A229 Duo vs. A129 Pro Duo

[Vortex Radar]

So I'm curious about comparing the A229 Duo vs. the A129 Pro Duo as far as which 2CH setup is better. I'm a fan of both, but I haven't yet taken the time to sit down and do a head to head in terms of features or video quality testing.

A129 Pro Duo is 4K/1080p while A229 Duo is 2K/2K.

What are your thoughts on which resolution combo is better in various situations?

There's other differences too like the A229 has a bigger case of course, faster 5 GHz WiFi, USB C (if that matters), a larger display, a thinner front/rear cable, an optional external mic, as well as voice notifications. A129 Pro has an older style mount, but it's easier to mount/unmount in my experience.

Price-wise they're comparable so I guess a lot of it depends on how much you'd be giving up when dropping from 4K to 2K for the front cam and everything you're gaining in return if you go for the A229.

If there's another thread/post with this already done and I missed it, please link me to it.

Tagging @viofo

 

[Panzer Platform]

Oh my gosh this is a tough one. lol
The A129 Pro Duo was my very first dash cam back in February 2020. It was my first experience into the world of dash cams, after a year of research.
I only had the camera for 21 days before it malfunctioned, and I returned it as defective. The GPS module “burned out” and the speaker exploded with a loud POP during testing. I even saw the magic smoke escape after the speaker blew. It still recorded but there was no GPS data, and no more beeps from button presses. For those 21 days I was running the camera 12-14 hours a day in normal recording mode installed in my car, but parked in the garage. I also took lots of test footage, and my favorite resolution to use was 2K@60fps.

I was very thankful for Amazon’s 30 day hassle free return policy. After that it was back to the drawing board, and I just waited. And then the A129 Plus Duo was released September 2020, and Joseph from BBMC sent me one for test & review. I fell in love with it, and bought a second A129 Plus Duo to make my 4-Channel set up. It’s been running 100% reliable for the past 2 years. Never had a malfunction of any kind.

I’ve been testing / using the A229 Duo since July 2022, and I like that camera way better than the A129 Plus Duo. So back to your original question of A129 Pro Duo vs. A229 Duo. If you gave me some money and told me to choose a 2-Channel system I would buy two separate A119 Mini’s to build a 2-Channel set up. LMAO
I really love the 60fps option. But I would wait until the “next batch” is released. Viofo is supposed to replace the microphone to fix the low audio volume level, and install a bigger heat sink to dissipate more heat. How will we be able to tell the difference between these “2nd batch A119 Mini’s”? I don’t know.
Sorry I’m no help. Lol
Can’t wait to update my A229 review description box with your A229 review link.
-Chuck

-

 

[rcg530]

June 2019, I installed an A129 Duo in my wife's car. March 2020, I purchased and installed an A129 Pro Duo to replace the A129 Duo and I moved the A129 Duo to another vehicle. The A129 Pro Duo is still installed in my wife's car (2.5 years later). I didn't like the 4K nighttime footage as much from the A129 Pro front camera as the 1080p footage from the A129 front camera. I recently had to replace the microSD card in the A129 Pro Duo (defective microSD card). I reviewed the recent footage captured by the A129 Pro Duo and both the front and rear cameras are still 100 percent in focus. Overall, the A129 Pro Duo is a decent 4K front / 1080p dash camera.

You mentioned the A229 Duo has faster 5 GHz Wi-Fi, but the A129 Pro Duo also has 2.4 GHz & 5 GHz Wi-Fi support.

The A229 Duo I reviewed has really good daytime and okay nighttime footage. The one thing I don't like about the A229 front camera (same goes for the T130 front) is you cannot adjust the vertical position of the front camera lens as far as needed in my vehicle to get exactly what you want in the field of view. The form factor of the A119/A129 dash cameras have a larger adjustment range for the vertical positioning of the front lens. I did have to get the A229 Duo's rear camera replaced due to rear camera losing focus after being installed for a couple of months.

 

[Vortex Radar]

Very good points. I double checked and you’re right that the A129 Pro lists 5 GHz WiFi too. Thanks for the correction.

When it comes to image quality, I’d be interested in checking out daytime image quality of 4K vs 2K as well as the night time video differences.

2K rear like the U1000 is cool for grabbing plates or faces a little farther away, but I’m curious about some of the practical benefits of and importance of the higher res rear cam too.

 

[Nigel]

Occasionally the 4K front resolution is very useful, more so in places with hard to read plates. Also if I want to report a dangerous overtake that I saw with my eyes, a 2K camera often shows it too distant even though I could see it clearly at the time, the 4K sorts that issue.

Occasionally the 2K rear resolution is very useful, seems to happen quite rarely, but I do prefer having 2K rear. It tends to be of most use when you have a CPL fitted so that you can see through the windscreen of the car behind to show the driver busy txting, but the A229 rear doesn't have a CPL, so maybe Panzer's 2x A119 is a better choice!

For readability of UK plates, there is generally not much difference except in sunny weather when the 4K wins. In poor lighting the 2K does have a small advantage.

If you are making movies then the A129 Pro has the better colours, dynamic range, bitrate, plus enough resolution that you can zoom in a bit for your movie, definitely the best choice for movies.

Other than the image, I like the voice notifications on the A229, and the coax cable to the rear camera is a huge improvement.

So I'm curious about comparing the A229 Duo vs. the A129 Pro Duo as far as which 2CH setup is better. I'm a fan of both, but I haven't yet taken the time to sit down and do a head to head in terms of features or video quality testing.

This is a comparison between different generations and standard vs Pro! Only makes sense because they are similar in price, shows how good the A129 Pro was at launch, but where is the A229 Pro?

 

[LateralNW]

but where is the A229 Pro?

I thought you where testing it for viofo

 

[Panzer Platform]

The A229 has “Enhanced” 5GHz Wi-Fi. I like to refer it as Viofo’s 2nd Gen Wi-Fi because I consider the Wi-Fi in the A129 Pro as 1st Gen.

Back in 2020 I tested the Wi-Fi download speed of the A129 Pro to check the difference between the 2.4GHz & 5GHz bands, (iPhone SE 2016 used). I found there was no difference in download speed. My A129 Plus exhibits the same behavior, (no difference between 2.4GHz & 5GHz).

So this time around I was skeptical of the A229 “Enhanced” claim. I was pleasantly surprised to discover the A229’s 5GHz band is much faster than it’s own 2.4GHz band. And much, much faster than the 1 Gen Wi-Fi in my A129 Plus.

A229 Download Test Results, (iPhone SE 2020)
1 Minute Clip (226MB)
2.4GHz = 42 Seconds
5GHz = 18 Seconds

A129 Plus Download Test Results, (iPhone SE 2020)
1 Minute Clip (192MB)
2.4GHz = 82 Seconds
5GHz - 82 Seconds

Another thing to note is there is no more buffering with the 2nd Gen Wi-Fi while viewing footage.

Would someone be so kind to confirm & verify the difference of the 2.4GHz & 5GHz band Wi-Fi download speeds of the A129 Pro by downloading a 1 minute clip to their smartphone?
-Chuck

 

[Nigel]

Would someone be so kind to confirm & verify the difference of the 2.4GHz & 5GHz band Wi-Fi download speeds of the A129 Pro by downloading a 1 minute clip to their smartphone?

When I tested it, the A129 Pro wifi was quite fast, similar in speed to the A229, but my A129 Pro is a prototype, so I somebody else had better answer your question! I thought the A129 Plus didn't have 5GHz these days, although mine has?

 

[Panzer Platform]

My A129 Plus is running firmware from 2020.
Firmware: V1.0 Front Build: 20200922 - Rear Build: 20200807
I never updated the firmware because I wasn't having any issues with it.
I'm waiting for @kamkar to come in here and say;
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it".
LMAO

I suspect Viofo figured out this "flaw" and removed the 5GHz menu option with susequent firmware updates.
-Chuck

 

[CaptureYourAction]

Yes, 5Ghz was removed from the A129 Plus in later firmware.

 

[Lothar]

The A229 has “Enhanced” 5GHz Wi-Fi. I like to refer it as Viofo’s 2nd Gen Wi-Fi because I consider the Wi-Fi in the A129 Pro as 1st Gen.

Back in 2020 I tested the Wi-Fi download speed of the A129 Pro to check the difference between the 2.4GHz & 5GHz bands, (iPhone SE 2016 used). I found there was no difference in download speed. My A129 Plus exhibits the same behavior, (no difference between 2.4GHz & 5GHz).

So this time around I was skeptical of the A229 “Enhanced” claim. I was pleasantly surprised to discover the A229’s 5GHz band is much faster than it’s own 2.4GHz band. And much, much faster than the 1 Gen Wi-Fi in my A129 Plus.

A229 Download Test Results, (iPhone SE 2020)
1 Minute Clip (226MB)
2.4GHz = 42 Seconds
5GHz = 18 Seconds

A129 Plus Download Test Results, (iPhone SE 2020)
1 Minute Clip (192MB)
2.4GHz = 82 Seconds
5GHz - 82 Seconds

Another thing to note is there is no more buffering with the 2nd Gen Wi-Fi while viewing footage.

Would someone be so kind to confirm & verify the difference of the 2.4GHz & 5GHz band Wi-Fi download speeds of the A129 Pro by downloading a 1 minute clip to their smartphone?
-Chuck

A129 Plus does not have 5GHz WiFi advertised (or maybe they took it down like you mentioned), but A129 Pro and A139 still do?

A129 Pro:

A139:

A229:

They all share the same "...up to 8 MB/s" marketing language. There's no improvement to warrant considering one version 1st generation and the other 2nd generation...unless we do this:
1st gen: Doesn't work, no benefit or improvement. A129+
2nd gen: Works with up to 4x improvement. A129 Pro, A139, and A229

I suppose one of the reviewers that have any of these cams can do the same to test on the A129 Pro, and A139 to see the 5GHz WiFi speeds?

 

[Panzer Platform]

"Enhanced" = 2nd Gen = Only in my mind.
Sorry for the confusion.
-Chuck

 

[Lothar]

"Enhanced" = 2nd Gen = Only in my mind.
Sorry for the confusion.
-Chuck

You did not confuse me one bit.
I'm just wondering what is so "enhanced" about the 5GHz WiFi on the A229 specifically (the A139 and A129 Pro does not use this same "enhanced" language) given they all share the same "...up to 8 MB/s" specification.
Until someone from Viofo (or a tester here) proves otherwise, I will just assume that this is all "marketing" and there is no technical difference in the 5GHz WiFi among all these units (A129 Pro, A139, and A229).

 

[kamkar]

One of the first days with my A229 i did time how long it took to DL a file ( 3 min ) from the front camera, i can not recall how long it took, but it was a speed / time i felt was very reasonable and did not feel slow.
I must however admit that DL anything to my phone are not something i do very much from any dashcam or other source, so my experience here are limited.

I know at home my phone testing WIFI speed via my router i can get just over 500 mbit download, cellular speed have also gotten a update i noticed a few weeks ago, i use to get only 30 mbit on 4G in my apartment, but now i get a solid +100 mbit.
I can only assume some 5G stuff and so also remove of 3G and update of 4G stuff in the masts near me have been going on.

It is hard to tell what if any gains are in most dashcam firmware releases, as often there are not a list of fix / improvements, and if there was image quality updates, to see them you would probably need 2 similar cameras each with its own firmware ( new / previous model ) and a keen eye to spot the difference.

I was a bit let down when the image on my PC died a few months ago and i went to get a new screen ( 1440p ) only to find out it was actually my GFX card that had died, at least i can now view 1440p footage at 1:1 scale.

 

[rcg530]

I just performed a timed file download test using a VIOFO A129 Pro Duo and a VIOFO A229 Duo. Both were configured to have 5 GHz Wi-Fi connections. I used a Tripltek 8 Pro tablet running Android 10. I use this tablet for most of my dash camera testing and all of my drone flights.





The file I downloaded from the A229 Duo is:



The file download completed in 62 seconds with an average transfer speed of 10.90 MB/sec.


The file I downloaded from the A129 Pro Duo is:



The file download completed in 26 seconds with an average transfer speed of 11.66 MB/sec.



The A129 Pro Duo has a slightly faster 5 GHz transfer speed than the A229 Duo.

 

[rcg530]

Would someone be so kind to confirm & verify the difference of the 2.4GHz & 5GHz band Wi-Fi download speeds of the A129 Pro by downloading a 1 minute clip to their smartphone?

I reran the A129 Pro Duo file download test using a 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi connection. The same 303MB (1 Minute - 4K UHD) file download that took 26 seconds over a 5 GHz connection was downloaded over a 2.4 GHz connection in 76 seconds with an average transfer speed of 3.99 MB/Sec. It took me a moment to figure out why the file would not download on my first attempt over the 2.4 GHz connection. The file had already been downloaded to the Android device when I tested the 5 GHz Wi-Fi connection and it was stored on the local filesystem. I had to purge the previously downloaded file from the /storage/emulated/0/DCIM/Viofo on my Android tablet to get the VIOFO app to download the file again.

 

[Mtz]

Very good points. I double checked and you’re right that the A129 Pro lists 5 GHz WiFi too. Thanks for the correction.

You should keep the idea of faster 5GHz Wi-Fi speed, because you was right! Right now A229 and A119 Mini have the best Wi-Fi speeds on 5GHz. Right now the 2GHz is obsolete for future dashcams and if all smartphones have 5GHz and not only 2.4GHz all future Viofo dashcams should have only 5GHz or at least to make the 5GHz as default option when pressing the Wi-Fi button.

Price-wise they're comparable so I guess a lot of it depends on how much you'd be giving up when dropping from 4K to 2K for the front cam and everything you're gaining in return if you go for the A229.

If you want to make a comparison because of similar prices, maybe is OK to spend some time about this comparison, but if you want to compare the great A129 Pro with another Viofo model maybe is better to wait about 1-2 months.
A229 have the same IMX335 CMOS as the great Viofo A119 V3 and some other Viofo 2K models so the image should be the same overall. But because the A229 lens angle is bigger than A119 Mini, expect a lower car license plates readability.
For me the A129 Pro was the best 4K dashcam and this was even more curious because the IMX317 from A129 Pro is not a Starvis sensor. Even not being a Starvis the night image was great for a 4K dashcam, even better than IMX515 which is a 4K Starvis sensor.

 

[Panzer Platform]

Yo @Mtz long time no see. lol
-Chuck

 

[Mtz]

Yes, you are right, thank you! I am OK, I was OK, but some changes in my life which are consuming my time. But is a pleasure. I hope to find the power and some new dashcams to come back again with more posts.

 

[Lothar]

I just performed a timed file download test using a VIOFO A129 Pro Duo and a VIOFO A229 Duo. Both were configured to have 5 GHz Wi-Fi connections. I used a Tripltek 8 Pro tablet running Android 10. I use this tablet for most of my dash camera testing and all of my drone flights.

View attachment 61978

View attachment 61979

The file I downloaded from the A229 Duo is:

View attachment 61980

The file download completed in 62 seconds with an average transfer speed of 10.90 MB/sec.

View attachment 61981
The file I downloaded from the A129 Pro Duo is:

View attachment 61982

The file download completed in 26 seconds with an average transfer speed of 11.66 MB/sec.

View attachment 61983

The A129 Pro Duo has a slightly faster 5 GHz transfer speed than the A229 Duo.

Thanks for testing.

They both look about the same to me.
The A129 Pro seems faster but the test only ran for 26 seconds on the A129 Pro vs 62 seconds on the A229.
Usually, the transfer speeds come down the longer that things are being transferred. If the A129 Pro was transferring for 62 seconds like the A229 was, I'm sure the average MB/sec will come down.

The important thing is that we have not yet seen proof that 5GHz WiFi on the A229 is faster (or more enhanced) over 5GHz WiFi on the A129 Pro or A139.