Viofo Recommended SSD

[speedingcheetah]

I also think it is fair to mention that SSDs are primarily meant for computers and other processing devices, and while dashcams have processors, cams just don't have the complexity of even the average smart phone. There are also known compatibility/speed issues between certain SSDs and smartphones like the newer iPhones that can utilize external SSDs. I do wish that Viofo provides explicit details on what specs control SSD compatibility and more actively tests and recommends multiple SSD options. I'm sure there are more than just the currently recommended ones and info shared by others on here seems to support that. They could even tap into the great community of testers/reviewers on here, for gosh sake.

SSD's have been used in NVR's for some time now. I have a 2TB ssd in my Ubiquiti CloudKey Gen2+ NVR with 4x 2K cams recording 24/7. It is 3yrs old with 90% life left in it.
The TBW of ssds are quite high and it would take a very long time to surpass that.
They now come from Ubiquiti with ssd vs hdd.

I also have had a ssd as main storage for NVR at a family's home for about 8yrs now, and its life is still around 70%.

Their internal controller of the ssd handles all the things needed, it does not really matter what the host device is or its abilities are.
A modern ssd even will work fine in a ancient computer, IDE adapter and Windows 95.

What you may loose out on, is TRIM support. That seems to be a host OS function in most applications.
Though, TRIM may not really be beneficial in the use case of a NVR/dashcam, since the drive is already being written to from empty to full, and then overwriting again in a loop. So, in theory, the flash is being used evenly already.

 

[LeeShadow]

Yes, I recently helped a friend set up his NAS as a NVR using M.2 SSDs and given how prices have fallen there are only very limited situations where I'd not recommend a SSD over a traditional hard drive. But I grew up in the era where computer peripherals commonly had issues and also outright incompatibility with certain operating systems and processors, so it is just ingrained in my psyche that sometimes you have to try multiple times to get things to work the way you want. Not discounting the frustration or the time/money needed to do that, of course.

 

[lufa6977]

Yes, I recently helped a friend set up his NAS as a NVR using M.2 SSDs and given how prices have fallen there are only very limited situations where I'd not recommend a SSD over a traditional hard drive. But I grew up in the era where computer peripherals commonly had issues and also outright incompatibility with certain operating systems and processors, so it is just ingrained in my psyche that sometimes you have to try multiple times to get things to work the way you want. Not discounting the frustration or the time/money needed to do that, of course.

Marvell SATA controllers come to mind, one of the motherboard SATA/SSD items that gave me nightmares. 🙂

 

[lufa6977]

.
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Their internal controller of the ssd handles all the things needed, it does not really matter what the host device is or its abilities are.
A modern ssd even will work fine in a ancient computer, IDE adapter and Windows 95.so
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This is one of the points that Augustus has also made. These SSDs are so ubiquitous that there are nearly zero reasons for them not to work. The Novatek is spec'd for SSD support; thus, it is somewhat baffling to understand precisely where the failure lies with the VIOFO implementation for SSD memory storage. It is likely a reasonable assumption that VIOFO is aware of, or has a strong idea about, the issue, but manufacturers are usually reluctant to disclose too much about these types of problems.

VIOFO does stumble from time to time, but they always seem to resolve the issues.

 

[Augustus]

This is one of the points that Augustus has also made. These SSDs are so ubiquitous that there are nearly zero reasons for them not to work. The Novatek is spec'd for SSD support; thus, it is somewhat baffling to understand precisely where the failure lies with the VIOFO implementation for SSD memory storage. It is likely a reasonable assumption that VIOFO is aware of, or has a strong idea about, the issue, but manufacturers are usually reluctant to disclose too much about these types of problems.

VIOFO does stumble from time to time, but they always seem to resolve the issues.

Very true, this has been an issue since last year's original A329 release so is very baffling that the issue is still here even with the newer A329x release...

 

[GPak]

It's important to note that the remote recording feature works not only with SSDs, but also with SD cards, and possibly even flash memory.
I understand the frustration with SSDs, but I hope @viofo, while working on a solution to the SSD compatibility issue, doesn't completely disable remote recording via USB-C.
This is a great feature, and even if SSD compatibility isn't resolved, it should remain for those who want to use SD cards remotely.

I don't think there have been any complaints about remote SD card use.
And, in my opinion, using a remotely installed SD card offers more advantages than an SSD, especially for parking.

 

[viofo]

It's important to note that the remote recording feature works not only with SSDs, but also with SD cards, and possibly even flash memory.
I understand the frustration with SSDs, but I hope @viofo, while working on a solution to the SSD compatibility issue, doesn't completely disable remote recording via USB-C.
This is a great feature, and even if SSD compatibility isn't resolved, it should remain for those who want to use SD cards remotely.

I don't think there have been any complaints about remote SD card use.
And, in my opinion, using a remotely installed SD card offers more advantages than an SSD, especially for parking.

It is no problem to support a remote SD card using with the USB-C port, also you can use a USB-C storage.
However, we didn't conduct extensive testing on this, so we cannot guarantee its reliability.

 

[SC@AU]

It is no problem to support a remote SD card using with the USB-C port, also you can use a USB-C storage.
However, we didn't conduct extensive testing on this, so we cannot guarantee its reliability.

The same could be said for SSD options it would seem..!! 🤔

 

[viofo]

I fail to understand why such things would trigger a "Slow" error. What quantifies this error to trigger?
Is there a specific write or read speed threshold that the firmware is testing for?
Is it just that VIOFO has chosen in their firmware to trigger this error as a general fault error then perhaps?

I have already determined, and proven, best i can, that the cams USB C port is 2.0, is capped to 2.0 data speeds and power output, and the VIOFO ssd cable is also 2.0 data speeds.

The ssd's themselves are capable of many many times more data speeds than USB 2.0...so unless there is something severely wrong, like a damaged cable, or loose connection that is severely affecting the data signal integrity, i fail to see how "the thing you are recording to is too slow!" message really is actually a correct fault condition here.

The USB port is 3.0

 

[speedingcheetah]

The USB port is 3.0

How so?
It does not support USB 3.0 data speeds. I tested that with a USB 3.0 cables and only got USB 2.0 speeds from it.
Power output also limited to 2.0 spec.

Please elaborate.

Most of the things are talked about in this thread.

Post in thread 'USB Cable for SSD – Longer Lengths?'

Sep 18, 2025

I wondered about the speed to the phone and from the A329 (not the letter versions)
I did a test and created a little video which I hadn't finished but thought it might be useful to this discussion.

I found when I connect the A329 to my USB 3.2 ver1 port I could get a constant transfer speed of 60MB/s

I created a simple video to show this. It is not finished but it is real and in real time.

I'm open to improvement suggestions.

Interesting things.

I connected my A329S to my pc's USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 port.

Internal micro SD card is a NEW VIOFO 512GB Industrial...

• speedingcheetah

• 

 

[viofo]

For the speed testing, the limitation is the memory card reading speed.
The camera can support a USB 3.0 SSD cable, the issue is that the USB3.0 cable will affect the GPS signal.

 

[speedingcheetah]

For the speed testing, the limitation is the memory card reading speed.
The camera can support a USB 3.0 SSD cable, the issue is that the USB3.0 cable will affect the GPS signal.

As i mentioned in linked to post. Not what i am seeing.

Micro SD card is a NEW VIOFO 512GB Industrial card.
Tested in external card reader:
93MB/s read
69MB/s write

Using a USB 3.0 cable from PC directly to cam. (tested to full 3.0 speeds. maxes out rated speeds of Sandisk Extreme 1TB ssd)

~52MB/s read, copying files from the internal sd card off the camera, to my pc's ssd.
~10MB/s write, copying a video file back to the cameras sd card

 

[SC@AU]

The camera can support a USB 3.0 SSD cable, the issue is that the USB3.0 cable will affect the GPS signal.

I thought it was the GPS module that would potentially effect the USB 3.0 cable…!?

Regardless, I guess this is the reason why the recommended Viofo USB SSD Cable is USB 2.0….
Which begs the question, why have the USB 3.0 Port..? I know it can be used for transfers to phone/pc as well, but presumably the main use is for external storage….

Nevertheless, even at USB 2.0 speeds and power spec, that’s still plenty enough for external SSD write & read….So, please explain why the SSD compatibility is so limited and proving so difficult…?

 

[speedingcheetah]

I thought it was the GPS module that would potentially effect the USB 3.0 cable…!?

Regardless, I guess this is the reason why the recommended Viofo USB SSD Cable is USB 2.0….
Which begs the question, why have the USB 3.0 Port..? I know it can be used for transfers to phone/pc as well, but presumably the main use is for external storage….

Nevertheless, even at USB 2.0 speeds and power spec, that’s still plenty enough for external SSD write & read….So, please explain why the SSD compatibility is so limited and proving so difficult…?

How does a 3.0 cable cause GPS interference?or vice versa?

The 3.0 spec cable is actually designed to that specification, which I believe is a much more strict and stringent design specification compared to 2.0 , it should have proper shielding and a build a quality that should not cause any interference to itself or outside sources.

 

[SC@AU]

How does a 3.0 cable cause GPS interference?or vice versa?

USB 3.x higher speed transfer has interference and signalling noise that interferes with wireless frequencies, especially around the 2.4Ghz….

I remember years back when USB 3.0 first started appearing on Macs, having a drive connected on the rear port would send the Bluetooth mouse haywire..! OWC came out with a fix as part of one of their internal upgrade kits, which was not much more than a piece of foil placed near the BT chip on the board..!

Yes, the cables have a tight tolerance re spec and shielding etc, especially so USB 3.2, Thunderbolt 4/5 etc – but that’s mainly to ensure their own high speed transfers…Also a reason why they are short in length.

 

[SC@AU]

I don't think there have been any complaints about remote SD card use.
And, in my opinion, using a remotely installed SD card offers more advantages than an SSD, especially for parking.

I am curious and tempted by the External SD solution as an alternative to SSD – the potential reliability and lack of reported issues would be one of the main reasons….

However – except a lower power usage (how much so, I don’t know..?) compared to SSD, what other advantages are there..?

Three aspects I also see as drawbacks:
– I’m not aware of any SD Readers that have a female USB-C port, normally always a short tethered fly-lead with Male plug…Notwithstanding the additional connection points, this then involves use of either a) Coupler or b) Extension Lead with Female Port – both of which are against USB-C spec and not offered by any mainstream reputable manufacturer…
Ideally, I would prefer to keep with Viofo’s USB–SSD cable, mainly for sake of official recommendation/support (I appreciate there may be nothing ‘special’ about this cable), which leaves me with a Male 90° plug at the end….

– Limited options re larger SD Capacities. Yes there are some 1–2TB out there, but notably very little, if any, in the reputable ’Endurance’ rated ranges…and certainly none in any of Viofo’s currently recommended SD card list…

– Admittedly this is no different to SSD, but as external storage, still no support for Hybrid/LPID parking modes…

 

[lufa6977]

I would guess that the USB-C port for the SSD shares a common bus or has traces in close proximity to the GPS power/data traces?

 

[lufa6977]

I am curious and tempted by the External SD solution as an alternative to SSD – the potential reliability and lack of reported issues would be one of the main reasons….

However – except a lower power usage (how much so, I don’t know..?) compared to SSD, what other advantages are there..?

Three aspects I also see as drawbacks:
– I’m not aware of any SD Readers that have a female USB-C port, normally always a short tethered fly-lead with Male plug…Notwithstanding the additional connection points, this then involves use of either a) Coupler or b) Extension Lead with Female Port – both of which are against USB-C spec and not offered by any mainstream reputable manufacturer…
Ideally, I would prefer to keep with Viofo’s USB–SSD cable, mainly for sake of official recommendation/support (I appreciate there may be nothing ‘special’ about this cable), which leaves me with a Male 90° plug at the end….

– Limited options re larger SD Capacities. Yes there are some 1–2TB out there, but notably very little, if any, in the reputable ’Endurance’ rated ranges…and certainly none in any of Viofo’s currently recommended SD card list…

– Admittedly this is no different to SSD, but as external storage, still no support for Hybrid/LPID parking modes…

The external MicroSDXC solution I am aware of is simply an extender ribbon cable from the card reader slot, which is approximately six inches long. This separates the card from the body, allowing for better cooling. With the Viofo, if I could get the SD extended away from the body, I would then try a 1TB SD card.

 

[SC@AU]

The external MicroSDXC solution I am aware of is simply an extender ribbon cable from the card reader slot, which is approximately six inches long.

I haven’t seen that…Though is a bit ‘messy’ in my opinion and also not especially ‘secure’ storage, which for me is a main advantage of the external storage route, along the lines of BlackVue’s Box models….

Re external SD storage, I was more thinking along the lines of the example from @GPak

Post in thread 'VIOFO A329S - Testing/Review - RCG'

Sep 28, 2025

About six months ago, I installed the A329 in my son's car, with a remotely mounted SD card.
All components were third-party, including the cable, card reader (linked here), and an old SanDisk Ultra SD card.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/B0BNBXVLZS
https://www.amazon.com/gp/B0D1V76CYB EDIT: This cable is interfering with GPS
Here is the cable that works with GPS.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/B09CCL8H1Z

This offers all the benefits of remote installation, such as reduced heat (the card slot is usually the hottest spot on a dashcam), secure footage, plus a lower power consumption for parking...

• GPak

• 

 

[SC@AU]

– I’m not aware of any SD Readers that have a female USB-C port, normally always a short tethered fly-lead with Male plug…

Of course, having written that, I then find some…! 😳

A small and nifty Ugreen offering, intended for iPhone mainly, but may be suitable…USB-C 3.0…Handy magnetic ring for attachment, may be good under dash etc…!

And at the opposite end of the scale, the Pro range of models from Sandisk…Bit larger, but nice heat sink bodies…They seem to be USB 3.2, but presumably would downgrade to USB 3.0 and slower speeds – just a case if the A329S would power it up OK..?


Have no idea what the Write performance of either of these ‘Readers’ would be as they just seem to concentrate on Read performance, but presumably should be sufficient for A329S 3CH max requirements..?