While finishing up some other dash camera reviews, I was able to get my power consumption tests completed for the Nextbase 522GW. I have two 522GW front dash cameras, 1 rear view camera (USB camera that plugs directly into the side of the front camera) and 1 rear window camera (round camera that mounts on the rear window of the vehicle).
Intelligent Parking Mode
The 522GW provides only one type of parking mode/guard recording option and that's Intelligent Parking Mode (IPM). If the 522GW has been stationary for 5-minutes and IPM is enabled in the firmware settings, the dash camera will enter IPM. IPM is a low power consumption parking mode. The dash camera and hardwiring kit consumed only 0.14 Watts while in the IPM "sleep mode". When an impact is detected, the dash camera will power up (4 seconds for 1-channel and 6 seconds for 2-channel configurations) and record a 30 second impact/protected video. For another 4 minutes 30 seconds, it will continue to record video and if no further impacts are detected, it will return to the IPM sleep mode.
With the presence of an internal battery, having IPM enabled means you can never fully turn off the dash camera by using the power button. While in normal recording mode, if you press the power button, the dash camera will switch to IPM. As long as external power is supplied to the dash camera, it will continue to operate in IPM. If the external power is turned off, the dash camera will continue in IPM drawing power from the internal Lithium Ion battery until its charge level is depleted. If you want to fully power down the dash camera, you must disable IPM first and then use the power button or remove external power from the dash camera. I like to be in full control of when a dash camera is powered/operating, so I wish Nextbase would have a way to fully power down the dash camera even when IPM is enabled. When I park my vehicle in my garage, I don't need to have the dash camera continue to operate (consume external power or internal battery power).
The amount of time it takes to start recording after an impact has been detected is better than some dash cameras, but still a bit slow (6 seconds for 2-channel, 4 seconds for 1-channel). The sleep mode aspect of IPM certainly does give you the ability to have IPM functional for a long period of time when externally powered by your vehicle's battery or a dash camera battery pack.
If you use IPM, it is recommended to use the 2-wire Nextbase "Dash Cam Hardwire Kit" to power the 522GW. It supports 12-volt and 24-volt systems.
The 2-wire hardwire kit does have a low voltage cutoff feature. The low voltage cutoff values are documentted at very low fixed values (11.0 volts / 23.0 volts). Draining your vehicle's battery to 11.0 volts (12-volt system) is an almost guaranteed no start situation. The low voltage cutoff feature needs to have a user selectable voltage value. An 11.0 volt cutoff value is acceptable if the external power source is a dash camera battery pack, but not when powered by the vehicle's starting battery.
** Update 02-Mar-2023 **
I asked Nextbase Support about the documented 2-wire hardwire kit low voltage cutoff values of 11.0 volts (12-volt system). I received this response:
As of late 2021, for a 12 volt system the voltage cut off is 11.6V +/- 0.2V. Prior to this it was 11.2V +/- 0.2V. This is why you're also seeing the 11.8V/11.0V numbers hovering around.
I will test the 2-wire hardwire kit's actual low voltage cutoff value when I remove it from my car. I did test the cigarette lighter adapter (CLA) since it had been stated it too has a low voltage cutoff feature. I found that when I dropped the input voltage to 11.28 volts the output power to the dash camera (and the status LED) are turned off. When I raised the voltage level to 11.30 volts the output power and LED were once again on. I was told that the documentation inaccuracies will be addressed to show the proper low voltage cutoff values.
I usually do not use a "sleep mode / low power mode" impact based parking mode due to the amount of time it takes to get the camera(s) functional and recording after the impact has been detected. I would like to see Nextbase add support for time-lapse and/or low bitrate parking modes in additional to the current IPM offered in the product.
Power Consumption Test Data
I ran power consumption tests for three configurations of the 522GW (1-channel, 2-channel with rear view camera and 2-channel with rear window camera). The 522GW has a "Dual Files" feature. When the "Dual Files" feature is enabled (default), it will record a high resolution video along with a low resolution (848x480 30fps) video for each video camera. While testing the 1-channel configuration, I tested whether the "Dual Files" mode impacted the power consumption of the dash camera. There was little or no change in the power consumed with "Dual Files" enabled or disabled. I list the video Mbps bitrate in the power consumption "Notes" column.
Power Consumption - 522GW - FW 23.7 - 1-Channel
Power Consumption - 522GW - FW 23.7 - 2-Channel (Rear View Camera)
Power Consumption - 522GW - FW 23.7 - 2-Channel (Rear Window Camera)