Add Cloud Please

They could open it up so others could make it. It's just a few HTTP callbacks or MQTT if they want to bring up to the year 2000.
 
mentadent said:
They could open it up so others could make it. It's just a few HTTP callbacks or MQTT if they want to bring up to the year 2000.
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Your not going to stream live video over MQTT?

All they need to do is connect the standard phone app to the dashcam over the internet instead of over the dashcam hotspot, and get the dashcam to use station mode, connected to the home wifi/car wifi/moble wifi/phone internet sharing, depending on what is available at the time. Then the app already provides live stream, file download etc. Automatic upload of locked files to my Google Drive is a function to add separately.
 
Yeah making it work well and not just a half-hearted attempt to check a box for sales/marketing would be optimal.

As far as adding cost, it's definitely going to do that. They have to add an LTE antenna (hopefully not relying on external WiFi), pay for R&D, servers, storage, bandwidth, an updated app, etc.
 
No video over MQTT, it is for signaling, more efficient than web sockets. If I made it, I'd use it for listening for live stream requests.
 
LateralNW said:
I would like to see the option of using your own cloud storage.
No calls to or via to it just straight private connection.
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Would be awesome, but how well do you think it'd sell? Can you imagine the tech support headaches with helping people get that set up, issues with how to view the footage, etc.?
 
Vortex Radar said:
Yeah making it work well and not just a half-hearted attempt to check a box for sales/marketing would be optimal.

As far as adding cost, it's definitely going to do that. They have to add an LTE antenna (hopefully not relying on external WiFi), pay for R&D, servers, storage, bandwidth, an updated app, etc.
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I want to use my cloud and not theirs. The only reason I see for a cloud service is if I want to stream my live video for saving, away from any who might want to remove the memory card or dash cam. Past, that I have no need for a miserly 5 gig cloud to use simply as storage or transfer point. I want at least a TB of storage for archival reasons. This would be attractive to anyone who is a UBER or LYFT driver.

Vortex Radar said:
Would be awesome, but how well do you think it'd sell? Can you imagine the tech support headaches with helping people get that set up, issues with how to view the footage, etc.?
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Does not matter. Once VIOFO decides they want a cloud service, then they have committed to provide tech support. If VIOFO, or any dash cam manufacturer cannot commit to the additional training of staff, and possibly additional staff, then they should avoid cloud service. The truly big issue, and liability for VIOFO is security of the video during transport and saving to the server. They do not want to do senseless crap like Blackvue did.
 
Vortex Radar said:
Would be awesome, but how well do you think it'd sell? Can you imagine the tech support headaches with helping people get that set up, issues with how to view the footage, etc.?
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I get it. I did say option! lol
To organise your own cloud storage would require knowledge that most don't have or don't care to have which is fair. First one that comes to mind is cron jobs.

While the dashcam manufacturer could supply a solution, which, like 70mai, makes it very easy to set up, for the more security-conscious, being able to have the option of using your own cloud storage would be the icing on the cake.
 
Maybe they could start simple, with an option to make a HTTP or HTTPS request to a custom URL when there is a G-Force event, with a picture attached. It would be a start if they find the whole project overwhelming at first.

When there is a full set of features, VIOFO could make their own server, users could make their own, or a third party could make a server and charge for it, perhaps giving VIOFO a cut.
 
lufa6977 said:
I want to use my cloud and not theirs. The only reason I see for a cloud service is if I want to stream my live video for saving, away from any who might want to remove the memory card or dash cam. Past, that I have no need for a miserly 5 gig cloud to use simply as storage or transfer point. I want at least a TB of storage for archival reasons. This would be attractive to anyone who is a UBER or LYFT driver.
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With all due respect, have you used a cloud service before? Have you considered practical limitations like how much data a dashcam records (there's a reason why cloud backups are often at lower resolution), data caps from your cell provider, issues with slow throughput due to having a bad cell signal, latency issues, etc.?

For many practical reasons, generally cloud storage solutions are for emergency backups and remote notifications, not for continuous uploading and storage.
lufa6977 said:
Does not matter. Once VIOFO decides they want a cloud service, then they have committed to provide tech support. If VIOFO, or any dash cam manufacturer cannot commit to the additional training of staff, and possibly additional staff, then they should avoid cloud service. The truly big issue, and liability for VIOFO is security of the video during transport and saving to the server. They do not want to do senseless crap like Blackvue did.
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Oh it does matter which is precisely the point. There's a lot of things for any manufacturer to consider for reasons like you mentioned that are part of the decision as to whether or not to invest in a cloud service in the first place.

I say all this as someone who's a big fan of cloud services, who's tested a bunch, who's used them for many years, and who streamed both my Thinkware and Blackvue dashcams earlier today while my car is in the shop. It can be very helpful, but a lot of that stuff is easier said than done. Actually implementing and executing that stuff is much more involved than meets the eye.

Given that the trend does to be more and more manufacturers adding cloud capabilities, I do hope that we see more companies add this functionality and do it well.
 
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There is no chance of all video files going to cloud storage. It would be still photos and substream video clips for events, GPS and data like battery levels and settings, and live view on demand. Anything else would be so unreliable with mobile connections, and so expensive at scale.
 
Vortex Radar said:
(there's a reason why cloud backups are often at lower resolution)
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Mainly that mobile data has very slow upload speeds compared to download speeds. Just because you can reliably stream movies to your phone does not mean that you can send them the other way at decent bitrate, unless you happen to have a SpaceX Starlink antenna on your vehicle, then you can normally do pretty well. Of course, some people do have SpaceX Starlink on their vehicles, so it would be good if it could be used, and when parked at home, some people do have full home wifi access, and again it would be good if it could be used.

Vortex Radar said:
Given that the trend does to be more and more manufacturers adding cloud capabilities, I do hope that we see more companies add this functionality and do it well.
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I hope Viofo doesn't use the Nextbase IQ as an example of how to do cloud dashcams. While there may be more and more manufacturers adding cloud, I'm not sure they are adding good or useful cloud capability. Keeping it simple would be good, most people don't require more than the phone app already gives, if it could connect over the internet instead of only locally to the camera hotspot. Plus the odd notification would be wanted.
 
What was wrong with Nextbase IQ's cloud implementation?

I'd like to see VIOFO not try to provide LTE hardware, and have it use wifi, with multiple SSIDs so if you happen to be near your home it can use that, otherwise use a user provided hotspot.
 
mentadent said:
What was wrong with Nextbase IQ's cloud implementation?
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For one thing, it is still not fully implemented as advertised:

*RoadWatch AI
*Multiple User Accounts

*Coming soon
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I've not seen much good said about the IQ from users, commonly they say they have sent it back for a refund, disappointed. Maybe they expected too much, but that would be because they were promised too much.

mentadent said:
I'd like to see VIOFO not try to provide LTE hardware, and have it use wifi, with multiple SSIDs so if you happen to be near your home it can use that, otherwise use a user provided hotspot.
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Yes, there are a few people who want LTE for use when parked, but most people do not need it, and it is becoming increasingly common for cars to have wifi that can be used when not parked, or alternatively it can use phone internet sharing while driving. At home many people can arrange wifi coverage for the car, and at work car parks often have wifi access. Many people want the live view access for when the car is being used. Everyone is different, but definitely a lot of people don't want to pay an extra data subscription when their car has never had any serious damage while parked, but if they can use a free connection, they will like to use it, in the same way they use their doorbell cameras.
 
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Thinkware bundle or at least advise using a Teltonika LTE gateway. Doing it that way would mean VIOFO wouldn't have to make any hardware changes.
 
mentadent said:
I'd like to see VIOFO not try to provide LTE hardware, and have it use wifi, with multiple SSIDs so if you happen to be near your home it can use that, otherwise use a user provided hotspot.
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Yeah I think the WiFi only route is where lots of companies start. Makes sense if you wanna park near your home or already have WiFi in your car. The main restriction is things like having cloud functionality when parked away from home/work when your in-car WiFi shuts off and so there's no good way to get cloud connectivity then. Thinkware has a workaround for this where they'll automatically upload your last known location and still-frame images to the cloud when you park so that it's available should you need it later.

The multiple WiFi hotspot option was nice so you could use in-car WiFi for driving, as well as your home and work WiFi when parked. Blackvue used to allow 3 WiFi hotspots and it worked well for this, but for some (stupid) reason their current dashcams only allow you to use one hotspot max.
 
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