Nextbase 522gw keeps freezing

[Rickn55]

Hmm did you just forget to reply to my actual statement in between the name-calling, attacks and deflections?

You added no new information. Read the topic. It is already clear that this is not affecting everyone. If you're not contributing to a solution, what's the point of your post?

I've made no claims that every Nextbase product is faulty, so I don't see why you use that as an argument. I've made a claim that this freezing issue is a real issue, for many customers, and that Nextbase should put some effort into solving it. This thread's topic implies it is about a *problem* with the 522GW, not about those who do *not* have a problem with it, no?

I am new to *commenting* on the forum, sure. Does that make my statements less valid somehow?

Anyway, last comment from me, unless of course you have any idea what I can do to get Nextbase to start fixing this.

"Hmm did you just forget to reply to my actual statement in between the name-calling, attacks and deflections?"

Aww you sound like you're going to melt.
❄

"You added no new information. Read the topic. It is already clear that this is not affecting everyone. If you're not contributing to a solution, what's the point of your post?"

I commented the same as you did with my experience of the 522, noting a problem I found that makes it freeze, so it is pretty useful information for everybody else with 522 not to pull the rear camera wire out while the Dashcam is on so their Dashcam doesn't freeze that way. Becareful you don't injure youself getting down from that high horse of yours won't you.

"I am new to *commenting* on the forum, sure. Does that make my statements less valid somehow?"

It does when you come across a complete jumped up tosspot like yourself. Perhaps if you adhered to general forum etiquette of putting your point across in a polite and respectful manner like everyone else does, you wouldn't have got the response you got.

"Anyway, last comment from me."

Fantastic. I've not got to waste my time anymore typing back to someone with an IQ that starts with a decimal point.

Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk

 

[Nextbase Support]

Hi Eriks,

SD cards only have limited lifespans. In our manuals we recommend formatting every 2-3 weeks to prolong the life of the card. Without this regular formatting, or if the card is non-compatible or damaged, the card could corrupt which would cause a failure of data writing.
Symptoms of SD card failure are: an audible 'alarm' tone, non-functional buttons, freezing, corrupted files on playback, image missing from files, lack of file recording etc.

As you're having freezing symptoms, this suggests that your SD card is not dash cam compatible or does not have an adequate write speed.

I'd recommend a Dash Cam compatible 8GB -128GB U3 Micro SD card, specifically designed for Dash Cam or CCTV usage. Using a dash cam compatible SD card instead should then allow your Dash Cam to function as designed. The card needs to have a minimum continuous write speed of 48MB/s.

Regards,
Millie- Nextbase Support

Hmm did you just forget to reply to my actual statement in between the name-calling, attacks and deflections?

You added no new information. Read the topic. It is already clear that this is not affecting everyone. If you're not contributing to a solution, what's the point of your post?

I've made no claims that every Nextbase product is faulty, so I don't see why you use that as an argument. I've made a claim that this freezing issue is a real issue, for many customers, and that Nextbase should put some effort into solving it. This thread's topic implies it is about a *problem* with the 522GW, not about those who do *not* have a problem with it, no?

I am new to *commenting* on the forum, sure. Does that make my statements less valid somehow?

Anyway, last comment from me, unless of course you have any idea what I can do to get Nextbase to start fixing this.

 

[eriks]

Hi Millie,

The Nextbase dashcam is doing quick formats, not full formats. A quick format does not erase the card, nor help with the lifespan of the card itself. Quick formatting will however clean out any filesystem errors on the card, which typically would happen when the dashcam freezes, or if the card is ejected while being written to.

It is never ever, no matter the underlying issues OK for a dashcam to freeze. It can give error messages and complain about problems it can't solve, sure. It can even shut off when it's overheating. But, it should never freeze - doing this is a software error in your product, and you need to fix it.

The 4 different cards I've tested in this cam have all been meeting the requirements published on nextbase.com. Note that you do not actually publish correct requirements on this website - you probably should.

I'm not going to throw more money after this dashcam, so I will not be purchasing any more cards. I've ordered a Garmin instead.

 

[BowtomePhil]

Hi Eriks,

SD cards only have limited lifespans. In our manuals we recommend formatting every 2-3 weeks to prolong the life of the card. Without this regular formatting, or if the card is non-compatible or damaged, the card could corrupt which would cause a failure of data writing.
Symptoms of SD card failure are: an audible 'alarm' tone, non-functional buttons, freezing, corrupted files on playback, image missing from files, lack of file recording etc.

As you're having freezing symptoms, this suggests that your SD card is not dash cam compatible or does not have an adequate write speed.

I'd recommend a Dash Cam compatible 8GB -128GB U3 Micro SD card, specifically designed for Dash Cam or CCTV usage. Using a dash cam compatible SD card instead should then allow your Dash Cam to function as designed. The card needs to have a minimum continuous write speed of 48MB/s.

Regards,
Millie- Nextbase Support

Sorry NextBase but your answer to everything is that it is the SD card issue. I have multiple SD cards in multiple devices. 2 years in my phone for example using the sdcard daily to play music (yes I play daily) and never had an issue with any card in any device. Camera, Phone, video camera , tablet etc. Yes you need a certain speed for your product and that is understandable.

My 522gw froze from the day I bought it with all SD cards. I was even conned in to buying one of yours which did not fix the issue.

Just admit some of your dashcams are faulty and cause the freeze. I sent my 522gw back and got a new one and I am not using your SD card and it has now worked for months without a freeze. It was the device all along, but all you ever say is it's the SD card.

You really need to train your team to not ASSUME it's the card.

 

[Nextbase Support]

Hi both,

I, nor the rest of the Support Team, ever assume a fault. We troubleshoot based on the symptoms provided, and advise the best course of action to resolve the issue stated.

I hope you understand that we work with Nextbase Dash Cameras every day and know our products thoroughly. It's your choice whether to act on our suggestions to allow your camera to function. If you choose to ignore our advice, then we can try to help further, but we cannot guarantee a resolution.

Regards,
Millie- Nextbase Support

 

[eriks]

If you choose to ignore our advice

Please read your own advice on how to select a SD card. Specifically, "If you are using a Rear Camera Module and a Dash Cam you need to ensure that a U3 SD card is used inside the camera." as seen at https://www.nextbase.com/en-gb/hub/which-sd-card-do-i-use-in-my-dash-cam/

I've only used U3 SD cards - *including* the nextbase card sent to me by your support - and the dash cam still freezes. But, I'm happy with my Garmin Tandem now, it just worked out of the box.

 

[Nextbase Support]

Hi Eriks,

A U3 card will indicate what speed band this would fall into and not necessarily if this is suitable for the purposes of simultaneous writing and re-writing of footage in looped recording devices, many manufacturers create U3 cards for a simple read and write process and specifically state that looped recording is not covered under their warranty, this is why we created and recommend our own SD card for full functionality.

I would suggest removing the SD card from the dashcam and check if the freezing issue still occurs, if not then this would confirm a fault with the SD and not the dashcam. However if the issue does still persist then check the connection with the rear camera and if necessary unplug this completely, as a loose or intermittent with the rear camera will also cause a lock up if connected/removed while the front unit is still in use.

Regards,
Dan - Nextbase Technical Support

 

[eriks]

A U3 card will indicate what speed band this would fall into and

You guys just don't get it, do you? I am not interested in having the detailed SD card requirements repeated and explained in yet another form - I'm past that, I understand the requirements, I'm done with Nextbase and happy with my Garmin. I'm just trying to tell you that you are misinforming your customers and that such misinformation leads to dissatisfied customers. Like me, I'm warning anyone asking to stay far away from your products.

Your website literally states "If you are using a Rear Camera Module and a Dash Cam you need to ensure that a U3 SD card is used inside the camera.". Obviously - I don't see why this is so hard for you to get - this makes your customers buy U3 cards when they have a rear camera module.

Then, after spending money and getting frustrated by the dashcam silently freezing, some forum or support says "oh, no, you can't use any U3 card - there's a bunch of other requirements we didn't tell you about". And then you suggest we should pay more because you didn't tell us the whole story the first time?

Additionally, as stated several times, a dashcam should never silently fail. If you are unable to record for some reason, you must make the driver aware of this. Overheating, damaged SD card, damaged filesystem, too slow SD card, anything else: Loudly inform me so I am aware that my drive is not being recorded.

 

[DaveP75]

Hello. Fist post - I found this thread when googling 'Nextbase Dashcam Freezing' and low and behold, this was top thread about my exact dash cam without me even having to put in a model number.

I've reported an issue today via email having discussed with the online chat last week because the same issue everyone is having is occurring on my 522GW, with rear connected Camera, using the Nextbase 64Gb SD Card that was bought as part of the whole pack about a year ago, oh and connected using the official NextBase hardwire kit. Obviously with a pandemic not really been out much but did update my dash cam to Firmware 19.1 not that long ago, which seems pretty relevant if you ask me.

Camera keeps freezing or stopping recording - or going on a beep fest which will only stop when you take the camera off the power and let it die (eventually) which when driving isn't exactly safe is it especially if you have to disconnect the rear camera too. When it first started doing this I took the camera out of the car, and noticed that it was still showing as charging even thought it was disconnected - this is when it was reset and apparently 'working' again to the point where I could stop and start recordings, and this was showing in the settings too so clearly something is wrong with the software as a further reset of the unit with the SD Card out still showed it believed it was charging - so can't be the SD Card.

I have taken the SD Card out and fully reformatted it on my computer, but the issue pretty much returned immediately when I was out next in the car. Remember, this is the expensive NextBase SD Card I bought as part of the pack. I'm currently doing a 7 pass secure erase on the card to fully wipe and see if that makes any difference. I fully expect if I don't connect the Rear Cam it may behave better as the load on the card will be less - I've not even set it to 1440/30 but at 1080/60 which is what it was always set at. I've never had it set to record the smaller files also to the card - so I am not pushing it to its limits, and it did work fine until very recently when I updated it.

I see the responses from NextBase here are pretty dire - sorry, but saying it as I see it and as per the conversation I had online where the guy went straight to 'you must be using an incompatible card', which is not the case as it was bought as part of the pack and is NextBase branded.

When are NextBase going to fix this issue because to me it seems clear they've caused a spike in this issue with Firmware 19.1 which going off the posts on this thread has been out for quite a while and not fixed in one bit - if anything its made things worse as I had zero issues previously and now I have absolutely no faith in the dash cam itself and it would be a right mess to try and return it after over 12 months - although my consumer rights and acknowledgement of the issue here clearly proves its a known issue.

NextBase Support - how about you fix this issue, just for me please?

Dave

 

[Kremmen]

Just out of curiosity do you have stop/start ?

 

[DaveP75]

Just out of curiosity do you have stop/start ?

Yes, but it’s not turned on. When turned on and s/s is kicking in I had no issues, and with it disabled again no issues. The power has never been cut to the dashcam if stop start kicked in, it’s hardwired. Problem only occurred in the last week and I only updated the dashcam a few weeks ago to firmware 19.1. The problem is also occurring when I’m moving so s/s being relevant is moot.

As I mentioned, I have done a secure wipe of the SD card, which completed without any reported issues on the card so will see if that helps but I suspect it won’t make a difference. This was done after it had crashed again (it’s every journey) and was clicking/beeping away and continued to do so when the card and power was removed until it lost all power which took at least 20 minutes. When I had charged it back up when turned off, upon turning on and removing power the unit still was showing itself as charging both on the icon and in the system menu, this is with SD Card not being inserted, so there’s something screwed up with the firmware or the unit itself.

 

[Nextbase Support]

Hi Dave,

Do you have an open ticket with our Support Team? We are happy to troubleshoot and help resolve the issue for your, but you will need to contact our Support Team directly. We look at each case individually and each independent factor of the set up, which are not always clear across Forums.

For the UK, you can contact us on:
support@nextbase.co.uk
02920 866429
Live Chat

Regards,
Millie

 

[DaveP75]

Hi Dave,

Do you have an open ticket with our Support Team? We are happy to troubleshoot and help resolve the issue for your, but you will need to contact our Support Team directly. We look at each case individually and each independent factor of the set up, which are not always clear across Forums.

For the UK, you can contact us on:
support@nextbase.co.uk
02920 866429
Live Chat

Regards,
Millie

Yes I do as per my first post yesterday

Hello. Fist post - I found this thread when googling 'Nextbase Dashcam Freezing' and low and behold, this was top thread about my exact dash cam without me even having to put in a model number.

I've reported an issue today via email having discussed with the online chat last week because the same issue everyone is having is occurring on my 522GW, with rear connected Camera, using the Nextbase 64Gb SD Card that was bought as part of the whole pack about a year ago, oh and connected using the official NextBase hardwire kit. Obviously with a pandem not really been out much but did update my dash cam to Firmware 19.1 not that long ago, which seems pretty relevant if you ask me.
……and so on

As I stated I used online chat last week and reported the issue via email yesterday. The email I sent included the chat transcript from last week and I got a return email with a reference number. I’ve not received any actual response yet.

if you’d like the reference I’m happy to provide it here, and that way you can include the information I have included on the two posts relating to my issue.

If a previous firmware will fix the issue I’d be happy to return to version 16 or whatever if it means I have a working DashCam that I have confidence in as the whole point in them is you can forget them until you need footage, not be constantly checking on them and listening for it beeping away like it did twice yesterday which ironically leads to distraction and could cause an accident, for which I’d have no footage as the thing isn’t working. This isn’t a trivial issue so I would appreciate some real assistance to enable the unit to do what I bought it and spent considerable faffing installing it for.

Dave

 

[Nextbase Support]

Yes I do as per my first post yesterday

As I stated I used online chat last week and reported the issue via email yesterday. The email I sent included the chat transcript from last week and I got a return email with a reference number. I’ve not received any actual response yet.

if you’d like the reference I’m happy to provide it here, and that way you can include the information I have included on the two posts relating to my issue.

If a previous firmware will fix the issue I’d be happy to return to version 16 or whatever if it means I have a working DashCam that I have confidence in as the whole point in them is you can forget them until you need footage, not be constantly checking on them and listening for it beeping away like it did twice yesterday which ironically leads to distraction and could cause an accident, for which I’d have no footage as the thing isn’t working. This isn’t a trivial issue so I would appreciate some real assistance to enable the unit to do what I bought it and spent considerable faffing installing it for.

Dave

Hi Dave,

You can message us directly here with your email address or ticket reference number so that we can chase your case up for you.

Regards,
Dan - Nextbase Technical Support

 

[DaveP75]

I’ve sent you a private message - I presume that’s what you meant.

To reiterate what I also said on the message, please can you add the notes of what I’ve pointed out on the forum to the ticket, and also I can confirm that despite doing a 7 pass security wipe on the card which not only completely wiped the card but confirmed the card was ok, and completely discharging and recharging the dashcam following the last complete crash I’ve tested and again when driving earlier it just stopped recording … this is how the issue started before it started completely locking up which I expect it to start doing.

Dave

 

[Rick79]

I’ve sent you a private message - I presume that’s what you meant.

To reiterate what I also said on the message, please can you add the notes of what I’ve pointed out on the forum to the ticket, and also I can confirm that despite doing a 7 pass security wipe on the card which not only completely wiped the card but confirmed the card was ok, and completely discharging and recharging the dashcam following the last complete crash I’ve tested and again when driving earlier it just stopped recording … this is how the issue started before it started completely locking up which I expect it to start doing.

Dave

Hi Dave

I am having the same issue with the freezing issue, on my second camera, second SD card and still the same issue and it seems to be more related to parking mode from what I can tell. Still in contact with Nextbase support to try and resolve the issue.
Not sure if anyone else has had the issue resolved.
Rick

 

[DaveP75]

Hi Dave

I am having the same issue with the freezing issue, on my second camera, second SD card and still the same issue and it seems to be more related to parking mode from what I can tell. Still in contact with Nextbase support to try and resolve the issue.
Not sure if anyone else has had the issue resolved.
Rick

I’ve never had parking mode enabled, so issues I’m having isn’t related to that.

What is clear from this thread is that many have had theories such as parking mode with yours, but most have been eliminated. The common issue is the fault is either:-

1. The camera is not fit for purpose, in that it may work better if you don’t connect the rear camera, format the card in a computer every week and pretty much restrict its functions well below what we all bought them for.
2. There are a lot of cameras that are fundamentally faulty, although replacements having same issue points to it being pretty much all of them.
3. The firmware is causing the issue as although I’ve seen in this thread NextBase support stating ‘r19.1 is out and has fixed the issue’ it seems to me this has caused more going off comments here - mine had no issues until I updated to 19.1 recently.

NextBase Support - can you please address this issue rather than what I’ve seen which is coming up with excuse after excuse. My camera is not fit for purpose and as seen here a lot of others aren’t. If the issue appeared after a certain revision of firmware I think it’s pretty clear you need to release a new firmware even if that’s cloning it to a last known good.

I’ve worked in IT diagnostics and support for 25+ years and can see when people are getting the runaround for a problem you just don’t want to acknowledge or fix.

 

[Danger Close]

Either the memory card has failed, the power cable has failed, usb port is failing or battery is on the way out. I've had all these problems fixed by a technically capable friend.

 

[DaveP75]

Either the memory card has failed, the power cable has failed, usb port is failing or battery is on the way out. I've had all these problems fixed by a technically capable friend.

No offence, but if you’d had all those issues fixed by a technically capable friend then I’d ask why all those issues had occurred in the first place as that’s a full range of issues. How they could fix a battery, a failed USB port and failed memory card is baffling. Additionally your profile lists you as having a 512GW, not a Series 2 522GW so we may be talking completely different cameras here.

On mine, no USB issue. It is charging both on an off the mount, which are two separate power inputs as the mount powers via the magnetic connection on the unit via a usb on the mount and I’ve used both that and the USB port on the camera with no issue it recognising it’s charging.

Not memory card issue, I’ve fully tested and securely wiped that which is a NextBase card supplied in the package.

I doubt it’s the battery as issue is occurring when it has and acknowledges power via the blue indicator, and when it’s crashed it has taken up to 20 minutes when it was off power source to turn off so battery has plenty of power when it has crashed.

This leaves either it’s hardware fault, or most likely based on evidence here as these issues have only arisen since I updated the firmware, a software fault. Others have stated here downgrading the firmware fixed the issue so I’d be happy to try that if NextBase Support provide me with a link and instructions. I don’t care what the firmware version is, the one it was on out of the box worked absolutely perfectly for me.

 

[Kremmen]

My first port of call would be to test the SDCard using Speedout 0.5

I've seen lots of similar posts here which have ben caused by a card with a slow write speed. Even though it's a Nextbase card i'd still be speed testing it.

Just ensure you use USB3 and a USB3 card reader.

My Samsung card max out at ~60Mbps which is above what Nextbase recommend.