Viofo T130 3 Channel Dashcam - 2K Front + FHD Interior + FHD Rear

[Mtz]

I tested placing A139 under the black Lidar Sensor plastic casing, and it didn't give a good viewing angle out of the windows

T130 is the first Viofo dashcam which could fit almost OK under the sensors pod.

enjoy,
Mtz

 

[kamkar]

Yes, often barrel shaped systems do better below sensor pods, or mounted on sensor pods but filming out below it.
I only favor wedge shaped systems as that work well in my car, the barrel and hybrid barrel / wedge shape like the A139 also have their merits for sure.

 

[HonestReview]

And Twitter, and in the past they have posted in other places too.

If they do have some left, they are probably looking for unusual people now, such as taxi drivers living north of the Arctic Circle!
So if you live in unusual circumstances, such as on the ISS, or have an unusual vehicle, such as Elon Musk's Starship, probably still worth applying...

Not to sound like sour grapes, but I am a bit put off to not be included. I've spent numerous hours product testing their production level A139 that I purchased at full price. I mean seriously, why bother sending out samples if people "write reviews without rigorous testing". If the whole point of sending out TONS of cameras is to garner a review, congrats. You wasted your money because the camera lands into consumers hands with major bugs. I've put forth HOURS AND HOURS of back and forth with Viofo making videos and showing them problems.

To be quite frank, the "overheating shutdown" on the A139 is an inexcusable flaw that should have been hammered out pre production. I.E. prior to landing in consumers hands. How "no one' brought up this issue beforehand shocks me.

Both A139's I got sent (1st exchanged) shut down unexpectedly during parking mode resulting in a corrupted last file being written (loop) or the entire SD CARD (loop record off). Imagine coming out to your car, finding it's been damaged, and discovering the camera shut off. Ouch, but now you discover the entire SD card is unreadable. Any hope of capturing that much needed video is GONE. Now that's a MAJOR FLAW or a "Fatal Flaw".

And Viofo is begging me to test their beta 1.6 firmware to see if the issue remains. When asked when the final 1.6 firmware is released, "our engineers are busy at work". Is that code for waiting on me to keep testing, to see if their bugs are sorted?

VIOFO-Support​

Hello Sir!

Sorry for letting you wait such a long time. Here is the previous version of the newest one. Could you please try it to see if the issue of the corruption of the last files can be fixed.

As the engineer is busy these days. The release of the newest V1.6 will be delayed for a couple of days.

Thanks for the kick in the nuts and gratitude to the HOURS of troubleshooting I've put in to this product.

 

[HonestReview]

T130 is the first Viofo dashcam which could fit almost OK under the sensors pod.

enjoy,
Mtz

Well I'm not included in their beta, guess my hours and hours of wasted testing on their flawed A139 with major bugs didn't meet their expectations.

None the less, the area under the mirror results in the mirror obstructing the view. My photo doesn't show it, but that area is recessed with the mirror blocking.

 

[TonyM]

I currently have an A139 installed on the UK driver side (right side of the sensor pod), with the interior camera stuck on the pod which is rather obvious and not very discreet. The T130 may work where the A139 is now, perhaps a bit higher, with its internal camera looking over the rear view mirror.

 

[Nigel]

Does look like above the mirror would work on yours, but on the passenger side the mirror is further from the glass, so harder to see over/under, you might need to swap the two cameras.

Location does depend a bit on if you want it looking rearward normally or always looking towards the driver's door to some extent, in which case it is less likely to be blocked by the mirror.

But every car is different, just need to try it, with the live view running on the app.

On the two vehicles I've tried, it happily went under the mirror, although on my car it was then blocking the view of the A129 and A139 I had above it, so I moved it to the bottom of the glass, where it was surprisingly out of view of the other two. Not a recommended location, but it does work. Neither vehicle had a significant sensor pod though, just a small one for auto wipers.

 

[HonestReview]

Does look like above the mirror would work on yours, but on the passenger side the mirror is further from the glass, so harder to see over/under, you might need to swap the two cameras.

Location does depend a bit on if you want it looking rearward normally or always looking towards the driver's door to some extent, in which case it is less likely to be blocked by the mirror.

But every car is different, just need to try it, with the live view running on the app.

On the two vehicles I've tried, it happily went under the mirror, although on my car it was then blocking the view of the A129 and A139 I had above it, so I moved it to the bottom of the glass, where it was surprisingly out of view of the other two. Not a recommended location, but it does work. Neither vehicle had a significant sensor pod though, just a small one for auto wipers.

Definitely NOT AN OPTION in all vehicles. Especially newer cars that have Lidar safety systems. Here's my Volvo as an example of why this won't work, and why I have the A139 mounted in its current position. Any interior camera will be obstructed by the Mirror. So on the T130 the integrated interior camera would be useless if mounting it to the plastic housing on my car. It'd see mirror and nothing else.

On the A139, the main forward facing unit could go under plastic housing for mirror , but not the interior unit. For the exact same caveats mentioned on the T130 (obstructing mirror).

Image 2 shows looking dead on at the mirror and provides a better perspective of how the camera would be obstructed.

Images #1 (Interior) and #3 (main unit) are the A139s current placement in my vehicle to address those concerns.

 

[TonyM]

There are countless variations of car geometry that affect front, rear and interior camera placement. No one dashcam can aspire to be suitable for all cars and their users. With the A139 and T130, prospective Viofo 3CH buyers now have two viable options to choose between.

The ability of the T130 to be flipped upside-down increases the likelihood of finding an acceptable location to mount the main camera unit. I just hope those right-angle USB-C connectors do not compromise the setup options. I can see some people asking for straight connectors.

 

[TonyM]

Nigel / Viofo - Does the T130 use 'standard' USB-C data cables? Could someone swap a right-angle cable for a straight ended cable?

 

[HonestReview]

There are countless variations of car geometry that affect front, rear and interior camera placement. No one dashcam can aspire to be suitable for all cars and their users. With the A139 and T130, prospective Viofo 3CH buyers now have two viable options to choose between.

The ability of the T130 to be flipped upside-down increases the likelihood of finding an acceptable location to mount the main camera unit. I just hope those right-angle USB-C connectors do not compromise the setup options. I can see some people asking for straight connectors.

Agreed. Just highlighting that newer cars have limitations on where to mount due to Lidar Systems. Not a complaint, but more of a general comment.

I see the A139 being more versatile since you can mount the front camera and interior camera in two different places. However, I like the form factor of a single front + interior, too. (T130). Form factor wise, it monopolizes less windshield real estate. But that comes at a price of placement and viewing angle.

I am curious how the T130 will hold up compared to the A139 in heat testing...

Will the T130 have the same fatal flaw of shutting down with heat? Will it corrupt last file (loop) or entire SD card (no loop) with unexpected shutdown?
I'd seriously recommend someone here run these tests, so consumers get a working production level model. And not making the paying consumer go through the pains of being a beta tester. A la the Viofo A139 for issues that should have been caught and corrected beforehand.

Nothing worse than reddit and vine reviewers saying I love this thing after using and testing a product for five minutes...Not helpful or constructive in the least!

 

[Jeremy Wong]

Nigel / Viofo - Does the T130 use 'standard' USB-C data cables? Could someone swap a right-angle cable for a straight ended cable?

Do you mean for the front cam? I've tried with a USB Type-C cable from Ugreen and it can power the front cam. For the rear cam, I need to find a male to male USB Type-C cable.

 

[runtohell121]

I'm interested to see where everyone mounts their T130. And also curious to see if other USB-C to USB-C cable will work for the rear camera, though I doubt... but would be nice to find a thinner cable option.

 

[TonyM]

Do you mean for the front cam? I've tried with a USB Type-C cable from Ugreen and it can power the front cam. For the rear cam, I need to find a male to male USB Type-C cable.

I was thinking about both cables. Obviously it is recommended to use the cables supplied, but there are always people who try to use alternative cables and power supplies which can lead to reliability problems.

 

[Nigel]

Nigel / Viofo - Does the T130 use 'standard' USB-C data cables? Could someone swap a right-angle cable for a straight ended cable?

No, not standard USB-C data cables.

You can power it with a standard USB-A to USB-C cable from a standard USB-A charger.
A USB-C charger will probably not power it.
I suspect a USB-C right angle converter or USB-C extension cable will work for the power, although I haven't personally tested that.

The rear camera cable is a customised cable, very similar to the A129 rear camera cable but with different connectors, probably can't even be extended successfully.

I've tried with a USB Type-C cable from Ugreen and it can power the front cam.

Can you be a bit more specific about the setup, where was the power coming from?

 

[TonyM]

No, not standard USB-C data cables.

The rear camera cable is a customised cable, very similar to the A129 rear camera cable but with different connectors, probably can't even be extended successfully.

OK, thanks for clarifying that.

 

[Jeremy Wong]

No, not standard USB-C data cables.

You can power it with a standard USB-A to USB-C cable from a standard USB-A charger.
A USB-C charger will probably not power it.
I suspect a USB-C right angle converter or USB-C extension cable will work for the power, although I haven't personally tested that.

The rear camera cable is a customised cable, very similar to the A129 rear camera cable but with different connectors, probably can't even be extended successfully.


Can you be a bit more specific about the setup, where was the power coming from?

I've tested using an Aukey QuickCharge2.0 car charger with an Ugreen Type C cable to power the T130. No issues during the whole drive for more than 30 minutes.

 

[Nigel]

I've tested using an Aukey QuickCharge2.0 car charger with an Ugreen Type C cable to power the T130. No issues during the whole drive for more than 30 minutes.

Possibly it is just USB PD chargers that it is incompatible with?

 

[Jeremy Wong]

Possibly it is just USB PD chargers that it is incompatible with?

Don't have a PD car charger yet. Maybe in future will get one [emoji4]

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[kamkar]

who try to use alternative cables and power supplies which can lead to reliability problems.

For sure if you have tried anything alternative with your system, first order of the day should be trying the factory supplied stuff.

In my car i have a wide range of USB charger ports available, but i would never move a camera to any of those before a long time into testing, i find it important to test everything in a system provided to me, so for that reason i have 2 X 3 12 V plugs ready to go in my glove box, beside the USB chargers, so that box is pretty full, and i do also call it my power station.

I will first be testing this new T130 system on its provided power supply, then early next year i will remove the A139 and move the T130 to the hard wire kit to be able to test parking guard features.

 

[Jeremy Wong]

For sure if you have tried anything alternative with your system, first order of the day should be trying the factory supplied stuff.

In my car i have a wide range of USB charger ports available, but i would never move a camera to any of those before a long time into testing, i find it important to test everything in a system provided to me, so for that reason i have 2 X 3 12 V plugs ready to go in my glove box, beside the USB chargers, so that box is pretty full, and i do also call it my power station.

I will first be testing this new T130 system on its provided power supply, then early next year i will remove the A139 and move the T130 to the hard wire kit to be able to test parking guard features.

I prefer to test alternatives first then move to factory chargers if got problems [emoji28]

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