myGEKOgear Orbit 950 Review!

[HonestReview]

Reviewed Camera: myGEKOgear Orbit 950 Product Description: https://www.mygekogear.com/orbit-950-new/

vs.

Viofo A129 Duo - https://www.viofo.com/en/home/79-a1...wi-fi-full-hd-front-and-rear-dash-camera.html





I received a Promotional myGekogear Orbit 950 and have been product testing the device for the past month. Before posting a review, I wanted to have comparative videos from my "go to device" the Viofo A129 Duo and the myGekogear Orbit 950 in various lighting conditions. Of note, I was not sent a hardwire kit so while my Viofo A129 Duo is hardwired, I was unable to test the parking feature on the myGekogear Orbit 950. Therefore, I am unable to comment about whether parking mode works as described and under what conditions.

Resolution and Image Sensor:

Both the Viofo A 129 Duo and myGekogear Orbit 950 were reliable when recording and I didn't notice any missing footage on any test runs and routine driving. Both Cameras offer a native 1080P HD Resolution.

myGekogear Orbit 950 image sensor: GC 2053 + 2053 CMOS

Viofo A129 Duo image sensor: Sony Starvis Image Sensor (Same for Rear Camera)

Mount:

The mount on the myGekogear Orbit 950 and Viofo are adhered direct to the windshield. I will say the mount on the myGekogear Orbit 950 does concern me. The camera can be pulled down, if gripping wrong, when trying to adjust settings. Meaning the mount isn't nearly as conducive as one that sits flush against the windshield.

One Note:

Viofo A129 Duo utilizes a Super Capacitor - The capacitor power supply has a wider temperature range and longer life span than cameras that use batteries, giving reliable operation in the heat of Australian summers and frozen Alaskan winters.

myGEKOgear Orbit 950 - utilizes a 240mAh Li-ion battery embedded . Li-on batteries do degrade over time and may not perform as well in inclement conditions (extreme hot and cold) over extended periods of use. Future suggestion may be for myGEKOgear to utilize Super Capacitors as they have a longer shelf life and reliability over extended use.

Unboxing Photos:

You will notice that the 3M pad and the Rear Camera for the myGEKOgear were larger than my defrost lines. You will either need to put the camera above the defrost lines or trim down the pad. Never place 3M adhesive over the defrost lines.

The camera comes with a stock 16GB MicroSD card. For my test, I utilized a Sandisk High Endurance 128GB card (Not Included).

Video Review:

The myGEKOgear Orbit 950 is a very capable camera. The video quality is excellent, albeit may benefit from some color adjustments. Daytime footage is overly saturated where the "greens" on the leaves are very bright. The overall daytime footage compared to the Viofo A129 Duo was on par with a mid level camera. Images were very clear.

Dawn and Night Video: myGEKOgear Orbit 950

The light sensor on the myGEKOgear Orbit 950 is superior to the Viofo A129 Duo. Although, the A129 Duo opts for a darker, more clearer, image. the myGEKOgear Orbit 950 easily picks up more surrounding scenery in low light conditions. However, in doing so, you do get a "warp speed" and/or blurred effect. Still, you will be able to see greater detail and more imagery. So if there happened to be an accident at night, the Viofo wouldn't necessarily caption the action, where as the myGEKOgear Orbit 950 offers a better peripheral view.

myGEKOgear Orbit 950 Android App

The app is user friendly and intuitive. I had no problems pulling off videos from the local Wifi connection.

 

[HonestReview]

Unboxing Photos:

 

[HonestReview]

Video Comparisons:

Notes:

1. Youtube seems to compress videos. These are not nearly as blocky on the original source files.
2. Videos do not have audio or show license plates. My Privacy.
3. Videos were shot driving through the local forest.

Source File Link (Native 1080p Uncompressed): https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1uDw0S038qYuKLXiGLVB178r6z-8ouwxC?usp=sharin

myGEKOgear Orbit 950 Front 1 Daytime

Viofo A129 Duo Front 1 Daytime

myGEKOgear Orbit 950 Front 2 Daytime

Viofo A129 Duo Front 2 Daytime

myGEKOgear Orbit 950 Rear 1 Daytime

Viofo A129 Duo Rear 1 Daytime

myGEKOgear Orbit 950 Rear 2 Daytime

Viofo A129 Duo Rear 2 Daytime

myGEKOgear Orbit 950 Front Dawn

Viofo A129 Duo Front Dawn

 

[HonestReview]

myGEKOgear Orbit 950 Front Night

Viofo A129 Duo Front Night

myGEKOgear Orbit 950 Rear Night

Viofo A129 Duo Rear Night

 

[Nigel]

The light sensor on the myGEKOgear Orbit 950 is superior to the Viofo A129 Duo.

What sensor does it use, the Viofo uses one of the best available 1080 sensors!

The image appears to be vibrating a bit, camera shake is not good for image sharpness, is the connection between mount and camera not very solid?

You don't appear to have captured a single readable license plate! A few frame grabs in original quality so that we can compare the cameras accurately would be good...

 

[DrekiTech]

Unfortunately, cannot find a place to upload in true 1080P.

In general, uploading a 4K or 1440p file to YT will result in a better quality 1080p file than uploading a 1080p file. So I suggest exporting a higher resolution for YT and letting them compress it back down to 1080p, even if that seems counter intuitive.

 

[jokiin]

Link to uncompressed 720p Source Files (Native is 1080p). Unfortunately, cannot find a place to upload in true 1080P.

just upload the raw files to a filehost, mega, filedropper, mediafire, google drive whatever, don't worry about looking for a host that allows streaming the file as they'll recompress it regardless

 

[HonestReview]

just upload the raw files to a filehost, mega, filedropper, mediafire, google drive whatever, don't worry about looking for a host that allows streaming the file as they'll recompress it regardless

Good Point. Will upload raw files to Google Drive. I was trying to do a methodology that allowed streaming, but considering what you've said, I imagine all streaming services offer some sort of compression.

I have also reached out to manufacturer to find out what sensor is used by the Orbit 950.

 

[Nigel]

Good Point. Will upload raw files to Google Drive. I was trying to do a methodology that allowed streaming, but considering what you've said, I imagine all streaming services offer some sort of compression.

The majority of readers will not download raw video files, so although it is good to have them for the few who are interested, some "raw" framegrabs in good quality jpg format are of more use, then people just reading through the review get to see the real quality.

2. Videos do not have audio or show license plates. My Privacy.

Still, people do want to see how well it can pick up text, so a road sign or license plate comparison is really useful. Nobody is asking you to show your plate, or a road sign that says what area you live in. The whole point of license plates is that they are publicly visible, showing them should not be an issue, as long as you don't put them into any context such as showing someone entering their driveway and thus identifying the address that goes with the plate.

 

[HonestReview]

The majority of readers will not download raw video files, so although it is good to have them for the few who are interested, some "raw" framegrabs in good quality jpg format are of more use, then people just reading through the review get to see the real quality.


Still, people do want to see how well it can pick up text, so a road sign or license plate comparison is really useful. Nobody is asking you to show your plate, or a road sign that says what area you live in. The whole point of license plates is that they are publicly visible, showing them should not be an issue, as long as you don't put them into any context such as showing someone entering their driveway and thus identifying the address that goes with the plate.

This will be the best you get out of me. Here's a comparison image of the mygeckogear Orbit 950 vs A129 Duo. I sent this to the manufacturer when recommending the saturation be turned down some.

myGEKOgear Orbit 950 image:



Viofo A129 Duo Image

 

[Harsh]

You windshield needs cleaning, inside and out.

 

[HonestReview]

You windshield needs cleaning, inside and out.

That's the light reflection. Not my windshield.

 

[Harsh]

That's the light reflection. Not my windshield.

Ok, as you please.

 

[HonestReview]

@Nigel

Updated Review to include image sensor:

myGekogear Orbit 950 image sensor: GC 2053 + 2053 CMOS

Viofo A129 Duo image sensor: Sony Starvis Image Sensor (Same for Rear Camera)

 

[jokiin]

myGekogear Orbit 950 image sensor: GC 2053 + 2053 CMOS

entry level hardware, it's never going to compete with the A129

 

[yodamin]

I received this device as a "Hasty choice" Xmas present from my son. He purchased what he though was a top of the line device without doing any real research. It is middle of the road device tops, maybe lower than that depending on your view point and what you actually need from a dash cam.

It works decently enough.
It's much better than nothing and better than some cheaper devices I've seen.
Had I purchased the dash cam I would not have bought this one.
I would have gone for a higher quality Garmin, Vantrue, Thinkware, Balckvue etc.
My personal choice would have cost me approx. $50-$100 more than this one.
this one was under $200.00 (that's all my son would tell me)

My issue with this device is:

The myGecko company is owned by Papago dash cams and is used to sell an inferior to Papgo product line.
The device was only the same price or about $50 cheaper than comparative devices from Garmin, Blackvue and Thinkware
Does not turn 180 degrees so I can record any police traffic stops, I need to pull it off the mount and place it on the dash.
front video is clear and crisp (8/10) rear video is less clear/crisp although suitable for it's main purpose - recording incidents
Night recordings DO show some motion blur but I've seen worse - license plates/signs etc. still readable
It absolutely will not mount to my PC or the 6 other laptops and 3 other PC's I tried (tech family - 3 programmers and one technician)
it is supposed to mount to a PC as a camera device and be browseable just like any camera or cell phone.
I just get device descriptor failed and it shows up that way in devices and printers folder.
Tried 3 different know good USB 2.0 type A to mini-B USB port power/data cables
Support is lacking with email contact only and quite some wait for any replies from support
Instead of trying to help resolve my situation I get suggestions to download to phone, mount phone to PC, copy files from phone to PC or purchase an SDCard reader and use that - no, I expect the device to work as advertised first, before purchasing anything else.
Does anyone know how log it takes to download 6 hours of driving on a 128GB sdcard via WIFI to a cell phone? I do now and I do not like it one bit. If it would mount to my PC I could start the copy and go do something else until it's done.

Pathetic support if you ask me, which you didn't - it is the support I've been receiving that REALLY urks me and decided me on never purchasing a myGecko or Papago device again.

Cheers and sorry, I am new here and hopefully, haven't broken any forum rules-I haven't had time to read them yet.

 

[jokiin]

Does anyone know how log it takes to download 6 hours of driving on a 128GB sdcard via WIFI to a cell phone? I do now and I do not like it one bit. If it would mount to my PC I could start the copy and go do something else until it's done.

too long, same goes for any camera, take the card out and use a card reader, you'll do in 10 minutes what would take an hour using the camera as a card reader, or what would take multiple hours via wifi

 

[kamkar]

You need a good card reader on a fast USB port but then you also get the full read speed of the memory card.
I use a USB 3.0 card reader on a USB 3.1 port on my computer, that way you can also playback files directly from the memory card, something you can not do if things are slow.

So you can get around 80 MB/s in a card reader, but wifi or using the camera in mass storage mode, will probably never give you more then 20 MB/s read speeds, and probably lower for wifi speeds.

 

[HonestReview]

I received this device as a "Hasty choice" Xmas present from my son. He purchased what he though was a top of the line device without doing any real research. It is middle of the road device tops, maybe lower than that depending on your view point and what you actually need from a dash cam.

It works decently enough.
It's much better than nothing and better than some cheaper devices I've seen.
Had I purchased the dash cam I would not have bought this one.
I would have gone for a higher quality Garmin, Vantrue, Thinkware, Balckvue etc.
My personal choice would have cost me approx. $50-$100 more than this one.
this one was under $200.00 (that's all my son would tell me)

My issue with this device is:

The myGecko company is owned by Papago dash cams and is used to sell an inferior to Papgo product line.
The device was only the same price or about $50 cheaper than comparative devices from Garmin, Blackvue and Thinkware
Does not turn 180 degrees so I can record any police traffic stops, I need to pull it off the mount and place it on the dash.
front video is clear and crisp (8/10) rear video is less clear/crisp although suitable for it's main purpose - recording incidents
Night recordings DO show some motion blur but I've seen worse - license plates/signs etc. still readable
It absolutely will not mount to my PC or the 6 other laptops and 3 other PC's I tried (tech family - 3 programmers and one technician)
it is supposed to mount to a PC as a camera device and be browseable just like any camera or cell phone.
I just get device descriptor failed and it shows up that way in devices and printers folder.
Tried 3 different know good USB 2.0 type A to mini-B USB port power/data cables
Support is lacking with email contact only and quite some wait for any replies from support
Instead of trying to help resolve my situation I get suggestions to download to phone, mount phone to PC, copy files from phone to PC or purchase an SDCard reader and use that - no, I expect the device to work as advertised first, before purchasing anything else.
Does anyone know how log it takes to download 6 hours of driving on a 128GB sdcard via WIFI to a cell phone? I do now and I do not like it one bit. If it would mount to my PC I could start the copy and go do something else until it's done.

Pathetic support if you ask me, which you didn't - it is the support I've been receiving that REALLY urks me and decided me on never purchasing a myGecko or Papago device again.

Cheers and sorry, I am new here and hopefully, haven't broken any forum rules-I haven't had time to read them yet.

Many of your complaints are unfounded or stem from inexperience.

1. You are needing an interior / taxi cam / 3 channel camera to capture interior views of the cabin...OR

2. You are needing a barrel designed dash cam that can swivel and face inward. Such as the Viofo A139 2 Channel or 3 Channel.

3. Garmin Dash Cameras are crap. Blackvue and Thinkware are your most expensive, but by no means your best.

4. Viofo and Street Guardian make some fantastic cameras.

5. The myGekogear Orbit 950 is a very capable camera. It's one major flaw is it uses a lithium battery versus a supercapcitor. Lithium batteries degrade over team and are less tolerant of warm weather. Whereas supercapacitors are more reliable, but more expensive, because they don't suffer the same shortcomings as Lithium Batteries.

6. I have run the myGekogear for 6 months in my other vehicle problem free. It works great. However, the company has never gotten back to me on parking mode. They sent me the kit, but it doesn't work, because a firmware update is required. I tested a Viofo Hk3 (no go) and the actual kit they sent on both the 950 and 960 without success.

7. I took the 960 on a road trip and it was a very capable camera.

8. Wifi Support and reliable is even sketchy on the Viofos. Best thing is eject memory card, put it in an SD card reader, and read the video files from your PC. I don't think any camera has very good Wifi Support to view videos from your phone. It often takes me several times to connect to my Viofo A129 before I get it to properly list videos.

 

[SawMaster]

Almost all of the better cams now mount more solidly and don't move horizontally. Some do have suction-cup mounts with a ball swivel but those are bulky and may vibrate affecting the video, plus suction mounts don't always stick well. You can attach most cams to a sticky 'universal radar detector' type mount with a swivel but again it's larger than most folks like. The B2W 'rideshare' cam has 2 swiveling lenses but no rear channel, only front and interior. It's also not a good fit in all cars but the easily aimed lenses is what I like best about mine. It's worth considering if you can do without a dedicated rear cam. Or you can add a separate cam for rear coverage. Any cam using a remote rear cam unit could be repurposed to cover the driver's window instead but that loses it's use in the rear.

If covering your driver's window is of great importance then perhaps that is best done using a dedicated separate cam mounted on the headliner on the passenger side aimed across the cabin. A small tubular form-factor can work great here and done this way you can get something better for driving protection. A cross-cabin cam also adds a bit to driving protection with whatever it sees outside the car and given the short distances involved it doesn't need high specs so it can be cheap.

As a beta-tester I've got several cams going and they change around a lot so I've always got something covering at least some of everything. But to choose a permanent system I would have a B2W involved along with the rest of the cams simply because of it's horizontally-rotating lenses and how easy they are to move. Nothing quite like it.

Phil