DR970X Plus Series - Testing/Review - RCG

[Vortex Radar]

Anyone else notice that if you go into “downloaded videos” in the app it crashes? This is on the just released iOS app version 3.51

EDIT: They just released 3.51.1 in the iOS App Store which fixed the issue.

Yep, I saw that with both versions too, lol. It only seemed to happen on 3.51 if you had an empty downloads folder and/or hadn't copied over your videos from the Blackvue app yet. 3.51.1 solved that issue of having an empty folder. It makes sense why they released a followup update so quickly, haha.

 

[shalamigri]

I'm convinced now that the noise issue with the 970x Box Plus is in fact a hardware issue.

I just found another unit on BlackVue Live with the same helicopter lawnmower noise as my unit. Anyone can go to BlackVue Live and explorer the St. Louis Missouri area. Look for this profile:
BlackVue970XBOXP-ECA...

 

[Bono]

After a few weeks having the latest DR970X LTE Plus the connection/disconnection from my wifi is still happening. This was an issue on last year’s model too. However, this time it has crashed the unit i.e. all lights are off and it is like it is disconnected from power when it is not. I have the B-130X battery connected and the engine is on and I can see the battery is getting charged. So I am wondering why this “bricking” is happening? The solution is to disconnect the power cable from the device and reconnect. Anyone else having this issue?

 

[danlat1415]

After a few weeks having the latest DR970X LTE Plus the connection/disconnection from my wifi is still happening. This was an issue on last year’s model too. However, this time it has crashed the unit i.e. all lights are off and it is like it is disconnected from power when it is not. I have the B-130X battery connected and the engine is on and I can see the battery is getting charged. So I am wondering why this “bricking” is happening? The solution is to disconnect the power cable from the device and reconnect. Anyone else having this issue?

I had a similar issue on my previous DR900X Plus and it turned out to be the SD Card was dying.
When I changed SD card to another the crashing/disconnecting went away.

I too had B-130x battery connected with plenty of charge left.
It would do it both on LTE connection whilst driving and viewing live view, and at the main location. On WiFi hotspot - the connection would drop out and the camera would then remain disconnected.

This may be completely different to your issue, but in my case it was a failing SD card

 

[rcg530]

Last Friday (5-Apr-2024), my DR970X-2CH LTE Plus dash camera running firmware v1.003 had an unexplained reboot event. It is powered by a dedicated dash camera battery pack with a 3-wire connection to the battery pack.

The DR970X-2CH LTE Plus sequence of events:

• Entered time-lapse parking mode at 10:59:35.
• Exited parking mode at 11:37:25.
• Returned to normal recording mode at 11:37:25, but it only recorded a 7 second video file (front and rear) ending at 11:37:33.
  • There was no sound or announcement generated by the DR970X-2CH LTE Plus dash camera, so it does not appear to have lost power since no “powering down” announcement was heard.
• At 11:38:44, new normal recording mode video files were created and the typical boot up and cloud connection announcements were produced.
• In the 71 second gap between 11:37:33 and 11:38:44, the DR970X 2CH LTE Plus dash camera was not operating/recording.

I have video from four other dash cameras in the car during this period to prove no announcement was made by the DR970X 2CH LTE Plus that it was powering down, so there appears to be no loss of power to the unit. I’ve used two video files from a DR900X Plus dash camera located just below the DR970X 2CH LTE Plus dash camera as the "observer camera". Those two video files cover the period the DR970X 2CH LTE Plus was recording the 7 second files, the 71 seconds it wasn't recording and then when it booted up again. The time value of the DR900X is a bit off from the DR970X 2CH LTE Plus dash camera time.

DR970X-2CH LTE Plus Time (noted with “A”) => DR900X Plus Time (noted with “B”)

• DR970X 2CH LTE Plus exits time-lapse parking mode:
  • 11:37:25 A => 11:37:45 B
• DR970X 2CH LTE Plus stops recording
  • 11:37:33 A => 11:37:53 B
  • No sound can be heard indicating the DR970X 2CH LTE Plus lost power
  • It simply stops recording and eventually reboots
• DR970X 2CH LTE Plus boots up and starts recording again:
  • 11:38:44 A => 11:39:04 B

I reported this issue to Pittasoft support last Friday, but I've received no response from them.

 

[Bono]

I had a similar issue on my previous DR900X Plus and it turned out to be the SD Card was dying.
When I changed SD card to another the crashing/disconnecting went away.

I too had B-130x battery connected with plenty of charge left.
It would do it both on LTE connection whilst driving and viewing live view, and at the main location. On WiFi hotspot - the connection would drop out and the camera would then remain disconnected.

This may be comply different to your issue, but in my case it was a failing SD card

Thanks for your reply. If the SD card was old I would say that but this is a brand new unit shipped directly from Pittasoft in South Korea. The wifi disconnects happened on last year’s model but never this “crashing” of the unit. I have reported this to Pittasoft but not holding my breath. I also had the unit disconnecting from the “cloud” both on LTE and WiFi when downloading a parking video. It can sometimes take 3 attempts to successfully download the file. I feel it may be an overheating issue. Although the temperature here is never overtly hot. If this was happening every time I would say it’s a hardware issue but the thing is it is intermittent which doesn’t help.

 

[Bono]

Last Friday (5-Apr-2024), my DR970X-2CH LTE Plus dash camera running firmware v1.003 had an unexplained reboot event. It is powered by a dedicated dash camera battery pack with a 3-wire connection to the battery pack.

The DR970X-2CH LTE Plus sequence of events:

• Entered time-lapse parking mode at 10:59:35.
• Exited parking mode at 11:37:25.
• Returned to normal recording mode at 11:37:25, but it only recorded a 7 second video file (front and rear) ending at 11:37:33.
  • There was no sound or announcement generated by the DR970X-2CH LTE Plus dash camera, so it does not appear to have lost power since no “powering down” announcement was heard.
• At 11:38:44, new normal recording mode video files were created and the typical boot up and cloud connection announcements were produced.
• In the 71 second gap between 11:37:33 and 11:38:44, the DR970X 2CH LTE Plus dash camera was not operating/recording.

I have video from four other dash cameras in the car during this period to prove no announcement was made by the DR970X 2CH LTE Plus that it was powering down, so there appears to be no loss of power to the unit. I’ve used two video files from a DR900X Plus dash camera located just below the DR970X 2CH LTE Plus dash camera as the "observer camera". Those two video files cover the period the DR970X 2CH LTE Plus was recording the 7 second files, the 71 seconds it wasn't recording and then when it booted up again. The time value of the DR900X is a bit off from the DR970X 2CH LTE Plus dash camera time.

DR970X-2CH LTE Plus Time (noted with “A”) => DR900X Plus Time (noted with “B”)

• DR970X 2CH LTE Plus exits time-lapse parking mode:
  • 11:37:25 A => 11:37:45 B
• DR970X 2CH LTE Plus stops recording
  • 11:37:33 A => 11:37:53 B
  • No sound can be heard indicating the DR970X 2CH LTE Plus lost power
  • It simply stops recording and eventually reboots
• DR970X 2CH LTE Plus boots up and starts recording again:
  • 11:38:44 A => 11:39:04 B

I reported this issue to Pittasoft support last Friday, but I've received no response from them.

Interesting. I hope this is can be fixed by way of a firmware update.

 

[daves88]

Is there any benefit going for the box version over the standard version of the 970x plus?

 

[rcg530]

Is there any benefit going for the box version over the standard version of the 970x plus?

I believe that getting a portion of the electronics and the memory card off of the front windshield which should reduce amount of heat those components are exposed to, should be a long term benefit. There does seem to be some noise in the front camera video image (best seen in darker nighttime footage) that Pittasoft hasn't answered why that is taking place.

 

[Bono]

3rd time now my unit (DR970X LTE Plus) “died” and needed the power cable to be disconnected and reconnected to bring it back to life. I wonder is it to do with the firmware version 1.003 as it didn’t happen before then. Although, it is intermittent. Seems to happen when it disconnects from wifi for some reason. It did its scheduled reboot at 3am so it disconnects from the cloud and then it reconnects. Then it disconnected shortly after and didn’t reconnect until I disconnected and reconnected the power cable. Reported to Pittasoft.

 

[Pinebaron]

I have had zero issues with by DR970X LTE Plus in the six weeks I've owned it. I have the CellinkNeoPlus battery pack plus an extended batery pack. Having said that, I don't drive my truck enough to keep the backup batteries charged. I'm trying to figure out how to attach an external charger CellinkNeoPlus to keep its batteries topped whilst it draws around 500mA whilst the vehicle is parked in the garage. Even with 14300mAh combined (base + extended) it barely runs for 24 hrs; to get over that I disabled normal recording and recording whilst parked (in my garage). This seems to have extended battery life, still permits remote live view and review of camera recordings etc. External charger works if using the extended battery pack's second IN/OUT port to charge and it is able to charge the base battery at a somewhat lower charge rate than what is applied to extened battery pack. All of this is not ideal and I'm still trying to figure out a perfect solution.

 

[daves88]

Can the Blackvue 970x plus automatically connect to my home WiFi when get home and upload the latest footage to my Synology NAS?

Also has anyone actually use a 512gb card in the units yet? If so which model did you go for?

 

[danlat1415]

Can the Blackvue 970x plus automatically connect to my home WiFi when get home and upload the latest footage to my Synology NAS?

Also has anyone actually use a 512gb card in the units yet? If so which model did you go for?

Yes, you can connect the 970x plus to a WiFi hotspot (only allows 1 whereas previous models allowed up to 3).
You'd need to set up your own script on your Synology NAS to automatically backup the footage once connected, but yes it is possible.

I have the SanDisk High Endurance 512GB in mine and I've had no issues at all with the SD card in almost 2 months so far.

 

[daves88]

I finally had my 970x plus installed however noticed;

1) Unit is constantly running at 49 degrees Celsius 24/7 (hardwired into a b130x) - do these units run this hot?

2) Downloading 1 minute clips via WiFi take 5-10 mins. - any quicker ways?

3) Image is looking blurry - any tips to resolve this?

 

[rcg530]

1) Unit is constantly running at 49 degrees Celsius 24/7 (hardwired into a b130x) - do these units run this hot?

I haven't taken any thermal pics of the DR970X Plus front camera. I'll have to do that the next time I drive the vehicle with that one installed. I'm assuming yours is a 1-channel (front only installation)? You don't mention your installation as a 2-channel installation. 49C is not all that "hot" for many of the current generation of dash camera products. I'll see what my DR970X Plus temp is the next time I use it.

2) Downloading 1 minute clips via WiFi take 5-10 mins. - any quicker ways?

Make sure the "Camera Connectivity > Wi-Fi band" firmware setting is set to 5 GHz so that your Wi-Fi connection is a higher speed 5 GHz connection. I just ran a test of downloading front camera video files from a DR970X Plus. I was able to download 1-minute 443 MB H.265 MP4 video files in 35 seconds over a direct 5 GHz Wi-Fi connection from my iPhone 15 Plus. I ran the test twice and the time was same for each of the two files that I downloaded.

3) Image is looking blurry - any tips to resolve this?

If you're using the "Live View" feature to judge the clarity of the image, it won't be crisp/clear. The "Live View" image in the app is very fuzzy/unclear. If you're viewing the footage after being downloaded and it's blurry, then it has something to do with the DR970X Plus front camera. Make sure the installer didn't leave the protective plastic film on the front lens, make sure the front lens is free of any adhesive residue from the protective plastic film, make sure the lens is clean and the windshield glass is clean. If all of those things are correct/clean, then it could be an out of focus front lens. I've run into a few out of focus DR970X Plus (family) front lens examples in my testing. My current DR970X Plus front camera has an out of focus front lens. Pittasoft seems uninterested in resolving the issue an further. This is a replacement unit to address the out of focus front lens on the previous units.

 

[daves88]

I haven't taken any thermal pics of the DR970X Plus front camera. I'll have to do that the next time I drive the vehicle with that one installed. I'm assuming yours is a 1-channel (front only installation)? You don't mention your installation as a 2-channel installation. 49C is not all that "hot" for many of the current generation of dash camera products. I'll see what my DR970X Plus temp is the next time I use it.

Make sure the "Camera Connectivity > Wi-Fi band" firmware setting is set to 5 GHz so that your Wi-Fi connection is a higher speed 5 GHz connection. I just ran a test of downloading front camera video files from a DR970X Plus. I was able to download 1-minute 443 MB H.265 MP4 video files in 35 seconds over a direct 5 GHz Wi-Fi connection from my iPhone 15 Plus. I ran the test twice and the time was same for each of the two files that I downloaded.

If you're using the "Live View" feature to judge the clarity of the image, it won't be crisp/clear. The "Live View" image in the app is very fuzzy/unclear. If you're viewing the footage after being downloaded and it's blurry, then it has something to do with the DR970X Plus front camera. Make sure the installer didn't leave the protective plastic film on the front lens, make sure the front lens is free of any adhesive residue from the protective plastic film, make sure the lens is clean and the windshield glass is clean. If all of those things are correct/clean, then it could be an out of focus front lens. I've run into a few out of focus DR970X Plus (family) front lens examples in my testing. My current DR970X Plus front camera has an out of focus front lens. Pittasoft seems uninterested in resolving the issue an further. This is a replacement unit to address the out of focus front lens on the previous units.

Apologies yes I'm running the 2ch model, I should probably check the rear camera temp too. I only happen to realize it was hot as I was adjusting the angle.

It's basically constantly hot, I was hoping it wasn't going to cause any damages in the vehicle. (And that's parked in the garage - I'm only imagining how much hotter it will get when it's a 40 degree day here in Australia)

Great tips, I just checked and it's set to 5ghz WiFi band, I also noticed I need to sit with the app open and wait until it finishes downloading or it fails.

I'll double check and clean the lense today. Great advice!

I've also noticed the camera is charging at roughly 14v/9ah - I was hoping this wasn't the cause to the heating. I'll also keep an eye on the b130x temp - from what I can see this is running at roughly 30 degrees so far.

Btw is v 1.002 the latest firmware? (That's all it's allowing me to update to)

Cheers

 

[danlat1415]

Running at 14v/9ah seems quite high.

Here is my DR970X Plus 2CH connected to B-130X battery.
Running at 21' and 13.2V/0.49Ah.

It's pretty cool in UK (temperature wise) so 21' for the battery is normal for me.

 

[daves88]

Running at 14v/9ah seems quite high.

Here is my DR970X Plus 2CH connected to B-130X battery.
Running at 21' and 13.2V/0.49Ah.

It's pretty cool in UK (temperature wise) so 21' for the battery is normal for me.

Apologies I should have written charging at this..

I'll keep an eye on it tomorrow

I'm getting roughly the same output voltage.

 

[daves88]

@rcg530 you were right, the lense sticker was on the image looks alot better now

WiFi is a little temperamental when downloading videos. But it's doing the job on the 5ghz channel.

Charging voltage is around 14.4 volts / 9ah with battery temp of 40 degrees.

Output voltage is around 13.3 volts / 5ah with around the same battery temp.

B130x on full charge is showing around 16 hours of available battery time.

Front camera likes sitting at a temp of 49ish degrees. (Ambient temp of 22 degrees)

Rear camera is sitting at a tempt on 32ish degrees.

 

[Pinebaron]

Glad you resolved the blurry image issue. Here in WA/USA the weather is cooler and the camera shows 28 degrees with outside ambient around 20 degrees, no overheating issues in the few weeks I've had it. Wifi or Blackvue Cloud downloading is not bad, a full resolution download of a regular 1 min video took around 2 1/2 minutes. I feel download bytes/sec speeds are a function of Blackvue Cloud and your wifi speed. Ten minutes sounds excessive.