422GW very unreliable, faulty unit or...?

rockstar101

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Hi all, I bought a 422GW from an eBay seller along with the rear camera and hardwire kit. I connected it to ignition power as I don't use the parking mode and don't want any battery drain issues.
It works intermittently. The unit required a 2 initial hour charge which is fine I thought but after a week the device did not power on and the blue charge light comes on.

I brought it inside to re-charge again and plugged it back in the car, it didn't come on at all for two journeys, short school runs and then came on and recorded.

So I'd like to know is this expected behaviour on these gen 2 devices or do I have a faulty unit? I've already requested a return for a replacement and am waiting for further responses on here before I send it back.

The general quality of the unit and videos and functionality is good (when it is working) but this intermittency is worrying.

I had a cheapy Accufly (£30 on Amazon) front and rear cameras for 3 years in our previous car with no issues. I did not have to bring it in every week to re-charge and even if the internal battery was dead the device still powered on using the cigar lighter power and recorded as soon as the ignition came on. Paying over 3 times as much for a dashcam has not resulted in a better experience!

My options are:
Return it for a replacement and see how I get on with that
Return and buy a different gen2 e.g. 322 or 522
Return for a refund and buy something else

As I have already hardwired the power cable and rear camera nicely into the car lining, I would prefer to stick with nextbase gen2, but if not I would be looking for a unit that is compatible with both a mini-USB power port and more unlikely that can take the nextbase rear camera's display connection.

Any options on alternatives?
Thanks
 
Or would it better if I changed the power source to a permanent fuse? Is the tech in the gen2 clever enough to detect when the internal battery has been charged and shut it down?
Without the use of a 3rd cable to detect when ACC power is turned off (unlike some alternatives) I'm not too confident in doing this without some input from others.
 
Welcome to DCT @rockstar101 :) I don't have anything from Nextbase but based on what folks post here there is some problem with keeping the battery charged if only short drives are done. There have been other issues as well, and that can be said of their entire second-gen lineup :( But some of the issues are getting worked out so maybe...

NB used to have a large presence here on DCT as do several other cam manufacturers, but that seems to have ended. There's still a lot of peer support here from knowledgeable folks so someone will surely be along soon with better advice than I can give. Till then browse the forums if you like, lots of good info on the 422 to be found here!

Phil
 
I found that the power source is critical.

As you may have noticed, many circuits lose power when the starter motor is cranked. If your dashcam is wired to such a circuit (fuse) then the dashcam initially starts to boot, then the starter motor briefly kills that circuit so the dashcam starts to power down and when power is restored it has no effect because it's still powering off.

I've always wired mine to an IGN2 and not and IGN1 source and never had a problem because IGN2 circuits need power during the starter motor phase.
 
Thanks for that input, it's good to know.
I'm certain my chosen circuit has no power shutdown during the ignition on phase to engine turning on. The reason I know this is I have never yet experienced the device turning on and then powering off, either it comes on and records or charges with blue light only or nothing happens.

I wonder from where they sourced a battery that takes 2 hours to charge and 10 minutes to lose ALL of its power...:unsure: - this is a design flaw or something that can possibly be fixed by firmware upgrade hopefully.

When the battery is fully charged (at home) and nothing happens when I plug it in the car, I tried removing it from the magnetic mount while the engine was on and then connecting it back on after 10 minutes - same thing e.g. nothing happens. This rules out the power down issue you mentioned earlier as by this time the unit would have powered down fully and be ready to power up again.

If all units operate in this manner then this is a MAJOR problem that Nextbase needs to fix otherwise they will have a lot of unhappy customers. In my opinion the unit should always turn on and record regardless of the state of the internal battery. I think they've tried to be too clever here.

Perhaps my unit is faulty, I'll try sending back for replacement and see how I get on with the new one and will report back.
 
I have had 3 Nextbase units, 402, 412 & 380 but when I realised the 2nd series were battery powered I switched manufacturers and I 'm glad I did. I am 100% happy with mine. Never had a problem.
 
I wonder from where they sourced a battery that takes 2 hours to charge and 10 minutes to lose ALL of its power...:unsure: - this is a design flaw or something that can possibly be fixed by firmware upgrade hopefully.
it's not a problem with the battery as such, a smaller battery has to be charged slower or they die quickly (lifespan) so it's a tradeoff, not a design flaw, just not the best choice
 
I have had 3 Nextbase units, 402, 412 & 380 but when I realised the 2nd series were battery powered I switched manufacturers and I 'm glad I did. I am 100% happy with mine. Never had a problem.

Hi, which dashcam did you switch to? I don't really want to switch but can't accept the way this device works in it's current configuration.
 
In the left side, under the avatar ;)
 
Ahh, I see - Viofo A119 V3.

That's on my list if I don't get on with the replacement 422GW.

Looking at Amazon reviews, most people seem to be very happy with the unit, so perhaps I'm one of the unlucky ones. There must have been a faulty batch with dodgy batteries, wish Nextbase would investigate these issue properly and fix them. Right now it seems like a lottery if you get a good working unit or not.
 
Try MycroCam UK for the viofo a119 v3 it's £99.95 & with the polarising filter it's £12.95 I think so a tad cheaper than amazon in total I think
 
Thanks for the recommendation above.

In case Nextbase are reading, here's some info from the Nextbase.info file from my unit:

NBDVR422GWA-R19.1

Model: 422GW
Firmware: R19.1
Serial No: 191712659
FCC-ID: 2AOT9-NBDVR422GW
Battery Status: Charging

Firmware Data
Firmware Version: R19.1
Loader Version: 2019-04-04 18:44
IQ Version: F10.02 / Z03.22 / W03.22
NBCD: 04.1
Alexa: 01.7
Rear Cam: Wide
 
I'm hoping to switch to the a119 v3 just waiting for a good deal (even though its a good price now) my 422gw needs to be charged on the mains house socket nightly now had it since June 2019
 
That's terrible, a dashcam should remain on the dash, it's not a housecam! Are you not able to return it or at least get Nextbase to send you a replacement as you definitely have a faulty product?
 
The replacement has arrived, charging it up right now. Came with 16.4 firmware so will stick with this for time being.
One thing I noticed is that the unit charges with the USB cable plugged directly into the unit, also turns on and records with SD card present.
BUT I see no lights or activity when the GPS mount is connected and USB cable plugged into that.....am I missing something or do I need to wait for the unit to be fully charged first?

Seems a strange way of doing things, or maybe I have a faulty mount? Wish they would test these things properly before sending out.
 
Confirmed, faulty mount (n)
Some idiot had installed the front cover with ball upside down - oh dear, what are Nextbase playing at? This was a sealed unit!
Will try to get a replacement mount only as the unit itself seems to be operating correctly!
The saga continues...
 

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The new mount has arrived and tested working! True test will be when we start to use it on school runs next week.
Hope that is the end of this story!
 
Hi all, I bought a 422GW from an eBay seller along with the rear camera and hardwire kit. I connected it to ignition power as I don't use the parking mode and don't want any battery drain issues.
It works intermittently. The unit required a 2 initial hour charge which is fine I thought but after a week the device did not power on and the blue charge light comes on.

I brought it inside to re-charge again and plugged it back in the car, it didn't come on at all for two journeys, short school runs and then came on and recorded.

So I'd like to know is this expected behaviour on these gen 2 devices or do I have a faulty unit? I've already requested a return for a replacement and am waiting for further responses on here before I send it back.

The general quality of the unit and videos and functionality is good (when it is working) but this intermittency is worrying.

I had a cheapy Accufly (£30 on Amazon) front and rear cameras for 3 years in our previous car with no issues. I did not have to bring it in every week to re-charge and even if the internal battery was dead the device still powered on using the cigar lighter power and recorded as soon as the ignition came on. Paying over 3 times as much for a dashcam has not resulted in a better experience!

My options are:
Return it for a replacement and see how I get on with that
Return and buy a different gen2 e.g. 322 or 522
Return for a refund and buy something else

As I have already hardwired the power cable and rear camera nicely into the car lining, I would prefer to stick with nextbase gen2, but if not I would be looking for a unit that is compatible with both a mini-USB power port and more unlikely that can take the nextbase rear camera's display connection.

Any options on alternatives?
Thanks
Go for a refund. Item not as described would do. I bought one of these new last week , installed by the store’s tech, and the problems I have had (They too) but as for connecting to Alexa trying to get it and the Alexa app working was simply not worth the hassle. Ok , px’ed it for the 622gw thinking the latest model would be free of the issues I’m getting on the cheaper model.? Wrong. The camera in 4g is brilliant let me say , cristal clear footage as expected. But Alexa won’t work in the car. I would say this is a device ahead of it’s time, a pity they didn’t let the development fully catch up with it before releasing .
Hi all, I bought a 422GW from an eBay seller along with the rear camera and hardwire kit. I connected it to ignition power as I don't use the parking mode and don't want any battery drain issues.
It works intermittently. The unit required a 2 initial hour charge which is fine I thought but after a week the device did not power on and the blue charge light comes on.

I brought it inside to re-charge again and plugged it back in the car, it didn't come on at all for two journeys, short school runs and then came on and recorded.

So I'd like to know is this expected behaviour on these gen 2 devices or do I have a faulty unit? I've already requested a return for a replacement and am waiting for further responses on here before I send it back.

The general quality of the unit and videos and functionality is good (when it is working) but this intermittency is worrying.

I had a cheapy Accufly (£30 on Amazon) front and rear cameras for 3 years in our previous car with no issues. I did not have to bring it in every week to re-charge and even if the internal battery was dead the device still powered on using the cigar lighter power and recorded as soon as the ignition came on. Paying over 3 times as much for a dashcam has not resulted in a better experience!

My options are:
Return it for a replacement and see how I get on with that
Return and buy a different gen2 e.g. 322 or 522
Return for a refund and buy something else

As I have already hardwired the power cable and rear camera nicely into the car lining, I would prefer to stick with nextbase gen2, but if not I would be looking for a unit that is compatible with both a mini-USB power port and more unlikely that can take the nextbase rear camera's display connection.

Any options on alternatives?
Thanks
 
To be honest I don't use or intend to use the Alexa function. I just don't get what it will do for me that Google assistant can't do already on my Android phone.
 
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