Reviewing and Testing the Vantrue S1 Pro Max

[EricSan]

How do you cross over the B and C pillars to get to the rear window without popping those covers?

Removing the A and C pillar covers reveals a bit of the headliner that goes along the top of the front and back windows. I tape the end of the wire to my elongated coat hangers and gently poke it through. If it gets stuck, I back it out a few inches, wiggle it a little, and thread it back in. This completely bypasses the need to fiddle with the B pillar cover. The wires run above the headliner, to the side of my sunroof (that I very rarely open). The power cord gets zip tied out of the way when I get to the C pillar and from there it drops right down into the trunk where my parking battery lives. The excess rear video cable gets stuffed under the rear headliner.

For the Vantrue cameras, it is important not to mix the rear cables from different models with one another. Each cable features a different level of EMI shielding. The N5S has the thickest rear camera USB cable, as it has an extra pair of video cables to support two rear video cameras (2.5k exterior + 1k interior). The S1PM rear cable is a bit thinner and has the most shielding because it has a 4k rear camera. The N4S/N4PS share the same rear camera and cable, which is the thinnest USB cable of these four cameras, each carries a single 2.5k video feed.

 

[TonyM]

Please tell me that you two also get funny looks from other people with so many cameras installed 🤣
I can't be the only one haha

I'm sure my neighbours across the street are curious about all my cameras pointing at them when the car is on the driveway.

 

[Hack_man]

Removing the A and C pillar covers reveals a bit of the headliner that goes along the top of the front and back windows. I tape the end of the wire to my elongated coat hangers and gently poke it through. If it gets stuck, I back it out a few inches, wiggle it a little, and thread it back in. This completely bypasses the need to fiddle with the B pillar cover. The wires run above the headliner, to the side of my sunroof (that I very rarely open). The power cord gets zip tied out of the way when I get to the C pillar and from there it drops right down into the trunk where my parking battery lives. The excess rear video cable gets stuffed under the rear headliner.

How do you get the Power Cable to the fuse block without going thru the A pillar

 

[EricSan]

I'm sure my neighbours across the street are curious about all my cameras pointing at them when the car is on the driveway.

Just tell them it's a Ring Doorbell for your car🤣 and it's part of the neighborhood watch program...

How do you get the Power Cable to the fuse block without going thru the A pillar

Power cable goes above the headliner to the back along with my rear camera wire. Removing the C pillar cover opens up the rear of the headliner and I just bundled the power cord to another cable that is already in place to keep it from interfering with the rear airbag.

Then the power cord just drops down into the trunk for a connection to my LTO parking battery. Below is my original 276Wh LTO battery, about to be replaced with my new 1104Wh LTO battery.

 

[Hack_man]

That is most very cool! It's a very ambitious project to say the least.

 

[EricSan]

It's actually much less complex that it looks. @GPak did all of the initial work, I was just a willing copycat. The smaller blue battery provides about 8-10 days of LBR parking mode at work for one camera before it needs to be recharged (I drive about 15min each day). With multiple cameras running, the battery was barely lasting for 2-3 days, though. My newer LTO battery has 4x the capacity, so it should provide 8-10 days of LBR parking mode for 3-4 cameras. The battery box really only contains 4 components: the battery cells, a voltmeter, the charger, and the battery management system. The rest is just wiring, fuses, and a time delay relay. It's about as easy as things get, project wise.

Each battery outputs 12-16v, which is perfect input to any brand’s hardwire kit.

 

[jsmith]

I had my A229 Pro professionally installed in a new car because I was concerned about popping off the air bag covers and then accessing the headliner. With my car there were stories about messing it up and never getting the headliner to be wrinkle free and it's tricky removing the clips from the A pillar covers. Its not cheap getting a pro install but even after watching Utubes for my car and being a DYI-er I don't feel too confident.

When I test dashcams I have annoying cables hanging all over the place. The most # of dashcams I would want installed at once would be two, due to obstruction.

I've got some wrinkles in headliner from tucking in cables from so many cameras. Not a big deal. The car gets wear and tear and some minor wrinkles don't hurt anything. Unfortunately, pulling cameras in and out to hid wires will do that. I am absolutely annoyed by the E3 12V cord. I'm OCD about wires obstructing my view, but don't plan on making the E3 a permanent fixture like I have with the N5S and my Viofo A139 Pro.

 

[jsmith]

Please tell me that you two also get funny looks from other people with so many cameras installed 🤣
I can't be the only one haha

I have people ask me why I need a Dashcam or why I have so many Dashcams. I reply, because there are so many "Stupid People" in the world who don't know how to drive and the more cameras, the better chance of capturing them!

Plus, I get to test dashcams and might as well make use of them!

 

[Hack_man]

I have people ask me why I need a Dashcam or why I have so many Dashcams. I reply, because there are so many "Stupid People" in the world who don't know how to drive and the more cameras, the better chance of capturing them!

Plus, I get to test dashcams and might as well make use of them!

I suspect my state (MA) has the most SPSM (Stupid People per Square Mile).

It's rare if at least 2-3 cars don't run every red light and the old roads are built in a way that encourages aggressive driving, such as lots of two lane highways and local roads that merge into a single lane.
Whoever has the ugliest car gets the right of way. (I think that's in the RMV rule book)

 

[Julian23]

How do you get the Power and rear cable down the A pillar to the dash without popping that cover?

The A pillar trim does need to be removed. But not the headliner.
I just slightly remove the A pillar trim and run all the cables down and most importantly, behind the airbag.
This way I avoid laying the cables next to the curtain airbag. I just cross once behind it.

 

[Hack_man]

The A pillar trim does need to be removed. But not the headliner.
I just slightly remove the A pillar trim and run all the cables down and most importantly, behind the airbag.
This way I avoid laying the cables next to the curtain airbag. I just cross once behind it.

Yes that's the key: "most importantly behind the airbag"
There are so many bad utube videos out there showing cables crossing in front of the airbag, especially at the top of the A pillar cover where people erroneously think the air bag ends.

 

[jsmith]

I suspect my state (MA) has the most SPSM (Stupid People per Square Mile).

It's rare if at least 2-3 cars don't run every red light and the old roads are built in a way that encourages aggressive driving, such as lots of two lane highways and local roads that merge into a single lane.
Whoever has the ugliest car gets the right of way. (I think that's in the RMV rule book)

Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups!

 

[Hack_man]

At this point, the choices are pretty clear and depends on the number of video channels you want. If you are looking for front only, the E1 Pro is hard to beat. If you want front + rear, the S1 Pro is where it's at. If you have some extra cash, the 4k rear camera is nice. If you are looking to save some money, the 2.5k camera also works very well. If you want three channels (front + cabin + rear) then go with the N4S (2.5k front) or the N4 Pro S (4k front). If you want 4 channels (front + front cabin + rear cabin + rear) then go with the new N5S (2.5k front and rear, 1k for both cabin cameras).

If you don't do rideshare stuff, there might be less need for a cabin camera, so I'd recommend the S1 Pro (either 2.5k or 4k). It's a GREAT performer with the latest firmware update!

The E1 Pro will be the easiest to install (just need to run a power cord). The others are slightly more complex (but not difficult at all), as you'll need to run both a power cord and a cord to the rear camera.

Did you mean to recommend the S1 Pro Max or the S1 Pro? The S1 Pro does not do 4K front or rear.

 

[kamkar]

I am having problems 4G ing into my system, i pretty much have to be in the car to do it.
Frustrated so i think for a while i will move 4G to the T800 system.

 

[EricSan]

Did you mean to recommend the S1 Pro Max or the S1 Pro?

Ah - good catch. I meant to indicate the S1 Pro Max. I'll edit my post above.

 

[Dollyartasia8800]

Vantrue has been following an aggressive new product release schedule and I was recently invited by Wendy to review their brand new Sonnet 1 Pro Max. A big "Thank you!" to Wendy, @Jeff_Vantrue, and the Vantrue team for sending me this camera to review.

My other Vantrue dashcam reviews can be found here: E360, E1 Pro, N4S, S1 Pro Max, N4 Pro S, N5S
My review of the (non-dashcam) Vantrue Power T800 Compressed Air Duster

Features:
- Dual 4K HDR Recording (4k resolution on the rear camera is pretty awesome!)
- Dual SONY STARVIS 2 IMX678 Sensors (waterproof rear camera)
- Vantrue Intelligence for Smarter Driving
- Exclusive PlatePix™ Technology
- LTE Module Compatible
- 15s Pre-Recording Buffered Motion Detectionn
- 5GHz High-Speed WiFi & Free App
- Smart Voice Control
- 24/7 Parking Mode
- Built-in Dual-Sys. GPS Logger
- Supports up to 1TB microSD Card

Voice Commands:
- Take Photo
- Video Start
- Turn On Audio
- Turn Off Audio
- Turn On Screen
- Turn Off Screen
- Turn On WiFi
- Turn Off WiFi
- Lock Video
- Show Front Camera
- Show Rear Camera
- Show Both Cameras
I have verified that all of the voice commands work as expected.

Maximum Resolutions Are as Follows:
- Front Camera only: 3840x2160P 30FPS, 23.8Mb/s
- Front + Rear Cameras: 3840x2160P + 3840x2160P 30FPS, each at 23.8Mb/s

Given the above specs, I suspect the performance of the S1 Pro Max camera will be highly similar to the excellent E1 Pro, but with two video channels and a host of new AI-based safety features.

User Manual Available Here:
https://www.vantrue.net/manuals/pdf/index.html?file=https://vantrue-app.vantruecam.com/files/manuals/s1promax/Vantrue S1 Pro Max User Manual English.pdf

Intelligence Manual Available Here:
https://www.vantrue.net/manuals/pdf/index.html?file=https://vantrue-app.vantruecam.com/files/manuals/ai/Vantrue Intelligence User Manual EN.pdf

S1 Pro Max Manual and Firmware Download page:

Vantrue S1 Pro Max | Product Manuals, Firmware Upgrades, and FAQs

Explore comprehensive product manuals, firmware upgrades, and frequently asked questions (FAQs) for Vantrue S1 Pro Max dash cam. Access detailed instructions, troubleshooting tips, and the latest firmware updates to enhance your experience. Find answers to common queries and optimize your use of...

www.vantrue.com

Camera angles:
- 155 degree angle for both cameras

There is support for micro SD cards up to 1TB as well as for the LTE module (each available separately).

Like other Vantrue dashcams, the Sonnet 1 Pro Max uses super capacitors that provide a few seconds of runtime after power is removed from the camera. Product packaging is excellent as always.

View attachment 81712

Here are the various sub packages when you open the box:
View attachment 81713

And here is everything that is included with the S1 Pro Max
View attachment 81715

Thank you for sharing this review. The smart features and two 4K cameras look awesome. It gives me the impression that this would be a fantastic dashcam update.