Start Selling A139

[joe384]

I agree with everything said, has been very reliable and I am not bothered by lack of screen, I only ever used the screen for formatting or checking settings.

One thing I have noticed is the parking mode G-sensor is the least sensitive out of all the cams I've had, I know some people had issues with the G-sensor on the A129 Duo. I am a low-bit rate convert now though, I don't trust any motion detection or g-sensor to reliably catch something.

 

[SawMaster]

One thing I have noticed is the parking mode G-sensor is the least sensitive out of all the cams I've had, I know some people had issues with the G-sensor on the A129 Duo. I am a low-bit rate convert now though, I don't trust any motion detection or g-sensor to reliably catch something.

I've had worse g-sensors but only in cheap cams. It takes quite a good hard shove or tapping hard on the cam to get mine to sometimes work but this always seems to be variable in individual cams so I never recommend relying on it with any dashcam.

Which brings us to parking mode use with this cam. Currently only low-bitrate recording is reliable with mine for parking; using motion detect and g-sensor causes a plethora of corrupt unreadable files with mine Which is a shame as the motion detect with mine works exceptionally well. Viofo is aware of this and will hopefully find a fix since not everyone likes using low-bitrate. Personally I like and prefer low-bitrate and this cam does that flawlessly and with great vid quality.

This is the only real issue I've had with mine, and as there is a good and usable parking mode available I don't think it's a big problem. Especially as it's the only problem with this cam- that's something you almost never see in a new cam as most have a few problems or more from the start.

Phil

 

[kamkar]

IMHO G-sensor sensitivity can not be too sensitive when parked, i would prefer it so sensitive that a high gust of wind or a bus / semi passing by your curb side parked car set it off.
And i will never use G-sensor while driving.

 

[TonyM]

I don't have a HW kit for the A139, but if I did I would be using low bitrate too, as I do on all of my other cameras that support it. I intend to buy the HW kit when it becomes available.

 

[HonestReview]

Absolutely agree. There's only one time where a screen is great and that is when you are having problems connecting with the app. I've never had that happen with any dashcam. And indeed most people seem to think that seeing images on the screen means they are being recorded properly but it doesn't, and that extends to the indicator LED's on a cam as well I've had this situation happen more than a few times with various cams. Initially I was not in favor of screenless cams but after trying several I'm equally happy without a screen. For me now all they usually do is make it easier to see if the cam is powering up when I expect it to because the screen is larger than the indicator LED's.

My A139 with the HWK has been absolutely reliable so far and it has seen daily use since I got it early in the beta-test phase. I have not been able to make it misbehave doing anything short of possibly severely abusing it. The only 'fail' I've been able to cause was by underpowering it with a cheap PS which I fully expected to see as any 3-channel cam is going to need robust powering. This is a most excellent dashcam in nearly every way and has been from the beginning. Of all the cams I've tested I've not seen a cam start off this well done. I absolutely love this cam

Phil

Ya ya rub it in! I am sooooo jealous I missed the beta test. Guess I'll have to buy this one when it comes out to market. I want a reliable 3 channel setup. Just wish it would be in the form factor as the Zenfox T3 instead of individual cameras for front + rear. Glad to hear this camera is reliable.

 

[HonestReview]

I've had worse g-sensors but only in cheap cams. It takes quite a good hard shove or tapping hard on the cam to get mine to sometimes work but this always seems to be variable in individual cams so I never recommend relying on it with any dashcam.

Which brings us to parking mode use with this cam. Currently only low-bitrate recording is reliable with mine for parking; using motion detect and g-sensor causes a plethora of corrupt unreadable files with mine Which is a shame as the motion detect with mine works exceptionally well. Viofo is aware of this and will hopefully find a fix since not everyone likes using low-bitrate. Personally I like and prefer low-bitrate and this cam does that flawlessly and with great vid quality.

This is the only real issue I've had with mine, and as there is a good and usable parking mode available I don't think it's a big problem. Especially as it's the only problem with this cam- that's something you almost never see in a new cam as most have a few problems or more from the start.

Phil

I always use low bitrate. Agree with Motion Detection. Too many variables and possibilities for missing the action. Low bitrate is more than sufficient.

Having caught a one of my vehicle's being broken In with Low Bitrate (captured the face decently) and 2 accidents while driving, I will never go a day without a dash camera again.

My family didn't understand my obsession with having a dash camera until these events happened. Now they all want one.

 

[Nigel]

Just wish it would be in the form factor as the Zenfox T3 instead of individual cameras for front + rear.

That is not a good idea given that you want 24 hour parking mode including in mid summer mid day sunshine. The A139 design with the remote cameras is far more likely to achieve what you want, even compared to a T3 like design produced by Viofo! It might be possible with 1080 cameras for all three, but I don't think any 3 channel 1080 cameras are likely to be produced, 1080 is outdated for front cameras

Only concern on these cameras is a lack of display.

I prefer the voice to an LCD, and the LEDs on the A139 also work well.

 

[HonestReview]

That is not a good idea given that you want 24 hour parking mode including in mid summer mid day sunshine. The A139 design with the remote cameras is far more likely to achieve what you want, even if it was produced by Viofo! It might be possible with 1080 cameras for all three, but I don't think any 3 channel 1080 cameras are likely to be produced, 1080 is outdated for front cameras

I prefer the voice to an LCD, and the LEDs on the A139 also work well.

You make some good points. I still believe there's got to be a way to make a similar design camera (Zenfox T3) with a screen and that doesn't overheat. Either way, I am encouraged by the Viofo A139 performance from beta testers like you and others. The camera seems to give audio notifications and work reliably without a screen.

The benefit of an LCD is you can see if the camera lens is properly angled or if it gets knocked. Without a screen, you won't necessarily know if the lens is facing to far up or down. And you obviously can't remain tethered or it reduces bitrate and increases heat.

However, the 3 camera setup appears to be very capable and a solid performer. I am disappointed I didn't get to participate and get a freebie, but I am seriously considering purchasing one once it hits amazon. I have a bunch of amazon gift cards.

 

[kamkar]

In my book the A139 are close to be the ideal 3 channel system in regard to design.
Like i mentioned on the Zenfox T3 the 2 in 1 design of the front unit i feel are a bad design, it do present some challenges in regard to install i feel.

I am still favoring having a LCD screen, but of course it is not a absolute must have.

 

[HonestReview]

In my book the A139 are close to be the ideal 3 channel system in regard to design.
Like i mentioned on the Zenfox T3 the 2 in 1 design of the front unit i feel are a bed design, it do present some challenges in regard to install i feel.

I am still favoring having a LCD screen, but of course it is not a absolute must have.

Ya, I like the LCD more for being able to position the camera lens and it does give prompts when the camera transitions from different recording modes. Although, I am told the A139 uses voice prompts since it lacks a screen.

I am a huge advocate of having a dash camera and the Zenfox T3 needs replaced. It works but not nearly as reliable as I'd like. It's merely a secondary system to my A129 Duo.

 

[mentadent]

I've had my LCD turned off on my dashcam for years without issue.

 

[Nigel]

The benefit of an LCD is you can see if the camera lens is properly angled or if it gets knocked. Without a screen, you won't necessarily know if the lens is facing to far up or down. And you obviously can't remain tethered or it reduces bitrate and increases heat.

For the A129 wedge design, I agree, if I remove it from the car and replace it then the LCD means I don't need to connect the phone app to check that the lens hasn't moved. But, with the A139 design, it has much better lens adjustment, it does not need checking when you replace the camera because it is not going to get knocked. Also, you are not going to remove the A139 very often, there are too many cables for daily unmounting, only for when cleaning the glass.

I am still favoring having a LCD screen, but of course it is not a absolute must have.

There is not much disadvantage to having a screen, other than it getting in the way of cooling, but I have never missed having the screen on the A139. The Blueskysea B1W is the same, I never missed having a screen, the wifi and app was good for setup and in use the LED and voice are sufficient. Not having a screen makes the camera easier to mount, you do not need to put it where it can be seen, and it can be a neater design.

 

[kamkar]

Prime to me now at least is that modern cameras will give some kind of alarm, old cameras even with LCD and LED's they would just sit there and appear to record but actually not recording.
So now the screen are just a perk to me, something i still like.

 

[richx]

I can understand why people coming from cameras with screens might be wary of buying a dashcam without one, but there are plenty of good cameras out there without a screen, mostly in the tube style. Many wedge cameras are installed where the driver cannot see the screen properly, if at all, and for most of the time the screen saver will be active. Then there are cameras with a screen that look like they are recording when they are not!

The A139 has been very reliable for me, and it seems for all the other testers. The startup voice '3 channel recording started' should give you enough confidence that the camera has power and is working normally.

I am still wary about screen-less devices, because after 3-4 years you are at the mercy of the device maker to update the app. A few silly situations I've encountered especially on Android:

• App hasn't been updated since 3 years ago, new version of Android comes out in the future and refuses to support old app. Time to look for an old (and maybe having to buy one second hand) phone just to work the device?
• App has been updated, 3 years later mysteriously dropped support for the old device. Then it's digging around forums and mirror hosts for someone who's kept an old APK around to install and keep forever.

A screen-based device will always have the option of operating the settings at the device, app or not. We do know Viofo's app isn't exactly the most polished, so it shouldn't be too hard to keep servicable in the future. Fingers crossed!

 

[SawMaster]

It's not often that cam apps which once worked don't work in the future. Some functionality may be lost, but usually basic functions will work. And once you set up your cam, most folks leave it as-is so there's not much need for the app as the recordings are on the card regardless

It's really an app problem anyway, not a cam problem. When I got a B1W I had to run it at default settings because my old cheap Android stuff didn't support the app No great loss- it worked fine that way as most cams will. The problems come in when you upgrade things; something I always warn not to do unless you really need to, or at least you need to wait and see what others experience with the upgrade before you do it IMHO that's user-error even though we should be able to expect better. And with the way things go in the dashcam world, after 3-5 years you'll probably want a newer better cam by then anyway

Wifi-only seems good enough now and I'm OK with it. The A139 does it well so I don;'t see it's lack of a screen as a drawback.

Phil

 

[kamkar]

O yes, and it even say when it is good to go, just turn on the stuff in your phone and the camera, and soon you will hear "wifi connected"

 

[mentadent]

You can probably access the video stream by connecting to the wifi access point and opening a URL in VLC, regardless of when versions get upgraded.

 

[richx]

@SawMaster not saying the A139's current arrangement is bad (in fact it's really good and intuitive), it's just that past experiences with devices that depend primarily on apps hasn't gone well beyond 18~24 months especially on Android-land. Over in Malaysia the amount of money being charged for say a A129 Pro is not trivial, it could be around half of a freshie's take-home pay. In that situation, one can only hope the dashcam can run for at least 5 years.

Now if it's a Mijia / 70Mai / DDpai, it wouldn't really hurt as much if the app or device stops working after 2 years. They cost a quarter or less of an A129 Pro. Not saying it's not irritating (poor use of finite resources), just less painful.

 

[HonestReview]

@SawMaster not saying the A139's current arrangement is bad (in fact it's really good and intuitive), it's just that past experiences with devices that depend primarily on apps hasn't gone well beyond 18~24 months especially on Android-land. Over in Malaysia the amount of money being charged for say a A129 Pro is not trivial, it could be around half of a freshie's take-home pay. In that situation, one can only hope the dashcam can run for at least 5 years.

Now if it's a Mijia / 70Mai / DDpai, it wouldn't really hurt as much if the app or device stops working after 2 years. They cost a quarter or less of an A129 Pro. Not saying it's not irritating (poor use of finite resources), just less painful.

Retail price on a VIofo A129 Pro 2 Channel is 1000 Ringgits...How much do people make in Malaysia a month??

 

[richx]

Retail price on a VIofo A129 Pro 2 Channel is 1000 Ringgits...How much do people make in Malaysia a month??

If you're a fresh university graduate with a 3/4-year bachelor's degree you can start anywhere between RM1,600 to RM3,500 gross depending on industry, town you work in, and perhaps the prestige of the college you graduated from. Below RM5,000 per month you don't pay any income taxes, but you will still be deducted 12% as contribution to your retirement kitty (currently there's some discount on this as part of Covid economic stimulus, but I wonder what these people are going to eat when they hit 60 and retire).