Need new camera: Viofo A229 Pro vs A229 Plus vs others

[WildChild]

Hey guys,

I appreciate your discussions here and I have been following them for a long time.
I have an old Asus Reco Classic dashcam (had it for the last 7 years). It is still working fine, but I want to upgrade to something with dual camera (front and back) and also something with a better video quality. My budget would be somehing between around 200 USD, but I can stretch it to 300 if it is worth it. And hopefully it will last a few years also as the Asus one

I was thinking of the Viofo A229 Plus dual camera. I live in Europe, so the camera will see some really hot days in the summer (almost 40C outside sometimes) so I don't know if it will have any issues with this. I won't keep in the car when I will park the car for longer times to not damage it.
I am also thinking if the Viofo A229 Pro would be better. Personally I like the 1440p resolution better, because it creates lower size files than the 4k, and I think the 2k camera would not be pushed that hard so it will not overheat that fast. Also wondering if it would be better to get the Pro and set it to record on 2k resolution or I should just get the Plus in that case.

What would you guys recommend?

 

[PhoenixEyes]

I was looking into these two myself and Open to others. I'd like to follow this and hear what others have to say as well but the most important thing I'd like to know is how are the apps. One thing I've known about these cameras is that the apps are just as important and when I click on Google apps to do some research all of the apps have very negative reviews on all their apps. Regardless who the company is. They're all and the two star range out of the five Stars.

 

[kamkar]

Welcome to the forum WindChild.

You for sure do not want to run a 4K camera at a lesser resolution, CUZ dashcams do not bin " surplus " pixels to be more light sensitive like phone cameras, so all you get is smaller file size.
In regard to heat endurance, then yes if both cameras have the same SOC the 4K one might tab out first when it is hot, but i think it would be very marginal with those two Viofo cameras.
If its just parked in heat you should be fine and the cameras also, the problem only really become a problem if you hope on doing parking guard in such temperatures

File size, well yes if the bitrate used for both 1440p and 4K resolution is the same, then the 1400p one will make smaller files, but if the 1440p one have a higher bitrate it might be the same
If i was to have a 1440p camera i would like it to have a higher bitrate than a similar 4K one so the SOC are still fully utilized.
Here in the EU i do feel 1440p are fine for the plates we have on our cars.

While i do use parking guard, always low bitrate and only for 3 hours if there is a build in timer, then driving footage is still my main interest, what ever i have to make do with in parking guard will just have to make do.
Fortunately we Danes only see 30 degrees C on the really good summer days, which can be rare in the strange summer we just had we dident even have one of those days.

Sadly i have not been fortunate to beat on either of these 2 models from Viofo, i tested the old A 229 duo system and it was a pleasure.

 

[WildChild]

I was looking into these two myself and Open to others. I'd like to follow this and hear what others have to say as well but the most important thing I'd like to know is how are the apps. One thing I've known about these cameras is that the apps are just as important and when I click on Google apps to do some research all of the apps have very negative reviews on all their apps. Regardless who the company is. They're all and the two star range out of the five Stars.

Hey @PhoenixEyes ! Personally I did not think about the apps until now. My old camera does not have an app. I use the old school method (take SD card out and put it in the computer) to get the recordings. From what I know Viofo has a new app now that seems better, but maybe the more experienced people can say more about this.

Welcome to the forum WindChild.

You for sure do not want to run a 4K camera at a lesser resolution, CUZ dashcams do not bin " surplus " pixels to be more light sensitive like phone cameras, so all you get is smaller file size.
In regard to heat endurance, then yes if both cameras have the same SOC the 4K one might tab out first when it is hot, but i think it would be very marginal with those two Viofo cameras.
If its just parked in heat you should be fine and the cameras also, the problem only really become a problem if you hope on doing parking guard in such temperatures

File size, well yes if the bitrate used for both 1440p and 4K resolution is the same, then the 1400p one will make smaller files, but if the 1440p one have a higher bitrate it might be the same
If i was to have a 1440p camera i would like it to have a higher bitrate than a similar 4K one so the SOC are still fully utilized.
Here in the EU i do feel 1440p are fine for the plates we have on our cars.

While i do use parking guard, always low bitrate and only for 3 hours if there is a build in timer, then driving footage is still my main interest, what ever i have to make do with in parking guard will just have to make do.
Fortunately we Danes only see 30 degrees C on the really good summer days, which can be rare in the strange summer we just had we dident even have one of those days.

Sadly i have not been fortunate to beat on either of these 2 models from Viofo, i tested the old A 229 duo system and it was a pleasure.

Thanks a lot kamkar! Really helpful insights!

 

[Nigel]

From what I know Viofo has a new app now that seems better, but maybe the more experienced people can say more about this.

They keep releasing new versions, but it hasn't changed much for a long time, the current app is pretty decent, although also a little basic.
The proper new app with new features will be released next year.

when I click on Google apps to do some research all of the apps have very negative reviews on all their apps. Regardless who the company is. They're all and the two star range out of the five Stars.

With dashcam apps, people complain with one and two stars when they have issues, normally related to them not being able to use the networking on their phone, but they never give five star feedback when everything is working perfectly. Ignore the star ratings, they don't mean anything.

Personally I like the 1440p resolution better, because it creates lower size files than the 4k, and I think the 2k camera would not be pushed that hard so it will not overheat that fast. Also wondering if it would be better to get the Pro and set it to record on 2k resolution or I should just get the Plus in that case.

Both cameras have a bitrate setting, you can choose your file size and turn it up or down as you want.

The 4K camera should get hotter, it has twice the detail to process and store, and it should use more power, but both should be fine for use in Europe. If you want to use parking mode with them locked in a parked car in full sun with no ventilation, then I would recommend the 2K, but for driving it should not be an issue.

The 4K camera can see further, that is the main difference, for accidents that is not normally required, for reporting bad driving to the police it is very useful, but that does depend a bit on which country you are driving in.

They have yet to go through a hot summer, so I'm not convinced they have proven themselves yet, but we are not seeing lots of problems in Australia, and it is very nearly mid-summer's day there, and they often have much higher temperatures than Europe, so I wouldn't worry about heat too much, especially if you are not going to often use parking mode in hot weather.

 

[LateralNW]

Europe, so the camera will see some really hot days in the summer (almost 40C outside sometimes) so I don't know if it will have any issues with this. I won't keep in the car when I will park the car for longer times to not damage it.

While i haven't tested a A229 Plus i have tested the A229 Pro and it has started and run after sitting in direct sunlight on a 32 C degree day. I haven't had heating issues while driving the car provided it is air conditioned.
I would expect the A229 Plus to cope even better in the heat.
What's more important is getting a memory card that doesn't slow down when it gets hot as some high performance do according to Viofo.

but the most important thing I'd like to know is how are the apps.

The Viofo app works fine and Viofo are always improving it.
Usually the problems that many have is download speed.
If the dashcam has only 2.4GHz or the phone only supports 2.4GHz then i wouldn't bother trying to download.
Streaming can also be glitchy but at 5GHz these issues have gone.
Of course depending on how patient one is will determine if it is an ok speed.

When a person is not familiar with Networking they may have some teething problems setting the app up.
All they need to do is ask Viofo for help or come here.

 

[speedingcheetah]

The A229 Pro still needs more tweaking. It is not as mature and stable, imo, as the A119 Mini 2. Viofo really has done magic with the Mini2.
I also do not personally see a significant enough improvement in image quality to use their 4K model. I prefer 2K with 60fps for much smoother video and more frames.(daytime)
The much higher cpu requirement, more stress, more complexity of the multi cam models, to me, is higher risk of early failure. But, it is a more coinvent thing to for most, to have one cam system, with multi cams, than using 2x separate cams. I have no issues using 2x A119 Mini 2's though.

 

[sac02]

I'm currently debating the same purchase - front and rear camera coverage in a hot climate (TX, USA).

I had not considered 2x A119 Mini2. What advantages do you feel this setup has?

I feel comfortable wiring, so difficulty of setup is not an issue for me.

 

[haiou_f]

看viofo的几款足球，A119 Mini2是款比较完美的型号，但是只有前摄，需要内摄和后摄就a229pro吧

 

[Daleg]

如果我会读中文就好了！

 

[haiou_f]

如果我会读中文就好了！

Looking at the tests of several viofo recorders, A119 Mini2 is a relatively perfect model, but it only has front camera. If you need internal camera and rear camera, go to a229pro.：哈哈：

 

[WildChild]

Hey guys, thanks all for your inputs!
I ordered the 229 Plus 2 channel after all. The Pro version was a little bit too expensive and I decided that the difference in price is not worth it for me right now. The Plus should be a huge improvement over my old dashcam anyway, so hopefully it will make me happy
Now I cannot wait for it to arrive!

 

[kamkar]

The plus model will be fine for capturing EU plates

 

[haiou_f]

Hey guys, thanks all for your inputs!
I ordered the 229 Plus 2 channel after all. The Pro version was a little bit too expensive and I decided that the difference in price is not worth it for me right now. The Plus should be a huge improvement over my old dashcam anyway, so hopefully it will make me happy
Now I cannot wait for it to arrive!

How much is 229plus in your country？In our country, the front camera version costs 799 RMB