Reviewing and Testing the Vantrue S1 Pro Max

[jsmith]

I've never used an electrostatic sticker. I have already repositioned the camera to one side because I decided not to have the vertical defrost line down the middle of the video.

Let me clarify what I said, with an image that better explains the concern. Your 3M Adhesive pad is sitting on a rear defrost line, with those pads creating a very strong bond between the camera and windshield. . If the 3M pad removes the conductive material, the rear defrost will no longer function. The setup you suggested requires using the antistatic pad to mitigate the likelihood of potential issues.

 

[opt1mus]

Hi,
maybe some of you guys can help me with my setup:
I cannot connect to the 12V EV car battery.
My current dash cam is plugged into a Jackery powerbank and that is charged via the 12V cigarette lighter. So the dash cam never gets a signal, that the car is turned off. In this case the dash cam must be able to recognise, that the car is not moving and should then enter into parking mode. Maybe Vantrue even has a GPS recognition.

Can Vantrue go into parking mode after a certain amount of time ? Even if there is constant power?
And can I benefit from all parking mode features without a hardwirekit ?

 

[TonyM]

Hi,
maybe some of you guys can help me with my setup:
I cannot connect to the 12V EV car battery.
My current dash cam is plugged into a Jackery powerbank and that is charged via the 12V cigarette lighter. So the dash cam never gets a signal, that the car is turned off. In this case the dash cam must be able to recognise, that the car is not moving and should then enter into parking mode. Maybe Vantrue even has a GPS recognition.

Can Vantrue go into parking mode after a certain amount of time ?
And can I benefit from all parking mode features without a hardwirekit ?

You can get the ACC signal to a hardwire kit if you take a connection from the 12V socket. Take a look at this thread for using a power station as a dashcam battery:

Thread 'Parking Battery-Power Station, 3X capacity and 3X cheaper than dedicated options + extra functionality'

Oct 27, 2023

First, thanks to the members of this forum for posting great reviews and comments to help people like me choose the DashCam that suits their specific needs.

Now, I want to share my project here and maybe help people, who do not want to mess with a car battery and fuse box but are hesitant to spend a lot of money on a dedicated overpriced battery with limited functionality.

To start, here is my bench test.

Bluetti EB3A Power Station on the right, simulates 12V car socket, which I turn ON/OFF to simulate car ignition.

Necespow 161Wh Power Station for parking is on the left.
Note that it...

• GPak
• Replies: 665
• Forum: Hardwiring and Batteries

• 

Without a hardwire kit I know some Vantrue cameras will enter parking mode after 5 minutes without movement - I think that is based on the g-sensor rather than using GPS.

 

[dinkydong]

Will updating a new firmware reset the camera settings to factory default for the S1 pro max ?

 

[TonyM]

Will updating a new firmware reset the camera settings to factory default for the S1 pro max ?

Yes it will. Indeed on any dashcam it is recommended to reset settings after a firmware update. Sometimes the old settings can be incompatible with the new firmware.

 

[EricSan]

My current dash cam is plugged into a Jackery powerbank and that is charged via the 12V cigarette lighter. So the dash cam never gets a signal, that the car is turned off.

Here is the specific wiring diagram that you need to make your camera recognize when the car is on vs when it is off. Of course, this depends on the cigarette lighter outlet turning on and off with the engine. Not all cars do this.

Post in thread 'Parking Battery-Power Station, 3X capacity and 3X cheaper than dedicated options + extra functionality'

Aug 11, 2024

Hi All,

Thank all so much for your guidance and sharing your expertise here.

I’m a complete novice when it comes to electronics but keen to complete an installation that is safe in my vehicle.

I’m looking at a power station to power my Thinkware U3000 2 channel dash cam in parking mode. This camera shuts down after only approx 15mins from ignition of. I suspect this may have something to be with my hybrid vehicle and fussy BMW electrics. (Car battery protection minimum voltage set at 12.9 Volts as per TW menu presets for a Hybrid vehicle.) Hence looking at a PS to possibly solve...

• GPak

• 

 

[EricSan]

Here is another set of comparison images across the Vantrue N4S, Vantrue S1 Pro Max, and Viofo A139 cameras. I posted daytime images earlier in this thread. These are night time images while it's raining. I tried to align all three frames for better comparison.

For the whole series of images that follow, the following conditions and settings apply:
All three cameras have circular polarizers installed and are set to their maximum resolutions. Here are the specific settings for each camera. The exposure adjustments were made to more closely match exposure levels during the daytime. The images from the S1 Pro Max are a bit darker because PlatePix is enabled.

Viofo A139 Pro, HDR on, Exposure = 0.0
Vantrue N4S, HDR on, PlatePix off, Exposure = +0.6
Vantrue S1 Pro Max, HDR on, PlatePix on, Exposure = +0.3


This is headed south on Columbus Ave in Manhattan:

On W41st Street, headed toward the tunnel:

And in the Lincoln Tunnel:

 

[EricSan]

And here are three comparisons out the rear window from very similar locations. The rear camera from the N4S is disconnected. Both the A139 and A1 Pro Max rear cameras have polarizers installed. HDR is enabled for the S1 Pro Max, the A139 Pro does not have HDR for the rear camera.

Columbus Ave:

West 41st Street:

Lincoln Tunnel:

 

[TonyM]

Here is another set of comparison images across the Vantrue N4S, Vantrue S1 Pro Max, and Viofo A139 cameras.

Viofo A139 Pro, HDR on, Exposure = 0.0
Vantrue N4S, HDR on, PlatePix off, Exposure = +0.6
Vantrue S1 Pro Max, HDR on, PlatePix on, Exposure = +0.3

And in the Lincoln Tunnel:
View attachment 82578

View attachment 82579

View attachment 82580

Looking at the last three images from inside the tunnel you can see the impact of PlatePix on the exposure duration, with less blur on the S1 Pro Max than the other two.

 

[EricSan]

And from a random spot on the highway at night during the rain, moving around 65-70mph. I picked a scene with a roadsign for comparison purposes.

And from the rear cameras at a similar point in time. The N4S rear camera was not connected:

I think the flare just above each headlight in the rear camera is from the Viofo Polarizer that I added. My schedule doesn't call for much night time driving anymore, so the improvement during the day is worth the degradation during the night time.

 

[EricSan]

Looking at the last three images from inside the tunnel you can see the impact of PlatePix on the exposure duration, with less blur on the S1 Pro Max than the other two.

PlatePix does make an appreciable difference for reducing blur - this greatly increases the likelihood of capturing a readable plate. I didn't realize I had the two Vantrue cameras running with different PlatePix settings😉. It's not so straight forward trying to keep multiple cameras in sych, settings wise... So many menu options.

 

[EricSan]

And three more of a road sign in PA once the rain had stopped, moving at 72mph:

 

[jsmith]

@EricSan

To give equal and fair comparisons, I suggest you drop down and set the resolution on the N4S to permit Widescreen versus 4:3 aspect ratio.

 

[EricSan]

Yep, that's Saturday's trip. Here is another sample of a highway sign from the road yesterday, was probably moving at about 75mph. Each camera is set to its highest resolution. I advanced each video until the tire scrap was fully visible in the bottom right corner of the frame, and then did an equal zoom factor from each of the three cameras.

I purposefully chose this framing because the construction sign is pretty far off in the distance instead of being right next to the car.

A139Pro, HDR + Polarizer - Cleanest overall

N4S, HDR + Polarizer - mostly unreadable

S1PM, HDR + PlatePix + Polarizer - Readable, but compression loses details

 

[opt1mus]

You can get the ACC signal to a hardwire kit if you take a connection from the 12V socket. Take a look at this thread for using a power station as a dashcam battery:

Thread 'Parking Battery-Power Station, 3X capacity and 3X cheaper than dedicated options + extra functionality'

Oct 27, 2023

First, thanks to the members of this forum for posting great reviews and comments to help people like me choose the DashCam that suits their specific needs.

Now, I want to share my project here and maybe help people, who do not want to mess with a car battery and fuse box but are hesitant to spend a lot of money on a dedicated overpriced battery with limited functionality.

To start, here is my bench test.

Bluetti EB3A Power Station on the right, simulates 12V car socket, which I turn ON/OFF to simulate car ignition.

Necespow 161Wh Power Station for parking is on the left.
Note that it...

• GPak
• Replies: 665
• Forum: Hardwiring and Batteries

• 

Without a hardwire kit I know some Vantrue cameras will enter parking mode after 5 minutes without movement - I think that is based on the g-sensor rather than using GPS.

If it really goes in parking mode after 5 minutes, then this is fine for me. Are some parking mode features only working with the hardwire kit?

 

[EricSan]

The purple tint is the work of the IR filter of the lens and nothing more, for some it is more, for others it is less, it is worth paying attention to this, there should be treatment recipes, this has already happened on Viofo and the mini 2 model, a solution was found quickly and the situation was corrected, perhaps the IR filter was changed.

My apologies - You are absolutely correct and I was wrong.

I repeated the path I previously traveled at the same time of day with a clear, sunny sky and found that the intermittent purple hue returned. This time, the camera was cool as the car spent the day in the garage. The color shading is related to the specific angle of the sun as the car bounces with the road surface and not a heat issue.

Apologies to @Jeff_Vantrue for the alarm - all is well and there are no problems with the camera. This also means that the camera functioned well with a body temp of 77c - awesome!

 

[EricSan]

If it really goes in parking mode after 5 minutes, then this is fine for me. Are some parking mode features only working with the hardwire kit?

After a few minutes of no movement (either by GPS or by what is seen by the lens), the cameras will go into parking mode. I didn't measure what the time period is, but it's probably close to 5 mins.

 

[opt1mus]

After a few minutes of no movement (either by GPS or by what is seen by the lens), the cameras will go into parking mode. I didn't measure what the time period is, but it's probably close to 5 mins.

And you don’t have the hardwire kit, right?

 

[jsmith]

And you don’t have the hardwire kit, right?

I'm hardwired via the obd II. After 5 minutes of inactivity, the car enters parking mode.

 

[EricSan]

And you don’t have the hardwire kit, right?

Either way, whether on hardwire kit or just 2-wire power supply...