SawMaster
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- Joined
- Apr 10, 2015
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Read first!
The Dashcam Gods have been kind to me, and Wasea of Vantrue was kind enough to supply a new Vantrue OnDash N2 Pro cam for me to review at no charge.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/B0742J69SQ Vantrue offers a hardwire kit on this page and you get an 18 Month warranty. A GPS mount is available.
I have long lamented that with the rise of ride-sharing services like Uber, Lyft, Didi Chuxing, Sidecar, Yandex.Taxi, and others there are almost no cams ideal for these people who need both interior and exterior recording for safety purposes. The N2 Pro seems to be an ideal candidate for this job. It has a modern NT96660 chipset, the well-respected OV4689 sensor in front which works well in all conditions, and the Sony IMX 323 sensor for the cabin cam, which does very well in low-light conditions. Both cams record in 1080P@30FPS, and if only the front cam is used it can record in 1440P@30 FPS or in 1080P@60 FPS. It also supports up to a 256GB MicroSD card formatted in FAT32. Parking mode is a time-lapse function which reduces card wear and cam heat. It also had a Motion-Detect and G-sensor function. I will be testing all of these settings and functions over the next few weeks and reporting the results here.
In the interior view above, you can see the interior cam and 4 IR LED's which allow in-car recording even in total darkness. That section of the cam rotates up or down 45 degrees to allow aiming, but does not move laterally. That should not be an issue for most users who will mount this at the center of the windshield. I will be testing it there and at the side of my windshield to show you the coverage. You can also see here the proprietary mount that provides the connection to the optional GPS mount. The mottled black finish adds to the stealth and appearance of this cam. The white lettering in front is not as stealthy, but can be blacked out easily with a Sharpie marker if it bothers you. Kudos to Vantrue for not having any gaudy chrome on the front of this cam.
One feature I really like is that this cam has ventilation slots at the top and bottom, where convection should help keep it running cooler. Being that mine is a battery-powered model this is important, especially when parking.
The documentation which comes with this cam is extensive, and is in English, German, and Simplified Chinese. The user manual is clear and easy to understand, covering all the aspects of it's use well. The menu languages for the cam itself add Japanese, Spanish, French, and Italian to that list so that most people world-wide will find it easy to set up and use. I will suggest adding Russian to Vantrue as that is a large market segment which should not be overlooked. (Edit to add: Vantrue informs me that Russian is available on the cam menu already) There is also a good "Quick Start Guide" in the same languages as the User Manual. It is heavy on pics so even without language, almost anyone can get going with this cam easily.
One thing which might get overlooked is that the cam needs to be charged before it's first use. Vantrue recommends a two-hour charge, which seems rather long but is probably done to cover people using low-wattage chargers or a PC USB port to do this. I am not going to try it, but you can probably get by with a one hour initial charger if you have a 1A or larger power supply for the job. And of course this need be done only once- the cam will stay charged in regular use after this. Another thing I noticed was the lack of a sticky-mount. All that is supplied is a suction-cup mount which seems to be good quality, but many users will want something more permanent. Here is what comes with this cam:
Notice the power supply has a door which swings open revealing another USB socket, allowing you to power another cam or charge your phone with it. This can be important to those whose vehicles have only one cigarette lighter socket, and if running another cam, makes for an easy way to power and unpower all the cams with one motion. The downside of this PS is that the round white part seen in the pics is a very bright blue power indicator lamp, which is almost obnoxious in brightness at night. Once again, a black sharpie marker can be your friend here too.
Overall I am impressed with what I see with this cam. It seems to be built to a high standard, and though it is a bit chunky in size and shape, it should make for a discreet installation in most cars. I will be posting my installation next, then video clips under all lighting conditions so click on "watch this thread" and remain updated with my experiences using this cam.
Phil
(Update 9/10/18:
Vantrue informs me that they do not currently have a US distributor or distribution center but are working on doing that. No after-warranty repairs are being offered)
At this point I think I have formed my opinions of this cam, and here's what I think of it:
The Vantrue N2 Pro is not a bad cam, but it needs some improvement to become a really good cam. Some of that is in the firmware and some in the hardware. The firmware issues are almost all related to the video of the front cam, which exhibits oversharpening that needs to be reduced a bit, and in color rendition as the colors shown are too intense and do not coincide with their real hues. Overall the vids are good enough for the purpose of a dashcam in showing what is going on daytime, and it's very good at night. I love the night vids from this cam, and the interior cam too. It's IR fuction is excellent save for some artifacts coming from the IR LED's. I cannot get parking mode to work, but another tester has. Their experience is that it is not sensitive enough. Few "Motion Detect" parking modes work at all with only a handful working decently or better. I say this is tolerable in a cheap cam, for it's always been this way with those, but in a $200 cam it should be better than this. At least the way it is implemented here, you will still have regular recording. My 64GB card seems to go about 6 hours, which isn't bad considering a single cam goes only about 50% longer. This is pretty efficient for two 1080P30FPS cams recording to the card. The G-sensor works, but the limited range of the settings fails it, as it is not sensitive enough. Again, this is the usual for dashcams but a little tweaking of the firmware would improve this. The audio could be made slightly more sensitive but it's good and more importantly it is clear. I love the loud "chime" on start-up or when powering down. If the cam loses power when you're driving you will definitely know it, and that is very important in a dashcam.
On the hardware side, there is no excuse for the front lens to protrude and not have a 'ring' around it to protect it. Even the cheapest cams have this. One wrong accident with this cam and the lens is going to be ruined. There is also no excuse for being unable to see the "Recording" LED in daytime from any reasonable angle. You can hardly see it even at night. A redesign of the button in front of the LED or relocating it to a new hole in the case is definitely needed here. The proprietary mount does function well, and I like that it latches into place solidly so that the cam will never fall off the mount. The suction cup is most excellent in strength, but the locking lever extends to the rear and limits how high you can mount the cam. I do like that you can plug the USB power cable into the lever from the side as this makes it much easier to hide the cable. Vantrue does offer a GPS mount of the same size and shape as an accessory. Sadly, you're stuck with these mounts and the non-standard attachment point. A slimmer sticky-mount would go miles toward making for better discretion in mounting and for a more permanent installation, but they don't have one, and nothing else will work. Nor does it look like another mount could easily be converted to use here with DIY efforts. It is a fairly large chunk of hardware to have hanging in your windshield and it will be noticed from the inside. How visible it is from the outside will vary, but getting discretion there won't be easy because of the mount. Another hardware issue is the supplied cigarette-lighter adapter PS. It is of good quality and better than average, and the second USB port in it is handy, but thebig huge blue light in it is so bright as to be obnoxious. They need a much dimmer light in it, but all the PS's I've seen of this design are the same way. You'll have to fix that yourself with a Sharpie marker or a piece of tape, and trust me- you will be doing that. I've seen no reliability issues (other than parking mode not working) and that has been with it recording constantly in a closed van parked in the sun all day long at temps of 90+F (32+C) outside. No focus shifting or apparent overheating. But it is a battery-type cam, so use in hotter climates will likely give problems eventually. This cam would benefit greatly from super-caps.
One final update: For whatever reason my cam will not go into parking mode. This seems to be an isolated fault. I feel I can now trust this cam for my primary front cam and unless something else happens I will use it like this through winter, but being a battery model in the heat we have here in summer means that something else will be done then as it cannot survive that. I'm going to have to craft a better mounting for it to get it positioned where I want it which will not be easy but I'm sure I will find a way somehow. I'll post pics when I get that done.
The Dashcam Gods have been kind to me, and Wasea of Vantrue was kind enough to supply a new Vantrue OnDash N2 Pro cam for me to review at no charge.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/B0742J69SQ Vantrue offers a hardwire kit on this page and you get an 18 Month warranty. A GPS mount is available.
I have long lamented that with the rise of ride-sharing services like Uber, Lyft, Didi Chuxing, Sidecar, Yandex.Taxi, and others there are almost no cams ideal for these people who need both interior and exterior recording for safety purposes. The N2 Pro seems to be an ideal candidate for this job. It has a modern NT96660 chipset, the well-respected OV4689 sensor in front which works well in all conditions, and the Sony IMX 323 sensor for the cabin cam, which does very well in low-light conditions. Both cams record in 1080P@30FPS, and if only the front cam is used it can record in 1440P@30 FPS or in 1080P@60 FPS. It also supports up to a 256GB MicroSD card formatted in FAT32. Parking mode is a time-lapse function which reduces card wear and cam heat. It also had a Motion-Detect and G-sensor function. I will be testing all of these settings and functions over the next few weeks and reporting the results here.
In the interior view above, you can see the interior cam and 4 IR LED's which allow in-car recording even in total darkness. That section of the cam rotates up or down 45 degrees to allow aiming, but does not move laterally. That should not be an issue for most users who will mount this at the center of the windshield. I will be testing it there and at the side of my windshield to show you the coverage. You can also see here the proprietary mount that provides the connection to the optional GPS mount. The mottled black finish adds to the stealth and appearance of this cam. The white lettering in front is not as stealthy, but can be blacked out easily with a Sharpie marker if it bothers you. Kudos to Vantrue for not having any gaudy chrome on the front of this cam.
One feature I really like is that this cam has ventilation slots at the top and bottom, where convection should help keep it running cooler. Being that mine is a battery-powered model this is important, especially when parking.
The documentation which comes with this cam is extensive, and is in English, German, and Simplified Chinese. The user manual is clear and easy to understand, covering all the aspects of it's use well. The menu languages for the cam itself add Japanese, Spanish, French, and Italian to that list so that most people world-wide will find it easy to set up and use.
One thing which might get overlooked is that the cam needs to be charged before it's first use. Vantrue recommends a two-hour charge, which seems rather long but is probably done to cover people using low-wattage chargers or a PC USB port to do this. I am not going to try it, but you can probably get by with a one hour initial charger if you have a 1A or larger power supply for the job. And of course this need be done only once- the cam will stay charged in regular use after this. Another thing I noticed was the lack of a sticky-mount. All that is supplied is a suction-cup mount which seems to be good quality, but many users will want something more permanent. Here is what comes with this cam:
Notice the power supply has a door which swings open revealing another USB socket, allowing you to power another cam or charge your phone with it. This can be important to those whose vehicles have only one cigarette lighter socket, and if running another cam, makes for an easy way to power and unpower all the cams with one motion. The downside of this PS is that the round white part seen in the pics is a very bright blue power indicator lamp, which is almost obnoxious in brightness at night. Once again, a black sharpie marker can be your friend here too.
Overall I am impressed with what I see with this cam. It seems to be built to a high standard, and though it is a bit chunky in size and shape, it should make for a discreet installation in most cars. I will be posting my installation next, then video clips under all lighting conditions so click on "watch this thread" and remain updated with my experiences using this cam.
Phil
(Update 9/10/18:
Vantrue informs me that they do not currently have a US distributor or distribution center but are working on doing that. No after-warranty repairs are being offered)
At this point I think I have formed my opinions of this cam, and here's what I think of it:
The Vantrue N2 Pro is not a bad cam, but it needs some improvement to become a really good cam. Some of that is in the firmware and some in the hardware. The firmware issues are almost all related to the video of the front cam, which exhibits oversharpening that needs to be reduced a bit, and in color rendition as the colors shown are too intense and do not coincide with their real hues. Overall the vids are good enough for the purpose of a dashcam in showing what is going on daytime, and it's very good at night. I love the night vids from this cam, and the interior cam too. It's IR fuction is excellent save for some artifacts coming from the IR LED's. I cannot get parking mode to work, but another tester has. Their experience is that it is not sensitive enough. Few "Motion Detect" parking modes work at all with only a handful working decently or better. I say this is tolerable in a cheap cam, for it's always been this way with those, but in a $200 cam it should be better than this. At least the way it is implemented here, you will still have regular recording. My 64GB card seems to go about 6 hours, which isn't bad considering a single cam goes only about 50% longer. This is pretty efficient for two 1080P30FPS cams recording to the card. The G-sensor works, but the limited range of the settings fails it, as it is not sensitive enough. Again, this is the usual for dashcams but a little tweaking of the firmware would improve this. The audio could be made slightly more sensitive but it's good and more importantly it is clear. I love the loud "chime" on start-up or when powering down. If the cam loses power when you're driving you will definitely know it, and that is very important in a dashcam.
On the hardware side, there is no excuse for the front lens to protrude and not have a 'ring' around it to protect it. Even the cheapest cams have this. One wrong accident with this cam and the lens is going to be ruined. There is also no excuse for being unable to see the "Recording" LED in daytime from any reasonable angle. You can hardly see it even at night. A redesign of the button in front of the LED or relocating it to a new hole in the case is definitely needed here. The proprietary mount does function well, and I like that it latches into place solidly so that the cam will never fall off the mount. The suction cup is most excellent in strength, but the locking lever extends to the rear and limits how high you can mount the cam. I do like that you can plug the USB power cable into the lever from the side as this makes it much easier to hide the cable. Vantrue does offer a GPS mount of the same size and shape as an accessory. Sadly, you're stuck with these mounts and the non-standard attachment point. A slimmer sticky-mount would go miles toward making for better discretion in mounting and for a more permanent installation, but they don't have one, and nothing else will work. Nor does it look like another mount could easily be converted to use here with DIY efforts. It is a fairly large chunk of hardware to have hanging in your windshield and it will be noticed from the inside. How visible it is from the outside will vary, but getting discretion there won't be easy because of the mount. Another hardware issue is the supplied cigarette-lighter adapter PS. It is of good quality and better than average, and the second USB port in it is handy, but the
One final update: For whatever reason my cam will not go into parking mode. This seems to be an isolated fault. I feel I can now trust this cam for my primary front cam and unless something else happens I will use it like this through winter, but being a battery model in the heat we have here in summer means that something else will be done then as it cannot survive that. I'm going to have to craft a better mounting for it to get it positioned where I want it which will not be easy but I'm sure I will find a way somehow. I'll post pics when I get that done.
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The mount swivels horizontally about 45 degrees each way, and is limited there because of the wiring passing through it. Vertically it has a range of about 85 degrees, ranging from nearly horizontal(pointing upward maybe 5 degrees) to about 10 degrees from vertical (may be pointed downward too much to be perfect for a truly vertical window). This should allow usage in well over 99% of the vehicles on the road as only a few side and rear windows (mostly in large trucks) are truly vertical. The horizontal range allows for alternative not-on-the-glass mounting schemes, such as I am doing.
