Viofo A129 Plus Query

[mercfanboy]

Hello Experts,

I have decided to go for Viofo A129 Plus for my Mazda 3 2021.

My main requirements are parking mode recording and for the license plates to be captured reasonably clearly. How's the A129 when it comes to these requirements?

I will be hardwiring the dashcam to my car battery using the Viofo HK3 kit. Would it have any adverse impacts on the car battery as opposed to using an external battery pack?

I am assuming the parking mode is switched on as soon as the ignition is turned off. How long can the Viofo record in parking mode? Are there recommended settings that can maximize the recording time?

Apologies for too many questions. A bit overwhelmed by the information out there. This forum is a blessing!

 

[Nigel]

Would it have any adverse impacts on the car battery as opposed to using an external battery pack?

All batteries wear out with use, Lithium ones wear out slower than Lead Acid, but Lead Acid car batteries can be significantly cheaper. Reasons to definitely chose an external dashcam battery pack are if you live somewhere cold that Lead Acid batteries struggle with, or if you drive a German car that keeps complaining about battery drain while parked, or if you need more capacity than you can get from your car battery because you don't drive enough, although then you are likely to not get enough charge into your dashcam battery anyway! Otherwise, you could start by using the car battery and upgrade if you have issues that a dashcam battery would solve.

I am assuming the parking mode is switched on as soon as the ignition is turned off.

Yes.

How long can the Viofo record in parking mode?

If the battery is fully charged then you can expect roughly 24 hours, but then you need to drive for most of an hour per day to recharge. This will depend on the car and the battery being used. Most of the charge will be replaced in 30 minutes, then for car batteries the charging slows down.

Are there recommended settings that can maximize the recording time?

Default settings are a good start, apart from turning on parking mode. Personally I use the low bitrate parking mode' the timelapse mode can record for a little longer, but it can also miss things, and will miss all audio.

My main requirements are parking mode recording and for the license plates to be captured reasonably clearly. How's the A129 when it comes to these requirements?

Probably best described as a good value mid-range dashcam, it has decent image quality and reasonably low power for longer parking recording. In low bitrate parking mode it will record everything unlike some that wake up and start recording only when they feel an impact, but that does mean that it uses the battery far faster, so it depends a bit on your requirements, on what you are trying to catch. It does have the advantage over other brands of a parking mode duration setting, so you can set it to for example only record the first 3 hours of parking, which means that you supermarket visits are all recorded but it never drains you battery overnight, which solves battery issues completely, but of course some people want 24/7 recording.

 

[mercfanboy]

Thank you so much. I got all my answers in your reply.

It does have the advantage over other brands of a parking mode duration setting, so you can set it to for example only record the first 3 hours of parking, which means that you supermarket visits are all recorded but it never drains you battery overnight, which solves battery issues completely, but of course some people want 24/7 recording.

This is very helpful to know. Mainly, I want the parking mode to record when I park near supermarkets and other public places for a few hours.

I understand dashcams aren't able to capture some incidents such as trolley door dings or where someone side swiped your car. Is there a way to address this limitation?

 

[mercfanboy]

I got the dashcam, HK3 hardwire kit and San Disk Extreme 128 GB memory card. Do I need anything else (e.g, fuse taps?). I'll be asking a professional dashcam installer to do the installation for me.

 

[Nigel]

I understand dashcams aren't able to capture some incidents such as trolley door dings or where someone side swiped your car. Is there a way to address this limitation?

If it is a hard ding then the audio will catch it if using low bitrate parking mode on the A129 Plus, and it is quite likely that the trolley and driver were caught on the front or rear camera shortly before, then you can have an argument with their insurance company! If you want to avoid the argument then you really need 360 degree video coverage, but that will drain your battery, it's not worth it for most people, and even with 360 degree cameras, a trolley ding is normally below window level and thus out of view, so it is still arguable if the new scratch was actually caused by the person you say it was!

A lot of cameras will miss a trolley ding because they wont wake up and start recording until after the event, or because they are not sensitive enough to impacts to trigger recording, The Viofo cameras in low bitrate mode do record everything.

 

[Nigel]

I got the dashcam, HK3 hardwire kit and San Disk Extreme 128 GB memory card. Do I need anything else (e.g, fuse taps?). I'll be asking a professional dashcam installer to do the installation for me.

It will need the correct fuse tap for your car. I might expect the professional to have something suitable in stock, but might be safer to get the right thing yourself if you can work out which type of fuse you have.

It would be a good idea to work out where you want the camera placed before getting it installed, maybe run it off the accessory socket for a test and check its visibility and that it doesn't block the driver's visibility and that it is looking through an area swept by the wipers.

 

[mercfanboy]

I might expect the professional to have something suitable in stock, but might be safer to get the right thing yourself if you can work out which type of fuse you have.

I just checked with the guy. He seems to have the fuse taps. So I guess I am sorted then. Will post my experience here once I get it installed. Thanks again for the help!

 

[mercfanboy]

Finally got the A129 Plus Duo installed! I have it hardwired using the car battery. Voltage cutoff is set at 12.2 V.

• Currently selected 3 hours parking mode with low bitrate recording. Hope this strikes a good balance between preventing excessive battery drain and recording when it matters most (e.g., supermarkets, public parking lots)?

• In the settings, I noticed there is G Sensor and Parking G Sensor. Also motion sensor and parking motion sensor. What's the difference between them and what sensitivities (low, medium, high) do I choose?

Thanks for your inputs!