Elbeau
Member
I have the BlackVue DR770X Box 3 channel dashcam, which I initially had a number of problems with (which I addressed in other posts). Here I want to focus on the connectivity module as my prior posts did not address more recent discoveries.
After finally receiving a warranty replacement for my CM100GLTE, using the BlackVue SIM Card with the 3GB plan, it seemed to somewhat consistently work. Until the 3rd month after I installed the replacement unit. Then, after 4 days of use, during which the vehicle was mostly parked, I got a message informing me my data was completely used. Now, prior to that, 1GB of data would last me approximately 3 weeks. This was acceptable given that I park on a fairly busy street where the motion sensing parking mode would record and upload a number of events - i.e. people and vehicles near my vehicle. However, during the month of the alleged 3GB of data use, the camera was largely off as the suv was not driven much and the BV battery pack had drained. Since the CM was off, it could not possibly been transmitting any data during most of that time. Obviously, some sort of error. So, I contacted BlackVue only to be informed that there is no way they can determine how the data was used (i.e. uploading, downloading or GPS) and they otherwise refused to acknowledge the impossibility of my having used 3GB of data in a few days. On top of this, the $29/month for 3GB that BV charges is hardly a bargain.
So, I decided to use a different data provider. I switched to T-Mobile, where I got a 50GB plan for $50/month, with rollover. And, oddly, under similar parking and driving conditions and times, I have only used .4GB of data. Not only am I somehow using far less data with the T-Mobile SIM card, but I am getting much better performance, including:
Much quicker connection to the camera.
Much quicker loading of videos for playback.
The videos are much better quality.
Virtually no "cannot connect" messages, which I got fairly regularly with the BV SIM card in use.
Much quicker and easier initial SIM card connection to cloud.
And while this doesn't seem to be related to a SIM card issue, the battery pack now lasts 12 - 15 hours as opposed to the 8 - 10 hours I was getting when using the BV SIM.
All this suggests to me that, aside from the inferior quality of data transmission of the BV SIM card, it was also somehow using data when there should have been nothing transmitting.
Just another reason to hope for Thinkware to put out a 3 channel version of its new U3000.
While it may have seemed logical to believe that using the BV SIM card in the BV equipment would be the best way to go, despite its excessive plan cost, that clearly was not the case.
After finally receiving a warranty replacement for my CM100GLTE, using the BlackVue SIM Card with the 3GB plan, it seemed to somewhat consistently work. Until the 3rd month after I installed the replacement unit. Then, after 4 days of use, during which the vehicle was mostly parked, I got a message informing me my data was completely used. Now, prior to that, 1GB of data would last me approximately 3 weeks. This was acceptable given that I park on a fairly busy street where the motion sensing parking mode would record and upload a number of events - i.e. people and vehicles near my vehicle. However, during the month of the alleged 3GB of data use, the camera was largely off as the suv was not driven much and the BV battery pack had drained. Since the CM was off, it could not possibly been transmitting any data during most of that time. Obviously, some sort of error. So, I contacted BlackVue only to be informed that there is no way they can determine how the data was used (i.e. uploading, downloading or GPS) and they otherwise refused to acknowledge the impossibility of my having used 3GB of data in a few days. On top of this, the $29/month for 3GB that BV charges is hardly a bargain.
So, I decided to use a different data provider. I switched to T-Mobile, where I got a 50GB plan for $50/month, with rollover. And, oddly, under similar parking and driving conditions and times, I have only used .4GB of data. Not only am I somehow using far less data with the T-Mobile SIM card, but I am getting much better performance, including:
Much quicker connection to the camera.
Much quicker loading of videos for playback.
The videos are much better quality.
Virtually no "cannot connect" messages, which I got fairly regularly with the BV SIM card in use.
Much quicker and easier initial SIM card connection to cloud.
And while this doesn't seem to be related to a SIM card issue, the battery pack now lasts 12 - 15 hours as opposed to the 8 - 10 hours I was getting when using the BV SIM.
All this suggests to me that, aside from the inferior quality of data transmission of the BV SIM card, it was also somehow using data when there should have been nothing transmitting.
Just another reason to hope for Thinkware to put out a 3 channel version of its new U3000.
While it may have seemed logical to believe that using the BV SIM card in the BV equipment would be the best way to go, despite its excessive plan cost, that clearly was not the case.
