A129 IR + issue with keyless entry

Maybe somebody would like to create a database of cars and cams which give problems that people could research before purchasing a cam, but that would be a huge never-ending job. It's the only real solution I can see that might work.
would end up as a great point of reference for people to check after they've already bought the wrong camera :p
 
I simply do not understand why the usual pack of defenders keeps blaming other factors when person after person finds their way here for solutions to the same recurring problems with the Viofo A129 and so many of them leave unhappy. And you keep writing to each one that the problem they experienced is unusual with the exalted Viofo A129, or common to all dashcams when it is not. Did you all get your dashcams for free? Does a free dashcam really buy that much loyalty from you? Or are you trying to ensure that you get the next Viofo model for free too? (Before you all get too bent out of shape about this comment, some of you here are actually quite reasonable, but others definitely seem to drink the kool-aid.)

There is often great information being shared in these forums, and also some really bad advice from posters with the right intent but wrong ideas or limited understanding. Perhaps some of you need to step back for a moment and consider the larger view, and how most people who buy dashcams simply want to buy one, stick it to their front and rear windows, plug it in and not have to think about it again unless it beeps/sounds to indicate a recording issue or until they need the recorded video. To keep recommending to new buyers a dashcam that is repeatedly dragging people though this endless troubleshooting process is not only unfair but may be morally and ethically questionable.

If someone asks for a dashcam recommendation, please tell the truth up front. "It works for me, but..." then mention some of the outstanding issues, of which you are mostly all aware. And that will likely ultimately lead to better offerings from Viofo going forward, which is not only better for us but also better for them in the long run.
 
@jdct I agree with your precepts save for one- that this is not an issue with some cams. All dashcams emit RFI, and all modern cars are sensitive to RFI. The types and levels of this, and where they occur in the frequency spectrum can be anywhere from a negligible factor to an insurmountable one. Looking across all the different camera threads here on DCT will show that in this I am correct; nearly every one of the more-used cam models will have an RFI story posted about them. In this you're posting the "limited information" you correctly warn us about. I think that one reason we're seeing so much of this with Viofo products is mostly due to their being so prolific; they are otherwise highly-regarded cams by most people and standards.

Another problem here is the "turf war" of equipment location; both cams and car equipment are fighting for center mounting so that each performs best. Solving this at a user-level means one of the other (or both) will be compromised in operation where RFI is an issue. I'm a big fan of center-mounted cams but I've run cams near the edges of the car and TBH I don't see that this would much matter in most situations where we'd need dashcam footage. A cam can be moved easily but not car equipment, so we must be willing to follow that course if the need arises.

For nearly a century we've had no dashcams in our cars and locking/unlocking was done manually at the car with a physical key. So we can do without either one or both really, yet we clamor for the advantages of today's technology and complain loudly when things don't go as we want them to. So perhaps the real problem is us, and not so much the cars or the cams. Just something to consider...

Phil
 
@jdct I agree with your precepts save for one- that this is not an issue with some cams. All dashcams emit RFI, and all modern cars are sensitive to RFI. The types and levels of this, and where they occur in the frequency spectrum can be anywhere from a negligible factor to an insurmountable one. Looking across all the different camera threads here on DCT will show that in this I am correct; nearly every one of the more-used cam models will have an RFI story posted about them. In this you're posting the "limited information" you correctly warn us about. I think that one reason we're seeing so much of this with Viofo products is mostly due to their being so prolific; they are otherwise highly-regarded cams by most people and standards.
It is nearly universally true that electronic devices emit some form of EMI (save for specifically over-engineered applications for military and similar). But I would suggest the assertion you've made regarding Viofo dashcams being so prolific may be a false one, though I can present no more than anecdotal evidence to the contrary. If you were to view the number of ratings/reviews for each dashcam brand on Amazon (I tried viewing the US site), you will find far more ratings and reviews for brands and models we might not bother to discuss on this site than there are for Viofo dashcams. And this I believe would suggest that Viofo is not the prolific brand that you claim. Greater sales should most often equate to a greater number of posted ratings and reviews, no?

Though also anecdotal, to me it seems the most common dashcam interference reports are regarding DAB radio which as far as I am aware is not available in the US. And most often it seems that these DAB radio problems have to do something with on-window antennas that are less than ideal, and it appeared to me that it may be possible that they too are aftermarket installations, but I have no direct knowledge about them to state anything as fact so please do correct me if I am wrong.

And let's not all forget nor dismiss the potential effects on systems relying upon harmonic frequencies too -- the stray frequencies emitted from an offending dashcam can affect more than just the systems that operate on the exact same frequencies. And the other two factors that have greatest influence are proximity and amplitude.

For nearly a century we've had no dashcams in our cars and locking/unlocking was done manually at the car with a physical key. So we can do without either one or both really, yet we clamor for the advantages of today's technology and complain loudly when things don't go as we want them to.
Besides seat belts, air bags, side impact supports, engineered crush zones, and electronic fuel injection (because carburetors leave a lot to be desired), I'd rather not have any of the useless crap in my car but they force it down our throats these days -- especially here in the US, though I imagine other countries have their own mandates. We cannot even buy many new cars without forward collision avoidance braking systems because the manufacturers want to improve their image, and perhaps their crash statistics. I bought a model without that system, but I still had to settle for the keyless start button because they didn't make the model with an ignition key anymore. Not only are they less secure because the physical requirement has been eliminated, but now I have to keep my keys in my pocket while I'm driving, where they sometimes stick me in the leg. No one needs it. (Except maybe my last girlfriend who could never find her keys in her bag. OK maybe some people need it, but not me!) And how many of you don't even have a volume knob on your car stereo anymore? Who thought up that stupid idea?

So if we still had those older cars with keys and carburetors and volume knobs, then none of the often disabling interference that the Viofo dashcams create would likely even be noticed!

So perhaps the real problem is us, and not so much the cars or the cams. Just something to consider...
Aren't people always at the root of every problem?
(Update: besides geologic forces, objects in outer space hurtling towards the earth, and coronal mass ejections)
 
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If you were to view the number of ratings/reviews for each dashcam brand on Amazon (I tried viewing the US site), you will find far more ratings and reviews for brands and models we might not bother to discuss on this site than there are for Viofo dashcams. And this I believe would suggest that Viofo is not the prolific brand that you claim. Greater sales should most often equate to a greater number of posted ratings and reviews, no?
Amazon is flooded with fake reviews, some of the brands there that have thousands of reviews are the worst offenders
 
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Yeah i do not put any trust in reviews on Amazon or Ebay seller or listings, it have been proven that these are at best doubtful.
Not that i don't think any true customers write their review / opinion too, but personally i have never reviewed a sale or seller in this way.

If i get what i have paid for, and it work like it should, why should i write a review that say it work like it is supposed to, i mean that should be the norm so should not need any praise.
On the other hand if that's not the case then, yes you should write a warning to other people, but then you will get a long list of purely bad things and that will not make any sales or pie charts.

This is why i don't get those mails you get every time you have received something,,,, like "please do a review here and here of your shopping experience with us".
And i am sorry but if everything have been normal i see no reason to share that, if that was the MO of the world we should all run around praising each other for things like " thank you you dident rape my daughter" and so on, and that's just silly.
I would prefer to live in a world where we all do what is right, and jump down the throat of the ones that are not right.
This is why instead of sites like facetwitt which largely are used to pad each other on the back, i advocate the coming of sites like "hatebook" as it to me seem like it make more sense to focus on the ones that are not in line with the normal majority.
And even then i doubt i will bother flame / warn against some online seller that have sold me a 50 dollar dashcam that was DOA.

I just hate pedestrians that get all smiley and thankful looking when i do with my car as the traffic code say i should, it would be much better if those pedestrians yelled and flipped off the motorists that do not do what the traffic code say you must to, and just ignored me.
Okay you should praise normal too, but not as much as it is done in todays world, i normally say every time you prise 1 good guy, then 5 idiots slide under the radar.
 
Amazon if flooded with fake reviews, some of the brands there that have thousands of reviews are the worst offenders

Sure, lots of reviews are fake, but we cannot simply dismiss them all without evaluating each and every one independently. And could there possibly be the same percentage of fake reviews for Viofo dashcams? I certainly believe it's likely.

I know those dashcams are highly unlikely to be up to the the same level as certain others, but most people have lesser understanding of what is available to be able make the same determination.

(Translation: People are stupid. And when surveyed, a consistent 90% of people respond that they believe they are of average or above average intelligence, while only 10 percent respond as being of less than average intelligence. Clearly the math does not work for that result set.)
 
there are sellers on Amazon that have dedicated staff that spend their time generating reviews, they've also taken it up a notch and do fake negative reviews of competitor products, the review system is very broken and too easily manipulated, products having many hundred reviews after just a few weeks selling is not something that happens organically
 
there are sellers on Amazon that have dedicated staff that spend their time generating reviews, they've also taken it up a notch and do fake negative reviews of competitor products, the review system is very broken and too easily manipulated, products having many hundred reviews after just a few weeks selling is not something that happens organically

Fair enough, but that hardly proves that Viofo dashcams are prolific as SawMaster asserted. And without access to definitive comparative sales data, it does not seem as if any real conclusions can be reached that are simply not based upon subjective personal opinion.
 
Fair enough, but that hardly proves that Viofo dashcams are prolific as SawMaster asserted. And without access to definitive comparative sales data, it does not seem as if any real conclusions can be reached that are simply not based upon subjective personal opinion.
I think they're prolific here at least, there are a lot of Viofo related posts everyday, their section on the forum has the most posts, how much of that is just a numbers game or otherwise is hard to know
 
As you mentioned in that other thread in another forum:

two things that will drive forum activity, a lot of customers, or a lot of problems

To me it appears that most of the Viofo forum activity falls into the latter category. But that is only my own subjective opinion.
 
Yeah i do not put any trust in reviews on Amazon or Ebay seller or listings, it have been proven that these are at best doubtful.
Not that i don't think any true customers write their review / opinion too, but personally i have never reviewed a sale or seller in this way.

If i get what i have paid for, and it work like it should, why should i write a review that say it work like it is supposed to, i mean that should be the norm so should not need any praise.
On the other hand if that's not the case then, yes you should write a warning to other people, but then you will get a long list of purely bad things and that will not make any sales or pie charts.

This is why i don't get those mails you get every time you have received something,,,, like "please do a review here and here of your shopping experience with us".
And i am sorry but if everything have been normal i see no reason to share that, if that was the MO of the world we should all run around praising each other for things like " thank you you dident rape my daughter" and so on, and that's just silly.
I would prefer to live in a world where we all do what is right, and jump down the throat of the ones that are not right.
This is why instead of sites like facetwitt which largely are used to pad each other on the back, i advocate the coming of sites like "hatebook" as it to me seem like it make more sense to focus on the ones that are not in line with the normal majority.
And even then i doubt i will bother flame / warn against some online seller that have sold me a 50 dollar dashcam that was DOA.

I just hate pedestrians that get all smiley and thankful looking when i do with my car as the traffic code say i should, it would be much better if those pedestrians yelled and flipped off the motorists that do not do what the traffic code say you must to, and just ignored me.
Okay you should praise normal too, but not as much as it is done in todays world, i normally say every time you prise 1 good guy, then 5 idiots slide under the radar.

Agree agree agree, except for the pedestrians smiling, waving, whatever -- as long as they are not needlessly wasting my time. They're simply acknowledging appreciation for holding yourself to a higher standard, which is increasingly uncommon these days. Though if a driver waves me on despite having right of way, I wonder if part of possible insurance scam. (Without dashcam recording, they can say "he turned right in front of me with no warning and hit my car head on!") In at least one US state (New Jersey), a pedestrian standing within a crosswalk on the road cannot legally surrender right of way to a car. Pedestrian can only legally wave on a car on while standing on the adjacent sidewalk.
 
I agree.
Though i do not find that upholding the law is a higher standard, but as Danish society decline there are probably some validity in that.
Just as i dont call firefighters or police men or paramedics for heroes, just due to their line of job.
sure they are in a place where there are a good chance to go that extra mile and be a hero, but just the job,,,, well that's just a job.
In the mid 90ties i was myself lined up for a commendation for giving CPR to a injured person trapped in a crashed car, i said "F" that, i just did what anyone with extended first aid skills would do.
I did my thing - paramedics took over and i drove the 70 km to work, not realizing i was covered in blood.
In crosswalks ( no light ) if here is a person stand on either side and by doing that signal a intent to cross, cars and other vehicles must yield to the pedestrian.
Some creative interpretations are:
If the pedestrian are on the far side of the crosswalk you don't have to stop if he have not set a foot on the crosswalk yet.
Pedestrians must yield to cars.

A recent survey with Danish motorists had almost 70 % of them not knowing the speed limit for towing a trailer on the motorway or highway for that matter ( 80 km/h ) unless you have a trailer with its own brake system in which case you can get a permit to do 100 km/h with a trailer or camper.

My last accident ( getting rear ended ) was at a cross walk and me stopping for a pedestrian + the car behind me, but the 4x4 behind us,,,,,not so much.
Sadly my rear camera at the time was on a flaky USB cable so that was not recorded sadly.
 
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I agree.
Though i do not find that upholding the law is a higher standard, but as Danish society decline there are probably some validity in that.
Just as i dont call firefighters or police men or paramedics for heroes, just due to their line of job.
sure they are in a place where there are a good chance to go that extra mile and be a hero, but just the job,,,, well that's just a job.
In the mid 90ties i was myself lined up for a commendation for giving CPR to a injured person trapped in a crashed car, i said "F" that, i just did what anyone with extended first aid skills would do.
I did my thing - paramedics took over and i drove the 70 km to work, not realizing i was covered in blood.
In crosswalks ( no light ) if here is a person stand on either side and by doing that signal a intent to cross, cars and other vehicles must yield to the pedestrian.
Some creative interpretations are:
If the pedestrian are on the far side of the crosswalk you don't have to stop if he have not set a foot on the crosswalk yet.
Pedestrians must yield to cars.

A recent survey with Danish motorists had almost 70 % of them not knowing the speed limit for towing a trailer on the motorway or highway for that matter ( 80 km/h ) unless you have a trailer with its own brake system in which case you can get a permit to do 100 km/h with a trailer or camper.

My last accident ( getting rear ended ) was at a cross walk and me stopping for a pedestrian + the car behind me, but the 4x4 behind us,,,,,not so much.
Sadly my rear camera at the time was on a flaky USB cable so that was not recorded sadly.

Just a LITTLE TAP I see!!!!!
I'd use the same expression.
To bad back camera not working but I think it's easy to tell you're stopped.

Nice to know other dash cams also have problems with wiring. (or was it a Viofo?)
 
Fair enough, but that hardly proves that Viofo dashcams are prolific as SawMaster asserted. And without access to definitive comparative sales data, it does not seem as if any real conclusions can be reached that are simply not based upon subjective personal opinion.

I watch a lot of car-crash videos on YouTube, many times you can see the cam logo on screen. Viofo is one of the most-seen brands there worldwide, perhaps the most-often-seen of all the mid-range cams. Maybe not a perfect statistical base, but a lot better one than reviews on any page or website are ;) Crashes are very random in occurrence, and since the car with the cam is usually at no fault or not involved, it's very likely to be representative of the percentage of cams in use made by a given manufacturer :cool: It would be very hard to manipulate this to favor or disfavor a cam or manufacturer to any significant degree. This is one of my biggest take-aways from watching those vids which can get boring after awhile; I like to know what cams others use and how their vids look in different conditions.

As far as to topics and threads on forums like DCT, yes with all manufacturers you will see more postings of problems than anything else, which is natural. There;s no need to post or inquire of things if all is going as expected with your cam, so most people don't bother doing that. And once again that number relates directly to how many of those cams are in use; more cams equals more posts. Simple. What I take away from the anti-Viofo attitudes I see here on DCT is that most of those folks who are having problems are looking to reinforce their viewpoints by finding and pointing out others like themselves. They aren't even considering what the proportion of posts about problems happening with other cams are, nor do they see successes because they don't want to see that. You will see what you want to see- that's human nature :rolleyes: My desire is to see truth clearly whether it's good, bad, or indifferent. And I have no qualms about speaking honestly about those things I find, even when what I say can be detrimental to me. I do not fear any truth :)

And as I've said, I've seen this exact same problem with many differenrt cams and cars, so it cannot be a failing of only Viofo. It's systematic, and there's no single cure which can fix it. It's just part of the unhappy reality and truth of dashcams and of today's cars.

Phil
 
I watch a lot of car-crash videos on YouTube, many times you can see the cam logo on screen. Viofo is one of the most-seen brands there worldwide, perhaps the most-often-seen of all the mid-range cams. Maybe not a perfect statistical base, but a lot better one than reviews on any page or website are ;) Crashes are very random in occurrence, and since the car with the cam is usually at no fault or not involved, it's very likely to be representative of the percentage of cams in use made by a given manufacturer :cool: It would be very hard to manipulate this to favor or disfavor a cam or manufacturer to any significant degree. This is one of my biggest take-aways from watching those vids which can get boring after awhile; I like to know what cams others use and how their vids look in different conditions.

... You will see what you want to see- that's human nature :rolleyes: My desire is to see truth clearly whether it's good, bad, or indifferent. And I have no qualms about speaking honestly about those things I find, even when what I say can be detrimental to me. I do not fear any truth :)

As are we all susceptible to seeing what we wish... A greater number of Viofo-sourced crash videos residing on youtube is not necessarily indicative of 'prolific' status. The Viofo A118C was a very popular and reliable dashcam and available at a great price point. But as far as I can tell, it is no longer being manufactured or sold, except possibly for remaining stock. (Note to self: I should see if one is available because I still run them in my cars and have never been disappointed by them.) Another reason your anecdotal evidence may be not be representative of what you seem to have noticed, is that the failure rates of other manufacturer's dashcams to record accidents may be significantly higher, more often leaving those involved without a video recording of the event. And therefore, fewer videos could subsequently be posted to youtube. We here discussing dashcams in this forum are all familiar with that type of dashcam -- but that does not mean there are not plenty more of them not doing what they were purchased to do, stuck on windshields all around the world, with their owners believing they are recording until they finally need a saved video file. 'Confirmation bias' is the tendency to interpret new evidence as confirmation of one's existing beliefs or theories. It's a very real thing. That you wrote "You will see what you want to see", instead of "we will see what we want to see" seems to indicate that you believe that you are more immune from the basic human tendency/trait than the rest of us. That thinking is in itself part of our human failure underlying the phenomenon of confirmation bias.
 
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"You" and "we" applies to me as well as anyone else, and when the Viofo logo is seen, it also has the cam model with it.

I can't see any relationship between crashes not posted due to failed cams and Viofo's cams. With the numbers of those I've seen if there is a relationship it would be in Viofo's favor- if there's more Viofo vids then those cams probably fail less often which indicates them being a better cam. In my time with dashcams I've learned that the unexpected happens; one of my most reliable cams is a cheap and crappy clone model. I would have never guessed that, TBH I expected it would be dead within a year or probably less. It is what it is, even if it's a fluke.

I'm not inherently superior to anyone, but I have made it my personal goal for a very long time to look for truth in everything and to be careful to not reach erroneous conclusions. Most people don't drive themselves towards that the way I do; for me that is a main passion of my life. I'm not looking to justify my thoughts- I look for thoughts which need no justification or support but are clear on their own and have nothing solid going against them. It's not always a pleasant ending but it is satisfying, and it usually helps me understand other things better. I also look for all thoughts against mine to compare them to, for if I'm on the wrong track I want to know that so I can fix that. It's definitely not in human nature to be like this for it is very hurtful to learn that what you had believed was correct actually isn't. And I will continue to believe Viofo cams are quite prolific until I see something more solid than Amazon reviews to show me of any good possibility that my premise is wrong.

Phil
 
I can't see any relationship between crashes not posted due to failed cams and Viofo's cams. With the numbers of those I've seen if there is a relationship it would be in Viofo's favor- if there's more Viofo vids then those cams probably fail less often which indicates them being a better cam.
I don't dispute that the Viofo dashcams in driving mode only are often better than other options. I suggest that it could be contributing factor to you seeing more Viofo dashcam videos posted on youtube than other brands.

And I will continue to believe Viofo cams are quite prolific until I see something more solid than Amazon reviews to show me of any good possibility that my premise is wrong.
So as you mentioned twice in the same post, you will not believe that which you cannot see. OK.
 
Yeah i do not put any trust in reviews on Amazon or Ebay seller or listings, it have been proven that these are at best doubtful.
Not that i don't think any true customers write their review / opinion too, but personally i have never reviewed a sale or seller in this way.

If i get what i have paid for, and it work like it should, why should i write a review that say it work like it is supposed to, i mean that should be the norm so should not need any praise.
On the other hand if that's not the case then, yes you should write a warning to other people, but then you will get a long list of purely bad things and that will not make any sales or pie charts.

This is why i don't get those mails you get every time you have received something,,,, like "please do a review here and here of your shopping experience with us".
And i am sorry but if everything have been normal i see no reason to share that, if that was the MO of the world we should all run around praising each other for things like " thank you you dident rape my daughter" and so on, and that's just silly.
I would prefer to live in a world where we all do what is right, and jump down the throat of the ones that are not right.
This is why instead of sites like facetwitt which largely are used to pad each other on the back, i advocate the coming of sites like "hatebook" as it to me seem like it make more sense to focus on the ones that are not in line with the normal majority.
And even then i doubt i will bother flame / warn against some online seller that have sold me a 50 dollar dashcam that was DOA.

I just hate pedestrians that get all smiley and thankful looking when i do with my car as the traffic code say i should, it would be much better if those pedestrians yelled and flipped off the motorists that do not do what the traffic code say you must to, and just ignored me.
Okay you should praise normal too, but not as much as it is done in todays world, i normally say every time you prise 1 good guy, then 5 idiots slide under the radar.
Or they put you on their email lists, bother you, and then you have to unsubscribe from them, and sometimes multiple times because they don't want to unsubscribe you!! Heh! Heh!
 
there are sellers on Amazon that have dedicated staff that spend their time generating reviews, they've also taken it up a notch and do fake negative reviews of competitor products, the review system is very broken and too easily manipulated, products having many hundred reviews after just a few weeks selling is not something that happens organically
A notable exception was the terrible camera functionality of the Go pro Hero 3, where Woodman felt the need to apologize on Facebook! I think there were thousands of complaints on Amazon!
 
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