VIOFO A129 non-IR 1080p Modified Firmware MODs Archive

There is almost no way to compare Thinkware F800 to A129, they are on two different levels. Thinkware F800 has onboard memory for true video buffering, F800 requires 12volts to camera not possible to run from Power Bank, F800 is 2 to 3 times the retail price offering superior WiFi APP and features, functions and options.

If I was shopping for best Parking Mode protection I'd never select any DVR unless it had 2-5 second buffered video. Your earlier statement about Auto insurance evidence is correct, unless it shows the actual impact it's not enough. I was very surprised when VIOFO created the A129 without buffered video. It doesn't matter what they do with Parking Mode Hardwire Kits since it will always miss the first 2 seconds of event unless you leave continuous time lapse running which drains the battery faster and reducing protection time, low bitrate for reduced power still uses more power since to compensate for no buffering you must run continuous time lapse recording all night.

I'd always prefer 5 second buffered recording to allow Parking Mode low-power state to wake on motion or impact event then save clip starting 5 seconds before event exactly the same as any security camera.
Very few Dashcams in 2018 offer true buffered Parking Mode recording :
Thinkware F800 Pro = $390
BlackVue DR900S 2CH = $450
BlackVue DR750S 2CH = $400
BlackVue DR490L 2CH = $190
Lukas LK-7950 = $250

I am afraid that even the timelaps might not be enough for the insurance company. You can see the car coming towards your car and than going away. No shaking of your car or any sound. Am I right?

F800 Pro:
  1. When using the Energy Saving Mode, the camera is in sleep mode and only the g-sensor can wake it up. No motion detection because only the g-sensor is active during sleeping.
  2. When using the Energy Saving Mode and the g-sensor wake the camera up, the camera consequently starts recording but it is not buffered. If you want to use the buffering, it must not be in the sleeping mode.
  3. I considered using low bitrate when parking for couple of days (max 2 or 3 - depending on the card capacity).
  4. When parking for more days, I planned to use timelaps + g-sensor/motion detection simultaniously. So there should be the timelaps video + buffered video when there is an impact or motion detected. But a guy in F800 Pro thread told me it is not possible with the camera. They said there was only the timelaps video but no normal video.
  5. When parking even longer (for week or longer) I would use only Energy saving mode (no buffering). So I cannot use this as an evidence for insurance company because it is not buffered. And some car damages might not be recorded because there might be no motion or impact detected. Like the scratches from people or slight bumps. That's the reason I would use the timelaps or low bitrate whenever it is possible.
  6. Because I will switch between the parking modes, it is a bit inconvinient for me to go to the mobile app each time and change the settings. A129 with its display would be easier I think.

A129 Duo:
What is the real advantage of F800 Pro in comparison to A129? The Energy Saving Mode is not buffered so I would use it only for very long time parking where I need to save battery energy. G-sensor/motion detection is not possible to use simultaniously with timelaps and there might be a car damage which won't trigger the recording so I would always prefer the low bitrate (when card capacity is sufficient) or timelaps (when card capacity is insufficient). So when parking short time (max 2 or 3 days) I will use low bitrate (best option). When parking for couple of days (maybe a week), I use timelaps. When parking for longer time (couple of weeks), I can use Energy Saving Mode. The conclusion is that I can see only one advantage of F800 Pro in comparison with A129: the energy saving mode. Am I right? What would be your strategy when parking? Would you prefer the g-sensor and motion detection than the low bitrate or timelaps parking mode?

BlackVue DR900S 2CH - front camera - best video quality, rear camera - terrible night vision
BlackVue DR750S 2CH - front camera - slightly worse video quality than A129 but still acceptable, rear camera - very grainy in night vision (I think it is not acceptable for me)
BlackVue DR490L 2CH - I suppose the video quality is equal or worse then the more expensive models
Lukas LK-7950 - I don't know this camera. I saw a video on youtube and I love the summary screen when you switch it on. But I have no idea about the video quality, bitrates and power consumption. I couldn't find any video quality comparison to BlackVue or Viofo or Thinkware. Is there any?
 
What kind of extra battery system are you planning for the multiple days of parking use?
I don't plan any battery system. The camera consumes approx 4 Watts, so it should be 4*24 = 96 Watts per one day. The car battery has capacity 720 W. So I think 2 or 3 days for low bitrate should be ok, right? When recording in timelaps, I suppose the power consumption is lower. I guess 2 W. Is it real? If so, I can record for 4 or 6 days, maybe 7. The energy saving mode on F800 Pro consumes 1/5 of normal consumption (4.2 W) so it should be 0.85 W. I can record 14 days with no problem, right? I am only guessing. I have no idea about real consumption. The specification of F800 Pro says 4.2 W when GPS is on. I gues 4 W when GPS is off. I have no idea what is the timelaps power consumption.
 
expect to replace your car battery earlier than usual if you want to do multiple days of parking use as a regular thing, typical SLA car batteries are not intended for this type of use, they're all about CCA, regular parasitic loads will take their toll very quickly
 
expect to replace your car battery earlier than usual if you want to do multiple days of parking use as a regular thing, typical SLA car batteries are not intended for this type of use, they're all about CCA, regular parasitic loads will take their toll very quickly
New information for me. What do you suggest to do? Buy huge battery pack (20.000 mAh for one day when it consumes 4 W) or not using the low bitrate or timelaps for more day and stick with g-sensor/motion detection only? What is the power consumption of the detection?
 
this is why products like the Cellink B exist, multiple days of parking mode from the vehicle battery is not practical, suggest you research the power side of things more as that's going to have a bigger impact on the end result, may cost more to setup than the camera also
 
this is why products like the Cellink B exist, multiple days of parking mode from the vehicle battery is not practical, suggest you research the power side of things more as that's going to have a bigger impact on the end result, may cost more to setup than the camera also
It has only 6.000 Ah. It is not much. I can see there is Celling Neo with bluetooth and I can stack more of Neos together. F800 Pro consumes 350 mA so one Neo gives me 17 hours. I need 3x Neo to have 2 days of parking mode? I suppose the A129 is similar. The 3x Neo is 24 Ah and the car battery has 60 Ah. It means that after 2 days of parking mode when I start the car, the Neos starts charging? Is it ok that it takes immediately 24 Ah? Is it good for the battery? And how long does the Neo lasts in car? Should I buy new Neos every year, two of five?
 
Not sure how long you can expect a Cellink to last, one of the sellers that do that product might know
 
Not sure how long you can expect a Cellink to last, one of the sellers that do that product might know
I am more curious if it is ok to drain the three Cellling Neo during parking mode and then when I start my car, the Neos takes immediately the 24 Ah from my 60 Ah battery.
 
I am afraid that even the timelaps might not be enough for the insurance company. You can see the car coming towards your car and than going away. No shaking of your car or any sound. Am I right?

F800 Pro:
  1. When using the Energy Saving Mode, the camera is in sleep mode and only the g-sensor can wake it up. No motion detection because only the g-sensor is active during sleeping.
  2. When using the Energy Saving Mode and the g-sensor wake the camera up, the camera consequently starts recording but it is not buffered. If you want to use the buffering, it must not be in the sleeping mode.
  3. I considered using low bitrate when parking for couple of days (max 2 or 3 - depending on the card capacity).
  4. When parking for more days, I planned to use timelaps + g-sensor/motion detection simultaniously. So there should be the timelaps video + buffered video when there is an impact or motion detected. But a guy in F800 Pro thread told me it is not possible with the camera. They said there was only the timelaps video but no normal video.
  5. When parking even longer (for week or longer) I would use only Energy saving mode (no buffering). So I cannot use this as an evidence for insurance company because it is not buffered. And some car damages might not be recorded because there might be no motion or impact detected. Like the scratches from people or slight bumps. That's the reason I would use the timelaps or low bitrate whenever it is possible.
  6. Because I will switch between the parking modes, it is a bit inconvinient for me to go to the mobile app each time and change the settings. A129 with its display would be easier I think.

A129 Duo:
What is the real advantage of F800 Pro in comparison to A129? The Energy Saving Mode is not buffered so I would use it only for very long time parking where I need to save battery energy. G-sensor/motion detection is not possible to use simultaniously with timelaps and there might be a car damage which won't trigger the recording so I would always prefer the low bitrate (when card capacity is sufficient) or timelaps (when card capacity is insufficient). So when parking short time (max 2 or 3 days) I will use low bitrate (best option). When parking for couple of days (maybe a week), I use timelaps. When parking for longer time (couple of weeks), I can use Energy Saving Mode. The conclusion is that I can see only one advantage of F800 Pro in comparison with A129: the energy saving mode. Am I right? What would be your strategy when parking? Would you prefer the g-sensor and motion detection than the low bitrate or timelaps parking mode?

BlackVue DR900S 2CH - front camera - best video quality, rear camera - terrible night vision
BlackVue DR750S 2CH - front camera - slightly worse video quality than A129 but still acceptable, rear camera - very grainy in night vision (I think it is not acceptable for me)
BlackVue DR490L 2CH - I suppose the video quality is equal or worse then the more expensive models
Lukas LK-7950 - I don't know this camera. I saw a video on youtube and I love the summary screen when you switch it on. But I have no idea about the video quality, bitrates and power consumption. I couldn't find any video quality comparison to BlackVue or Viofo or Thinkware. Is there any?
F800 Buffered Parking Mode is better than A129 none Buffered as long as you don't use low-power energy saving mode, this is similar to continuous recording but actually uses F800 Parking Mode. There is currently no long term Parking Mode DVR able to reliably run for days off any vehicle or third party power source, it would be a DIY project. Many off-road vehicles with huge light-bars & winches use dual 12volt high amp batteries on separate charging circuits for extreme accessory support but overkill to extend DVR in Parking protection.
As stated by many, for your specific Parking protection requirements you'd need huge power source not vehicle battery and set for continuous time lapse or normal 30fps recording while parked. The DVR industry hasn't offered any easy solution for multi day protection, except possibly Tesla electric vehicles, but that would end up being proprietary cameras. Using A129 Duo for multi day parking protection without buffered video requires DIY power source and has nothing to do with feature support and still won't record side impacts unless you DIY 360 degree fish-eye Lens on camera facing down from interior roof.

Solution - buy any Dashcam and set for normal 30fps recording with audio run continuously till alternate (non-vehicle) power source is dead. Visit vehicle customizer for extreme accessory battery installation.
 
Charge rate isn't that high
They say the Neo is charged in 45 minutes. It is 4.5 A as the charging current. I think this is ok. I am not sure how long does it take to charge the car battery. If the charging is not slower than charging the Neo, it should take max 45 minutes so in average I must drive my car 45 minutes after the Neo is discharged.
 
F800 Buffered Parking Mode is better than A129 none Buffered as long as you don't use low-power energy saving mode, this is similar to continuous recording but actually uses F800 Parking Mode. There is currently no long term Parking Mode DVR able to reliably run for days off any vehicle or third party power source, it would be a DIY project. Many off-road vehicles with huge light-bars & winches use dual 12volt high amp batteries on separate charging circuits for extreme accessory support but overkill to extend DVR in Parking protection.
As stated by many, for your specific Parking protection requirements you'd need huge power source not vehicle battery and set for continuous time lapse or normal 30fps recording while parked. The DVR industry hasn't offered any easy solution for multi day protection, except possibly Tesla electric vehicles, but that would end up being proprietary cameras. Using A129 Duo for multi day parking protection without buffered video requires DIY power source and has nothing to do with feature support and still won't record side impacts unless you DIY 360 degree fish-eye Lens on camera facing down from interior roof.

Solution - buy any Dashcam and set for normal 30fps recording with audio run continuously till alternate (non-vehicle) power source is dead. Visit vehicle customizer for extreme accessory battery installation.
Ok, I understand. I had exaggerated expectations when it comes to parking mode. I will buy the Cellling Neo as @jokiin suggested and I will use the parking mode only for one day as a low bitrate or timelaps.

If I want more days, I must buy a more power efficient camera (F800 Pro with 0.07A@12V in Energy Saving Mode or A119S with 0.19A@?V in stand-by waiting for motion or impact detection as you told here but both of them are not buffered) or I must buy another Celling Neos (or another power source) but it would drain my car battery too much because I don't do long trips.
 
In other words when it comes to one day parking mode with Celling Neo there is no difference between A129 and F800 Pro because the low bitrate or timelaps is the best option, right? Why should I prefer F800 Pro when I don't consider the Energy Saving Mode now? Video quality of the A129 is better and parking mode (low bitrate or timelaps) is the same. Why should I want to use the F800 Pro instead of A129? I am not interested in cloud features.
 
Ok, I understand. I had exaggerated expectations when it comes to parking mode. I will buy the Cellling Neo as @jokiin suggested and I will use the parking mode only for one day as a low bitrate or timelaps.

If I want more days, I must buy a more power efficient camera (F800 Pro with 0.07A@12V in Energy Saving Mode or A119S with 0.19A@?V in stand-by waiting for motion or impact detection as you told here but both of them are not buffered) or I must buy another Celling Neos (or another power source) but it would drain my car battery too much because I don't do long trips.
interesting choice at $350 for a battery system probably the most expensive option, nice if you can afford it.
 
In other words when it comes to one day parking mode with Celling Neo there is no difference between A129 and F800 Pro because the low bitrate or timelaps is the best option, right? Why should I prefer F800 Pro when I don't consider the Energy Saving Mode now? Video quality of the A129 is better and parking mode (low bitrate or timelaps) is the same. Why should I want to use the F800 Pro instead of A129? I am not interested in cloud features.
F800 supports 'impact sensitivity' and 'motion sensitivity' in Parking Mode, super night vision, brightness control for front and rear, cold weather battery protection adds 0.2volts to voltage cutoff, event folder over-write file handling, none of which are offered by A129.
The big 'IF' applies to the A129's new proprietary 3-wire Hardwire Kit voltage regulator needed to sense voltage levels for correct Parking Mode function, that 3-wire Kit cannot be connected with CelLink NEO battery pack. Not a great plan to buy $400 NEO if A129 Parking Mode options you want aren't supported.
 
F800 supports 'impact sensitivity' and 'motion sensitivity' in Parking Mode, super night vision, brightness control for front and rear, cold weather battery protection adds 0.2volts to voltage cutoff, event folder over-write file handling, none of which are offered by A129.
The big 'IF' applies to the A129's new proprietary 3-wire Hardwire Kit voltage regulator needed to sense voltage levels for correct Parking Mode function, that 3-wire Kit cannot be connected with CelLink NEO battery pack. Not a great plan to buy $400 NEO if A129 Parking Mode options you want aren't supported.
I won't need the impact/motion sensitivity when using low bitrate parking mode. I could see the front camera night comparison here and you are right that the F800 Pro is better. I think I don't need brightness control because it seems the automatic exposure seems to work well. When using the celling neo I think I don't need the cold weather battery. I will let the camera recording until neo is fully discharged. Does the "event folder over-write file handling" mean that the event videos are stored separately from normal videos and are not overwritten during loop recording of normal video? I think I won't benefit from this. When timelaps or low bitrate parking mode is enabled, there cannot be recorded impact/motion detected videos in the same time.
Do I need the 3-wire hardwire kit when using NEO? Can I connect the camera in this way?

cellink.png

EDIT:
The celling is charging only when the car is on. In this way I will avoid the car battery draining during parking mode.
 
I don't plan any battery system. The camera consumes approx 4 Watts, so it should be 4*24 = 96 Watts per one day. The car battery has capacity 720 W. So I think 2 or 3 days for low bitrate should be ok, right? When recording in timelaps, I suppose the power consumption is lower. I guess 2 W. Is it real? If so, I can record for 4 or 6 days, maybe 7. The energy saving mode on F800 Pro consumes 1/5 of normal consumption (4.2 W) so it should be 0.85 W. I can record 14 days with no problem, right? I am only guessing. I have no idea about real consumption. The specification of F800 Pro says 4.2 W when GPS is on. I gues 4 W when GPS is off. I have no idea what is the timelaps power consumption.
 
I won't need the impact/motion sensitivity when using low bitrate parking mode. I could see the front camera night comparison here and you are right that the F800 Pro is better. I think I don't need brightness control because it seems the automatic exposure seems to work well. When using the celling neo I think I don't need the cold weather battery. I will let the camera recording until neo is fully discharged. Does the "event folder over-write file handling" mean that the event videos are stored separately from normal videos and are not overwritten during loop recording of normal video? I think I won't benefit from this. When timelaps or low bitrate parking mode is enabled, there cannot be recorded impact/motion detected videos in the same time.
Do I need the 3-wire hardwire kit when using NEO? Can I connect the camera in this way?

View attachment 43832

EDIT:
The celling is charging only when the car is on. In this way I will avoid the car battery draining during parking mode.

I would think that the camera ACC should be connectedt to the car ACC (not to the Cellink). This is because the ACC to the camera/hardwire kit is only a sensor wire, it won't power the camera. Further, it needs to know if the car is running or not. Now, if the Cellink provides the same ACC-like circuit (since it itself knows if the car is running or not because it is getting charged or not) then that may work. I'm not too familiar with the Cellink.
 
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