the relative power usage?
 
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Actually, looking this morning carefully at video file dates and times, I don't actually see the power turning off because of low voltage. In fact, I just saw where the impact detection started up full-speed recording and dropped a video into the RO folder showing my wife getting into our car, then getting ready to start it. That RO video (presumably after the car woke up from Parking mode because of the door opening/closing) ended right when she reached for the start button.

Presumably the power signal and full-speed RO recording must have been interrupted by the HK4's low-voltage cutoff during startup, then the following video, not in the RO folder, shows her leaving. The thing is, THAT video starts when she's already moving. Time was lost there.

So is it possible that the real "long startup" issue I have been seeing here is that a momentary dip in voltage while cranking the car triggering a cutoff by the HK4 box, then a complete reset of the A329S, resulting in the system missing arguably one of the most key moments in potential liability protection by video evidence - just starting a drive?

Asked succinctly, does an HK4 instantaneously cut off the power when the voltage momentarily dips during cranking? If so, this could be leading to an immediate full cold start of the A329S, when in fact sufficient power is available.

That begs a key question, and one I still haven't seen any answer for: Is an HK6 better than an HK4 at handling this? Does the HK6 have a longer delay time before shutting off power due to a momentary voltage dip?

And a secondary question: Why doesn't the top-of-the-line dashcam have a small supercapacitor within to help smooth over instantaneous power glitches that last a few seconds? DC voltage in a car can't be expected to be clean.
 
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