Garmin Dash Cam 55

[SawMaster]

then I discovered that the parking mode has a default time out mode 2 hours (can be disabled or configured to a different value)

Innovative thinking on Garmin's part I wish everyone would allow more user-options to fine-tune their cam to their individual needs since almost nobody lives a default life in a default world The more I see here on this cam the more I'm liking it

Phil

 

[lacibaci]

Innovative thinking on Garmin's part I wish everyone would allow more user-options to fine-tune their cam to their individual needs since almost nobody lives a default life in a default world The more I see here on this cam the more I'm liking it

Phil

Oh it gets better. I just discovered that 55 actually does buffered parking mode. In my tests, it recorded about 10 secs. prior to the trigger (motion or G-sensor) and about 30 secs. after.
I really wish they did better job at advertising their features.

 

[Ocu Jos]

Hello,

I've been the new owner of Garmin Dash Cam 55 for about 1 month (since it came out). Previously, I've been using 2 dash cams (G1W-CB) for about a year.
I've encountered a number of problems. Below are the issues and Garmin's official responses (italic font):

1. File transfers to mobile phone via VIRB Garmin app are extremely slow. So slow that I have to leave my car turned on and my phone in the car while files are being transferred. I then go back after a while to retrieve my phone.
Transferring files via Wi-Fi (large video files), takes time to transfer. (1 minute clip takes approximately 2 mins to build and 1 minute to transfer)

2. Speech Recognition often detects non-existent voice commands: this is most evident when I listen to the radio or music. I never say "Ok Garmin" at any stage, yet Voice menu comes up and a command gets selected at random, all without my voice command! This is also very distracting to the driver and can be very dangerous as the driver can not concentrate on the road.
Voice command uses speech software, it doesn’t need to detect “Hello Garmin”, more so if anything is the same sound and duration. If your music is loud enough it can muffle and sound
If voice command is an issue for you it can be disabled, you mentioned that you play music in the car so the vibration and muffled tones can cause the hello garmin to enable. It’s a feature used for convenience however is heavily dependent on the microphone which is ultra-sensitive.

3. Red recording light frequently turns off even when camera is recording! At this stage, user cannot determine whether camera is functioning and recording.
That would suggest the card is not recording/saving. It should go into “flash” mode when no movement is detected past the camera lenses.

4. Error message about memory card comes up: “The memory card does not meet the size requirements use a 4GB to 64GB card"
I'm using Sandisk 64Gb MicroSd card formatted in Dash Cam 55. I've tried to do a *full format* on a PC followed by a format inside the Dash Cam. Still, that error occasionally pops up. Video recording is stopped at the stage which may cause valuable video recording to be lost. To clear this message I have to stop the vehicle, unplug power and wait until Dash Cam powers off. I then reconnect power and start the car after which (usually) issue is cleared. Recording continues after this power-cycle. This happens even in 1080p mode that requires lower bitrate.

I’ve found out why your device is displaying the message, “The memory card does not meet the size requirements use a 4GB to 64GB card". Your card is not sufficient to be used on the highest resolution setting, please see below.

Your card:
https://www.sandisk.com.au/home/memory-cards/microsd-cards/ultra-microsd-48mbs

Recommended card:
https://www.sandisk.com.au/home/memory-cards/microsd-cards/extreme-microsd

Key difference is in:

Pro video performance with both Class 10 and UHS Speed Class 3 (U3)4 ratings lets you capture 4K Ultra HD and Full HD video1. Your videos will meet today’s highest resolution standards and will look stunning on the latest 4K Ultra HD TV screens and monitors, making this the ideal card for your 4K Ultra HD video-enabled smartphone, tablet or camera.


What do you guys think about it? I really like the camera, however, Voice recognition bug is deal breaker for me. It keeps going off all the time and is very distracting while driving. I feel like sending the camera back. However, I would have a different issue: which camera to get with all those features included? I just wish that Garmin lived up to their advertising and made all features work.
They're sending the camera back to me. Ask any questions you want.

 

[jokiin]

Slow file transfer you probably can't do much about, if you want to take anything more than one file off the camera you'd be better off taking the card out and using a card reader

Voice control I'd disable anyway, not a useful feature

Record light stopping, are you using motion detect?

 

[lacibaci]

The recording stops and error messages could be related to the card. Try another card brand and see if that fixes that. I always use "High endurance" rated cards if possible.
One more thing, did you update firmware? Your camera should be 2.70.

 

[Ocu Jos]

Slow file transfer you probably can't do much about, if you want to take anything more than one file off the camera you'd be better off taking the card out and using a card reader

Voice control I'd disable anyway, not a useful feature

Record light stopping, are you using motion detect?

When you enable Garmin Wi-Fi Hotspot, my Samsung S8 reports 72Mbit connection speed. The transfer rate to phone runs at a fraction of that speed. My expectation is that I get at least 7Mbytes/s transfer rate.

As for the voice control, that's one of the major selling points on this camera. How do you take a picture while driving without taking your eyes off the road?
Voice control simply does not work as advertised. As such, it should be removed from the promotional material. In Australia, this is called misleading advertising and is illegal under consumer law. I will demand that Garmin removes all references to that feature in Australia.

Motion detect...hmmmm, can't remember enabling this feature. Will check when I get my camera back.

About speech recognition: While playing loud music on the radio, I said "Ok Google" and my Samsung S8 instantly recognised the command!
When playing any music or listening to a talk radio station, Garmin randomly turns on and selects a voice command. It's clearly a broken feature that should have never been advertised.

 

[Ocu Jos]

The recording stops and error messages could be related to the card. Try another card brand and see if that fixes that. I always use "High endurance" rated cards if possible.
One more thing, did you update firmware? Your camera should be 2.70.

What Class is your SD card? The same SD card I used to use in my mobile phone is having issues in Garmin camera. On the mobile phone, I could record 1080p 30fps at even higher bit-rate without dropped frames. I have a feeling Garmin Dash Cam 55 is not compatible with some SanDisk SD cards.
I have the latest 2.70 firmware, that made speech recognition far worse.

 

[jokiin]

Haven't seen any dashcams that have fast transfer of video, regardless of what connection speed they can negotiate with another device

 

[lacibaci]

When you enable Garmin Wi-Fi Hotspot, my Samsung S8 reports 72Mbit connection speed. The transfer rate to phone runs at a fraction of that speed. My expectation is that I get at least 7Mbytes/s transfer rate.

As for the voice control, that's one of the major selling points on this camera. How do you take a picture while driving without taking your eyes off the road?
Voice control simply does not work as advertised. As such, it should be removed from the promotional material. In Australia, this is called misleading advertising and is illegal under consumer law. I will demand that Garmin removes all references to that feature in Australia.

Motion detect...hmmmm, can't remember enabling this feature. Will check when I get my camera back.

About speech recognition: While playing loud music on the radio, I said "Ok Google" and my Samsung S8 instantly recognised the command!
When playing any music or listening to a talk radio station, Garmin randomly turns on and selects a voice command. It's clearly a broken feature that should have never been advertised.

If your link speed is 72Mbps, 7MB/s transfer rate is as good as it gets. I am not sure if the WiFi chipset supports higher speeds, I always take the card out - it's much faster.
As far as voice control, it worked for me 100% of the time. I don't usually drive with the radio on though. I always chuckle when I can have it respond to different names - "OK Marty, OK Calvin..."

 

[Ocu Jos]

If your link speed is 72Mbps, 7MB/s transfer rate is as good as it gets. I am not sure if the WiFi chipset supports higher speeds, I always take the card out - it's much faster.
As far as voice control, it worked for me 100% of the time. I don't usually drive with the radio on though. I always chuckle when I can have it respond to different names - "OK Marty, OK Calvin..."

Thanks for your response. Wi-Fi speed of 7Mbytes/s is what my expectation was: the actual transfer rate is much lower. It takes about 15min to transfer 250Mb video! That's unacceptable.

As for the voice control, it was the feature that sold me Dash Cam 55 and not the lower model 45 that doesn't have voice commands. When I drive, I do one of the following:

1. Listen to music radio
2. Listen to Spotify
3. Listen to talk radio
4. Talk on a mobile phone

Under all of the scenarios, Voice control intermittently turns on and performs an action. Should you ever want to take a photo or perform some other action you have to take one hand off the wheel, look away from the traffic while fiddling with menus and select the option you need. This is *dangerous* !

 

[lacibaci]

Thanks for your response. Wi-Fi speed of 7Mbytes/s is what my expectation was: the actual transfer rate is much lower. It takes about 15min to transfer 250Mb video! That's unacceptable.

As for the voice control, it was the feature that sold me Dash Cam 55 and not the lower model 45 that doesn't have voice commands. When I drive, I do one of the following:

1. Listen to music radio
2. Listen to Spotify
3. Listen to talk radio
4. Talk on a mobile phone

Under all of the scenarios, Voice control intermittently turns on and performs an action. Should you ever want to take a photo or perform some other action you have to take one hand off the wheel, look away from the traffic while fiddling with menus and select the option you need. This is *dangerous* !

I just noticed Garmin posted update related to voice commands. Try it and see if that fixes it.

 

[Ocu Jos]

I just noticed Garmin posted update related to voice commands. Try it and see if that fixes it.

Thanks. I'm getting my Dash Cam 5 back in a few days so I'll try it.
Garmin Australia has advised me that no new updates past 2.7 version are available for Dash Cam 55. Which firmware version do you have?

 

[lacibaci]

Thanks. I'm getting my Dash Cam 5 back in a few days so I'll try it.
Garmin Australia has advised me that no new updates past 2.7 version are available for Dash Cam 55. Which firmware version do you have?

2.7

 

[LostDragonist]

Did you contact Garmin? I'd like to now what they have to say about this.

I tried. I got a very non-commital "the unit is expected to get hot when recording video". I haven't pushed the issue yet.

Are you sure it was because of high temp? Mine was turning off as well and then I discovered that the parking mode has a default time out mode 2 hours (can be disabled or configured to a different value)

I'm pretty sure. The unit turns on with the "The device has turned off due to high temperatures, etc." message. I also have that timer set to 24 hours.

I did notice a log on the unit that gets generated when the unit turns off to high temperatures. It's reporting a temperature of 120F when shutting off in parking mode. I wonder what temperature it is or was shutting down in normal mode.

 

[Ocu Jos]

2.7

Same version as on my camera. Voice recognition recognizing various sounds as a command is still a bug on 2.7 version. I can replicate this bug at any time and Garmin has even recognised it.
I'm really upset that Garmin Level 2 support in Australia has recommended that I get a refund!!! Even they don't trust their product or can't be bothered to provide support.

 

[Ocu Jos]

I tried. I got a very non-commital "the unit is expected to get hot when recording video". I haven't pushed the issue yet.



I'm pretty sure. The unit turns on with the "The device has turned off due to high temperatures, etc." message. I also have that timer set to 24 hours.

I did notice a log on the unit that gets generated when the unit turns off to high temperatures. It's reporting a temperature of 120F when shutting off in parking mode. I wonder what temperature it is or was shutting down in normal mode.

2.7 firmware is meant to fix this issue. Have you updated firmware on your Dash Cam 55?

 

[LostDragonist]

2.7 firmware is meant to fix this issue. Have you updated firmware on your Dash Cam 55?

Yep.

 

[lacibaci]

Dash Cam 55 software version 2.90

- Fixed an issue that caused Travelapse video to stop recording.
- Fixed an issue that could cause some devices to drop frames when recording 1080p30 HDR video
- Fixed an issue that caused the display to turn off while viewing the gallery.
- Fixed an issue that caused tones to play back incorrectly.
- Prevent premature shutdowns in elevated temperatures.

 

[LostDragonist]

Is it normal for a dashcam to treat parking mode video as saved video? I have 55GB of rain and moving shadows while parked. I think the camera has been constantly writing to the same 1GB all week, which seems like a bad thing.

 

[Shodown]

I am keen to hear more on these units - looking at getting the Garmin Dash Cam 55 - quite like the time lapse function. I drive off-road a lot and wondering how stable the mount would be in such an environment?

Also the temperature issue concerns me as summers in Aus are pretty hot....

I have a dual battery system in the car and would probably wire the dash cam up to the auxiliary battery.

Thoughts?