Viofo A129 Duo Owners: How are you liking it?

[Dashcamuser567]

Just got a new car and I want to upgrade from my B1W cam to a front and rear set up. I see that the A129 is a good choice for a dual cam setup.

I was wondering to owners or anyone who knows a lot about this cam:

- How is the parking mode? Since its winter and this car is new I plan on using a usb battery that is plugged into the cam to provide parking mode power when the car is off (until I can hardwire it). I want it to record motion since I usually park in the back or on roofs of garages away from others. I saw on a video review you cannot have motion recording on while the car is on since it may interfere with normal recording.

- How reliable is it? I see some reviews on amazon and people over at dashcamtalk discuss issues with the cam not recording or not turning on or having some other problems.

- How is the support from viofo? Just in case anything happens I want the company to back up their products.

- I plan on buying this viofo a129 cam since it also includes the GPS mount. Can I turn off the speed readout? I want the GPS unit to keep the timestamp 100% accurate but I would rather not have the speed display on the video.

- Can I only install the front cam and use it normal and install the rear cam later?

- Which amazon seller for the a129 is the "certified" or better seller? is it SpyTec?

Sorry for the long post

 

[Jonro2009]

The A129 is a fantastic little setup.

I’ve had no issues with the recording being unreliable, Parking Mode has always worked for me.

You can install the front camera independently and for the rear at a later date if you wish, you can also plug the rear cam in as and when you want it.

You can have the camera set to motion recording with no problem, make sure you use the dedicated 3 wire kit.

The issues of not turning on etc seems to be of the camera is not set up correctly i.e. the boot time is set to 0s or an in-line switch has been added for the user to switch between ACC or Bat+ depending on where the car is parked. If you plan to use the 3 wire kit as it is intended then you should have no problem at all.

You can turn off the speed stamp if you so wish.

The Samsung Evo 128G Card performs well in the camera and the app has always worked flawlessly for me.

Viofo and a lot of developers and testers are on this forum and very active. The software is constantly updated - in beta format but stable enough to use.

My only wish would be that there was a live buffer for recording, for example if you choose motion recording or event recording while the car is parked then the camera only records the movement/event from the time it senses it and not a short time prior to this. For that reason many people tend to use a lower frame rate eg 5/10fps and record everything whilst the car is parked up.

I would highly recommend the camera, CPL filter, Bluetooth button and HK3 hardwire kit.

I’m not sure what country you are in but you linked to Amazon.com rather than UK - I would buy from here..... https://www.amazon.com/gp/B07CT6JPYW

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[Dashcamuser567]

The A129 is a fantastic little setup.

I’ve had no issues with the recording being unreliable, Parking Mode has always worked for me.

You can install the front camera independently and for the rear at a later date if you wish, you can also plug the rear cam in as and when you want it.

You can have the camera set to motion recording with no problem, make sure you use the dedicated 3 wire kit.

The issues of not turning on etc seems to be of the camera is not set up correctly i.e. the boot time is set to 0s or an in-line switch has been added for the user to switch between ACC or Bat+ depending on where the car is parked. If you plan to use the 3 wire kit as it is intended then you should have no problem at all.

You can turn off the speed stamp if you so wish.

The Samsung Evo 128G Card performs well in the camera and the app has always worked flawlessly for me.

Viofo and a lot of developers and testers are on this forum and very active. The software is constantly updated - in beta format but stable enough to use.

My only wish would be that there was a live buffer for recording, for example if you choose motion recording or event recording while the car is parked then the camera only records the movement/event from the time it senses it and not a short time prior to this. For that reason many people tend to use a lower frame rate eg 5/10fps and record everything whilst the car is parked up.

I would highly recommend the camera, CPL filter, Bluetooth button and HK3 hardwire kit.

I’m not sure what country you are in but you linked to Amazon.com rather than UK - I would buy from here..... https://www.amazon.com/gp/B07CT6JPYW

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Thanks for the detailed reply! So you can have the motion recording on to use when parked even when you are normally driving and it won't cause recording issues? The video said in the manual it said it may cause issues. Just wanted to confirm on that.

I will keep looking at video samples to check the quality.

Thanks again

 

[Jonro2009]

Thanks for the detailed reply! So you can have the motion recording on to use when parked even when you are normally driving and it won't cause recording issues? The video said in the manual it said it may cause issues. Just wanted to confirm on that.

I will keep looking at video samples to check the quality.

Thanks again

No problem, you’re welcome.

When I first set my camera up I had it set to motion record and it behaved perfectly during normal driving.

The v1.3 firmware did have the parking mode kicking in after 90s which was not ideal and may be the problem you are describing, for example at lights if you were waiting a while and the camera didn’t pick up any movement it would cease recording until it picked up movement. With v1.5 the delay is now 5mins so it is unlikely to revert to Parking Mode during normal driving - this isn’t an issue with the HK3 as the camera only enters parking mode when it senses the ACC feed has gone - it uses the 5th pin on the USB plug to signal the camera and the kit must be plugged in to the camera itself and not the GPS base


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[Swin]

Just got a new car and I want to upgrade from my B1W cam to a front and rear set up. I see that the A129 is a good choice for a dual cam setup.

- Which amazon seller for the a129 is the "certified" or better seller? is it SpyTec?

Sorry for the long post

Spy Tec is the authorized distributor which you can find in VIOFO official website.

 

[JB-007]

Love the A129

 

[Cram]

Got mine from OCD Tronic via Amazon.

I'm having a repeatable problem with the rear camera banding then freezing. Check this post. I also asked for VioFo support, but nothing back yet. Other than that it is a great product.

Marc

 

[jokiin]

Got mine from OCD Tronic via Amazon.

I'm having a repeatable problem with the rear camera banding then freezing. Check this post. I also asked for VioFo support, but nothing back yet. Other than that it is a great product.

Marc

if you bought from @OCD Tronic then they will help you out, you don't need to wait for Viofo, from your other thread though as pointed out wrapping the excess video cable around the speaker magnet is a possible cause so it would be best to undo that first

 

[Jonro2009]

if you bought from @OCD Tronic then they will help you out, you don't need to wait for Viofo, from your other thread though as pointed out wrapping the excess video cable around the speaker magnet is a possible cause so it would be best to undo that first

I’d second this, never wrap things around a magnet - even if this isn’t causing the current problem it will almost certainly cause some undesired results


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[SawMaster]

I’d second this, never wrap things around a magnet - even if this isn’t causing the current problem it will almost certainly cause some undesired results


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It's not a good idea to even coil cables neatly, as that can cause unwanted inductance. Best to try to let the slack lay loosely or to use uneven-sized coils which will greatly reduce the chances for that occurring.

Phil

 

[clicketyclack]

I have the Duo with 3 wire parking mode kit and a CPL. Upgraded the firmware from v1.3 to v1.5 out of the box. I used the 64 GB Trancend High Endurance SD card from my old A119. Everything works great so far, no issues.

I "professionally installed it myself" using the hardwire kit and it looks great. It took me about 5 hours total. Part of that was soldering and shrink-wrapping bullet butt connectors on the fuse taps and ends of the hardwire kit wires. The biggest time sink was figuring out how to route the two cables behind my A pillar trim which has air bags so they don't come off all the way without having to break and replace special plastic clips. I ended up removing an air vent cover to reach up under the dash top to feed the cables from the pillar trim down behind the dash. I used a long zip-tie and electrical tape to fish the cables behind the airbag and under the dash. Biggest pain was the ferrite coil on the rear cam cable, which barely fit while feeding it through from the A piller to under the dash. I ran the rear cable down and under the door trim and it was just the right length for my Nissan Sentra. Overall, it wasn't difficult, just took a while. Wear some nitrile gloves to keep your finger oils from grubbing up your liners, trim and glass. Use a nylon trim removal tool (not ABS or metal) so you don't scratch your trim or head liner.

I placed my cam high up under the mirror so it's not really usable from the driver side but it's also hidden behind the speckled black dots on the windshield. It slides off the mount easy to get access to the SD card. It's hard to feel for the middle button by touch if you want to lock/mark the video while driving. I'm probably going to buy the bluetooth button since my cam is out of sight. It's another $20 add-on, unfortunately, though not as bad as the $20 CPL filter, which is I think is a rip-off for a tiny piece of plastic. But, it does help with glare.

I set the hardwire kit switch to the highest voltage cutoff and it has stayed running for over 36 hours and the car started fine. I have a brand new battery though. Also, a 64 GB card will fill up in about 18 hours with parking mode on low bitrate mode (the best mode to use), probably less if you have a videos saved/locked on the card. I'm thinking about getting a 256 GB card. I did some research on SD cards in this thread. Again, it's another chunk of change. But, I park on the street, and I need a bigger card to capture a whole weekend, and that's also the other main reason I got the cam (parking mode).

 

[clicketyclack]

It's not a good idea to even coil cables neatly, as that can cause unwanted inductance

I don't think you need to worry about inductance from coiling at all. The camera cables are shielded 5V multiwire cables, basically a USB cable. The long rear cam cable has a ferrite core too.

 

[Blurb182]

I don't think you need to worry about inductance from coiling at all. The camera cables are shielded 5V multiwire cables, basically a USB cable. The long rear cam cable has a ferrite core too.

Interesting, mine, bought about 6 weeks ago from Amazon, did not have a ferrite core on the long cable. I have added one to reduce, does not completely cure, DAB interference on a 2018 VW Golf. I wonder if Viofo have responded to the various reports of DAB issues with a redesigned cable.

 

[Dashcamuser567]

Just bought it from Amazon and with prime it'll come in today!

 

[jonas805]

bought it some days ago. I am really happy with the a129 so far glad you bought it today.

 

[clicketyclack]

Interesting, mine, bought about 6 weeks ago from Amazon, did not have a ferrite core on the long cable. I have added one to reduce, does not completely cure, DAB interference on a 2018 VW Golf. I wonder if Viofo have responded to the various reports of DAB issues with a redesigned cable.

Try putting another core on the other end of the cable.

 

[CaptureYourAction]

The none of the VIOFO rear cables I have seen have a ferrite core.

 

[Blurb182]

Try putting another core on the other end of the cable.

I did try that and it didn't appear to make any difference when the front one was fitted.
I haven't permanently fitted the rear one yet, but playing around with positioning shows that moving the camera near the standard roof mounted shark fin aerial kills the signal.
I'm planning to stick the cam to the plastic trim along the top of the hatch. I've already lined the centre section of the trim with aluminium tape and am considering shrouding the cam itself in the same tape, aswell as the cable from where it enters the hatch. I'm not earthing all this, so I suspect it's effectiveness will be limited. Plus the ferrite core (5mm cable size) I mentioned earlier.
I've also noticed that the interference diminishes the signal and is only really noticeable on the weaker signal channels where it can cut out completely.
The cable from the front runs along the top/edge of the roof on the right hand side. I played with running it along the floor, but it didn't appear to improve matters, so I installed along the top roof/edge.
The key seems to be the camera itself when connected.

 

[Jonro2009]

@Blurb182 have you hardwired the camera in or is it running via a 12V socket?


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[Blurb182]

@Blurb182 have you hardwired the camera in or is it running via a 12V socket?

I run them off a powerbank constantly. I don't know if this is making the situation worse or not. Lack of earth making it worse in this scenario?
I haven't tried using the 12v socket whilst the rear cam was in situ. Will give it a go to see if it makes any difference, although I'm sure I saw a YouTube vid which demo'd the issue in a Golf and I think that wasn't running off a powerbank. Can't find the video at the moment.

Edit: I'm 99% sure it was a Techmoan vid where he demo'd the issue, but still thought it was better than the Aukey DR02. I must be mistaken though as that vid does talk about the same issue with that rear cam.