Buffered Parking mode

[Rhody401]

With 1.9, it's working almost perfectly for my 2 vehicles. In auto parking mode, it records NOTHING while parked in my garage, except when I go out there from the house or turn on the lights. The motion sensing feature does work very well. At work, it records about 50% of the time while parked, at the lowest sensitive setting, because of nearby moving vehicles it can see on a nearby road, moving clouds, etc. They said in the future they are entertaining the idea of an even further muted option for detection (perhaps blacking out/ignoring the top 2/3 of the viewing area, and only reacting to things very close to the vehicle in the bottom 1/3).

I have heard some folks say that the impact detection is not working as well in parking mode as it works in driving mode, and this is something they said they are researching for improvement. This is a nice feature, but not a show stopper for me - as the motion sensing feature would catch any movement anyways (even a side impact w/movement).

...said they would be coming out with the upgraded firmware within the month. I emailed them yesterday asking about an update as to when we can expect it. I will have to wait the usual 2 to 3 days before I will get any reply from them... "quick communication" is not part of their service.

It seems Viofo would rather not deal with this topic so they have avoided this thread and another "communication thread" set-up solely for dealing with this issue. I will report back when I finally hear from @viofo.

They have already communicated that they're working on further improvements, and have been releasing new feature updates approximately monthly - or as they are worthy/ready for us. I would rather give them the time to do it right, instead of demanding a solution immediately.

As far as customer service, I think they have been excellent in all my dealings. Keep in mind that most of these people are on the other side of the world, with working hours 12 hours off from eastern USA. They are also potentially dealing with external programmers and beta testers who may be in different time zones, and emails are going back and forth between testing. It can take a few days and that is quite normal, for things to make a round trip. He may also be spending a lot of time answering emails for things that are already posted on this forum, further delaying progress. (as well as simultaneously developing the same changes for the A129 Pro firmware project)

IMO, we need to have some patience for this work in progress The next version will be ready when it is ready, and until then 1.9 auto parking mode is working fairly well.

Thank you Viofo

 

[Lvjcr08]

I have previously commented about the lack of locking the files with the parking g sensor after previously trying to initiate this by slamming the car doors and bouncing the bonnet etc. I have now realized that if the parking mode locked the file every time the g sensor detected a slammed door then, every time I got in the car to start it and shut the door then the file would be locked and a huge number of RO files would build up and eventually clog the SDcard. I don't know how other manufacturers deal with this or how Viofo will get round it.

 

[Sdeel7491]

With 1.9, it's working almost perfectly for my 2 vehicles. In auto parking mode, it records NOTHING while parked in my garage, except when I go out there from the house or turn on the lights. The motion sensing feature does work very well. At work, it records about 50% of the time while parked, at the lowest sensitive setting, because of nearby moving vehicles it can see on a nearby road, moving clouds, etc. They said in the future they are entertaining the idea of an even further muted option for detection (perhaps blacking out/ignoring the top 2/3 of the viewing area, and only reacting to things very close to the vehicle in the bottom 1/3).

I have heard some folks say that the impact detection is not working as well in parking mode as it works in driving mode, and this is something they said they are researching for improvement. This is a nice feature, but not a show stopper for me - as the motion sensing feature would catch any movement anyways (even a side impact w/movement).


They have already communicated that they're working on further improvements, and have been releasing new feature updates approximately monthly - or as they are worthy/ready for us. I would rather give them the time to do it right, instead of demanding a solution immediately.

As far as customer service, I think they have been excellent in all my dealings. Keep in mind that most of these people are on the other side of the world, with working hours 12 hours off from eastern USA. They are also potentially dealing with external programmers and beta testers who may be in different time zones, and emails are going back and forth between testing. It can take a few days and that is quite normal, for things to make a round trip. He may also be spending a lot of time answering emails for things that are already posted on this forum, further delaying progress. (as well as simultaneously developing the same changes for the A129 Pro firmware project)

IMO, we need to have some patience for this work in progress The next version will be ready when it is ready, and until then 1.9 auto parking mode is working fairly well.

Thank you Viofo

I for one would second that ! I'm quite happy to wait for them to get it right!

 

[StrayCam]

I have heard some folks say that the impact detection is not working as well in parking mode as it works in driving mode, and this is something they said they are researching for improvement. This is a nice feature, but not a show stopper for me - as the motion sensing feature would catch any movement anyways (even a side impact w/movement).

You mentioned "some folks say the impact detection is not working as well in parking mode." The fact is, the A129 G-sensor does not work at all in parking mode. You can put it in "high-detection setting" and have a train hit your car and it won't go off!!!

Also, most everyone understands beta testing and why and how it's used. There supposedly was "beta testing" for firmware 1.9 to correct the above problem. - - And when it was released, it didn't come close to correcting the problem! - - I would think every company in the tech industry knows you don't release a beta product as "the real deal" when it's not ready for showtime; doing so just frustrates your customers and turns-off potential customers.

As far as customer service, I think they have been excellent in all my dealings. Keep in mind that most of these people are on the other side of the world, with working hours 12 hours off from eastern USA. They are also potentially dealing with external programmers and beta testers who may be in different time zones, and emails are going back and forth between testing. It can take a few days and that is quite normal, for things to make a round trip. He may also be spending a lot of time answering emails for things that are already posted on this forum, further delaying progress. (as well as simultaneously developing the same changes for the A129 Pro firmware project)

My experiences regarding @viofo replying to questions has been far from "excellent". - - In fact they have been woefully inadequate! - - Your excuse of being in a different time zone only goes so far. - - On more than one occasion I have received a reply from Bill Zhou at 1pm Shenzhen time with a reply that did not even answer the question I wrote two days prior. - - I replied within 20 minutes telling him "my question was not answered" (1:20 Shenzhen Time) and to please answer it. - - It took 2 more days to get a reply!!!

IMO, we need to have some patience for this work in progress The next version will be ready when it is ready, and until then 1.9 auto parking mode is working fairly well.

As virtually everyone on this thread knows, G-sensor in parking mode does not work, period! - - @viofo should remove their 1.9 firmware or at least re-label it as "Beta" so their users/customers know they are dealing with firmware that doesn't work.

Although @viofo participates on this forum, they abandoned this thread for practically a month in early July... After hundreds of posts where people were fumbling around trying to get their A129's to work I asked, "Where is Viofo???" - - They finally made a reappearance here only to have disappeared for another three weeks.

Buffered Parking mode

Found in v1.9, that lock button (on body and BT) works unstable - not for any click. The remote button is working for me so far. After each firmware update, hard reset by using a pin or paperclip in the "R" slot of the cam, then set all settings to default and format the sd. Then reconnect...

dashcamtalk.com

Btw, I mentioned somewhere else in this thread that the head spokesperson for @viofo, Bill Zhou, wasn't aware that "g-sensor events that get flagged while driving" get locked in the RO file (Read Only). This was not a case of "someone from China not understanding" it was a case of our "go-to person" not knowing what his product does. - - That's just a little scary!!!


I haven't posted to this forum in several weeks... just patiently waiting for the 1.9 firmware update that Bill Zhou 3 weeks ago said would be coming within a month...so, we wait for the upgrade.

 

[Nigel]

Btw, I mentioned somewhere else in this thread that the head spokesperson for @viofo, Bill Zhou, wasn't aware that "g-sensor events that get flagged while driving" get locked in the RO file (Read Only). This was not a case of "someone from China not understanding" it was a case of our "go-to person" not knowing what his product does. - - That's just a little scary!!!

I thought that was for low bitrate parking mode, not when driving? Everyone knows that they go to RO while driving, that is what the RO folder is for!
Too easy to get confused with all the possible options, especially if you use USA English to explain the issues when Viofo are not from USA!

As far as I'm aware neither the specification or manual for the camera said that the g-sensor would put files in the RO folder when using event buffered parking mode, so maybe it was never meant to work that way. Most people bought their A129 Duos knowing that they didn't have a buffered parking mode! As has been mentioned above, opening and closing doors a few times each day could result in the memory card quickly filling up with event files resulting in having a tiny and useless loop for the loop recording.

Viofo have committed to looking at the issue, so I'm sure it will be addressed in some way for the next release version, but I suspect the developers are currently concentrating on the various new cameras, one of which is the A129 Pro, which will have the same issue if it has not been addressed before release. So it is quite likely it will be fixed on the Duo shortly after the A129 Pro release, or if it turns out to be time consuming, maybe it will have to queue up for the other releases in the queue!

 

[StrayCam]

I thought that was for low bitrate parking mode, not when driving? Everyone knows that they go to RO while driving, that is what the RO folder is for!
Too easy to get confused with all the possible options, especially if you use USA English to explain the issues when Viofo are not from USA!

As far as I'm aware neither the specification or manual for the camera said that the g-sensor would put files in the RO folder when using event buffered parking mode, so maybe it was never meant to work that way. Most people bought their A129 Duos knowing that they didn't have a buffered parking mode! As has been mentioned above, opening and closing doors a few times each day could result in the memory card quickly filling up with event files resulting in having a tiny and useless loop for the loop recording.

Viofo have committed to looking at the issue, so I'm sure it will be addressed in some way for the next release version, but I suspect the developers are currently concentrating on the various new cameras, one of which is the A129 Pro, which will have the same issue if it has not been addressed before release. So it is quite likely it will be fixed on the Duo shortly after the A129 Pro release, or if it turns out to be time consuming, maybe it will have to queue up for the other releases in the queue!

Nigel,

Thanks for your input. The actual reply from Viofo had to do with "buffered parking mode" when the G-sensor gets activated. As it is, if you take the dashcam off of the mount on your windshield and shake it or beat on it several times, this will cause the g-sensor to activate; it's really the only way to activate the g-sensor in parking mode. The recorded video then goes into the RO folder the way most people would prefer it. Bill Zhou said that was impossible to do....??? His reply on this issue is attached.

And you're right in that those who own the A129 Duo are taking a backseat to new products and new sales for Viofo. -- As DashcamUser56 mentioned earlier on this thread, @viofo has chosen not to reply to this thread, but instead focus on "sales to new customers". - That's important for prospective customers to understand.

Buffered Parking mode

Found in v1.9, that lock button (on body and BT) works unstable - not for any click. The remote button is working for me so far. After each firmware update, hard reset by using a pin or paperclip in the "R" slot of the cam, then set all settings to default and format the sd. Then reconnect...

dashcamtalk.com

And I can vouch for the fact that @viofo is not replying to emails sent to their "customer service department". - - "If" there was a company that had a decent dashcam with "good customer service", it would be a good place to redirect one's time & money. IMO.

 

[Old64]

And you're right in that those who own the A129 Duo are taking a backseat to new products and new sales for Viofo. -- As DashcamUser56 mentioned earlier on this thread, @viofo has chosen not to reply to this thread, but instead focus on "sales to new customers". - That's important for prospective customers to understand.

Buffered Parking mode

Found in v1.9, that lock button (on body and BT) works unstable - not for any click. The remote button is working for me so far. After each firmware update, hard reset by using a pin or paperclip in the "R" slot of the cam, then set all settings to default and format the sd. Then reconnect...

dashcamtalk.com

And I can vouch for the fact that @viofo is not replying to emails sent to their "customer service department". - - "If" there was a company that had a decent dashcam with "good customer service", it would be a good place to redirect one's time & money. IMO.

I'm in total agreement with you StrayCam! A company that puts a dashcam like the A129 dou on the market that doesn't do half of the things claimed right should be avoided by future customers. A few problems can be overlooked but the a129 duo's problems are getting a little long in the tooth. It's great that they're building newer better cameras but forgetting about the customers that helped them get where they are in the market by purchasing a dashcam that clearly does not function as advertised and then taking a long time answering questions and fixing problems doesn't bode well with this customer! It takes awhile for word of mouth to get around but when it does it hard to make a comeback from it. Viofo as a company needs to realize this and take care of its a129 problems before bad reports hurt or put them out of business. I like the reports coming out on the new Pro camera but who knows if its really as good as being said or mostly BS like the a129 Duo! I'm glad your here StrayCam, someone who tells it like it is on this situation is sorely needed on this topic! I do have a question for @viofo, Will Viofo give all of us that are STILL HAVING ISSUES WITH THE a129 DUO a refund or credit towards a camera that actually functions or is the a129 Pro going to be the same as the Duo? I'm also very tired of hearing the upate will be here soon and then it shows up months later and fixes almost nothing or breaks something else! The funny thing in this thread is it seems like everyone follows a few and believes the fix is "coming" and the support is there instead of "growing a set" a letting Viofo know if they don't fix problems and issues in a timely fashion their business isn't going to grow but rather shrink. Flame suit on. But don't forget spending time bashing me won't get the issues with your camera fixed.

 

[Gooffeyguy]

Was the A129 Duo advertised as having buffered parking mode? Mine came with firmware version 1.5 and it didn't have buffered parking mode

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[Nigel]

Was the A129 Duo advertised as having buffered parking mode? Mine came with firmware version 1.5 and it didn't have buffered parking mode

Not until 1.9 arrived, was no mention of it in the original publicity, even though it was planned for as a future addition from the start.

 

[StrayCam]

Not until 1.9 arrived, was no mention of it in the original publicity, even though it was planned for as a future addition from the start.

Maybe I misunderstood, but in this attached post from this thread by @viofo in May of 2019, Bill Zhou said the A129 firmware, V. 1.7 supports buffered parking.

When I purchased my A129 in June, buffered parking had already been in operation, albeit with some issues. Two months later, the issues still plague Viofo's A129. Unfortunately, Viofo is now placing their priority on making new products and creating "new sales" rather than fixing the problems with the A129 Duo and pleasing "current customers".

And of course, @viofo is nowhere to be found on this thread. They disappeared for close to a month starting in early July when A129 users were trying to figure out how to make their A129's function properly. Once I raised the issue, they made another brief appearance, and then disappeared again going back to working on their new product to generate more sales.

This may be good news for those who purchase Viofo's new product ???, but it's definitely not good news for A129 users, as the g-sensor in parking mode does not even work!!!

 

[Gooffeyguy]

Does it work in older firmwares parking modes?

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[Nigel]

Maybe I misunderstood, but in this attached post from this thread by @viofo in May of 2019, Bill Zhou said the A129 firmware, V. 1.7 supports buffered parking.

Don't think it was included in the publicity information at that stage, it became a sales feature later, although i might be wrong? It certainly wasn't there in V1.0.

And it is being worked on, not forgotten, so all your lengthy complaints are not helping! You just need a bit of patience for the next version, which may or may not work as you would like it to work!

 

[StrayCam]

I always respect your opinion Nigel, as I do most of the others here. But, I was told by Bill over a month ago, that the "corrected firmware" would be out within the month. And now, Bill Zhou is saying he has no idea when the new firmware will be out. - - And even though I did not inquire at all about Viofo's new product, Bill volunteeered the information that Viofo's engineers were working dilligently on their new product. - - So guess which customers and which product are taking a "backseat"???

So yes, with "patience" things "may get corrected" in the next few months with the A129 Duo; of course, that's happening if no other new products jump to the front of the line. - - We all know how important increased sales are!!!

 

[CaptureYourAction]

I believe V1.7 was a beta version. V1.8 was the first official version with buffered parking. V1.9 was released shortly after with updates.

 

[Old64]

I sometimes feel no one at Viofo knows whats going on so they just give the same old "canned" answer without caring enough to investigate as to what the right answer is. Nigel I too respect your comments and opinions but your definition of "patience" must be "slightly" different than mine! Maybe all these "lengthy complaints" will help rather than hinder by helping Viofo understand that telling the truth, participating in these forums more and answering questions will help more than hinder their products in the marketplace. My "patience" to this point has been very good considering I've the a129 Duo almost since it's release and this is the first I have complained. I just keep waiting. It also might be good if Viofo took a half an hour out of their busy day to come on here and explain why it seems that their definition of a "month" more often than not ends up being "three months or more". It agitates me when a company does this as it doesn't show much appreciation or respect for their customers! If your still working on things because of unforeseen issues coming up spend 5 minutes in a post and let your customers know and I'm sure they will be "patient". Telling them a month and then having them have to use their time to visit you site to see it's not done yet does a lot for your website hits but not much for a customers "patience". Every company needs new products and improved products to grow but keeping your customers happy is also very important. If I were Viofo I'd be sure to also send a "Thank You" to all the loyal, knowledgeable and patient members on this forum that give others here support on their products. C'Mon Viofo up your game a little in the support department a little! One answer here may save you time having to answer a bunch of support tickets! Your products and prices are good and IMO if some of the rough edges were addressed the Viofo brand name can't help but go up. What say you @viofo? Anyone listening?

 

[StrayCam]

I believe V1.7 was a beta version. V1.8 was the first official version with buffered parking. V1.9 was released shortly after with updates.

Capture Your Action-

V1.7 may have indeed been a beta version, ie, lots of testing by beta-testers and Viofo Engineers. And I believe you are right that 1.8 could have been the first official version...? - - So, by the time 1.9 came out, it was tested six ways from Sunday. This of course was not a beta version by any means!!!

Now, I have nothing to base this on but my own feelings, but I would think after the 1.9 firmware went through so many iterations, corrections, etc... that one "good electronics engineer" could make the necessary changes in one whole business day to get their "already-tested firmware" to work properly for us A129 users in Buffered Parking Mode. - - But no, instead we wait months to get a solution to software that already went through the Viofo Engineers' mill, not to mention those consumers who beta tested their firmware while Viofo spends all their time and resources trying to pump out new products!

As I said, "If there was a Company that offered a good dashcam with "good customer service", it would be a good place to redirect one's time & money.

 

[TonyM]

Buffered Parking Mode on the A129 Duo has not been forgotten. I received another test firmware yesterday.

I think @CaptureYourAction was correct about the FW versions. Personally I regard all FW versions since 1.5 as beta and I was a bit surprised when 1.8 was released publicly.

Yes, Viofo are busy with the new A129 Pro, plus many other projects. The cameras are similar, so some of the development work will benefit both the Pro and the Duo. I have not yet tested the g-sensor in parking mode on the A129 Pro.

 

[joe384]

Well, I think I've reached the limit of my patience with my A129...

Mine started doing the random beeps while driving, nothing appears on the screen.
I am using viofo hardwire kit + viofo branded 64gb card. v1.9 firmware
Ran the card through h2testw for 2-3hours, no errors.
Plugged the card in this morning, got the format sd message, but all the buttons are locked up. Turned on/off. Display appears but buttons still don't respond. Turned ignition on. Display still on but buttons not working.

On top of all this yesterday morning it decided to beep constantly for 15seconds (after switching to parking mode) I was going to power cycle it but it stopped and seemed to record ok the rest of the day.

A couple of times when returning to the car it would be beeping like mad and not responding to button presses.

Also it doesn't respond to button presses in any consistent manner. Sometimes I have to hold for 5secs to turn wifi on/off. Other times it just doesn't work or takes longer. Same with powering off.

Wifi app is very unrealiable as well, think I've had pretty much every "error code" under the sun pop up. Other times it's just unresponsive or slow.

The dashcamtalk page on best dashcams of 2019 rates this above the mini 0906 in terms of realiability but I seriously doubt that now. I have had a pair of mobius dashcams for around 3 years before this and never had one issue in 3 years.
Only issue is that without a display or wifi it's a pain to aling them and review footage.

 

[Old64]

Still no "official" input from Viofo. Hmm-mm...... Boy this sure instills "confidence" in me that they're actually working to fix the a129 issues! These guy's are eerily familiar to another company I know with their updates. Samsung does this regularly also. Oh well.... $200+ dollars down the drain is a cheep lesson to keep my dollars in the U.S. from now on. Viofo knows how to market real well but IMO they don't know "jack" about customer relations!

 

[joe384]

When I left the dashcam this morning after parking (when it wasn't responding) the display was off and all lights were off so I just left it and went to work..

Came back this evening, dashcam was powered up and was beeping with the format prompt. I've had it do this before, very random.
So I ok'ed the message and it all worked as normal.
When I stopped at the car wash the dashcam beeped as normal and went into parking mode, however just as I got out the car it done another beep (like the random beeps it sometimes does when driving)
When I went back home the dashcam switched to driving mode as normal and back to parking mode when I parked at up home.

I'm not sure whether I should just pull it out and start using the mini 0906 I have, or maybe revert back to fw 1.5 until I can get things more reliable.