522GW Parking mode not working

[Kevver787]

I have now confirmed the issue is with the 12v cigarette lighter to USB power supply. Having swapped to a different cable and different adaptor the issue came back after a while. I then plugged the USB cable directly into a USB socket in my glovebox (no adaptor needed) and the camera has been fine for 2 days. When I get time (and buy one) I will swap to a hard wire kit.

 

[SawMaster]

I have now confirmed the issue is with the 12v cigarette lighter to USB power supply. Having swapped to a different cable and different adaptor the issue came back after a while.

Are you sure you've got a good USB cable? Most of them (especially the cheap ones) are "CCA" which is copper-coated-aluminum, and will degrade over time reducing the amount of current they can carry. Use only all-copper cables; they cost more but they last and are less prone to failure or capacity loss.

I then plugged the USB cable directly into a USB socket in my glovebox (no adaptor needed) and the camera has been fine for 2 days. When I get time (and buy one) I will swap to a hard wire kit.

The USB sockets in many cars do not provide adequate power for reliable cam operation, also the same for USB ports on laptops and PC's. In general, usiing the PS supplied with the cam will ensure trouble-free operation, but not always. So unless your PS problem is a one-off, what you've found could be the basis of many of the problems which 522 owners have found with their cams. So perhaps we need to advise other 522 owners who have problems to first try a more robust power source to diagnose their issues.

Thanks for sharing what you've found- it will certainly be helpful to others

Phil

 

[M8TJT]

USB2 spec is 0.5A. USB3 spec is 0.9A. So USB2 is marginal and USB3 should be OK on most. However USB adaptors usually provide a greater current capacity.

 

[Mick]

Very interesting read.
Had my 522GW since July this year, everything worked well, then over the last 3 weeks it started to turn it's self off and on while driving.
Spoke to support and they said it was due to using a non-nextbase sd card, so I got one and it now stays on while.

BUT, I have this same problem with the parking mode as well, turning it self on and off, even parked in a underground car park while I sit watching the car for an hour, still on/off.

Support only told me to reset to default and leave parking mode off !

Think I need to do some testing as well.

If anyone has found a solution please update us all.

 

[dabrovnijk]

I had a tremendous amount of problem with the parking mode turning the camera on and off.

My solution was to turn off the "auto turn off" function so check if you have that enabled.

(Which you will not need anyway if you have the parking mode turned on and if you have a constant power connected to the camera, the "auto turn off" function will not shut down the camera it will only have a useful function if the camera is not constant connected to power and if so the camera will operate for 20 seconds more before turning off when it have lost the live feed from the car. )

 

[peterhr]

We have two 422GW, with rear camera and nextbase wire in kit on permanent supply. Parking mode enabled.

Both are mounted up behind the rear view mirror, so not that visible to the driver and certainly no one really pays attention to them - they are relied upon to be ignored unless you want the evidence.

Occasionally at different times both go into a mode where they appear to be recording - but are not - and they stay on until either the car battery becomes so low the power adaptor cuts the power off - stopping the camera - or the reset button in the base of the camera is pressed. When in weird mode none of the camera controls work.

Really - for me - I only need parking mode to run for a maximum of about 3 hours, for use in car parks when shopping both cars have been victims of hit and run when parked.

What I would really like is a power adaptor wired to the permanent supply, but with a sensor wire to the switched supply - so when the switched supply is cut, the adaptor keeps powering the camera for an amount of time set by a thumbwheel (1 hour, 2hours, 4hours, 8hours, 16 hours, etc). So even if the processor in the camera throws a wobbly the power is cut independently.

 

[Mick]

Well after speaking to another support person, he told me it was due to not using a "Nextbase" sd card. So I purchased one and it has worked fine since.

 

[Mick]

I now seem to have become another parking mode user with problems.

I have installed the hardwire kit and all seemed fine, but as I have not used the car for the last 7 days, this morning I found a flat battery and needed a jump start to get to work.

While at work I checked the sd card and found that it has been recording clips non-stop 24hrs a day, it was recording 12 clips every hour.

All through the day I have been trying different settings but on watching it, it still continues to do the same.

So tomorrow I am going to try it in the office, then in the car with an external supply, then last I am going to connect it direct to the car battery and see what happens.

Just another thing, I read that the unit in the hardwire kit was suppose to switch it off at a certain voltage so as to stop it draining the car battery, which it seems not to be doing, does anyone know at what voltage this should happen ?

Will leave an update once I have tried the above, or have others found a solution to it ?

 

[Mick]

Well after some reading I have come across a discussion about the voltage, they say it is set to 11 volts. BUT no car battery should go that low, minimum voltage should be 11.8 volts.

So on searching I have found this unit, what do you think ?



Product description
Features:

- This is a under-voltage switch controller used to turn off the power of load in the event of the voltage dropping below a set value.

- When the battery voltage increases to a set value, the module will automatically turn on load again.

- Designed with a LED indicator to show if battery is under-voltage.

- Both turn-off and turn-on voltage value can be adjusted by simply pressing buttons.

- This controller will help you to protect battery from over-discharging and prolong battery life.



Specifications:

Suitable Battery: 12V storage/lithium battery

Control Current: 20A

Control Precision: 0.1V

Voltage Error:±0.1V

Size: 8*4.3*2.8cm/3.1*1.7*1.1in

 

[Rick79]

Hello

Has anyone solved the parking mode issue? I'm on my second camera because Nextbase said the first one might be faulty due to all the amount of files from the parking mode.
I have even tested it indoors, which I have to say doesn't produce the amount of triggers when in the car.
Its just like its way to sensitive and this parking mode was one of the reasons for getting it.
my one is hardwired with rear cam and the costly 128GB SD card.

I'm also still in contact with Nextbase via email to try and solve the issue.

 

[DiverRich]

Interestingly enough I haven't driven much for the past several months due to the lockdown. I found my car battery dead multiple times despite having the wiring kit. So, I just removed the camera from the vehicle. Recently I've been driving more and I failed to noticed the parking mode problem was happening again. Of course, I was the victim of a hit and run yesterday, and by the time I discovered the damage, the video had been written over by this infuriating bug.

 

[Nextbase Support]

Hi all,

The Hard Wire Kit will allow the camera to draw nominal current from the car's battery, preventing the cam's battery from being drained. The Hard Wire Kit has an in-built voltage cut off which protects the car's battery from being drained below 11.2V. We recommend using a permanently live fuse with Parking Mode enabled on the camera.

However if your car's battery cut off is above 11.2V, then the hard wire kit will drain the battery below this and your car may not start. If your car's battery does cut off above 11.2V, I'd recommend only using a Switch Live Fuse instead to ensure the battery is not drained whilst the ignition is off.

Regards,
Millie- Nextbase Technical Support

 

[richardwg]

Just bought a used car and had the dealer fit a 522GW with front and rear cameras hard-wired into the car battery. Having similar problems to those listed here. Left dashcam in parking mode and returned to find loads of protected and unprotected videos (see attached PDF for list). When viewing the videos there is no sign of any action that would trigger the cam. At no point does the yellow dot leave the square in the grid - I assume this is a visual representation of the motion detector? When this first happened I reformatted the card (Nextbase 64GB) but the problem is still happening. Any suggestions?

 

[Nextbase Support]

Hi Richard,

Please perform a Parking Mode test:

1) Bring the camera inside your home or office and plug the camera in using the USB cable. Ensure the Blue LED is illuminated and that the cam is receiving power.
2) Make sure the cam can record, you may need to select 'POWER ON' on the screen if plugged into a PC.
3) Ensure Parking Mode is turned 'ON'.
4) Put the camera on a flat, still surface.
5) Press the record button. The camera will start recording a normal file.
6) Now leave the camera still. After a period of inactivity, the camera will turn off.
7) Once the cam has turned off, shake it.

If the camera turns on and records with a padlock on the screen, Parking Mode is functional.
If this is the case, then it's your car's battery fluctuating in voltage which is setting off the camera.

Kind regards,
Millie

Nextbase Technical Support

 

[richardwg]

Hi Richard,

Please perform a Parking Mode test:

1) Bring the camera inside your home or office and plug the camera in using the USB cable. Ensure the Blue LED is illuminated and that the cam is receiving power.
2) Make sure the cam can record, you may need to select 'POWER ON' on the screen if plugged into a PC.
3) Ensure Parking Mode is turned 'ON'.
4) Put the camera on a flat, still surface.
5) Press the record button. The camera will start recording a normal file.
6) Now leave the camera still. After a period of inactivity, the camera will turn off.
7) Once the cam has turned off, shake it.

If the camera turns on and records with a padlock on the screen, Parking Mode is functional.
If this is the case, then it's your car's battery fluctuating in voltage which is setting off the camera.

Kind regards,
Millie

Nextbase Technical Support

Hi Millie,

I tried this test. When I shook the cam it came up with the "PC Connection" screen with the three options. It did not start recording with a padlock on the screen. What does that mean?

Kind regards,

Richard

 

[Nextbase Support]

Hi Richard,

So Parking Mode is functioning correctly.

As the G-sensor is remaining still in the car, it's more likely to be a voltage fluctuation via the Hard Wire Kit that's triggering the camera.

Could you please try the Cigarette Lighter Cable in the car. Does the camera still trigger and record footage?

Thanks,
Millie
Nextbase Technical Support

 

[richardwg]

Hi Millie,

A few questions before I try using the cigarette lighter cable:

1) Is the dashcam intended to trigger when voltage fluctuations occur and, if so, why?
2) Doesn't the hardwire kit protect the dashcam from voltage fluctuations?
3) Does the cigarette lighter cable protect the car's 12-volt battery from being run down?

If the answer to 3) is "No" then I am very reluctant to try this out as I may need my car at short notice and don't want to find the battery has gone flat when I start it.

I am a bit mystified by this thread. There seems to be an issue that is affecting many customers but no certainty about the cause. Has Nextbase tried to replicate the problem? Is it confined to certain makes of vehicle? Does it make a difference if a rear camera is used? Surely there must be some evidence of what is at the root of this issue?

 

[Nextbase Support]

Hi Richard,

To answer the questions above:

1. No. if the battery is fluctuating at a certain point, the camera thinks the car is being turned on, so is being trigger to turn on. The voltage then drops and the camera thinks the car has been turned off, and so turns off too.
2. The Hard Wire Kit has an in-built voltage cut off which protects the car's battery from being drained below 11.2V.
3. Yes, the CLC has a voltage cut off. Unless your Cigarette Lighter Socket on your vehicle is permanently live (unlikely) then the Cigarette Lighter Socket will only use your car's battery when the car is on. The above is a test to see functionality, and not designed to be a long term fix. We need to ascertain whether the behaviour is in the car, whatever the power supply, or whether it's the Hard Wire Kit.

Finally, yes we have tried to replicate this issue. However when we have had a camera sent to us to test, the camera was found to be without fault.
We do not know of the issue occurring on certain car makes and having a rear camera does not seem to affect the setup.

If you can try the test previously specified, I can help further.

Regards,
Millie
Nextbase Technical Support

 

[Kremmen]

I suspect bad installation 'tap' into the fusebox. Some circuits do fluctuate, even when the car is turned off, so it's hit and miss whether you get a good 'tap' in some vehicles.

 

[richardwg]

Hi Richard,

To answer the questions above:

1. No. if the battery is fluctuating at a certain point, the camera thinks the car is being turned on, so is being trigger to turn on. The voltage then drops and the camera thinks the car has been turned off, and so turns off too.
2. The Hard Wire Kit has an in-built voltage cut off which protects the car's battery from being drained below 11.2V.
3. Yes, the CLC has a voltage cut off. Unless your Cigarette Lighter Socket on your vehicle is permanently live (unlikely) then the Cigarette Lighter Socket will only use your car's battery when the car is on. The above is a test to see functionality, and not designed to be a long term fix. We need to ascertain whether the behaviour is in the car, whatever the power supply, or whether it's the Hard Wire Kit.

Finally, yes we have tried to replicate this issue. However when we have had a camera sent to us to test, the camera was found to be without fault.
We do not know of the issue occurring on certain car makes and having a rear camera does not seem to affect the setup.

If you can try the test previously specified, I can help further.

Regards,
Millie
Nextbase Technical Support

Hi Millie,

Thank you for taking the time to explain all this. I do appreciate your reassurance. I will try and test this out in the next few days.

Regards,

Richard