Buffered Parking mode

[valkyrie]

Btw, I'd recommend you test your G-sensor on your dash cam when it's mounted in your truck. Then jump up and down in the bed or on the back-bumper to see if it gets triggered.

For comparison to your A129 I just tried testing this on my A119 V3. Here's what I did.

First waited until it entered Parking mode indicated by fast flashing led.
I pushed on the side step up a couple times and it started recording, indicated by solid red led. LCD screen stayed black.
I realized there were no warnings on screen from G sensor activation so it must have triggered from motion.
So I covered the lens with black foam and waited for it to go back into parking mode.
I again pushed on the side step but nothing happened this time.
Went to the front bumper and pushed down on it a few times but no trigger
Went to the rear and jumped up and down on the trailer hitch but no trigger.
I went back to the door and grabbed the door frame and rocked the truck back and forth from the driver side and it did trigger the G sensor after I got the truck rocking side to side.

So yes it does trigger in parking mode however it seems like it takes a lot of effort to get it to trigger even when set to High sensitivity. IMO It may trigger if someone runs into it slowly with their vehicle hitting something firm like the bumper, but I'm not sure it would trigger if they hit a fender or something soft that would crush easily and dampen the jolt. Don't really think this was a very objective means to test though as one man pushing on a truck isn't really the same kind of impact that another car would have if it were to collide.

 

[StrayCam]

Thanks Valkyrie for such a detailed account of your testing. One would think that your g-sensor would go off a whole lot easier than what you had to do.

I see you came onto this thread on Tuesday, and I'm not sure if you saw my post on Sunday with a video of g-sensor done by BCHobbyist. Here's a link just in case: (post #752):

Buffered Parking mode

I'd almost offer to buy the dang thing from you myself just to get you to stop harping about it and ruining everyone else's experience here on DCT because of that, even though I don't need another cam. I've got one for sale if you'd like to help me out.

dashcamtalk.com

You'd like to think, just as the case was with BCHobbyist's video that if someone banged a shopping cart into your truck or if someone bumped into your truck while it was in "parking mode" that it would cause the g-sensor to trigger. - - This problem with the A129 has been present from about Feb-2019 until the present time. - - And the problem still has not been fixed. - - Viofo/Bill Zhou assured me that this problem will not occur with their new product... So, either he's stretching the truth or he could have fixed our cameras over the last 7 months.... time will tell.

 

[Nigel]

one man pushing (rocking) on a truck isn't really the same kind of impact that another car would have if it were to collide.

It is almost identical to the wind pushing on the truck, and I would expect the g-sensor to be tuned to avoid being triggered by the wind, especially the wind caused by passing vehicles which like you would make your vehicle rock at its natural resonance frequency. The g-sensor will be looking for a sudden acceleration of the sort that wind would not cause but an impact would.

Not sure that it would be looking for vertical movements, an impact of interest would normally be horizontal, maybe why jumping up and down doesn't trigger it.

 

[jokiin]

The g-sensor will be looking for a sudden acceleration of the sort that wind would not cause but an impact would.

exactly, it requires sudden direction change to register, shaking the car etc won't do it

 

[CaptnEric]

They're are other choices coming to the market soon so I just may take Goofieguy"s suggestion and give mine away or set it up to take pictures of my driveway! I will make sure I don't buy another dashcam from a company that only includes a very limited manual and makes promises that it either can't accomplish or takes a very long time to do so. There's and old saying " You get what you pay for" and I guess I got caught in all the marketing on this purchase and forgot. One thing I do try and remember well is when I have issues with a product or service who it was with!

Seems like @viofo are a marketing company just as DOD and Thinkware are

 

[TonyM]

The g-sensor will be looking for a sudden acceleration of the sort that wind would not cause but an impact would.

exactly, it requires sudden direction change to register, shaking the car etc won't do it

Has anyone actually posted a complaint that their car was in parking mode and their A129 did not register a real impact? I had a quick look but might have missed something.

 

[joe384]

I mentioned earlier that the g-sensor "in parking mode" has not worked for the A129 in firware versions 1.6, 1.7, 1.8 and 1.9. Yet, when you read their comments about the 1.9 firmware (see pic attached), Viofo says they've fixed the problem. The fact is, they have not fixed the problem. AND it sounds like Joe384 has several other problems with the A129, like random single beeps that I also experience. - - I'd like to hear whatever other issues Joe has with his A129. It sounds like too many of us users, mostly new users, are clueless about the problems facing the A129.

I'm pretty convinced mine is faulty so I am going to contact viofo later. After my speed tests last night, I done a full format of the card.
I put the dashcam back in my car and on powering on it came up with the format card prompt so I ok'ed it. I checked the camera was recording ok (red dot).

About 30seconds into my journey, I got a single beep. Then I kept getting more and more beeps but they were mostly 2 sets of 2 quick beeps.
It tried checking the display, both front and rear live view was showing up. I couldn't check to see if it was recording.
The camera was beeping like mad all through my journey. When I parked up the camera switched to parking mode ok.

I turned on wifi and connected. Noticed the Live view was only showing the front so checked connections. Display refreshed and both views appeared on the actual unit, but I noticed as I wiggled the rear camera cable the display was not working well. I was getting the bottom half of the image replicated and also random green squares. I tried to connect back on the wifi but it wouldn't connect and the unit had completly locked up, not responding to buttons.

I left it as it was as I needed to go into work.

 

[CaptnEric]

Dashcamuser567-

Excellent points! And here I thought we were going to be having a "going-away party" for the tech know-it-all!!! ....lol

And of course the usual suspects come out and tell us why we A129 users are being unreasonable and why the g-sensor Viofo has provided us with is as good as it gets... That to me just did not pass the "sniff test". - - So I just did a very small amount of research, and to no surprise, I found a very helpful video from our very own BCHobbyist!

Here's his video wherein he explains, among other things, the g-sensor in a competitor's dash cam, the Arpenkin Mini Q9 - - All I was interested in was finding someone who has first-hand knowledge about how a g-sensor works in parking mode rather than rely on some self-proclaimed tech expert.

So, you can go to the following two time spots on this video and see BC Hobbyist's demonstration of using the g-sensor in parking mode-

1. Time 4:05 - A shopping cart lightly bumping into a car that causes the g-sensor to trigger
   
   
2. Time 4:55 - A passerby who slightly bumps a car which triggers the g-sensor

This is what I would expect any dash cam with a g-sensor in parking mode to do. - - But, my A129 WILL NOT do this. - - How about yours???

Is it unreasonable to expect Viofo to fix this sooner than later? Of course not. - - But at the rate we're going, it will be months before we "current customers" get some old-fashioned "customer support"!

Perfect example of how a Parking Mode G-Sensor should behave! Thank you @StrayCam for posting that video and thank you to @BCHobbyist for doing that review. Would've been great for that Mini Q9 to have buffered recording!

Unfortunately most people would say that dash cam uses different hardware to get those results

 

[Nigel]

I'm pretty convinced mine is faulty so I am going to contact viofo later. After my speed tests last night, I done a full format of the card.
I put the dashcam back in my car and on powering on it came up with the format card prompt so I ok'ed it. I checked the camera was recording ok (red dot).

About 30seconds into my journey, I got a single beep. Then I kept getting more and more beeps but they were mostly 2 sets of 2 quick beeps.
It tried checking the display, both front and rear live view was showing up. I couldn't check to see if it was recording.
The camera was beeping like mad all through my journey. When I parked up the camera switched to parking mode ok.

I turned on wifi and connected. Noticed the Live view was only showing the front so checked connections. Display refreshed and both views appeared on the actual unit, but I noticed as I wiggled the rear camera cable the display was not working well. I was getting the bottom half of the image replicated and also random green squares. I tried to connect back on the wifi but it wouldn't connect and the unit had completly locked up, not responding to buttons.

I left it as it was as I needed to go into work.

It does seem likely that you have a problem with the rear camera connection and not the memory card. There have been a few cases of similar issues where a replacement sorted the issue, don't what the actual faults were though.

 

[SawMaster]

The world seems to have accepted the "Windows method" of releasing poorly completed products as being acceptable- something I do not agree with, but we have few alternatives (sometimes none) so we go with it just like most people do. Dashcams lag in keeping up with the very latest technology mostly because they rely on the processor's maker to develop the hardware OS, which they can then choose options from to make their cams. I imagine that better could be done, but that would require cam makers to create their own processor firmware (and maybe the processors too) which would result in costs we wouldn't want to pay for. Good or bad, that's what we're stuck with, which pleases nobody.

Here we're also stuck with a lack of real industry standards too- all comparisons are subjective because of that. Compounding that problem is that car makers are also inconsistent with windshield angles, glass composition and coatings etc so one users experience could be much different from another's using the very same cam in different vehicles. It wouldn't be tough to devise a standard "impact test" for G-sensors, but what works on my huge old workvan might not work on a small sub-compact car or vice-versa, so would still end up being a subjective test even with standards implemented and followed.

I really wish I knew what the answers are for all this but I don't. All I can do is report my own experiences good and bad with whatever cam I'm speaking of and I do just that. And even then, others with the exact same model of cam using the exact same firmware often have different experiences. I'm not making excuses for Viofo or anyone else- it's just how it is in the dashcam game. Long ago I was given some excellent advice about these- don't expect anything more than what the cam is doing right now when you buy it- because that might be all you'll ever get from it. Sadly I've seen and been caught out myself by not heeding that advice many times over.

Truly sorry that some folks are not having a great experience with their cams but that's how it goes in this game.

Phil

 

[CaptnEric]

Don't know why a few members here are having a go at @StrayCam when all he is doing is bringing up issues we A129 Duo owners need to know about and what is being done about it. We paid for the damn things so we expect them to work as it is advertised. Majority of us users/owners don't care about the technicalities of issues, all we want is a solution or even better a fix. We are not all engineers or technicians! My experience is if you don't kick up a storm nobody wants to do anything about it and just want to sweep it under the rug. If our money is taken straight away to buy these dash cams then we have every right to expect a certain feature to work as it was implied by the manufacturer. I've paid lots of money for so-called premium dash cams from Thinkware and DOD and even they have issues. So I thought this time I'll save a few bucks and the A129 looked too good to pass up. Unfortunately most of these issues have come up after I bought mine too!

I for one would like to thank @StrayCam for being so persistent on this G-Sensor issue because I bought the A129 for similar reasons. Unless someone knows what they are talking about, offer real solutions or can give positive feedback then just scroll past

 

[BCHobbyist]

Has anyone actually posted a complaint that their car was in parking mode and their A129 did not register a real impact? I had a quick look but might have missed something.

The A129 1080p Duo firmware v1.70 v1.80 v1.90/T1T2T3 with G-sensor sensitivity HIGH all failed to detect the same shopping cart horizontal front/side/rear impact test I used in my old Mini Q9 Parking Mode test video.
EXCEPT when using one Beta v1.90 version that was so sensitive it actually did record the wind/road vibration from passing cars but caused almost continuous buffered recording clips and failed my Beta testing parameters which I sent to Bill.
In my opinion A129 v1.90 firmware requires adjustments to buffered algorithm used on Auto Event Detection and increase G-sensor sensitivity / scale 1,2,3,4,5 options.

 

[TonyM]

The A129 1080p Duo firmware v1.70 v1.80 v1.90/T1T2T3 with G-sensor sensitivity HIGH all failed to detect the same shopping cart horizontal front/side/rear impact test I used in my old Mini Q9 Parking Mode test video.
EXCEPT when using one Beta v1.90 version that was so sensitive it actually did record the wind/road vibration from passing cars but caused almost continuous buffered recording clips and failed my Beta testing parameters which I sent to Bill.
In my opinion A129 v1.90 firmware requires adjustments to buffered algorithm used on Auto Event Detection and increase G-sensor sensitivity / scale 1,2,3,4,5 options.

Thanks for reporting on your shopping cart front/side/rear impact tests. I hope your car doesn't have too many dents!

I did test one Beta V1.90 sub-version and had occasional g-sensor activation with zero car movement, but it was so inconsistent that I could not draw any real conclusions from the test.

 

[joe384]

The world seems to have accepted the "Windows method" of releasing poorly completed products as being acceptable- something I do not agree with, but we have few alternatives (sometimes none) so we go with it just like most people do. Dashcams lag in keeping up with the very latest technology mostly because they rely on the processor's maker to develop the hardware OS, which they can then choose options from to make their cams. I imagine that better could be done, but that would require cam makers to create their own processor firmware (and maybe the processors too) which would result in costs we wouldn't want to pay for. Good or bad, that's what we're stuck with, which pleases nobody.

There is definitely a culture where it seems more important to push a product out the door and deal with the issues later, although to be fair to technology companies technology is getting increasingly more complex.
For instance I have a CCTV system where I can view the live feeds from my phone. Sometimes it just won't connect. There are so many things that could cause this issue it's an insane task to troubleshoot. It may be the device itself, it may be my network, it may be the network I am connecting my phone to, it might be wifi issues etc..

 

[Leonauto]

Let's still not forget that despite the problems with some of the dashas, the DCT forum is primarily a technical forum, where the technical problems of a device are discussed, users identify problems that arise during operation, and at the same time, they are identified the bad side of some dash. A manufacturer’s discussion - whether it’s bad or good, is probably not a topic for discussion here, this is not a consumer rights society, I repeat once again - use the official channels to communicate with manufacturers and the possibilities of pressure on them, if you really want to “pressure” them.
Bad manufacturers (for that matter) - these are for the most part those that are not on this forum

 

[valkyrie]

It is almost identical to the wind pushing on the truck, and I would expect the g-sensor to be tuned to avoid being triggered by the wind, especially the wind caused by passing vehicles which like you would make your vehicle rock at its natural resonance frequency. The g-sensor will be looking for a sudden acceleration of the sort that wind would not cause but an impact would.

Not sure that it would be looking for vertical movements, an impact of interest would normally be horizontal, maybe why jumping up and down doesn't trigger it.

Please don't edit my statements when quoting me. Even if the intentions are good, (I think you did simply for clarification) but some readers may be misled or take them out of context from my original statement.

I understand your statement and agree the impacts are different but I can guarantee the wind would never push my truck like I did. Perhaps if it were in a tornado or hurricane but it was nothing like a car or semi passing by or the wind. Like I said I didn't think it to be very good test to objectively measure in comparison to a collision. I think the only real way to test would be to strap on a couple 2 x 8 to the bumper of two vehicles then start bumping the one with the cam until it triggered an event. I'm not really inclined to go to that effort.

ETA: I did not mention but I also hit the side post with my palm as hard as I could and also hit the windshield as hard as I was comfortable hitting it without breaking it next to the cam and nothing was triggered.

 

[valkyrie]

The A129 1080p Duo firmware v1.70 v1.80 v1.90/T1T2T3 with G-sensor sensitivity HIGH all failed to detect the same shopping cart horizontal front/side/rear impact test I used in my old Mini Q9 Parking Mode test video.
EXCEPT when using one Beta v1.90 version that was so sensitive it actually did record the wind/road vibration from passing cars but caused almost continuous buffered recording clips and failed my Beta testing parameters which I sent to Bill.
In my opinion A129 v1.90 firmware requires adjustments to buffered algorithm used on Auto Event Detection and increase G-sensor sensitivity / scale 1,2,3,4,5 options.

Any chance you could do your shopping kart test on the A119 V3? I have a feeling the results will be similar.

 

[BCHobbyist]

Any chance you could do your shopping kart test on the A119 V3? I have a feeling the results will be similar.

None of the buffered Parking Mode firmware for any model passed my impact tests which is why I haven't created any A129D or A119V3 Parking Mode videos. The VIOFO buffered Parking Auto Event Detection Mode hasn't passed my replicateable cart test except the non-buffered Mini Q9 and if I remember the A119S FW2.61 .
My Cart Test side impacts are with cart ramming the steel front wheel hub to create sharp shock vibration which should be detected by any G-sensor. Kicking the rubber tire only rocks the vehicle which isn't detected easily. Currently the only reliable protection is from the continuous Parking Low Bitrate Recording Mode which includes audio and also works with power banks.
FYI - buffered Parking Mode did record side impact from motorized Go-Kart minor crash caused by unrelated soft-ware shoe lace entanglement MOD used to maximize RPM.

 

[BCHobbyist]

Thanks for reporting on your shopping cart front/side/rear impact tests. I hope your car doesn't have too many dents!

I did test one Beta V1.90 sub-version and had occasional g-sensor activation with zero car movement, but it was so inconsistent that I could not draw any real conclusions from the test.

Test the July 17 build T1 Beta for A119V3 with increased sensitivity adjustment but select Medium level, it almost works, been using it for 60 days, on High level it becomes unreliable.
suggest offering wider selectable range from Low/Med/High <to> 1/2/3/4/5/6 ... may improve the issue.

The prediction is since this G-sensor issue appears in A119V3 and A129 1080p Duo Firmware it may also occur in the new A129 Pro Duo 4K Dashcam model Firmware v1.00 .

 

[StrayCam]

None of the buffered Parking Mode firmware for any model passed my impact tests which is why I haven't created any A129D or A119V3 Parking Mode videos. The VIOFO buffered Parking Auto Event Detection Mode hasn't passed my replicateable cart test except the non-buffered Mini Q9 and if I remember the A119S FW2.61 .
My Cart Test side impacts are with cart ramming the steel front wheel hub to create sharp shock vibration which should be detected by any G-sensor. Kicking the rubber tire only rocks the vehicle which isn't detected easily. Currently the only reliable protection is from the continuous Parking Low Bitrate Recording Mode which includes audio and also works with power banks.
FYI - buffered Parking Mode did record side impact from motorized Go-Kart minor crash caused by unrelated soft-ware shoe lace entanglement MOD used to maximize RPM.

Thanks very much BCHobbyist for your post and for sharing your information. - - So, it's clear this g-sensor in parking mode has persisted for many months. - - How long would/should it take a company like Viofo to simply alter the g-sensor sensitivity so that it can work properly for our A129's??? - - At last notice recently to Sdeel7491, Viofo is saying "maybe in October"!!! This whole thing seems like it's been dragging-out needlessly! Do you have any ideas why???