Advice on 2 dashcams, £100 and £150+

[TheHoff]

Hi All

New here and after some advice please, I need 2 dashcams for 2 different cars, requirements are:-

Cam 1 around £100
1. Single channel
2. 1080p
3. Parking Mode
4. GPS (optional)
5. WiFi (optional)
6. Suction Mount
7. G-sensor

Cam 2 around £150
1. Single Channel
2. 1080p
3. Parking Mode
4. GPS
5. WiFi
6. Suction Mount
7. G-sensor

Budgets are not fixed so will pay extra if required for hardwire kits etc.

I am happy to hardwire for parking mode if required.

I've been looking at various cams (Nextbase, Yi, Garmin, etc) and honestly going g round in circles now.

Thanks


Karl

 

[Nigel]

https://dashcamtalk.com/best-dash-cams-of-2019/

My suggestion: Viofo A129 and A129 Duo. You put single channel for both, but for £150 the dual camera must be of more value than any single cam of the same price that I can think of.

 

[De Mote]

I ended up getting this the Viofo A129 Duo

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/B07H9WPY3Y

As it ticked all my boxes, getting the hard wire kit and the fuse extenders that I needed cost me an extra £18 or so. The bit that it fails for you is that it's not a suction mount. I'm happy with it, apart from not getting the parking mode sorted. However, I think that is down to not having the permanent live correct

 

[TheHoff]

Thanks @Nigel and @De Mote

On top of the link posted I'd have to buy the hardwire kit, micro sd and hopefully a suction mount although a quick search I only see them for the a119?

 

[De Mote]

You don't need hard wire, but below is a list of everything that I got

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/B07H9WPY3Y
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/B07K82KSVV
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/B06XFX9N84
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/B071DYPXKG
Optional
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/B07HVV7S69
Note, I got the kit with the remote, which added an extra £10 onto the cost of the Dash Cam

 

[Nigel]

The bit that it fails for you is that it's not a suction mount.

Yes, the A119 has an optional suction mount, but there doesn't seem to be one for the A129, however you can get a spare mount for a second car and if you truly need it portable then stick it onto a suction cup mount of your choice:
Spare mount: https://www.viofo.com/accessories/1...ticker-mount-for-viofo-a129-front-camera.html
Spare GPS mount: https://www.viofo.com/accessories/87-gps-module-for-viofo-a129-car-dash-camera.html
A119 suction cup: https://www.viofo.com/accessories/50-suction-cup-mount-for-viofo-a119-a119s-car-dash-camera.html

 

[TheHoff]

You don't need hard wire, but below is a list of everything that I got

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/B07H9WPY3Y
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/B07K82KSVV
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/B06XFX9N84
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/B071DYPXKG
Optional
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/B07HVV7S69
Note, I got the kit with the remote, which added an extra £10 onto the cost of the Dash Cam

Cheers, I do need the hardwire kit for parking mode though yeah?

Yes, the A119 has an optional suction mount, but there doesn't seem to be one for the A129, however you can get a spare mount for a second car and if you truly need it portable then stick it onto a suction cup mount of your choice:
Spare mount: https://www.viofo.com/accessories/1...ticker-mount-for-viofo-a129-front-camera.html
Spare GPS mount: https://www.viofo.com/accessories/87-gps-module-for-viofo-a129-car-dash-camera.html
A119 suction cup: https://www.viofo.com/accessories/50-suction-cup-mount-for-viofo-a119-a119s-car-dash-camera.html

It's not for moving between cars, I just prefer the flexibility of being able to move the camera easily if required like finding the correct spot and when the car goes I'm not there for ages removing the sticky pad.

 

[Nigel]

It's not for moving between cars, I just prefer the flexibility of being able to move the camera easily if required like finding the correct spot and when the car goes I'm not there for ages removing the sticky pad.

Sticky pad will give a better result, no motion blur from the vibrations, also you can press the buttons without accidently moving the camera, although I recommend the Bluetooth remote for that anyway, and it will never fall off even if you climb to 3000 m altitude on a hot day!

 

[TheHoff]

Thank you guys, I really appreciate the quick, insightful responses.

 

[TheHoff]

Sorry one quick question, how is the Viofo app for functions and performance, we will be using Android?

 

[Nigel]

Sorry one quick question, how is the Viofo app for functions and performance, we will be using Android?

App is reasonable, for camera setup it is good, for live view on Android it is normally good but does depend on the performance of the phone/tablet, it can buffer on some devices, especially Apple devices, for download of video files the wifi is not quick but it does work, a 3 minute file might take 2 minutes to download. If you don't want to use the app, there is also a web server interface (HTML) which can be used to download files and an RTSP stream for live view in a video player (tablet/computer/phone).

 

[TheHoff]

Thanks, the phones shouldn't be a problem, it's a Galaxy S9 and Note 9. Dont mind a few minutes download it won't be very often anyway.

 

[De Mote]

Cheers, I do need the hardwire kit for parking mode though yeah?
It's not for moving between cars, I just prefer the flexibility of being able to move the camera easily if required like finding the correct spot and when the car goes I'm not there for ages removing the sticky pad.

I used the app to help me position it. As mine is behind the rear view mirror, I can’t access the buttons while driving or see the screen. The advantage of this, is that I know i can’t be pulled for it blocking my view