An idea for breaking in a new dash cam that has super capacitors.

[country_hick]

After receiving a new dash cam its quality is always questionable. It could fail very quickly or last a very long time. Even a trusted name can have a defective part installed.

To check out the quality of your dash cam and sd card here is what I think makes sense. (Battery equipped dash cams could destroy a battery this way.)

Stress test the dash cam. To do this beg, borrow, or buy a house voltage to USB power adapter with the proper wattage available. You could use your computer with the dash cam attached as an alternative. Some computers have USB ports that always give power, some do not.

Attach your new dash cam to your USB power. Leave the new dash cam running in your house or office when you are not in your car. You will be recording the most disappointing footage in history but there is a reason to do this. In theory in 1 week you could put 168 hours (in reality it would be less) on your dash cam. In 3 weeks you could have 504 hours on your equipment. After 28 days you could have 672 hours on your dash cam.

Remove the sd card and check to see if it is recording correctly every day.

If everything lives at this point it can be considered a solid piece of technology that can be trusted. If instead the dash cam or sd card fails it all happens within the 30 day window all sellers allow.

I suspect that removing the battery from a battery equipped dash cam could allow the same tests to be done. Those who know more than I could disagree with this idea. I only know that charging and running can ruin some of the batteries dash cams use.

 

[jokiin]

stopping and starting electronics will make them more prone to failure than running continuously will

 

[Sabe]

This kind of test give some information, but it's limited.
In many countries temperature moves around-30C to +50C, in winter this happen daily inside camera, if one wants to make proper test then this factor should be tested too.

 

[country_hick]

I agree that heat and cold can be issues. Neither one will be proven with the test above. However, the internet is littered with posts saying my dash cam died in a few hours, few days, a few weeks, a few months, or just after the year warranty expired. If a dash cam has faulty parts inside this constant running test should show the weak parts when it fails while still under warranty. I have read that some (cheap) dash cams die with under 200 hours on them. 2 weeks of testing can break that hour barrier before the warranty goes away..

Yes, I am aware that the initial start is hardest on equipment. The first few seconds after starting a gas or diesel engine cause more wear than driving it for 100 miles. The same way a sudden voltage surge at start up can cause more problems than a nice constant voltage for 20 hours will cause. I am sure that some dash cams die not because of bad installation by the user or bad manufacturing using bad parts. Some car electronics fail because the alternator and voltage regulator malfunction.

 

[sludgeguts]

Another problem is the lack of vibration.
It's pothole central round here, our main roads are worse than some you would find in a 3rd world country.
But during normal driving, any cam mounted to the vehicle will be subjected to almost contant vibrations/jolts etc, not to mention the enormous temperature differences - a midday temp in full sun behind glass can be 20 degC or more higher than night time temps - Sunday I was walking my dogs, sweltering in the heat - even in the woodland. All the clothes I washed & hung in my conservatory were nice and dry - but by 19:00, I had some thick frost to chisel off my windscreen before I could go out

 

[petepete]

i do this with the £25 gt680 from joovou..

now i know my dog sleeps on the table below the window with the occasional look out,bark if he sees something,odd lick of the butt,paw clean and snores badly - but gets up at time we are expected home...

i have noticed a high humidity and cold combination prevents cameras starting but when its just cold with low humidity mine are fine.

 

[jokiin]

I agree that heat and cold can be issues. Neither one will be proven with the test above. However, the internet is littered with posts saying my dash cam died in a few hours, few days, a few weeks, a few months, or just after the year warranty expired. If a dash cam has faulty parts inside this constant running test should show the weak parts when it fails while still under warranty. I have read that some (cheap) dash cams die with under 200 hours on them. 2 weeks of testing can break that hour barrier before the warranty goes away..
.

if you buy a product that is properly supported then testing before your support options run out isn't an issue, eg ours are 12 month replacement warranty

 

[russ331]

I think that running a camera 24/7 in a warm household at a constant operating temperature, is no test of it's reliability in the environment of a vehicle, where it's subject to vibration, wide ranges of heat & cold & humidity, & the stress of being repeatedly being switched on & off.

To make your testing a little more realistic, switch the power supply off, wait a while, then switch back on. Repeat regularly throughout each day.

Check the clips, paying particular attention to the smallest-sized files ... the clips recorded at the time power is cut ... the acid test of whether the camera is doing its job ... ensure that none are missing or corrupted.

 

[GJHS]

Or just test in you car everyday as you drive. That will give you real world conditions

 

[kamkar]

I would put the camera PSU on a mains timer, and then have it turn the power on and then off again 30 minutes later - wait 30 minutes and repeat, then let it do this all day while the cam itself sit in my freezer.
Just 2 problems i dont have a mains timer, or a camera to give this treatment for a day or 2.

 

[country_hick]

To make your testing a little more realistic, switch the power supply off, wait a while, then switch back on. Repeat regularly throughout each day.

Check the clips, paying particular attention to the smallest-sized files ... the clips recorded at the time power is cut ... the acid test of whether the camera is doing its job ... ensure that none are missing or corrupted.

This is a great idea. While we can not easily replicate bumps and extreme temps a car will see inside a house we can test the quality of the hardware to see if it fails under normal use.

Or just test in you car everyday as you drive. That will give you real world conditions

I thought that was implied in the statement below. When you are in your car you would naturally want to use your new dash cam.

Attach your new dash cam to your USB power. Leave the new dash cam running in your house or office when you are not in your car.

I figured if the factories use subpar parts they could burn up when running long hours this way.. If the dash cam factories refused to use subpar parts and the parts factories never made defective or questionable parts the idea of testing this way would be completely unnecessary. Sadly, to many dash cam failures happen not to try test them somehow.

 

[Street Guardian USA]

Another option is to not buy the generic versions of products out there that have multiple pot luck factories with varying components You'll usually find out what the real deal is on DashCamTalk. The mini line has suffered greatly from this factory inconsistency for example.

 

[country_hick]

Another option is to not buy the generic versions of products out there that have multiple pot luck factories with varying components You'll usually find out what the real deal is on DashCamTalk. The mini line has suffered greatly from this factory inconsistency for example.

This raises an interesting question.

We have authorized resellers of certain dash cams. How can we trust them to not also sell fake versions? If the business environment in China is a "race to the bottom" how can we be sure the Chinese sellers (or Korean or elsewhere) are not selling junk as well as the good stuff under the same name?

I am sure that resellers in countries in the UK and in the USA would only sell top of the line. They have to much to lose otherwise. But those in the originating countries do not necessary have the same incentive do they?

Based on reports from this site I refuse to buy certain lines of dash cams with continuing quality problems. Some dash cams have a few problems show up that can easily be considered abnormalities. Those are far more trustworthy. As an example I once needed a car battery. In the store parking lot I took my old battery in as a core. I brought out the new one. It as completely dead. I returned it and bought another identical battery. That did its job for several years. Failures will happen in any product. That is simply the nature of production. A series of common related failures however is not acceptable.

 

[Dashmellow]

Authorized resellers of dash cams become authorized because they have proved themselves trustworthy and they maintain that status by providing a level of service that people come to count on. Not every Chinese manufacturer or merchant is out to cheat you or sell you garbage. Just consider the daily interactions we all experience with many of the Asian vendors and manufacturers here on DashCamTalk. You really think these firms will benefit from or get too far selling you fakes? It is good to be cautious and pay attention to what is going on in the marketplace but it is not wise to generalize too broadly or stereotype.

Also, don't think for a minute that there are not resellers in the US and UK that won't try to sell you overpriced junk but you won't find them listed as authorized resellers here on DCT.

This raises an interesting question.

We have authorized resellers of certain dash cams. How can we trust them to not also sell fake versions? If the business environment in China is a "race to the bottom" how can we be sure the Chinese sellers (or Korean or elsewhere) are not selling junk as well as the good stuff under the same name?

I am sure that resellers in countries in the UK and in the USA would only sell top of the line. They have to much to lose otherwise. But those in the originating countries do not necessary have the same incentive do they?

Based on reports from this site I refuse to buy certain lines of dash cams with continuing quality problems. Some dash cams have a few problems show up that can easily be considered abnormalities. Those are far more trustworthy. As an example I once needed a car battery. In the store parking lot I took my old battery in as a core. I brought out the new one. It as completely dead. I returned it and bought another identical battery. That did its job for several years. Failures will happen in any product. That is simply the nature of production. A series of common related failures however is not acceptable.

 

[country_hick]

I was hoping to hear that the manufacturer had a contract with the resellers saying if a generic imitation was sold the factory authorization would immediately end.

Those resellers who often visit and post on this and other dash cam forums will almost always be the ones you want to purchase from. A reputation can be quickly gained or destroyed by a few after sale interactions as reported in the forums. This alone will either keep those good resellers posting or will drive them away from because of their reviews. I have been impressed that resellers often suggest another seller (a good way to find trusted sellers) for those who are in the wrong geographic area or who want a dash cam that reseller does not offer. Even criticisms of other dash cams are done with an eye to truth not profits. I have wondered how Jokiin, Joovuu, Niko, Pier 28, and perhaps others i am forgetting can spend so much of their time helping us on this site.

I realize there are resellers (and manufacturers) in every country with solid ethics. I know some do not even have a dictionary that includes the word. The hard part is finding out who fits in each category. The trusted buying links are the only things that make it possible for the average dash cam buyer to get what they think they are buying.

 

[Street Guardian USA]

With Street Guardian, It's a global team effort, I'm always happy to send EU/UK buyers over to Niko for example. The team is just as important as the products we are selling. Over-the-top customer service and support is my personal #1 driving force. All my previous years of IT Executive support at Hewlett Packard (supporting the CEO/VP's needs) translates into treating everyone like an executive. I'm in the DashCam biz full time now.

And yes, one of the main reasons of this Forum is to shine a light on the good, bad and ugly.

 

[jokiin]

I have wondered how Jokiin, Joovuu, Niko, Pier 28, and perhaps others i am forgetting can spend so much of their time helping us on this site.
.

For myself I wouldn't find as much time without Tapatalk, being able to contribute while on the go makes a lot of difference, even at my desk I have 3 monitors in front of me and multitask a lot, I'm just one of those people that hates idle time I guess

 

[Street Guardian USA]

A big chunk of my replies are also via iPhone/iOS Tapatalk app

 

[JooVuu]

For myself I wouldn't find as much time without Tapatalk, being able to contribute while on the go makes a lot of difference, even at my desk I have 3 monitors in front of me and multitask a lot, I'm just one of those people that hates idle time I guess

A big chunk of my replies are also via iPhone/iOS Tapatalk app

We sadly are not on these forums as much as Jokiin or Pier28 or how much we would like to be on them. All of our computers will soon have two monitors so we can hopefully get more active again. We don't use tapatalk but we always have the customer service up for about 12 hours a day and we make sure we at least give these forums a once over each day. At the moment we're just focused on getting our stock back under control and getting the parcels out. We have a big announcement hopefully in the coming weeks that we can make as well so we may still be a bit scarce on here. However, if you ever want to contact us just drop us a message on JooVuu as we always have that customer service ticket system open.

Kind regards,

Dan

 

[Tobi@s]

All of our computers will soon have two monitors so we can hopefully get more active again.

When I was working I had 2 monitors as well... But that wasn't very effective. I used one for work-related things and one for private internet surfing