Viofo Website Says Don’t Expose Dash Cam To Direct Sunlight Too Long

[DashCamOnBoard]

Now folks, THINK about this.



Any dashcam is GOING to get hot in the car in the summer, especially very hot climates. So what, they expect us to remove the dashcam every day if it's hot out? C'mon, dog.

And they need to fix their grammar. ... , it may cause the camera TO overheat.

 

[dawilso9]

I would assume having it behind the windshield would not be direct sun since it provides some protection.

 

[Agie]

I would assume having it behind the windshield would not be direct sun since it provides some protection.

Only if it's tinted

 

[Agie]

Now folks, THINK about this.

View attachment 71270

Any dashcam is GOING to get hot in the car in the summer, especially very hot climates. So what, they expect us to remove the dashcam every day if it's hot out? C'mon, dog.

And they need to fix their grammar. ... , it may cause the camera TO overheat.

Presuming this is a new warning, haven't seen this one before haha. I suspect this may be partly my fault because I tested the A229 Pro, and it overheated a few times while parked stationary.

They did change the behaviour though to shutdown the dashcam properly (with a visible warning on screen) to avoid damaging the internal components. Fair play to them.

 

[Cyker]

They really should be designed to work in high temperatures though...

 

[Agie]

They really should be designed to work in high temperatures though...

Fair point but as with anything electronics, there are constraints. We are paying consumer grade prices for such equipment and not for professional equipment designed to withstand the harshest of climates .

 

[Panzer Platform]

They really should be designed to work in high temperatures though...

Well of course that should be the case, but we’re talking about $100 “budget” devices here.
I bet all the electronic equipment on police car windshields cost $5K-$20K each or more.

 

[DashCamOnBoard]

Fair point but as with anything electronics, there are constraints. We are paying consumer grade prices for such equipment and not for professional equipment designed to withstand the harshest of climates .

Yeah, but it still needs to WORK. If they need to add another $50 to the price to NOT have to put an unrealistic warning in their own manual, then DO IT.

It gets hot in cars. REAL hot. They need to factor that into their research and development.

 

[Panzer Platform]

Yeah, but it still needs to WORK. If they need to add another $50 to the price to NOT have to put an unrealistic warning in their own manual, then DO IT.

It gets hot in cars. REAL hot. They need to factor that into their research and development.

Pretty much every dash cam from every brand will overheat in direct sunlight in parking mode.
It's not just a Viofo thing.
The only brands that are really known for hi temp operation are Thinkware & IROAD, (Korean made).

 

[viofo]

Pretty much every dash cam from every brand will overheat in direct sunlight in parking mode.
It's not just a Viofo thing.
The only brands that are really known for hi temp operation are Thinkware & IROAD, (Korean made).

Like the Thinkware U1000 4K I tested before, while the WiFi is turned on, it will automatically be switched to 2K resolution.

 

[Agie]

Like the Thinkware U1000 4K I tested before, while the WiFi is turned on, it will automatically be switched to 2K resolution.

*Shots fired*

 

[Dashmellow]

Fair point but as with anything electronics, there are constraints. We are paying consumer grade prices for such equipment and not for professional equipment designed to withstand the harshest of climates .

I've been saying the same thing for years regarding the fact that most dash cams are basically consumer gadgets built with more in common with the average Game Boy (a plastic box with a circuit board and screen screwed into it) than with "real" cameras that have a rigid sturdy housing surrounding a metal chassis holding the lens, sensor, circuitry and other components.

I've been advocating for years that dash cams should be built more to the standards of CCTV cameras which are basically built using the same or very similar lenses, sensors, SoCs and other components as dash cams and are housed in weatherproof cast aluminum housings (no ventilation) and use massive internal heat sinks to draw heat away from the components and transfer it to the integrated metal housings. CCTV camera endure extremes of heat and cold operating 24/7 365 days a year often sitting all day in direct sunshine without issues. Many high quality CCTV cameras happen to be in the exact same price range as many of today's dash cams.

@viofo has been one of the few dash cam manufacturers who seems to be taking on this challenge. I've been noticing that their more recent 2K and 4K cameras have a much better build quality than older dash cams I've been familiar with all these years and they are all built with massive cast aluminum heat sinks like I've been suggesting and this goes a long way to achieving the necessary resistance to heat build-up, especially with the demands of higher performance processors. I give Viofo a lot of credit for this approach.

 

[Vortex Radar]

@DashCamOnBoard do you have a link to where that note is on Viofo's site? Do they say the same thing for the A229 Plus?

 

[DashCamOnBoard]

https://viofo.com/content/99-viofo-a229-pro-dash-cam-support/

 

[rcg530]

@DashCamOnBoard do you have a link to where that note is on Viofo's site? Do they say the same thing for the A229 Plus?

It's the last entry in the FAQ section that contains the warning. The same warning is present in the A229 Pro and A229 Plus FAQ sections.

 

[VIOFO-Support]

@DashCamOnBoard do you have a link to where that note is on Viofo's site? Do they say the same thing for the A229 Plus?

This tip is for all the dashcams, not only for certain specific ones. Overheating issue is always a hot topic in the dashcam market, and all our manufacturers keep trying to solve this problem. VIOFO also has paid much attention to this to optimize.

 

[Vortex Radar]

This tip is for all the dashcams, not only for certain specific ones. Overheating issue is always a hot topic in the dashcam market, and all our manufacturers keep trying to solve this problem. VIOFO also has paid much attention to this to optimize.

It’s an issue for every dashcam, sure, and it’s a tough problem. FWIW I have way better luck with dashcams than I do with GoPros, phones, and mirrorless cameras.

Regarding the A229 Plus and Pro, I could see the Pro getting hotter than the Plus because of the 4K video and higher bitrate putting more demands on the CPU and thus it would hit the high temperature cutoff threshold sooner. Is that a fair assumption? For that reason, perhaps a Plus would be better suited to hotter climates? Or maybe using the Pro with the normal bitrate instead of a max bitrate option? I am just speculating though and would love to hear your thoughts.

 

[ogzogz]

Frankly, sunlight warning must be for all electronic devices.
I believe that users will be able to predict this themselves without any warning.
Just as we do not always drive a vehicle at full speed and revs, I hope that users should be aware that things can go wrong when they use the camera installed in their vehicle under the sun at maximum setting.

 

[vvs49]

If the climate control works, then on the way the sun is not a hindrance, but when parking, I always cover my windshield with a mirror curtain, I’ve been doing this for 15 years and there are no problems!!

 

[Agie]

If the climate control works, then on the way the sun is not a hindrance, but when parking, I always cover my windshield with a mirror curtain, I’ve been doing this for 15 years and there are no problems!!

What maximum temperatures are you getting in summer though.