Viofo A229 Plus - G Sensor / Parking Mode Question

[TomKatt]

Does anyone know if the G sensor can trigger a recording when powered off and Parking Mode is disabled? I would prefer if I didn’t waste storage and power on Parking Mode, but certainly would like to capture video if my car was hit.

TIA

 

[kamkar]

Welcome to the forum Tom

If parking guard / mode is turned off, then the camera will be off too, and for that matter your car can be picked up by a tornado and thrown about, and the camera would not record anything.

If you have the hard wire kit, and use parking mode, but then park in your garage at home, where it would be waste of battery having the camera do parking mode, when you have stopped and the camera change to parking mode, you can just press the power button and turn it off.
That will override the " urge " to do parking mode for this 1 time, so setting off in the morning the camera will come on normally and will also want to change to parking mode when you park.


Personally i prefer to have G-sensor off when driving, CUZ i do not want potholes ASO to trigger events that are false, but when i use parking mode ( and i prefer the low bitrate that record all the time ) then i do like to have G-sensor on and on high sensitivity so if nothing else it triggering can act as a flag for a actual event.
CUZ otherwise the low bitrate parking guard files, they are just regular files and so not protected, unless the G-sensor kick in of course, so if you have parked a long time and get back to a dented car. you have to sit there and look over ? hours of recordings to find the event itself if you do not have the G-sensor on.

Okay to get your car fixed and paid for by the guilty part, that would make it worth sitting in front of the computer for hours, but might as well let the G-sensor do its think when there is little risk of any false events.

 

[kamkar]

Mind you i have a low usage for parking mode, so most often i also use the build in timer, so parking mode are just on for 3 hours after i park.
This cover all my shopping ASO, and at home i have CCTV on my parked car, and it is a small car and i want to go easy on the small 55 Ah battery ( upgraded originally 45 Ah battery )

Also wher i park in a yard behind the apartment block, there is little light so a dashcam would not see much, and right now a dashcam all it would see in my car is the snow covering the windscreen.
But my CCTV camera see everything clear as day, and as it also have a optical zoom i use, then the 20 M or so from my 2 floor balcony door to the parked car, well i can still get a identifying shot.

 

[TomKatt]

Thanks all for the advice and insight. Much appreciated!

 

[kamkar]

No sweat Tom.

Just CUZ you have hard wire kit, it do not force you to use parking guard, some get it to just have the in Dash socket free for phone charge ASO
You can also get a female 12 V plug like the one in the dash vire that up to a ACC fuse, and then plug the provided PSU into that under the dash, just make sure to tie the 2 parts together in some way as otherwise they can wiggle loose under there.

Regarding parking mode, there are quite a few to choose from, i just prefer the low bitrate as it always record and also have sound, something time lapse do not have but otherwise that mode also generate smaller files and less heat internally which can be a issue in the summer time as electronics only handle so much heat, so when the MAX is reached a dashcam in parking guard will shut down on its own.

A low bitrate file will only be 1/3 the size of a regular file if not smaller, so not much work for the system to handle or the memory card to store.

First time i tried i was like " bitrate is sort of a image quality thing, so wont parking guard footage then be too bad at least in regard to moving cars "
But i was wrong.

 

[Panzer Platform]

I would prefer if I didn’t waste storage and power on Parking Mode, but certainly would like to capture video if my car was hit.

If low power parking mode is your priority get a U3000;

 

[WheelsUp]

No sweat Tom.

Just CUZ you have hard wire kit, it do not force you to use parking guard, some get it to just have the in Dash socket free for phone charge ASO
You can also get a female 12 V plug like the one in the dash vire that up to a ACC fuse, and then plug the provided PSU into that under the dash, just make sure to tie the 2 parts together in some way as otherwise they can wiggle loose under there.

Regarding parking mode, there are quite a few to choose from, i just prefer the low bitrate as it always record and also have sound, something time lapse do not have but otherwise that mode also generate smaller files and less heat internally which can be a issue in the summer time as electronics only handle so much heat, so when the MAX is reached a dashcam in parking guard will shut down on its own.

A low bitrate file will only be 1/3 the size of a regular file if not smaller, so not much work for the system to handle or the memory card to store.

First time i tried i was like " bitrate is sort of a image quality thing, so wont parking guard footage then be too bad at least in regard to moving cars "
But i was wrong.

Hello Kamkar,

You seem very knowledgeable about this camera, and I wonder if you could answer a couple of questions regarding parking mode. Do you know if the camera is triggered to enter parking mode via NO movement (via GPS or G-Force) or through a hardwire kit switching from constant to accessory power? I am using the newer Vantrue OBD-II hardwire kit to power the camera, and the camera will "sometimes" enter parking mode 5-6 minutes after shutting the vehicle off. Other times, it stays in the normal recording mode. I am unsure if this is a case of the OBD power supply not being compatible, although it works with various brands, or something else.

Thanks in advance for any help,

Rob

 

[kamkar]

Sadly i have not tested any of the new Viofo models, but dashcams are all much the same ( kinda hard to come up with a new wheel )

New dashcams today are often triggered by the hard wire kit, they now mostly have 3 wires on them, a always on one that is the power source, and then a +12 V ACC wire which is the trigger to tell the camera what mode to change to, and of course the GND wire.
I think Viofo use this in all of their systems, and i am not sure they have a convenient OBD kit, CUZ that is a lot more easy than having to find the correct fuses to piggy back on in the fuse box.

In the old days hard wire was just 2 wires, and that of course the +12 V had to be a wire that was always on, and then upon G-sensor activity the camera would change mode

So you using a vantrue OBD kit, that is probably the problem, you must use a hard wire kit of the same brand, and mind you Viofo now have a few of those, so have to choose the correct one for your model

As i recall for the Voofo A229 plus you need the USB C HK4 kit

VIOFO Type-C HK4 Hardwire Kit For A119 MINI 2/A229 DUO/A229 PLUS/A229 PRO/T130/WM1

HK4 Hardwire Kit is a Type-C USB Port For A119MINI2/A229DUO/A229PLUS/A229PRO/T130/WM1 Dash Camera. Note: Fuse Tap is not included, check with your local car service shop or measure the size to confirm the type to use. If still unsure, consider this Full Set Fuse Tap with ATO, Mini, Micro2, Mini...

viofo.com

 

[kamkar]

Your viofo as i recall, with the correct hard wire kit it can instantly turn to parking mode, that is also fine but then getting out of the car and slamming the door the G-sensor might trigger a false event.
So cameras often have a hand over delay option which as i recall can be up to 90 seconds long, but also a couple of shorter intervals selectable.

As i like to keep a tight ship in regard to the event folder, i used a 30 second delay, usually long enough time to get my old wrinkly decrepit ass out of the car.
Of course in those seconds the camera keep recording regular footage before it change to parking mode, it is not like you get a dark spot.

 

[kamkar]

If you have the skill set, hard wire are not super difficult i feel, there are a lot of videos on it on youtube, probably not on your exact same dashcam and car models, but it is much the same.
I use a cheap multimeter when i search for +12 V wires, or that is use to, now i am permanent wired up and from the fuses to a screw terminal, so i can connect new systems there with ease VS having to fold my old body up to get down under and then up behind the dashboard to the fuse box that in my little car is in the driver footwell below the A pillar.

My fuse adapters in the fuse boks ride on 10 A fuses as i recall, but the fuse for the dashcam side is just 5 A, this way i have run several systems on the same fuse adapters / add a circuit adapters, some times running 8 cameras at the same time.
But in general i only test parking mode on 1 system at the time to go easy on my little car battery.
The screw terminal i have added it is nice and reachable right where the driver knees would be, so i can kneel by the open door and have a new system wired in in under 5 minutes.

 

[WheelsUp]

Sadly i have not tested any of the new Viofo models, but dashcams are all much the same ( kinda hard to come up with a new wheel )

New dashcams today are often triggered by the hard wire kit, they now mostly have 3 wires on them, a always on one that is the power source, and then a +12 V ACC wire which is the trigger to tell the camera what mode to change to, and of course the GND wire.
I think Viofo use this in all of their systems, and i am not sure they have a convenient OBD kit, CUZ that is a lot more easy than having to find the correct fuses to piggy back on in the fuse box.

In the old days hard wire was just 2 wires, and that of course the +12 V had to be a wire that was always on, and then upon G-sensor activity the camera would change mode

So you using a vantrue OBD kit, that is probably the problem, you must use a hard wire kit of the same brand, and mind you Viofo now have a few of those, so have to choose the correct one for your model

As i recall for the Voofo A229 plus you need the USB C HK4 kit

VIOFO Type-C HK4 Hardwire Kit For A119 MINI 2/A229 DUO/A229 PLUS/A229 PRO/T130/WM1

HK4 Hardwire Kit is a Type-C USB Port For A119MINI2/A229DUO/A229PLUS/A229PRO/T130/WM1 Dash Camera. Note: Fuse Tap is not included, check with your local car service shop or measure the size to confirm the type to use. If still unsure, consider this Full Set Fuse Tap with ATO, Mini, Micro2, Mini...

viofo.com

Thanks for the help. I had hoped the Vantrue OBD would work because it works with various brands and has a great design with a display that shows the vehicle voltage. I will try the HK4 kit; I only wish they hadn't put a ferrite core right after the USB leaves the camera, making it difficult to hide the wire. Thanks again!

 

[Panzer Platform]

@TomKatt @WheelsUp
Viofo is working on an official Viofo Brand OBD2 power cable to enable parking mode.
It was schedulled for release around 2/14/24, but the Chinese New Year holiday is pushing it back.
Maybe 3/1/24.
-Chuck

 

[WheelsUp]

That is good news! Thank you for sharing.