Parking Mode settings - various settings and results

HackerPLEMC

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I have searched and read a lot of threads in this forum and am grateful for the information I have received and put to good use. I do, however, have a request. Can the advanced members and the knowledgeable members post more detailed information on the different parking mode options, best case usage and the results? I believe one for the A129 (119 where applicable) would be a huge benefit for all. It would probably minimize the requests and answers that are spread throughout the forums, such as this post as well. LOL If this already exists, then, by all means, please laugh at the newb and do with this post as is deemed necessary.

Much thanks in advance.
 
I have searched and read a lot of threads in this forum and am grateful for the information I have received and put to good use. I do, however, have a request. Can the advanced members and the knowledgeable members post more detailed information on the different parking mode options, best case usage and the results? I believe one for the A129 (119 where applicable) would be a huge benefit for all. It would probably minimize the requests and answers that are spread throughout the forums, such as this post as well. LOL If this already exists, then, by all means, please laugh at the newb and do with this post as is deemed necessary.

Much thanks in advance.
I think that would be very helpful great idea!
 
I agree, lets get some sort of simple chart going that explains in simple terms ( with examples )
of the different modes.
 
I've read that and it helped. I was just curious as to real world usage. I have a 128GB card and would like to make sure I utilize the storage correctly. I tried the setting I read on this site as far as hight sensitivity and auto event trigger. However there is a lot of movement as I drive about town. I am trying the low frame-rate to see how that effects the storage.

Thank you for the link.
 
See below parking modes presentation (pros and cons):

+ Motion-detection
+ 3-10sec pre-rec motion-detection (time buffered)
+ Low-bitrate
+ Time lapse
+ Parking monitor / parking guard

(Dash camera vs car keyer)

 
Great video. Thanks for posting this.

Okay, Viofo, where is the buffered parking mode you promised us A129 owners? :)
 
I would like to piggyback off this thread and see if anyone else can list their current settings. I have two cars that I am hardwiring the A129 Duo into, and here are the situations:

My car (1998 Lexus with 2 year old non AGM battery):
- Commute to work: 15 min
- Parked in work garage: 9 hours
- Commute to home: 15 min
- Parked overnight: ~15 hours
- On weekends my car will sit for ~60+ hours before I drive it again on Monday.
- I decided that I will be using an external battery pack of at least 20,000mah hidden under the seat to keep it going on the weekend.
- It will be set to cutoff at 12.2V or maybe 12V cutoff.
- Sandisk High Endurance 256gb memory card.

Wifes car (2014 Lexus Hybrid w/AGM battery, I think):
- Same commute/park times except we also take her car on weekends, so it gets a lot of usage.
- It will be set to 12V cutoff.
- Sandisk High Endurance 256gb memory card

What other settings do you suggest for either cars? Our main concern is using the cameras to keep watch while parked in our apartment garge, which was recently hit by thieves. We were spared this time, but not so sure about next time. At a minimum, I was able to piece together some information from other threads:
- High Bitrate
- Auto detect Parking Mode
- High Parking G-Sensor
- 60hz Frequency
 
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Low Bitrate recording is recommended comparative to any other setting including event / motion triggering. While your car is stationary, low bitrate is sufficient to capture any action in real time with generally enough clarity to catch the culprit. Triggered events may or may not result in lots of unnecessary files due to false positives with motion detection. And of course, buffered parking mode may not always catch everything that transpired before being triggered. Whereas low bitrate is a continuous stream, and while lots of unnecessary recordings, will provide the best opportunity to capture the situation.
 
A new A129 Duo owner, I got it installed by a 'professional' with hardwiring done. The cutoff voltage set to 12.2V in a fairly new car.

Just like several other users, I have noticed varied time periods for the camera to stay recording in various modes. Only twice has it gone over 8 hours recording when set to 5fps, medium/low g-sensor. Most days/nights the time period varies from 2-4 hours.
When set to motion detection too, the camera did not last beyond 4 hours in any given setting (street side parking, workplace parking, mall parking, apartment basement (2-3 different spots). It seemed to be recording continuously.

I understand the motion detection is tricky and totally dependent upon surrounding, however I will like to be better at it and wondering if a camera reset will be useful.

Also, I am considering a Xiaomi 20000 mAh power bank and plugging it with usb-12v power adapter to ensure a longer continuous supply, I can then choose to connect the camera to power bank instead of hardwire kit, and so the following questions:

1. Will just setting the camera to parking mode be enough for it work in parking mode with either 3/5fps recording or with motion detection.
2. Would the 20000 mAh be able to supply the power needed to stay recording over 12-16 hours? I kinda need it because on some days the car will not be used for this long a duration.
3. Are there any chances of overheating on the camera or powerbank that I need to be aware of, and if so, what is a safe duration to run it. Powerbank will mostly be used in underground parking spaces, temperatures ranging 5-25 degrees celsius. Is it still safe to be used in a higher temperature range?

Looking forward to any other pro tips to ensure a smoother parking mode experience.

Thank you.
 
2. Would the 20000 mAh be able to supply the power needed to stay recording over 12-16 hours?
Should give 24 hours.

I would consider reducing the cutoff voltage first though, if you are driving more than half an hour per day then you should be getting a lot more than 4 hours recording. If your car has an AGM battery then you can set it to 11.8 volts and should get 24 hour recording, if not then 12.0 will probably leave the battery at 12.2 or more when measured across the battery terminals, which should be OK. You may find that makes a huge difference to the recording length, depending on your battery technology and how much voltage is lost between battery and hardwire kit.

If you have a multimeter, or some other diagnostic display for battery voltage, check the battery voltage while the engine is running, after a drive, and after a low voltage cutoff, and check the type of battery - post the results and someone may be able to diagnose why you are only getting 4 hours.

3. Are there any chances of overheating on the camera or powerbank that I need to be aware of, and if so, what is a safe duration to run it. Powerbank will mostly be used in underground parking spaces, temperatures ranging 5-25 degrees celsius. Is it still safe to be used in a higher temperature range?
Camera should be good for -30 to +60 degrees C, but if it is inside a parked car in the sun, the car can very easily exceed 60 degrees C. Above that there are not many reports of problems on the A129 Duo, but you are probably shortening its life significantly. The Pro version will shut down to protect itself on hot days, not sure if the standard version does.

Power bank should only be charged between 4 and 40 degrees C, discharged between -40 and +50. Do not leave it sitting in the sun - that can be dangerous.
 
Thanks for the inputs Nigel.

Here are some of the things that I have tried and respective observations:
  1. Hardwired Kit cut-off voltage changed to 12V, does not seem to have caused much of a difference. Yet to get my hands on a multimeter to check battery voltage.
  2. Bought a USB to 12V adaptor off amazon, connected to my 20000 mAH power bank, when I park the car, I switch the cables to power bank, camera stays in driving mode for a bit (I guess that 5 min rule) and moves to parking mode eventually. This has been able to keep the camera running for a good amount of time, max checked for about 14 hours non stop. The camera does not heat up. A 10000 mAh power bank managed to power it for about 8 hours max I think before turning off.
So far, reasonably happy with the new setup and parking mode. So anyone considering this could give it try and might get similar results.
 
Low Bitrate recording is recommended comparative to any other setting including event / motion triggering. While your car is stationary, low bitrate is sufficient to capture any action in real time with generally enough clarity to catch the culprit. Triggered events may or may not result in lots of unnecessary files due to false positives with motion detection. And of course, buffered parking mode may not always catch everything that transpired before being triggered. Whereas low bitrate is a continuous stream, and while lots of unnecessary recordings, will provide the best opportunity to capture the situation.

Low bitrate option for any parking mode form should be mandatory.
 
Thanks for the inputs Nigel.

Here are some of the things that I have tried and respective observations:
  1. Hardwired Kit cut-off voltage changed to 12V, does not seem to have caused much of a difference. Yet to get my hands on a multimeter to check battery voltage.
  2. Bought a USB to 12V adaptor off amazon, connected to my 20000 mAH power bank, when I park the car, I switch the cables to power bank, camera stays in driving mode for a bit (I guess that 5 min rule) and moves to parking mode eventually. This has been able to keep the camera running for a good amount of time, max checked for about 14 hours non stop. The camera does not heat up. A 10000 mAh power bank managed to power it for about 8 hours max I think before turning off.
So far, reasonably happy with the new setup and parking mode. So anyone considering this could give it try and might get similar results.

So long as you don't get days around 0C or below, 12V "should be fine". But you're definitely putting a strain on the battery and will be shortening its life. Running it down to 12 volts means the car battery has 25% juice left. So you are constantly discharging it to a very low level if running the camera in parking mode on a regular basis. If you experience winter, 25% juice (12v) has a good chance of leaving you stranded when the car won't start. If you don't get cold outside, this may not be an issue. But do expect to be replacing your car battery more often.
 
The Pro version will shut down to protect itself on hot days, not sure if the standard version does.
Good news this. Where did you read this notice ? How do I know if the non pro model has the same function?
Thanks a lot
 
To all existing A129 users,

Is there a toggle switch on the menu where you can turn on or off the parking mode?

I am considering A129 Plus Duo and believe the interface on A129 should be similar.

My use case is I would only turn on the parking mode when needed.


Thanks.
 
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