Parking Mode without Hardwire Kit or Dashcam Battery

[TonyM]

I drive 5 miles to work, park for 8 hours, then drive 5 miles back to home. That's not enough driving to charge my dedicated dashcam battery, and I would not try to run a dashcam via a HW kit from the small 12V battery in my hybrid car.

I would like to record 8 hours when parked using a USB powerbank, ideally in low-bitrate.

My old A129 Duo (in our other car) switches automatically from driving to low-bitrate recording if the GPS detects no movement, I think the delay is 5 minutes from memory?

Is there a modern dashcam that can switch to low bitrate parking mode without a 3-wire HW kit? @VIOFO-Support?

I read in this post that the A229 can be switched to parking mode by a long press of a button. I would be OK with doing that on any dashcam, if it is supported by standard firmware.

 

[Nigel]

My old A129 Duo (in our other car) switches automatically from driving to low-bitrate recording if the GPS detects no movement, I think the delay is 5 minutes from memory?

The recent Viofos will do that too, including the A229 Pro/Plus.

Post in thread 'A229 Plus Test & Review PP'

Nov 16, 2023

I am thinking about buying 2 powerbank 20000mAh or more mAh. Do you think is it possible to record 12 hours during the night with one powerbank and 12 hours during the day with the other powerbank?

Welcome to the club.
The A229 Plus 3-CH configuration in Low Bitrate Parking Mode is approximately 5.71 Watts of power consumption.
20,000mAh USB Power Bank = 74Wh
74Wh ⨸ 5.71 Watts = 12.9 Hours

can it be forced into Low Bitrate Parking Mode with a settings/button?

Enabling Low Bitrate Parking Mode in the settings without using the Hardwire Kit will require 5 minutes of “no...

• Panzer Platform

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[TonyM]

The recent Viofos will do that too, including the A229 Pro/Plus.

Thanks. I noticed the Mini 2 was also on the list by Karagandinez.

I see there's a decent labor day deal on right now at viofo.com - it's even valid for non-US customers

 

[TonyM]

The recent Viofos will do that too, including the A229 Pro/Plus.

I wonder if my old 5MP A139 will switch to parking mode on constant USB power? I only ever used it on a HW kit in my old car.

 

[VIOFO-Support]

I read in this post that the A229 can be switched to parking mode by a long press of a button. I would be OK with doing that on any dashcam, if it is supported by standard firmware.

It just turns on/off the parking mode same as you do in the settings, but cannot let the camera enter the parking mode in this way. All our cameras can enter parking mode when supplied a constant power with the original charger cable after 5 minutes of inactivity.

 

[TonyM]

All our cameras can enter parking mode when supplied a constant power with the original charger cable after 5 minutes of inactivity.

Thank you for confirming this

 

[TonyM]

All our cameras can enter parking mode when supplied a constant power with the original charger cable after 5 minutes of inactivity.

I just tested my original A139 on constant power in a dark room indoors and it did not enter parking mode after an hour of testing. However it was not connected to the GPS mount (which is in the car).

 

[Nigel]

I just tested my original A139 on constant power in a dark room indoors and it did not enter parking mode after an hour of testing. However it was not connected to the GPS mount (which is in the car).

I'm not surprised, I think there were a few cameras that missed out on this feature. But maybe it is in a firmware update?

I don't think the GPS is necessary, because you don't always have GPS when parked in an underground/multi-story car park.

 

[TonyM]

I'm not surprised, I think there were a few cameras that missed out on this feature. But maybe it is in a firmware update?

I can't complain. My A139 was a free retail test version. I'm OK with buying something new provided it has the features that I want.

 

[joe384]

The GPS is needed to switch from parking mode to driving mode I find. The reason I know this is I've started parking in an underground carpark. The A139 doesn't switch to driving mode until about 100m after some traffic lights (which themselves are about 100m from the parking)

As I am exiting the carpark the movement triggers the event/locking (still in parking mode). As I drive to the traffic lights the GPS light is flashing. By the time I set off from the lights, GPS light is solid and switches when I drive off about 100m or so later.

Another thing I've found with a lot of use is that it won't always enter parking mode in a surface level carpark. The footage when this happens has accurate GPS data so I don't know why this is happening. If I park underground it will always switch to parking mode (because GPS is lost)

Perhaps Viofo can shed some light on the exact conditions for the switch (does it use both GPS or g-sensor or a combination?)

 

[TonyM]

The GPS is needed to switch from parking mode to driving mode I find. The reason I know this is I've started parking in an underground carpark. The A139 doesn't switch to driving mode until about 100m after some traffic lights (which themselves are about 100m from the parking)

As I am exiting the carpark the movement triggers the event/locking (still in parking mode). As I drive to the traffic lights the GPS light is flashing. By the time I set off from the lights, GPS light is solid and switches when I drive off about 100m or so later.

Another thing I've found with a lot of use is that it won't always enter parking mode in a surface level carpark. The footage when this happens has accurate GPS data so I don't know why this is happening. If I park underground it will always switch to parking mode (because GPS is lost)

Perhaps Viofo can shed some light on the exact conditions for the switch (does it use both GPS or g-sensor or a combination?)

What FW version are you using on your A139?

I can't get mine to switch to parking mode, but perhaps the problem is the non-Viofo cable I'm using