How to get parking mode to work?

[Chuck McCoy]

View attachment 91443

Yes.

 

[cartyre]

Thank you all so very much. Couldn't have done it without all your help. Really appreciated.

Parking mode all working fine. Just tested it in car.

 

[Forester25]

Go to bed !!

 

[Kuya]

@cartyre it's time for you to open up your own dash cam store to compete with whoever "professionally" installed your camera.

Glad this journey had a happy ending and that you didn't give up. Props to you

 

[Chuck McCoy]

Glad this journey had a happy ending and that you didn't give up. Props to you

That’s a good point.
If this was an Amazon review he would say the camera is defective, give 1 star, and return it for refund 🤣

 

[cartyre]

Honestly the help from you guys was nothing short of sensational.
It was exhausting. I presumed that the dash cam installers store would have set everything up working for me. They did none of that. They did a very basic installation without following any of the instructions and didn't even do that correctly and didn't ensure it was working properly which it wasn't.
They said we don't do any of that!
Fair enough they didn't check firmwear was updated but atleasr ensure its working and installed correctly

I hope now its just a few smaller things to figure out like for instance.

1) When left iver night in parking mode (it said parking mode started) I noticed that in my parking mode video section in the app there were zero parking mode videos? Why is that and how do I fix that? Please see attached
(Before we changed the firmwear there were parking mode videos)

2) I also noticed it has recorded continously since last night. Whereas before we changed the firmwear there were only a few clips over night of movement.

Ive attached all settings if anyone can help me figure out how to resolve this.

Thanks again all.

 

[cartyre]

3) Ps whenever theres an impact ie a closed door in parking mode it makes a camera click noise like its taken a photo.? Why is that?

 

[cartyre]

 

[Kuya]

@cartyre you are now heading into the parking mode rabbit hole. You'll now have to decide what parking mode works for your driving and parking situation.

To answer you questions, you are currently using "Auto Event Detection" as your parking mode. In this mode the dash cam is simply waiting and watching for any motion and impacts to happen. If any is detected, it will save the previous 15 seconds before the motion or impact and the next 45 seconds to further capture what is happening.

This makes it seem like the dash cam is always recording when in fact it is simply waiting. This is why there are no videos but when you close the door which is an impact, the dash cam started recording and part of that process is also taking a photo. You will notice this taking a photo thing when a video gets locked/protected.

Also watch these videos please(and all the other videos you'll see related to Viofo parking mode or your A329S):

There are also plenty of threads discussing parking mode and all it's intricacies. And it seems like this will be another thread that shows that.

 

[Forester25]

Both of these videos are excellent to watch. I did when I was new and learning. And still use them to refresh. But I do need to admit with Vortex I watch on youtube where the play speed can be adjusted to .85 and slow his instructions down just a bit for my slower brain processor.
The good thing you can watch, listen and learn (for me it was not one day) and then make your choices for your setup.
I use Low Impact Mode for the power saving and turn on the dash cam with the car's start button within 60 sec when I return to the car. This allows me to get in and not record a impact in doing so.

 

[rcg530]

Please watch those videos for more information on setting the various parking mode options.

I call your attention to the "Cut-off Timer" and "Cut-off Voltage" settings having a dual purpose. They will behave one way when one of the "Normal Parking Modes" [Auto Event Detection, Time-Lapse, Low Bitrate] have been selected and they behave another way when you select a Hybrid parking configuration.

Right now, you have selected a "Normal Parking Mode" of Auto Event Detection. Your current settings [Cut-off Timer = Off, Cut-off Voltage = 12.2V/24.4V] will result in the dash camera turning off when your vehicle's voltage level drops below 12.2V in parking mode. That's perfectly fine as long as that is what you want it to do.

The HK6 hardwire kit has a slide switch for its own hardware based low voltage cutoff feature. The HK6 will always turn off the power to the dash camera in parking mode when the vehicle's voltage level has dropped below the selected voltage level on the slide switch of the HK6 [no matter what parking mode has been selected]. If you decide to use the A329S optional feature of "Cut-off Voltage", the HK6 low voltage cut-off feature should be set to a lower voltage level than the one selected in the A329S settings. That's so the two low voltage cut-off features [A329S "Cut-off Voltage" and HK6 hardware based voltage cut-off] don't interfere with each other.

The A329S "Cut-off Voltage" feature has a limited number of setting options [voltage choices]. That's mainly due to it being intended as a way for the dash camera to switch from a normal recording mode to low power impact detection parking mode when you have selected one of the hybrid parking mode options.

This is where you need to do a bit of research regarding the various parking modes available to you with the A329S and decide what parking mode(s) is/are right for you. Is one of the "Normal Parking Modes" [Auto Event Detection, Time-Lapse, Low Bitrate] all that you need, or would you like to take advantage of Hybrid parking mode [operates in a "normal" parking mode until either the "Cut-off Timer" or the "Cut-off Voltage" feature have detected that it should switch to low power impact detection parking mode].

With that parking mode selection made, you need to examine the various A329S settings parking mode settings to implement your parking mode choice. Again, don't forget to make sure the HK6 low voltage cut-off setting is set correctly for your parking mode configuration.

This chart from the A329S user manual is a bit outdated since there are now several additional time-lapse options within the Hybrid parking mode list of available parking mode choices.

 

[cartyre]

Thanks. Appreciated. A few questions if I may which are mostly not addressed in manual, videos etc.

1) When RCG mentioned how my settings currently are " Off, Cut-off Voltage = 12.2V/24.4V] will result in the dash camera turning off when your vehicle's voltage level drops below 12.2V in parking mode"

2) Isn't this the only option really to avoid getting a flat car battery?

3) Also how do I get to the menu and pause recoding when its on parking mode without turning off the camera and turning back on? as nothing works ie pressing the 3 lines button, the record button or the exclamation mark button.

4) Is it normal to get that exclamation mark sign on the camera screen whenever an impact is detected.

5) How do I get around the issue of every time I get into the car after its been on parking mode and it alerts me to "impact detected while in parking mode" but its always doors closing etc...hiw do I know if there was a actual impact from say another car hitting into it while I was parked?

Thanks all

 

[rcg530]

1) When RCG mentioned how my settings currently are " Off, Cut-off Voltage = 12.2V/24.4V] will result in the dash camera turning off when your vehicle's voltage level drops below 12.2V in parking mode"

This is why it's important to understand that the "Cut-off Voltage" setting has two possible ways of operating. If you select a "Normal Parking Mode", the "Cut-off Voltage" setting will cause the dash camera to turn off when the voltage level to the HK6 goes below that selected value. That is a valid way to have this operate. Keep in mind, if you have selected a "Hybrid Parking Mode", what the "Cut-off Voltage" will cause to happen is that instead of the turning off the dash camera in that same situation, it will cause the A329S to transition from the original hybrid parking mode [Auto Event Detection, Time-Lapse, Low Bitrate] to low power impact detection.

One setting with two potential purposes depending on how you've configured your dash camera.

2) Isn't this the only option really to avoid getting a flat car battery?

No, it's not. As I mentioned before, the low voltage cut-off feature of the HK6 is always operational no matter what the parking mode settings are in the A329S.

To use the A329S "Cut-off Voltage" setting/feature, it requires the dash camera be powered by a VIOFO HK6 hardwire kit. It also requires the A329S detects the HK6 [you see that "Detected" message on the dash camera screen]. This setting gets its information from the Bluetooth broadcasts of the vehicle system voltage level from the HK6.

You can use the A329S "Cut-off Timer" setting as well. You can use this setting when the dash camera is powered by a HK4 or a HK6 hardwire kit. This feature uses a timer that is maintained inside the firmware code, so it does not require the HK6 to power the dash camera to be functional. The A329S "Cut-off Timer" operates in the same manner as the "Cut-off Voltage" setting in how it controls the operations of the dash camera. You can use both of them, one of them, or none of them based on your parking mode needs.

• A329S "Cut-off Voltage"
  • Normal Parking Mode Selected [Auto Event Detection, Time-Lapse, Low Bitrate]
    • This setting will determine when the A329S will turn itself off in parking mode
    • The HK6 low voltage cut-off feature may also turn off the dash camera as well since that feature is always enabled/active
    • If you decide to use the A329S "Voltage cut-off" setting/feature, you must make sure the HK6's low voltage cut-off setting is below the one selected in the A329S!
      • This is to avoid the conflict of having the HK6 turn off the power to the A329S before the vehicle voltage level reaches the voltage level selected via the A329S "Voltage cut-off" setting
  • One of the "Hybrid Parking Modes" have been selected
    • The "Cut-off Voltage" setting no longer determines when the dash camera turns off, it determines when the dash camera switches from the "primary parking mode" of the hybrid parking mode selection.
    • The HK6 low voltage cut-off feature is now the only way the dash camera will turn off based on the vehicle's system voltage.
    • If you use the A329S "Voltage cut-off" setting/feature for a hybrid parking mode configuration, you must make sure the HK6's low voltage cut-off setting is below the one selected in the A329S
      • This is to avoid the conflict of having the HK6 turn off the power to the A329S before the vehicle voltage level reaches the voltage level selected via the A329S "Voltage cut-off" setting
      • The reason the two settings should be different are
        • The A329S "Cut-off Voltage" setting determines when it switches from the primary hybrid parking mode to low power impact detection parking mode.
        • While the vehicle system voltage is below the A329S "Cut-off Voltage" setting, but above the HK6's low voltage cut-off setting, the dash camera will operate in low power impact detection parking mode.
        • When the vehicle system voltage drops below the value selected via the HK6 low voltage cut-off slide switch, the HK6 will turn off the power to the dash camera to protect your vehicle's battery.
    • Example 1:
      • Parking Mode: [Hybrid] Low Bitrate => Low Power Impact Detection [LPID]
      • A329S "Cut-off Voltage": 12.2V/24.4V
      • A329S "Cut-off Timer": Off
      • HK6 low voltage cut-off setting: 12.0V
      • What happens:
        • When you turn off the vehicle's ignition system [ACC power is turned off to the HK6], the dash camera enters Low Bitrate parking mode
        • The dash camera continues to operate in Low Bitrate parking until the HK6 tells the dash camera that the vehicle's system voltage has dropped below 12.2V.
        • When the vehicle system voltage goes below the A329S "Cut-off Voltage" of 12.2V, the A329S will switch from low bitrate parking mode to low power impact detection parking mode
        • The dash camera will continue to operate in low power impact detection parking mode until the HK6 detects the vehicle system voltage level going below its low voltage cutoff setting of 12.0V
        • When the vehicle system voltage drops below 12.0V and stays below for a short period of time, the HK6 will turn off the constant power to the dash camera and the dash camera powers down.
    • Example 2:
      • Parking Mode: [Hybrid] Low Bitrate => Low Power Impact Detection [LPID]
      • A329S "Cut-off Voltage": 12.2V/24.4V
      • A329S "Cut-off Timer": 3 Hours
      • HK6 low voltage cut-off setting: 12.0V
      • What happens:
        • The only thing that is different with this configuration is the dash camera will switch from low bitrate parking mode to low power impact detection parking when either the 3-hour timer has expired -OR- the vehicle system voltage goes below 12.2V.
  • Low Power Impact Detection - Parking Mode
    • The A329S "Cut-off Timer" and "Cut-off Voltage" do not influence this parking mode's operations
    • This parking mode relies solely on the HK4 or HK6 low voltage cut-off slide switch setting to determine when the dash camera is powered down due to low vehicle system voltage.

3) Also how do I get to the menu and pause recoding when its on parking mode without turning off the camera and turning back on? as nothing works ie pressing the 3 lines button, the record button or the exclamation mark button.

The only way to regain full control of the dash camera is to have the ACC power in the vehicle [ignition switch on] so the dash camera resumes normal recording mode.

4) Is it normal to get that exclamation mark sign on the camera screen whenever an impact is detected.

Yes, the exclamation mark sign on the screen means an impact was detected. If this is during normal recording mode and you believe the dash camera is too sensitive to impacts, you can adjust the "G-Sensor" sensitivity setting for normal recording mode.

5) How do I get around the issue of every time I get into the car after its been on parking mode and it alerts me to "impact detected while in parking mode" but its always doors closing etc...hiw do I know if there was a actual impact from say another car hitting into it while I was parked?

Thanks all

If I recall correctly, the A329S will not notify on impacts within the first few minutes or the last few minutes of the parking mode. I just ran a quick low bitrate parking mode test. The dash camera entered low bitrate parking mode, 15-seconds later an impact took place and the photo sound was heard. I waited another 3-minutes and I then restored the ACC power. When the A329S returned to normal recording mode, it did not notify about that impact event. My original spreadsheet for parking mode tests does not include the "exclusion time" info. I don't have time right now to run a full test of that exclusion time period. Others may have more info on that behavior.

 

[cartyre]

Thanks so much!!
based on my settings on post 168 is there a way to make my parking mode last longer and to still ensure any impact is recorded 15 seconds before impact? I currently get about 15 hours with the current settings.

I noticed the parking mode folder from over night almost records continually ie rain a cars going past etc..only about a hour when it was triggered between 2am - 3am.

Thanks

 

[rcg530]

based on my settings on post 168 is there a way to make my parking mode last longer and to still ensure any impact is recorded 15 seconds before impact? I currently get about 15 hours with the current settings.

The only way to "always" get a buffered impact event recording with video/audio from before the impact event is to use one of the normal recording modes [Auto Event Detection, Time-Lapse, Low Bitrate]. Those parking modes are actively monitoring/recording so the have a data buffer to pull from or video already recorded that will contain the time before the impact event was detected.

If you have a 3-channel A329S [with an interior camera], you could use the setting to make the interior camera only active while in normal [driving] recording mode and not in parking mode. That will reduce the power draw while in parking mode so it will extend the amount of time your vehicle's battery can support the Auto Event Detection parking mode operations.

The low power impact detection [LPID] parking mode does not create buffered recordings. All dash camera brands that offer a super low power consumption parking mode that detects impact events [including this one] will only create unbuffered recordings. They start recording within 1-to-2 seconds of the impact event, but since the dash camera was in its version of a super low power impact detection monitoring state, it doesn't buffer any video/audio from before the impact event.

You can try using the hybrid parking mode option for this dash camera. Similar to "Example 2" listed in my previous post. If you select the "Auto Impact Detection => Low Power Impact Detection" hybrid parking mode, you can configure a specific amount of time [via the "Cut-off Timer"] or a specific vehicle system voltage level [via the "Cut-off Voltage" feature if you're powering the dash camera with a HK6 hardwire kit]. Those two settings [use one of them or both of them] to be the "thing" that makes the dash camera transition from Auto Event Detection parking mode to LPID parking mode. While in LPID, the dash camera won't created buffered impact recordings, but it will still be protecting your vehicle. The hardwire kit's low voltage cut-off feature [set via slide switch on the hardwire kit module] will determine the vehicle system voltage level that the dash camera will be turned off to protect your vehicle's battery.

I noticed the parking mode folder from over night almost records continually ie rain a cars going past etc..only about a hour when it was triggered between 2am - 3am.

The Auto Event Detection [AED] parking mode will be triggered by motion or impact events. If there is sufficient motion detected, it will created buffered recordings for that triggering motion event. You already have the "Parking Motion Detection" sensitivity setting set to "Low Sensitivity". There is no "Off" option for that setting, so there's no way to make AED parking mode less sensitive to motion events.

I hope that helps.

 

[cartyre]

Thanks very helpful.

"If you have a 3-channel A329S [with an interior camera], you could use the setting to make the interior camera only active while in normal"

I have no idea if I have a 3-channel A329S.
I think the camera says "2 channel recoding starting" when I turn it on.

But the bottom line from what you said is that there is nothing I can do settings wise to keep buffering event recordings and to make my battery last longer. Correct? Yes?

 

[rcg530]

Thanks very helpful.

"If you have a 3-channel A329S [with an interior camera], you could use the setting to make the interior camera only active while in normal"

I have no idea if I have a 3-channel A329S.
I think the camera says "2 channel recoding starting" when I turn it on.

But the bottom line from what you said is that there is nothing I can do settings wise to keep buffering event recordings and to make my battery last longer. Correct? Yes?

Going back to a screenshot you included in post 166, it looks like you only have front and rear camera video files. The A329S can support up to 3-channels. Each camera is a channel. Since you don't have the optional interior camera, the setting I mentioned won't help your situation.

If you want buffered recordings whenever a motion or impact event takes place, you'll have to use the "Normal Parking Mode" options. The low power impact detection [LPID] parking mode only creates unbuffered recordings when it responds to an impact event when the A329S is fully in low power mode.

The only other option would be to invest in a dash camera battery pack to extend the amount of time the A329S can operate in parking mode and not drain your vehicle's battery.

 

[cartyre]

Thanks

1) So the setting for parking mode currently is "Auto Event Detection" so am I correct in my thinking that I can switch "Auto Event Detection" to "Normal Parking Mode" which will extend the length of time parking mode is active due to it not using up as much battery? Correct?

2) Also "Nornal Parking Mode" still does buffering correct?

3) For you personally whenever you get in your car and your camera tells you "Impact detected during Parking mode" what do you personally do? Knowing its most likley just you closing the car door?

 

[rcg530]

1) So the setting for parking mode currently is "Auto Event Detection" so am I correct in my thinking that I can switch "Auto Event Detection" to "Normal Parking Mode" which will extend the length of time parking mode is active due to it not using up as much battery? Correct?
2) Also "Nornal Parking Mode" still does buffering correct?

"Normal Parking Mode" is a group of older/traditional parking modes available in a VIOFO dash camera. This term was used by VIOFO when discussing the "Cut-off Timer" and "Cut-off Voltage" settings in the user manual that I showed in a previous post.

A "Normal Parking Mode" is any one of the following parking modes: Auto Event Detection, Time-Lapse, or Low Bitrate.

The "Low Power Impact Detection" [LPID] parking mode is a recent addition to the VIOFO line up [in this dash camera series].

The hybrid parking mode feature is a method of combining one of the "normal parking modes" with LPID. The dash camera will operate in the selected "normal parking mode" until either the "Cut-off Timer" or the "Cut-off Voltage" have been triggered and that's when the dash camera will switch to LPID parking mode. The dash camera operates in LPID parking mode until the HK4 or HK6 hardwire kit's low voltage cut-off feature turns off power to the dash camera or you restart your vehicle.

3) For you personally whenever you get in your car and your camera tells you "Impact detected during Parking mode" what do you personally do? Knowing its most likley just you closing the car door?

Yes, if I hear an impact event was triggered as I re-entered the car, then I'll ignore the warning. I believe there is logic in the firmware to ignore events within a specified period of time when the dash camera enters parking mode or exits parking mode. I'd have to do more testing on that logic using a recent firmware version. I won't be able to test that logic soon since my schedule for dash camera testing has several other products/tests already scheduled.

 

[cartyre]

Thanks again. I understand now theres no setting called "normal parking mode" that was just a term you used to describe settings like "Auto Event Detection", "LPID" etc..

So the short answer is the way my current settings are set are probably the best in terms of the longest I can get in a buffering parking recording and without getting a flat battery as battery cut off is set at 12.2v.
Yes?