Dashcam help

[DashCamDex]

Hi there,

I'm hoping I can ask for some help and advice on which 4k front/rear Dashcam to buy for an Audi.

My key priority is having some kind of parking mode without draining the battery I've been told the thinkware u1000 and Kenwood are good on this front as the former has radar and the latter an optical movement sensor.

I'm really liking the viofo A329 because of the reviews but not sure how good it is for parking mode, my installer has recommended the finevu gx4?

Ideally would like something £400 or less and ideally with 4k front and rear, I know the thinkware/finevu aren't 4k rear?


I'd really appreciate some help.

Dex

 

[DashGuard]

Hi there,

I'm hoping I can ask for some help and advice on which 4k front/rear Dashcam to buy for an Audi.

My key priority is having some kind of parking mode without draining the battery I've been told the thinkware u1000 and Kenwood are good on this front as the former has radar and the latter an optical movement sensor.

I'm really liking the viofo A329 because of the reviews but not sure how good it is for parking mode, my installer has recommended the finevu gx4?

Ideally would like something £400 or less and ideally with 4k front and rear, I know the thinkware/finevu aren't 4k rear?


I'd really appreciate some help.

Dex

Nothing wrong with going the Viofo route, they make great products (I would personally go with the A329 instead of u1000 if that is your middle pick right now). You can adjust the voltage cut off for park mode, lower voltage in summer time and higher for wintertime. Best bet would be to upgrade to an external battery later on to eliminate the use of the car's battery all together, that way you can be sure to get the most out of your cam set up.

 

[DashCamDex]

Thanks for this Dashguard, I made a slight mistake in that ive got it down to either the A329 or the thinkware u3000.

I'm veering towards the viofo, although cars driven very infrequently, kind of a day a week and I'm scared the battery will die.

Is there a good reliable and most importantly cheap battery pack I could buy and use rather than the very expensive dashcam branded ones

 

[Nigel]

If you are interested in image quality, the Viofo is much better than the U3000. The Viofo has HDR, it will read plates at night, the Thinkware doesn't.

Not many people seem to use the U3000 radar, it does save power, but if something happens, it isn't recording until the radar wakes the camera up, which may not complete until after the event.

The Viofo in Low Bitrate Parking mode will record everything, it does use a lot more battery, but with the new A329 hybrid parking modes, when the battery gets low it will switch to impact detection, which is almost as good as the radar on the U3000. Doesn't wake up until there is an impact, but the U3000 radar won't wake up the camera until the car that is going to impact is within 10 meters, and it may not take long to close that distance. There are some situations where the radar will pick up a car manoeuvring, maybe in a supermarket car park, or maybe a person walking about (I'm not sure the U3000 detects persons well?), and so wakes up before the event, but if I've parked in a supermarket car park, I would much rather have the Viofo low bitrate parking mode, the battery will be fine for longer than I will stay at the supermarket, and the hybrid switch to impact doesn't have to happen on low battery, it can happen after a time such as 3 hours, which results in insignificant battery use, while covering all my supermarket visits.

 

[DashGuard]

Thanks for this Dashguard, I made a slight mistake in that ive got it down to either the A329 or the thinkware u3000.

I'm veering towards the viofo, although cars driven very infrequently, kind of a day a week and I'm scared the battery will die.

Is there a good reliable and most importantly cheap battery pack I could buy and use rather than the very expensive dashcam branded ones

Nigel gave quite a good breakdown on the cams. You will definitely appreciate the quality of the A329 and you will not regret it.

As per the external battery, it's your "insurance". Pay the price one time and get everything done up right, re-buying because you're not happy with performance will have a higher end cost. Yes there are some cheaper batteries, but they are lower capacity, and some of the cheap ones are also Li-ion batteries which are not reliable and performance gets affected by extreme weather; don't get blinded by "high capacity" ratings. Make sure you get a lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) battery.

Are parking on the street or in a driveway at home?