Botslab G980H Review

[Vortex Radar]

So I've been curious to try more 360 degree models lately, particularly to get better side coverage in case of police encounters. For that reason, I spent some time testing out the Botslab G980H after checking out their dashcams at CES 2025. However, I'm pretty disappointed by what I'm seeing from this Botslab model, and I came across some issues that I haven't seen before testing dashcams.

Here's the full review:

and here's a quick summary of a few key points:

Basic specs:

• 4CH setup: front, rear, left, right
• Front cam uses a 5MP SmartSens SC501AI
  • Records at 1620p25 in 3CH mode
  • No HDR, so really struggles at night
  • Fake 4K mode at 2160p25 when running in 2-3 CH mode
• Rear cam records at 1080p25
  • Also has subpar video quality
• Side cams are adjustable and helpful for recording inside and outside the car
  • Record at 1080p25
  • IR LEDs help light up cabin at night

Parking Mode:

• Sentry Mode (Motion & Impact Detection)
  • Motion detection only works on front cam, side cams won't trigger in case of a police encounter which is a big issue
  • Motion detection sometimes triggers with "pedestrian detected" even though no people nearby
  • G-sensor has really low sensitivity, I can enter car and crawl around without G-sensor being triggered
  • Visual and audible notifications when impact detected in parking mode which is good
• Timelapse
  • 1fps, continuous recording, video only, no audio

One of the biggest concerns is that Botslab is the overseas brand for Qihoo 360 which has a history of violating people's privacy rights. In fact, there's so much of an issue that according to the US Government, there is reasonable cause to believe that Qihoo 360 poses a significant risk of becoming involved in activities—the procurement of commodities and technologies for military end-use in China—that are contrary to the national security interests of the United States. This is the first time that I've started reviewing a dashcam, only to stumble across national security concerns...

The dashcam itself feels like a crummy half-baked dashcam with a pair of side cams slapped onto the side, and the national security concerns make things that much worse.

 

[Augustus]

So I've been curious to try more 360 degree models lately, particularly to get better side coverage in case of police encounters. For that reason, I spent some time testing out the Botslab G980H after checking out their dashcams at CES 2025. However, I'm pretty disappointed by what I'm seeing from this Botslab model, and I came across some issues that I haven't seen before testing dashcams.

Here's the full review:

and here's a quick summary of a few key points:

Basic specs:

• 4CH setup: front, rear, left, right
• Front cam uses a 5MP SmartSens SC501AI
  • Records at 1620p25 in 3CH mode
  • No HDR, so really struggles at night
  • Fake 4K mode at 2160p25 when running in 2-3 CH mode
• Rear cam records at 1080p25
  • Also has subpar video quality
• Side cams are adjustable and helpful for recording inside and outside the car
  • Record at 1080p25
  • IR LEDs help light up cabin at night

Parking Mode:

• Sentry Mode (Motion & Impact Detection)
  • Motion detection only works on front cam, side cams won't trigger in case of a police encounter which is a big issue
  • Motion detection sometimes triggers with "pedestrian detected" even though no people nearby
  • G-sensor has really low sensitivity, I can enter car and crawl around without G-sensor being triggered
  • Visual and audible notifications when impact detected in parking mode which is good
• Timelapse
  • 1fps, continuous recording, video only, no audio

One of the biggest concerns is that Botslab is the overseas brand for Qihoo 360 which has a history of violating people's privacy rights. In fact, there's so much of an issue that according to the US Government, there is reasonable cause to believe that Qihoo 360 poses a significant risk of becoming involved in activities—the procurement of commodities and technologies for military end-use in China—that are contrary to the national security interests of the United States. This is the first time that I've started reviewing a dashcam, only to stumble across national security concerns...

The dashcam itself feels like a crummy half-baked dashcam with a pair of side cams slapped onto the side, and the national security concerns make things that much worse.

So TLDR is that it's a POS, with security risks to the user as the icing on top 😂

 

[kamkar]

I like side coverage, but side coverage as is, i do not worry about some person coming up to my door.
CUZ before that person get there i am out of my car and at eye level with the person, but of course i realize that is not a thing in the US.

Whatever a interior camera can see out of side or back window simply do not count in my book, and i encourage people to not pursue that approach.

 

[Chuck McCoy]

Good investigative journalism @Vortex Radar
What a coincidence, I just watched this video last night, (down below).

I’ve always wondered how 1,000’s of fake / counterfeit dash cams filled with 10-15 year old components are "sustainably" sold in USA, and global market year, after year.
And why the same “looking” fake / counterfeit dash cams are sold by ever changing brand names, over, and over again.
The short answer is money laundering.
It’s explained at 12:47 in the video, (just replace “kitchen appliance” with dash cam).
All these fake / counterfeit dash cams are not made to be “good electronics” to be sold for profit.
They are simply "widget products" to be bought & sold at astronomically inflated prices in order to conceal dirty money transfers.

If only we had a US Government Federal law enforcement & consumer protection agency to combat all this illegal money laundering disguised as fake / counterfeit dash cams, (consumer electronics).
Not to mention all the predatory APPs to weaponize our data against us.
It’s so crazy you just have to laugh about it. lol