GPS Module for A118C?

[darkgiant]

I just recently received my A118C, and I was curious if anyone here uses the GPS module? I see some on eBay for $8, which is definitely interesting, but I was wondering if it seems worthwhile? What I mean by worthwhile is if buying the GPS module really seems practical in whatever situation that can arise.

Another question was whether using the GPS module impacts performance by any way, I'd imagine it doesn't, but in the offset chance it does, whether this is delay in filming or drop in quality, it'd be nice to know if this is something to consider.

Thanks!

 

[DT MI]

I have GPS modules on all my cameras (including 2 A118-Cs) and have not noticed any performance degradation as a result. Make sure you get one from a reputable seller that is compatible with your camera.

 

[jokiin]

GPS has no impact on video performance

if it's the knockoff A118C it's hit and miss if GPS will work though, lots of reports of it not working on the copy version

 

[darkgiant]

GPS has no impact on video performance

if it's the knockoff A118C it's hit and miss if GPS will work though, lots of reports of it not working on the copy version

Its the VioFo model from GearBest, a lot of folks recommended this one during my research, so I am assuming I am safe there. Would this one work? https://www.ebay.com/itm/331820150622
Also, how do folks go about viewing stuff on there? Would you simply use the MicroSD cable on a computer with whatever software to view the data? If this does require software, any idea if there is one available for Mac OS X and Linux?

 

[jokiin]

Viofo version is fine, not so sure about that GPS though, the correct one for the camera costs more than that which is never a good sign

no software for Linux, for Mac you can use this http://www.mediafire.com/download/3vc9niqj9by6hv4/DatakamPlayerMac.zip

 

[darkgiant]

Viofo version is fine, not so sure about that GPS though, the correct one for the camera costs more than that which is never a good sign

no software for Linux, for Mac you can use this http://www.mediafire.com/download/3vc9niqj9by6hv4/DatakamPlayerMac.zip

If I did go with one of those cheaper ones (I found a seller that has tons of reviews, 256029, to be exact with the "Experienced Seller" badge) would it potentially damage the device if it truly was a knock off? Or is there no harm in trying it out? There seems to be no power other than the auxiliary looking-like wire, but super uneducated on how it even works in the first place.

 

[jokiin]

it won't damage it, it will either work or not, a bunch of people have bought those previously that have found out it doesn't work, that could have been a camera issue or the GPS, not sure which

 

[Marcelo Rebuffone]

Hi All! I bought this gps unit, it works great! except for sometimes it need some "time" to warm up and be ready... if I turn on and leave, maybe the GPS begins to work 5 blocks away from the starting point. once it starts in the morning, it works perfect!
https://www.amazon.fr/gp/B019DXOI02Marcelo

 

[DT MI]

...sometimes it need some "time" to warm up and be ready... if I turn on and leave, maybe the GPS begins to work 5 blocks away from the starting point....

That is normal behavior. Nothing to worry about.

Welcome to DCT.

 

[JuneBug]

I bought this GPS for 11 bucks and it works great on my A118C:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/B010A6WB0A
Sometimes it may take a block or so before it locks into the satellite, but that's not a big deal. I opened it up and flipped the board so I could stick it on the windshield in the "dotted" area around the mirror. The only thing I didn't like was that it has a right-angle plug instead of a straight plug, but again, no big deal.

 

[JuneBug]

Well, here it is just a few months later and the GPS seems to have gone bad. It started when I noticed several videos just stopping in the middle of a trip. It seemed to get worse every time I would check the SD card--some trips were missing entirely and the date and time would be wrong. Finally, it seemed to be drawing too much power from the A118C. On power-up, the screen would come on and sometimes flicker then go out. It showed the power and REC light, but the screen would not come up with any of the buttons. Checking the SD card showed it was not recording anything. I thought the hard-wired power adapter had gone bad, so I re-wired it with a new one from SpyTec. Same problem, until I decided to unplug the GPS module. Problem solved--A118C is now working perfectly. Oh well, I guess I don't really need GPS anyway.

 

[DashcamDPR]

So what exactly makes many of these GPS modules different even though they look almost the same and claim to be the same? Why do some work, and some not work (lets assume the cams are all genuine reputable brands and not copy versions in this situation)

 

[jokiin]

So what exactly makes many of these GPS modules different even though they look almost the same and claim to be the same? Why do some work, and some not work (lets assume the cams are all genuine reputable brands and not copy versions in this situation)

different chipset, different output format, lots of reasons why they can vary

 

[DashcamDPR]

so these cheap ones are a minefield then!!

 

[jokiin]

so these cheap ones are a minefield then!!

price doesn't matter, same rules apply regardless of price