Ultimate 4K Dash Camera Comparison 2026

I read it before I typed the above message, it doesn't really explain much as the threshold could be cumulative or just in one axis. I suspect they don't really have much 'real world' experience and are just looking at numbers.

If they understood how those numbers occurred, and looked at (as in your example) how malicious damage occurs, which is just one of many events I expect a dashcam to capture, then they would have a better idea of what to look for.
 
Viofo A329S vs Vueroid S1 4K vs Vantrue N4 Pro S vs Thinkware U3000 Pro Dashcam video Comparison
 
Onetenner said:
In the video, there are no GPS coordinates or speed on the Vueroid S1, is it turned off in the settings or is it not getting a GPS lock?
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My vehicle has a heated windshield so gps coordinates go in and out unless i mount them up top. 4 on the windshield i can not do that
 
GPS reception does seem to be a weakness across various brands, heated windscreens are not new nor uncommon and phones, handheld GPS devices - even a 'cheap-as-chips' android tablet can get a decent lock in less than a minute.
My old Thinkware Q850 (and it's predecessors in other vehicles with heated screens, going back 9~10 years) never had a problem getting a fast GPS lock, the Thinkware ARC 900 I have now sometimes struggles to get a lock in less than five minutes - but always reports the signal as 'strong' when it does get a lock, which may be more optimistic than it should be... It also makes no difference if the screen is heating or not.
One of the items I now have on my continually refined list for dashcams to have is an external GPS port - and a receiver with more than 300mm of lead attached! Unfortunately, all manufacturers seem to want to use a custom GPS receiver connection, rather than the accepted 'standards' of USB or Co-ax with phantom power and one or two choices of connector prevalent in the retail user market - which is fine, if they actually provide receivers and connection options to suit a wide range of applications rather than the 'here's a GPS puck with 300mm of cable and our own specially wired connector, take it or leave it...'.
I'm sure that if a dashcam manufacturer either offered their own range of options or allowed 'aftermarket' receivers to be used by employing commonly-used connectors, it'd be a good selling point for retail owners and fleet buyers.
 
Onetenner said:
GPS reception does seem to be a weakness across various brands, heated windscreens are not new nor uncommon and phones, handheld GPS devices - even a 'cheap-as-chips' android tablet can get a decent lock in less than a minute.
My old Thinkware Q850 (and it's predecessors in other vehicles with heated screens, going back 9~10 years) never had a problem getting a fast GPS lock, the Thinkware ARC 900 I have now sometimes struggles to get a lock in less than five minutes - but always reports the signal as 'strong' when it does get a lock, which may be more optimistic than it should be... It also makes no difference if the screen is heating or not.
One of the items I now have on my continually refined list for dashcams to have is an external GPS port - and a receiver with more than 300mm of lead attached! Unfortunately, all manufacturers seem to want to use a custom GPS receiver connection, rather than the accepted 'standards' of USB or Co-ax with phantom power and one or two choices of connector prevalent in the retail user market - which is fine, if they actually provide receivers and connection options to suit a wide range of applications rather than the 'here's a GPS puck with 300mm of cable and our own specially wired connector, take it or leave it...'.
I'm sure that if a dashcam manufacturer either offered their own range of options or allowed 'aftermarket' receivers to be used by employing commonly-used connectors, it'd be a good selling point for retail owners and fleet buyers.
Click to expand...
When i mount them in correct spot there is no issues i have had 4 cameras with full gps mounted before. However the various designs of all dash cameras makes it hard
 
SafeDriveSolutions said:
When i mount them in correct spot there is no issues i have had 4 cameras with full gps mounted before. However the various designs of all dash cameras makes it hard
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I have no 'correct spot' - i.e. no area at the top of the screen with no heating elements.
 
Onetenner said:
I have no 'correct spot' - i.e. no area at the top of the screen with no heating elements.
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So because I am testing 12 dash cameras. I always believe that all of the cameras should have the lens at same height. I can not do that with. GKU, blackvue, botslab and etc etc due to how they are built and how my vehicle is built. I have a video I did a while back on VW ID4 have a shaded area up top for gps mounted devices. If i put the vueroid, viofo, thinkware units all there it is unfair for other units as they can not be mounted same level.
 
All I was saying was that some vehicles have a 'clear' area, not all do.
It would make sense for dashcam manufacturers to offer options for GPS receivers that are more than a 300mm cable on a GPS puck, that can only be fitted on the same (signal shielding) screen.

If you take a look at GPS trackers, even the inexpensive ones, they manage to get a decent GPS lock when buried behind trim panels without the benefit of a 'sky view' or external antenna. Granted, some supplement the GPS by using GSM signal triangulation. It's frustrating that something using GPS as a core function cannot have a sufficiently capable chipset to overcome the attenuation of the screen. It can, and has been done.
 
jsmith said:
What about the Vantrue S1 Pro Max 4K front and 4K rear? (Late to this thread)
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1 unit from each brand. I already had the Vantrue N4 pro S so thats what I am using. It is also one of their most popular units.
 
SafeDriveSolutions said:
1 unit from each brand. I already had the Vantrue N4 pro S so thats what I am using. It is also one of their most popular units.
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Do you have the updated barrel shaped camera for the Vantrue N4 Pro S? It makes a huge difference over the original design. While not waterproof, the mounting of the barrel shape in the rear window permits a much more stable and clear image. If wanting to take things one step further, you can use a Viofo CPL-300 and affix over the lens.
 
jsmith said:
Do you have the updated barrel shaped camera for the Vantrue N4 Pro S? It makes a huge difference over the original design. While not waterproof, the mounting of the barrel shape in the rear window permits a much more stable and clear image. If wanting to take things one step further, you can use a Viofo CPL-300 and affix over the lens.
Click to expand...
The N4 pro S i got like 1.5 months ago from vantrue. i also got the vantrue CPL
 
SafeDriveSolutions said:
The N4 pro S i got like 1.5 months ago from vantrue. i also got the vantrue CPL
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Does that have the barrel shaped rear camera (updated)? I meant for a rear CPL you can do a "Jerry Rig" using a Viofo CPL-300. Also helps a lot if testing CPL's on the rear cameras. Vantrue doesn't make one for the rear.
 
jsmith said:
Does that have the barrel shaped rear camera (updated)? I meant for a rear CPL you can do a "Jerry Rig" using a Viofo CPL-300. Also helps a lot if testing CPL's on the rear cameras. Vantrue doesn't make one for the rear.
Click to expand...
I am only testing front cameras for the video. This is already going to be very time consuming.
 
Onetenner said:
GPS reception does seem to be a weakness across various brands, heated windscreens are not new nor uncommon and phones, handheld GPS devices - even a 'cheap-as-chips' android tablet can get a decent lock in less than a minute.
My old Thinkware Q850 (and it's predecessors in other vehicles with heated screens, going back 9~10 years) never had a problem getting a fast GPS lock, the Thinkware ARC 900 I have now sometimes struggles to get a lock in less than five minutes - but always reports the signal as 'strong' when it does get a lock, which may be more optimistic than it should be... It also makes no difference if the screen is heating or not.
One of the items I now have on my continually refined list for dashcams to have is an external GPS port - and a receiver with more than 300mm of lead attached! Unfortunately, all manufacturers seem to want to use a custom GPS receiver connection, rather than the accepted 'standards' of USB or Co-ax with phantom power and one or two choices of connector prevalent in the retail user market - which is fine, if they actually provide receivers and connection options to suit a wide range of applications rather than the 'here's a GPS puck with 300mm of cable and our own specially wired connector, take it or leave it...'.
I'm sure that if a dashcam manufacturer either offered their own range of options or allowed 'aftermarket' receivers to be used by employing commonly-used connectors, it'd be a good selling point for retail owners and fleet buyers.
Click to expand...

GPS reception is not always straightforward.

Some car windscreens have a tungsten heating element, which can cause GPS interference, especially when the GPS is mounted on the glass. That is why we sometimes use an auxiliary radiating antenna somewhere else in the vehicle. Some windshields have a metal oxide coating that reduces UV exposure.

Holding a cellphone or other GPS-capable device in your hand is a far cry from having one stuck on the windshield. Especially if your car has that oxide coating or tungsten heating elements. The cellphone will behave just like that auxiliary antenna and pick up a signal. While it is true that the cellphone uses its primary location via GPS, it can also use GPS-like location data via the cellular network.

We also need to factor in the quality of the GPS antenna, its controller board, and software. Not all manufacturers will use the same signal or satellite sampling levels. You could have an instant signal on your dashcam, but it may be slightly incorrect.
 
lufa6977 said:
GPS reception is not always straightforward.
...

We also need to factor in the quality of the GPS antenna, its controller board, and software. Not all manufacturers will use the same signal or satellite sampling levels. You could have an instant signal on your dashcam, but it may be slightly incorrect.
Click to expand...
This is my point. 'Premium' manufacturers seem, in some cases, to be using 'bargain basement' GPS receivers or positioning them non-optimally, it just doesn't seem to be something that's given much consideration.
 
lufa6977 said:
GPS reception is not always straightforward.

Some car windscreens have a tungsten heating element, which can cause GPS interference, especially when the GPS is mounted on the glass. That is why we sometimes use an auxiliary radiating antenna somewhere else in the vehicle. Some windshields have a metal oxide coating that reduces UV exposure.

Holding a cellphone or other GPS-capable device in your hand is a far cry from having one stuck on the windshield. Especially if your car has that oxide coating or tungsten heating elements. The cellphone will behave just like that auxiliary antenna and pick up a signal. While it is true that the cellphone uses its primary location via GPS, it can also use GPS-like location data via the cellular network.

We also need to factor in the quality of the GPS antenna, its controller board, and software. Not all manufacturers will use the same signal or satellite sampling levels. You could have an instant signal on your dashcam, but it may be slightly incorrect.
Click to expand...

Having heating elements in the front windshield is definitely an option (It's annoying as hell and I'd never want wavy lines in my line of sight), but yes people opt for this feature. How much interference it'll cause is subjective. Yes, the module sits in the front windshield (generally in the mount), but the rest of the vehicle will be able to receive a signal, even if the front windshield could interrupt the signal.
 
jsmith said:
Having heating elements in the front windshield is definitely an option (It's annoying as hell and I'd never want wavy lines in my line of sight), but yes people opt for this feature. How much interference it'll cause is subjective. Yes, the module sits in the front windshield (generally in the mount), but the rest of the vehicle will be able to receive a signal, even if the front windshield could interrupt the signal.
Click to expand...
I actually do not have wavy lines like some vehicles do. But it is shielded some how
 
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