Viofo A129 Duo - What Problems Have You Encountered With this Dash Cam?

[joe384]

I've noticed that the camera is less responsive when the camera is very hot. I'm guessing the processor gets throttled when in high temps, causing the response to take quite a bit longer after pressing the button(s) (whether it be going to the screen to view playback, opening and going through the settings menu, enabling/disabling wifi, etc.)

It does seem a bit unresponsive sometimes, although this is probably one of the more minor issues really.

 

[Airborne]

I may have to disconnect my rear camera, it is bothering me when I look in my rear view. I may need to move it into a corner of the window, better then nothing
has anyone else have this issue

 

[TonyM]

I may have to disconnect my rear camera, it is bothering me when I look in my rear view. I may need to move it into a corner of the window, better then nothing
has anyone else have this issue

It does take some time to get used to a camera on the rear window. I've had one or two mounted there for a few years and I barely notice them any more.

 

[EGS]

I may have to disconnect my rear camera, it is bothering me when I look in my rear view. I may need to move it into a corner of the window, better then nothing
has anyone else have this issue

did you put it all the way to the top of the window? I know it would be more noticeable on a pick up truck since the rear cam would be closer to you comparing to an SUV or a sedan but eventually you will get used to it.

 

[Airborne]

Yes it it is to the top of window, Once I get my hard wire kit going I will check this out. If I must is there a trick to get the mount off . I know those pads can be a hassle getting off. I am thinking a heat gun on low heat if I do need to remove the camera and stick it in a corner of the window

 

[EGS]

Yes it it is to the top of window, Once I get my hard wire kit going I will check this out. If I must is there a trick to get the mount off . I know those pads can be a hassle getting off. I am thinking a heat gun on low heat if I do need to remove the camera and stick it in a corner of the window

try the string that came with the sticky pad kit and maybe some heat.

 

[StrayCam]

Yes it it is to the top of window, Once I get my hard wire kit going I will check this out. If I must is there a trick to get the mount off . I know those pads can be a hassle getting off. I am thinking a heat gun on low heat if I do need to remove the camera and stick it in a corner of the window

Apply heat to the exterior side of the window, behind the mount for about 3 or 4 minutes.......(of course you will have removed the cam from the mount). Then put any piece of string (as long as it won't break with a little force) on the top back edge of the mount, against the window. Merely pull downward and the mount will pop right off. If for some reason it doesn't, apply heat for an additional 2 or 3 minutes... That should do it!

One big assumption, which should be valid, is you have not applied any "after-market tinting" to that window.... If you did, I'd be more careful and find out if there are precautions needed to ensure you don't mess up the applied tinting. I'm sure yours is stock, so this issue won't apply to you... Good luck!

 

[CaptnEric]

Starting Car after being in Parking Mode: a series of continuous beeps while starting "driving mode".... - - Need to push leftmost button to stop beeps and to start driving mode

@StrayCam I haven't experienced this issue but how long do you need to press the left most button for?

 

[StrayCam]

@StrayCam I haven't experienced this issue but how long do you need to press the left most button for?

Just one quick press is all it takes! It's a weird quirk, but easy to fix by simply pushing the button. When you first hear it, it seems like it's telling you the cam isn't recording... but it seems it gets stuck between parking mode and driving mode for some reason.

Others have mentioned this issue I believe in the buffered parking mode thread...

 

[CaptnEric]

Cool thanks @StrayCam

 

[StrayCam]

Cool thanks @StrayCam

Hey, glad to help CaptnEric!

_ _ _ _ _ _ __ _


Another problem that has affected some users is that the A129 cuts-off 10-30 seconds of video on certain clips. It could happen to many consecutive video clips or more intermittently. The risk to users is "video that they need to prove an accident may not exist!". When this problem occurs, it is normally accompanied by either a single beep or double-beeps. Once again, Viofo doesn't tell the A129 users what the beeps mean; but in this case it seems to be saying, "Hey, I'm cutting your video short!".

Some have speculated that this is an SD Card problem, but Joe384 has a Viofo card and has experienced this problem. Some say it might be a connection problem with the rear camera...??? And although Viofo is aware of this problem, they have not communicated anything at all about it's cause or solution to A129 Users.

At this point when you review your videos, all the videos should be about the same length in size, whether you have chosen 1,2,3,5 or 10 minute loops. If you see deviations in your file sizes in the DCIM/Movies directory, you may be experiencing the "Video Cut-Off Problem".


Here are 3 threads that elaborate on the problem and "possible" causes...

Losing 20 seconds between recordings

My A129 is setup to record in I think 5 min lengths. I had an encounter with a crazy bicycle guy over the weekend and wanted to check out the footage. I've noticed, that I'm losing about 20 seconds between the recordings, and in this case I missed a crucial part where the guy hit a car on...

dashcamtalk.com

A129 Duo Front Cam Beep

This is the first time I've encountered this and I hope there's an explanation to it (not an issue). So basically I was driving earlier and the front camera just gives me an short audible notification beep which I don't know what it was for. At first I though it was the G-sensor activating...

dashcamtalk.com

Viofo A129 - Are You Getting Single-Beeps While Driving?

Joe384 and I have been discussing this issue on the "Buffered Parking Mode" thread. TonyM suggested a new thread, so here it is... The attached pic describes the situation: single beeps are heard once in a while during driving mode - The camera is cutting the videos short when this happens...

dashcamtalk.com

 

[joe384]

I had my parking mode issue again this evening.
Came back to the car, dashcam was beeping, recording light flashing (same as before)
Pressed the menu button once, before I knew it, dashcam had shut itself down.

Reviewed the footage, there was about 15mins of parking mode footage and then it just stopped.
There was nothing happening (sound wise or motion) in the last clip.

 

[StrayCam]

I had my parking mode issue again this evening.
Came back to the car, dashcam was beeping, recording light flashing (same as before)
Pressed the menu button once, before I knew it, dashcam had shut itself down.

Reviewed the footage, there was about 15mins of parking mode footage and then it just stopped.
There was nothing happening (sound wise or motion) in the last clip.

Funny enough, or not, I had a similar experience yesterday. When I went into my car, the dashcam was beeping continuously. And the left light red led light (recording?) was flashing. When I reviewed my video footage later, I was missing about 3 hours of parking video just prior to that....? I assume because the hw3 kit was lit up and the A129 was flashing & beeping that it had not run into a power cut-off situation...?

I am changing my SD card in my dash cam shortly to Samsung Evo Plus 128 gb...it will be interesting to see if doing so has any effect on this issue or the "Video Cut-Off Problem when driving".... I'll of course report back!

 

[Airborne]

I hope I do not have these issues. Probably Saturday will be the big test, I should have all my wiring done. Hey if the camera does not work correctly, I will be back

 

[TonyM]

@StrayCam @joe384 What devices do you use to review the video files? Do you reformat your card in-camera after reviewing the footage?

Phones, tablets and computers can sometimes leave hidden files on a card that cause a dashcam to stop working properly. I used to review files on my phone using a USB-C adapter, until I was told that could affect the dashcam reliability.

 

[jokiin]

Phones, tablets and computers can sometimes leave hidden files on a card that cause a dashcam to stop working properly. I used to review files on my phone using a USB-C adapter, until I was told that could affect the dashcam reliability.

you can still do that, just format the card when you put it back in the camera

 

[StrayCam]

@StrayCam @joe384 What devices do you use to review the video files? Do you reformat your card in-camera after reviewing the footage?

Phones, tablets and computers can sometimes leave hidden files on a card that cause a dashcam to stop working properly. I used to review files on my phone using a USB-C adapter, until I was told that could affect the dashcam reliability.

wow... I've never heard of the need to reformat the SD card after viewing the videos! - I use a Windows PC running Windows 10, and I use DashcamViewer to view the videos.

At the recommendation of BCHobbyist I formatted my new SD card twice when I put it into the A129.

So, is it necessary to reformat the SD card after viewing files on a PC? if so, I assume the reformatting is done in the A129, not the PC.

Thanks for this tip! I imagine lots of people were clueless about this just like me!!!

 

[jokiin]

if so, I assume the reformatting is done in the A129, not the PC.

yes in the camera, Windows is not too bad if you're only viewing the files, some operating systems leave temp files on the card which can be an issue, formatting your card when you put it back in the camera is good practice either way

 

[Nigel]

Windows is not too bad...

I guess it also depends on the camera. The A129 doesn't appear to mind extra files or folders, I never bother formatting my cards after being in a Windows PC, and sometimes store extra files on them.

 

[jokiin]

I guess it also depends on the camera. The A129 doesn't appear to mind extra files or folders, I never bother formatting my cards after being in a Windows PC, and sometimes store extra files on them.

Mac files can still cause problems on the A129, or any other Novatek based camera, Windows is generally ok, good habits help, don't delete files ad-hoc, eject the drive rather than just unplugging it etc