Is the A129 the best choice for my personal situation???

[get_schwifty]

Hello, I am in the market for a dash cam, and have found the selection overwhelming. I would like to turn my situation over to you fine subject matter experts to see if my line of thinking makes sense, and if there is any advice you have for me. Please pardon the long post as I want to provide as many details as possible, and thank you so much for your time!

I have a 2018 WRX STI I purchased three weeks ago. I purchased this car because the vehicle I purchased three months prior was destroyed when I was rear-ended by another driver. Considering the vehicle's cost, and how I am pretty anal about a car’s finish, and how people are often inconsiderate of others, I would like a dash cam. While value is good, I am most interested in the product/setup that best meets my needs.

I feel the things I am looking for include:

• Front and rear coverage while driving in the event of an accident with sufficient video quality to record license plates (I am assuming 1080p or greater quality)
• Cameras capable of detecting and withstanding shock (it appears all decent units check this mark)
• Parking mode function that is extremely reliable
• Widest angle possible that a 2-camera system can provide, to best account for if someone hits the car while parked on the sides
• Reasonably good quality in low-light situations (enough to make out incidents and license plates)
• The ability to deal with a climate that can range from 0F to 100F
• The ability to accommodate a high-end [MLC] Transcend Ultimate or HE, or Samsung PRO microSDXC card in at least 64GB and preferably 128GB+ capacity
• The ability to transfer videos via WiFi would be nice, but is not absolutely necessary
• I do NOT need cloud capability, an internal IR camera, a LCD, mobile apps, voice control, lane departure warning, speed warning, or GPS. If the unit has any of this, that’s fine…but it is not necessary as I probably will not use these

The car is stock and will remain that way, with several exceptions. Of relevancy here is that I plan to have a ceramic tint installed that will be about 35% at the rear and a 15-10% visor strip on the top of the front windshield. With the front camera, I can mount it below this strip if the strip will interfere severely with the video quality at night. It will be mounted next to or below a Valentine 1 slightly to the right of the rear view mirror.

Initially, I was interested in several of the higher-end offerings from BlackVue (750) and Thinkware (F800), loved the profile of the BlackVue, and am attracted to the Starvis cameras. However, reviews for these cameras are inconsistent, and the reports that they often have issues using 3rd party (even high-end MLC NAND) cards concerns me (because other devices I have personally used that have been finicky with higher-end MLC flash have been finicky and inconsistent devices all-around in regards to data integrity - not sure if that is the case here, but it worries me nonetheless.) What I do not want is to make a big investment in a camera, have someone hit me, and then go to retrieve the footage only to find that the camera has failed to perform its primary duty.

Installation-wise, I am unsure whether I would hardwire this into the fuse box or use the hidden outlet in the center console + an external power supply for parking mode. The BlackVue PMP seemed very attractive and that was one of the things that interested me in the brand. I’m not opposed to professional installation, and I am not opposed to purchasing something like an Optima Yellow Top battery to better extend parking mode function time. I have more reading to do in this area, but it seems what direction I should go in will depend on the camera I choose.

So, all of the above led me to your wonderful site, where I’ve read about various options. From what I can tell, the Viofo A129 seems to meet most of my needs (alternatively, two A119S’s would as well), and appears to have a solid reputation for reliability and function. It’s got front and rear Starvis cameras, would provide 280-degree coverage between the two cameras, supports 1080p, has Wi-Fi, a G-sensor and parking mode capability, and supports microSD cards up to ¼ TB.

So, does the 2-channel Viofo A129 unit (or two 1-channel A119S units) sound like the best choice for my situation? If not, where would you recommend I move towards from here? Thanks again for your time!

 

[krole]

Regarding the hardwire, I would wait a month or so until Viofo releases their 3 wire hardwire parking kit before making a decision on a hardwire kit. The hardwire kit will allow it to go into parking mode directly when the car is on or off, instead of motion based. There will be a firmware update for the A129 when its released and it should have timer and low voltage cutoff options available.

Also keep in mind the A129 does not have a buffered parking mode, meaning when it is not able to record the moments leading up to the event that caused recording to start. It will only record from that moment on.

That said I think I think it's a good option for a dashcam.

I think any dashcam might have an issue at 100F recording in parking mode, sitting in the sun. The upcoming Street Guardian SG9663DR might be better for this, since the main DVR can be hidden somewhere not in the sunlight.

 

[Nigel]

Also keep in mind the A129 does not have a buffered parking mode, meaning when it is not able to record the moments leading up to the event that caused recording to start. It will only record from that moment on.

However a low framerate parking mode that records continuously is guaranteed not to miss an event, unlike a buffered parking mode that will only record events if it detects them.

with sufficient video quality to record license plates (I am assuming 1080p or greater quality)

1080 is sufficient in most parts of the world, but in the USA you have rather small writing on your license plates and a bit more resolution is desirable, however more resolution does reduce night time performance so you need to make a compromise. I think the A129 is a good choice, but don't expect to read licence plates at more than a couple of car lengths distance.

 

[krole]

However a low framerate parking mode that records continuously is guaranteed not to miss an event, unlike a buffered parking mode that will only record events if it detects them.

Parking mode still doesn't start recording until it detects motion and\or gshock, right? Then it records at 1,5,15 fps or whatever.

Does the separate time lapse feature record normal during normal driving and time lapse constantly when parked? Or is it time lapse all the time?

 

[OCD Tronic]

Parking mode is continuous recording in low frame rate mode. (no trigger needed to start that once parked)

 

[get_schwifty]

Thank you so much for the replies! It is sounding like the A129 may be a better match for me than others I was considering. I think this paired with the Vico Power Plus + a Mini Add-A-Fuse w/ 5-amp mini fuse wired through the 7.5-amp ILM (Interior lights) circuit will accomplish what I wish to do. I would probably also purchase a Yellow Top given its ability to take deeper discharges than a standard battery.

One more question...the only complaint I see with the A119S is that the GPS mount sometimes becomes loose and rattles/causes disconnects, but one can use it without the GPS mount. With the A129, as I do not need GPS, can I mount this unit and use it without even attaching the GPS pre-mount as well?

 

[OCD Tronic]

One more question...the only complaint I see with the A119S is that the GPS mount sometimes becomes loose and rattles/causes disconnects, but one can use it without the GPS mount. With the A129, as I do not need GPS, can I mount this unit and use it without even attaching the GPS pre-mount as well?

A119S you need to apply one piece of included EVA Foam:
https://dashcamtalk.com/forum/threa...va-foam-pad-to-your-viofo-a119s-dashcam.28903

A129 has a different GPS mount where each corner of the mount has it's own connection. (so four total, instead of one in the center) It shouldn't need EVA foam. The non-GPS mount system is not ready yet for the A129, but is coming soon. You can use it as is and disable GPS logging. It's nice to have either way as it syncs date time automatically too.

 

[Nigel]

Thank you so much for the replies! It is sounding like the A129 may be a better match for me than others I was considering. I think this paired with the Vico Power Plus + a Mini Add-A-Fuse w/ 5-amp mini fuse wired through the 7.5-amp ILM (Interior lights) circuit will accomplish what I wish to do. I would probably also purchase a Yellow Top given its ability to take deeper discharges than a standard battery.

One more question...the only complaint I see with the A119S is that the GPS mount sometimes becomes loose and rattles/causes disconnects, but one can use it without the GPS mount. With the A129, as I do not need GPS, can I mount this unit and use it without even attaching the GPS pre-mount as well?

I recommend using the mount, the cable goes in in a neater position, it holds the lens the correct distance from the glass, it keeps the time/date correct, and it allows easy removal of the camera, eg for cleaning the glass in front of the lens and the lens itself (which will eventually get covered in greasy road grime even if you do have a good air filter).

For the battery, make sure that you regularly give it a full 100% charge, eg once a month, to clean the plates, otherwise all types of lead acid batteries will lose capacity. So unless you regularly make 3 hour + journeys, add a good battery charger to your list.

 

[krole]

Parking mode is continuous recording in low frame rate mode. (no trigger needed to start that once parked)

Is A129 different than A119 in that regard? I could have sworn my A119 Pro parking mode only recorded in low frame rate after it detected motion, not continuously. Unless there is some other option...

 

[Finger]

My A119s in parking mode records in fps when it senses motion. I have it set to 5fps. When it detects an impact it will record in full motion. Problem I found was there is always a 4-6 second gap from recording fps to full motion recording so you miss a bit of footage.

Sent from my SM-N950F using Tapatalk

 

[krole]

Problem I found was there is always a 4-6 second gap from recording fps to full motion recording so you miss a bit of footage.

Thats disappointing. Wonder if thats the same with A129 and the upcoming hardwire kit\firmware update.

 

[get_schwifty]

So I went with an A129 and Vico Power. I installed the A129 front/rear cameras and have been using them, and am very satisfied with their operation.




I am ready to install the Vico. Does anyone have a recommendation which two circuits (one ACC and one constant on) to tap into using the Add-a-fuse on a 2018 Subaru WRX STI?

 

[Noonamee]

You get a multimeter or a circuit tester to check which fuse only has power when the car is on. If they all have power even the car is not running, like mine, I hardwire it to cigarette lighter harness which is only hot when the key is not in the off position.

Remember to use the same gauge for the wire, the fuse can be blown if you use bigger wire. I replaced nearly 5 fuses until I figured this out

 

[JB-007]

So I went with an A129 and Vico Power. I installed the A129 front/rear cameras and have been using them, and am very satisfied with their operation.
View attachment 39280

View attachment 39281

I am ready to install the Vico. Does anyone have a recommendation which two circuits (one ACC and one constant on) to tap into using the Add-a-fuse on a 2018 Subaru WRX STI?
View attachment 39279

View attachment 39282

your V1 appears so far from the divers seat; can you even see and/or reach it if you have to?