VIOFO BP-100 / EP-100 Dash Camera Battery Packs - RCG

[Hack_man]

Is it possible to summarize the differences, pro and con between the BP-100 vs the Powercell 8?

On paper they both look very similar. The BP100 has Bluetooth and can be configured with an external extender battery which are not mentioned in the specs below.

I own both and from a user's viewpoint I have noticed:

1. The PowerCell 8 blue tooth transmission range is terrible compared to the BP100. My PC8 is installed in a garaged car below a room. I can barely get the app to connect to the camera unless I am directly over the car.
The BP100 is installed in a different car but I can connect easily and reliably from anywhere in the room above. I suppose the difference could be in how well each car shield's the signal.
2. The PowerCell 8 discharges at a rate of 8% per 24 hours with the camera OFF. The BP100 barely discharges at all in 24 hours. I have suspected my PC8 has a problem but stupidly never followed through on warranty service.

I was going to say the BP100 was the clear winner cost-wise but I see the PC8 FINALLY came down to a competitive price (PC8 $269.99 vs BP100 $279.99).

So far I like the BP100 better but I just got the BP100 so will be able to speak more about it later.

 

[DashCamUser123]

On paper they both look very similar. The BP100 has Bluetooth and can be configured with an external extender battery which are not mentioned in the specs below.

I own both and from a user's viewpoint I have noticed:

1. The PowerCell 8 blue tooth transmission range is terrible compared to the BP100. My PC8 is installed in a garaged car below a room. I can barely get the app to connect to the camera unless I am directly over the car.
The BP100 is installed in a different car but I can connect easily and reliably from anywhere in the room above. I suppose the difference could be in how well each car shield's the signal.
2. The PowerCell 8 discharges at a rate of 8% per 24 hours with the camera OFF. The BP100 barely discharges at all in 24 hours. I have suspected my PC8 has a problem but stupidly never followed through on warranty service.

I was going to say the BP100 was the clear winner cost-wise but I see the PC8 FINALLY came down to a competitive price (PC8 $269.99 vs BP100 $279.99).

So far I like the BP100 better but I just got the BP100 so will be able to speak more about it later.

Thanks for sharing that.

1. Yes, the bluetooth of the P8 isn't very powerful which is good for my purposes. I want someone to be up close to my car to access it. 🙂

2. Good to know. I'm not sure they will fix that under a warrantry claim. Seems more like a battery model thing even if they say, send it in or something like that.

After reading your post, I checked out the BBMyCar Canadian site. You are right, the price has dropped to $409 CAD. It's the lowest price I have seen in a few years now, so I just purchased an extra P8 at that low price I had been paying around $530+ CAD. Took advantage of the sale before the price goes back up again (they call it the Lunar New Year Sale). It could be that it wasn't selling well at the $530 mark after all the spending people did over the holidays or the competition from the BP100.

xxx

 

[rcg530]

There's an update available for the VIOFO Battery app for Android devices [v1.3]. It adds a couple of features. After updating to this app version, I was prompted to update the firmware in the BP100 as well.

I would like to see some sort of password protection added to the app/battery pack firmware. Since anyone with this app can connect to your BP100, that allows them using this new feature to power it off and shutdown your dash cameras.

What’s new​

1. Support remote power off the battery pack
2. Add double-click to switch temperature units
3. Fixed other issues

 

[Hack_man]

I can't really think of a reason I'd power off remotely.
Maybe if I was going away for a while and the car was parked in the garage,
My BP100 iPhone app does not support this feature yet.
I agree, there needs to be PW protection.

 

[lempogi]

Can I charge the BP100 at home like a usual power bank?

 

[Chuck McCoy]

Can I charge the BP100 at home like a usual power bank?

Do you mean like with a laptop / smartphone Type-C charger? 😇

 

[lempogi]

Do you mean like with a laptop / smartphone Type-C charger? 😇

With a Type-C wall outlet charger. I only have short trips going to/from the office, so I think my car cannot fully charge a dashcam battery after use. Charging it at home at night would be nice.

 

[rcg530]

Can I charge the BP100 at home like a usual power bank?

Using a USB-C cable to charge it, no. You would need to use the cigarette lighter adapter [CLA] charging cable with a DC power supply with to charge it at home.

Until recently, I was using a DC power brick/adapter sold by BlackboxMyCar to charge dash camera battery packs at home, but that device failed. I ended up purchasing a different DC power supply to replace it. The unit I selected is a Pyramid PSV150 power supply. It has an internal CLA port along with banana/screw-on DC ports and a 5V/2A USB Type-A port. This unit produces a constant 13.8 volts DC with a maximum supported amp load of 12 amps. Others have stated they have used DC power supplies which produce only 12 volts DC, but some dash camera battery packs are sensitive to the charging voltage being that low and will not charge if the charging voltage hovers around 12V. That's why I prefer to use a DC power supply with a higher constant voltage level of 13.8V which is similar to what a running vehicle's DC voltage level would be while the dash camera battery pack charges.

I have DC power supplies I use for my dash camera and battery pack testing, which allows me to create this same DC voltage level and support amp loads up to 10.2 amps. The DC power supplies with adjustable voltage and amp settings cost about the same or slightly more than this unit. The PSV150 is as close to "plug-n-play" as you can get for charging a dash camera battery pack using the battery pack's CLA charging cable.

Direct Amazon U.S. link

 

[lempogi]

Using a USB-C cable to charge it, no. You would need to use the cigarette lighter adapter [CLA] charging cable with a DC power supply with to charge it at home.

Until recently, I was using a DC power brick/adapter sold by BlackboxMyCar to charge dash camera battery packs at home, but that device failed. I ended up purchasing a different DC power supply to replace it. The unit I selected is a Pyramid PSV150 power supply. It has an internal CLA port along with banana/screw-on DC ports and a 5V/2A USB Type-A port. This unit produces a constant 13.8 volts DC with a maximum supported amp load of 12 amps. Others have stated they have used DC power supplies which produce only 12 volts DC, but some dash camera battery packs are sensitive to the charging voltage being that low and will not charge if the charging voltage hovers around 12V. That's why I prefer to use a DC power supply with a higher constant voltage level of 13.8V which is similar to what a running vehicle's DC voltage level would be while the dash camera battery pack charges.

I have DC power supplies I use for my dash camera and battery pack testing, which allows me to create this same DC voltage level and support amp loads up to 10.2 amps. The DC power supplies with adjustable voltage and amp settings cost about the same or slightly more than this unit. The PSV150 is as close to "plug-n-play" as you can get for charging a dash camera battery pack using the battery pack's CLA charging cable.

Direct Amazon U.S. link

View attachment 90355

Great info. Thanks!

 

[rolltide]

Does the BP100 drain the car's 12V battery when the car is turned off?

 

[rcg530]

Does the BP100 drain the car's 12V battery when the car is turned off?

I was trying to find a video from one of my tests to confirm my belief that there is no power draw by the BP100 on the charging circuit when the vehicle's ACC power to the BP100 is turned off by the vehicle's ignition switch. I didn't find a video, but I believe the BP100 does not draw any power when the vehicle is turned off.