Please add cloud functionality

mentadent

mentadent

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Dash Cam
VIOFO A139, VIOFO A139 Pro, VIOFO A119 Mini 2, VIOFO A229...
Please add cloud functionality or open source the firmware so we can build our own.
 
Panzer Platform said:
I just made a Viofo Cloud Voodoo doll to cancel out your request.
Death to Viofo cloud. lol
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But but but what about Bill and Alex as angels. Just imagine what they would be like guiding us through

*EYES TURN DEVIL RED* JUST IMAGINE MUAHAHAHAHA
 
I have for years resisted the cloud, even on my iPhone. However, due to the number of LEO that now know to erase the SD of a dashcam, and some have been caught doing so, I am more prone to wanting a cloud feature, or at least an app that will support moving the video from my dashcam to my iPhone and then to a cloud of my choice. I am not real interested in VIOFO having a cloud, just in my ability to reach a cloud of my choice.
 
How? The cams would have to have built in Cell Radio, and sim card slot for true "Cloud functions", like auto upload of locked videos, anywhere live stream etc.
More heat, more power consumption to run a Cell radio chip.
Also, since VIOFO is a Chinese manufacture, it is unlikely that a included cell radio would support the correct bands for other countries, like the USA, that uses different cell bands than other countries....
Would also be limited by what ever cell carrier they used coverage would be. (would assume GSM carrier)
I think i have seen some dash cams system that do have a cell connection, but they are very expensive, and the plans for them per month also up there in cost.

Also, a data plan for modern dash cams, would have to be trully unlimited, and that is hard to find.
Since 2K/4K files are huge, that would eat up data very very fast. And most "unlimited" plans cap at some amount, then are slowed to unusable speeds.

What are your ideas for "cloud functions" and for what scenarios/use cases?
 
Augie said:
or at least an app that will support moving the video from my dashcam to my iPhone and then to a cloud of my choice. I am not real interested in VIOFO having a cloud, just in my ability to reach a cloud of my choice.
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Can u not already do this? The VIOFO app has download function. It saves file to phone. Then u can upload it to whatever u want, iCloud, GoogleDrive, etc. Its what i do. I have my own hosted storage server at home my phones pics and videos upload to (using a WireGuard VPN). Also, u can pull out the SD card from the cam, and connect it to the phone direct (using a dongle adapter card reader), and copy files off/ upload them as well.
 
Augie said:
I have for years resisted the cloud, even on my iPhone. However, due to the number of LEO that now know to erase the SD of a dashcam, and some have been caught doing so, I am more prone to wanting a cloud feature, or at least an app that will support moving the video from my dashcam to my iPhone and then to a cloud of my choice. I am not real interested in VIOFO having a cloud, just in my ability to reach a cloud of my choice.
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images.jpeg
 
speedingcheetah said:
How? The cams would have to have built in Cell Radio, and sim card slot for true "Cloud functions", like auto upload of locked videos, anywhere live stream etc.
More heat, more power consumption to run a Cell radio chip.
Also, since VIOFO is a Chinese manufacture, it is unlikely that a included cell radio would support the correct bands for other countries, like the USA, that uses different cell bands than other countries....
Would also be limited by what ever cell carrier they used coverage would be. (would assume GSM carrier)
I think i have seen some dash cams system that do have a cell connection, but they are very expensive, and the plans for them per month also up there in cost.

Also, a data plan for modern dash cams, would have to be trully unlimited, and that is hard to find.
Since 2K/4K files are huge, that would eat up data very very fast. And most "unlimited" plans cap at some amount, then are slowed to unusable speeds.

What are your ideas for "cloud functions" and for what scenarios/use cases?
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Yes with the Bands but not entirely out of the question. 70Mai has a standalone 4G unit for some of their dash cams.

And no, when you access streams for security cameras, dash cams, you're not accessing a copy of the recorded source file at 2k/4k, only a compressed tiny stream of that. I'd assume that would be the go to solution unless Viofo or whoever partnered with someone else to have dedicating cloud storage&pricing plans for the actual 4k files to be uploaded. Which would add overhead to the company's operating costs.

While a cloud function would be nice as an option, I personally don't consider it essential and it appears to be a niche market at the current time anyway....
 
Agie said:
And no, when you access streams for security cameras, dash cams, you're not accessing a copy of the recorded source file at 2k/4k, only a compressed tiny stream of that.
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Not always. I have a few WYZE cams setup at my folks home. They upload their full quality video to the cloud. The same file u get local on the cam.
My Swann CCTV cam system, does have the option to stream and record dual streams, "Main" or "Sub". Main being the full 4K high bitrate, Sub being max 360p 10fps, for mobile use mainly.
However, enabling both thus uses more storage and processing.
Having a dual stream Dash cam, does not seem to me to be a practical option.
Already, them 3 channel dash cam would then have to have process/store 2 separate data streams per channel. That is alot to handel.
Unless, they take the single data stream, split it and re-encode it to lower quaility. But again, more processing power needed.
 
speedingcheetah said:
Not always. I have a few WYZE cams setup at my folks home. They upload their full quality video to the cloud. The same file u get local on the cam.
My Swann CCTV cam system, does have the option to stream and record dual streams, "Main" or "Sub". Main being the full 4K high bitrate, Sub being max 360p 10fps, for mobile use mainly.
However, enabling both thus uses more storage and processing.
Having a dual stream Dash cam, does not seem to me to be a practical option.
Already, them 3 channel dash cam would then have to have process/store 2 separate data streams per channel. That is alot to handel.
Unless, they take the single data stream, split it and re-encode it to lower quaility. But again, more processing power needed.
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Well I'm sure we'll get it as an option in more dash cams at some point as data plans pricing comes down, the tech gets better etc etc. Whether we like it or not tbh.
 
With my blackvue i use their free cloud service rather than a paid service, to be honest i don't see the point in paying for anymore.
Generally i check my camera maybe every other day to make sure it is still recording i download a video to my iphone which then sends that video to my synology nas, which i can then if needed
download onto my pc or whatever else i choose.
And the cloud only works if your camera can connect to it which means in blackvues case using their cm100lte stuck in your windscreen on view for some toe rag to nick
cloud is nice but really not needed in my opinion
 
Dont worry more and more dashcam systems will get the smarts and cloud stuff, i personally are still trying to figure out why people want that stuff, hence why i am eager to try such a system to find out if i am stupid or as i tend to belive the rest of the world is stupid.
I for sure would like to speak on such things with more certainty and personal experience.

If Viofo make a A 229 pro / C ( cloud ) version next year i would not be surprised, but i dont think it is a feature they can just slap onto existing models.
but i am expecting a few brands to jump onto the smart dashcam bandwagon in 2024
 
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kamkar said:
Dont worry more and more dashcam systems will get the smarts and cloud stuff, i personally are still trying to figure out why people want that stuff, hence why i am eager to try such a system to find out if i am stupid or as i tend to belive the rest of the world is stupid.
I for sure would like to speak on things with more certainty and personal experience.
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Nope, you are not stupid at all. For most people, the cloud is simply a shiny object to add to their bag of useless shiny objects. Bragging rights, more or less as we say in the States.

However, law enforcement have learned to erase SD cards and cell phones, and have been caught doing so. So, once you are removed from the car and the LEO search the car, legally or otherwise, they can erase SD cards and cell phone data. With a cloud, a person can protect the interaction with the police or any person or vehicle. Another possibility would be if parking mode is on, and the car is stolen, or even if the car is stolen, the video, interior and exterior will give valuable information for getting the car back and effecting an arrest. Past that, I am hard pressed to find any other reason for me to need a cloud.
 
Augie said:
However, law enforcement have learned to erase SD cards and cell phones, and have been caught doing so.
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If your law enforcement is that corrupt then is a cloud really going to save you? Your phone is already connected to your cloud, so if they have access to the phone then they can erase your cloud too!

Augie said:
even if the car is stolen, the video, interior and exterior will give valuable information for getting the car back and effecting an arrest.
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They are just going to rip out the camera, much better to have a hidden tracking device, such as an Apple AirTag connected to the cloud :unsure:
 
chili said:
And the cloud only works if your camera can connect to it which means in blackvues case using their cm100lte stuck in your windscreen on view for some toe rag to nick
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The CM100LTE module is not the only way.

I have a BlackVue in each of my cars, and a portable cellular wifi hotspot for them to connect to when driving, which is out of sight inside the vehicles. I can upgrade them whenever I want when the tech changes.

When I'm parked in the garage, the dashcams connect to my home wifi. When I drive away, they connect to the hotspot automatically, all handled by the cam's firmware.

Also can't format the SD card in the cam with the external mechanical controls, you have to remove it and do it in a PC.

Pretty copper-proof.
 
KANNINA 2.0 said:
Also can't format the SD card in the cam with the external mechanical controls, you have to remove it and do it in a PC.
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You can long-press the REC button and format the card: https://viofo.com/content/75-A139-Pro-Support/

That said, I'm not concerned that some LEO has been caught messing around with the dashcam footage. It seems very unlikely and in my case, my dashcam is to protect me against other drivers. If I were that paranoid, I would just remove and swap out the SD card before getting out of the card (it doesn't take long).
 
mikey94025 said:
You can long-press the REC button and format the card: https://viofo.com/content/75-A139-Pro-Support/

That said, I'm not concerned that some LEO has been caught messing around with the dashcam footage. It seems very unlikely and in my case, my dashcam is to protect me against other drivers. If I were that paranoid, I would just remove and swap out the SD card before getting out of the card (it doesn't take long).
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When the LEO asks you to exit the car, they will not be waiting for you to remove the SD card. Removing the card earlier than that prevents recording of what may be very important details. A casual search of Youtube will bring up hundreds of instances where there is a bad cop, or more than one at a traffic stop.

I saw one last night where a West Virginia deputy that had been decertified, still managed to get a job in another county, pulled a truck over for speeding, lane changes, etc, ( driver was not doing any of that per dash cam video), arrested the driver, erased the interaction on the dash cam (however, it was saved on a cloud), erased the cell phone interaction (clown cop failed to understand the file was still in the delete folder). Deputy was eventually terminated and is facing two law suits.

In America, you don't have to be guilty, just convenient for an arrest.
 
currently the only option to do this will be to get a phone connected to the dashcam with wifi station mode enabled and running custom software on the phone that captures the live feed(or downloads the original quality files periodically) that subsequently uploads to the cloud. Possible but you will need to create the custom software on the phone. Another consideration is the phone battery may not be able to withstand the extreme temperatures when it vehicle is parked.(heat or cold) thereby necessitating a custom cooling/heating system to prevent the phone from experiencing problems. Heating could be simply done by insulating the phone from the cold as it will make its own heat on its own, and the cooling will need to know when to start(a fan may suffice but I don't know if 36+ C temperatures will need a stronger system) Unless you decide to take the less complicated route of shutting down the phone when parked and needing a way to turn it on once the car starts, but in the cold it should stay on to keep itself warm.

On the other hand, you can just record interaction with the LE officer with your phone that is live streaming the video to either a custom cloud or just youtube/instagram. Something to consider.
 
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