What dashcam to buy? 70mai a510/a810, Viofo a119 mini 2/a229 plus

[RainDrps]

Looking for a dashcam, I do want parking mode and Im wanting something that is good quality to price and will last more than 2 years compared to buying cheaper chinese ones around 40-50 euros.

I'm considering the 4 in the title, the prices are

70mai a150 135 euros

70mai a810 220 euros

Viofo a119 mini 2 around 120 euros

a229 plus 195 euros

From what I see the main difference is from the viofo, a229 2 cams over 1 cam on the a119 mini and both use starvis 2. The 70mai use lithium batteries instead of capcitors but I dont know how much better capacitors are.

Which do you guys recommend? I also do want parking mode to work properly..

 

[Accomplished_Arm_447]

Have you looked at https://dashcamtalk.com/comparison-tool/

 

[Nigel]

The 70mai use lithium batteries instead of capcitors but I dont know how much better capacitors are.

Lithium batteries don't like heat, so have a lifespan of around 18 months, while capacitors will generally last 10+ years.

70mai use better batteries than most dashcam manufacturers, so their cameras will last longer than 18 months. I'm not sure how long, but there are guides to DIY replacement of their batteries, so I think they must fail long before a Viofo will normally fail! There are also reports of Viofo capacitor failures, but also plenty of reports of them lasting 10 years and still going strong.

The Viofo cameras do have better image quality than 70mai, although 70mai is adequate quality for most people.

From what I see the main difference is from the viofo, a229 2 cams over 1 cam on the a119 mini

Yes, that is the main difference.

A front facing camera will record how you drive, and if someone hits you from behind, it will be pretty clear if you did something stupid to cause the accident, or if you were driving sensibly and it was their fault. The front camera will show and hear the impact and the severity of it. It won't record the license plate of a car that hits you from the rear, unless it then drives off and passes you. It also won't record that the driver that hit you was txting on the phone at the time, but in most cases, you don't need that for insurance, you only need to show that you were driving sensibly.

It is nice to have rear video in an rear impact, but normally it doesn't actually help very much for an insurance claim.

The front only is easier to install, no need to route a cable from front to rear.

Make sure you get the correct hardwire kit to match the camera if you want parking mode. Although on Viofo cameras it is possible, but not really recommended, to use parking mode without a hardwire kit.

 

[RainDrps]

Have you looked at https://dashcamtalk.com/comparison-tool/

I have, but it there isnt the a510 and it's mostly comparing us prices. here the a229 plus is cheaper than the A810

 

[RainDrps]

Lithium batteries don't like heat, so have a lifespan of around 18 months, while capacitors will generally last 10+ years.

70mai use better batteries than most dashcam manufacturers, so their cameras will last longer than 18 months. I'm not sure how long, but there are guides to DIY replacement of their batteries, so I think they must fail long before a Viofo will normally fail! There are also reports of Viofo capacitor failures, but also plenty of reports of them lasting 10 years and still going strong.

The Viofo cameras do have better image quality than 70mai, although 70mai is adequate quality for most people.


Yes, that is the main difference.

A front facing camera will record how you drive, and if someone hits you from behind, it will be pretty clear if you did something stupid to cause the accident, or if you were driving sensibly and it was their fault. The front camera will show and hear the impact and the severity of it. It won't record the license plate of a car that hits you from the rear, unless it then drives off and passes you. It also won't record that the driver that hit you was txting on the phone at the time, but in most cases, you don't need that for insurance, you only need to show that you were driving sensibly.

It is nice to have rear video in an rear impact, but normally it doesn't actually help very much for an insurance claim.

The front only is easier to install, no need to route a cable from front to rear.

Make sure you get the correct hardwire kit to match the camera if you want parking mode. Although on Viofo cameras it is possible, but not really recommended, to use parking mode without a hardwire kit.

So you think Viofo is better to buy? at the prices i listed. I live near spain and it gets to around 35 degrees celsius here so probably even hotter in my car.
You also don't think it's usually worth getting a rear camera?
For the hardwire kit, is it true they kill your battery very fast?

 

[Nigel]

So you think Viofo is better to buy? at the prices i listed. I live near spain and it gets to around 35 degrees celsius here so probably even hotter in my car.

i don't recommend cameras with lithium batteries, so yes. And I would choose the Viofo anyway because of better build quality. However 70mai do make decent dashcams, if you want to save money in the short term, and just want something that works, then they are OK.

You also don't think it's usually worth getting a rear camera?

I like to have a rear camera, but if there is a budget limit, I would make sure I have a really good front camera before starting on a rear, and I am quite happy to drive without a rear. I tend to upgrade the front and put the old front in the rear, then almost never look at the video from the rear, while I quite often look at the front video.

For the hardwire kit, is it true they kill your battery very fast?

Depends, the Viofo hardwire kits have an adjustable low voltage cutoff, so you can set it fairly high and it will have little impact on you car battery, but then you don't get many hours of recording time. Viofo also has a parking duration timer, which I have set on 3 hours, which covers all supermarket trips, but doesn't empty the battery overnight while parked in a dark garage! Some people park on the street and need overnight recording though.

I have a 70mai hardwire kit, and I think it only has an 11.6 volt cutoff, which will almost empty your battery, not very good for a standard car battery, and I don't think 70mai has a parking duration timer, unless they have added it recently, so yes, that will give the car battery a hard life. All car batteries have a limited life though, very few last 10 years even with minimal use, 5 years life isn't uncommon, the more you use it, the more you will reduce that life, but it is a battery, if you use it, you should expect it to wear out. Even if you do empty it every night, I would hope that you would get 3 years out of it, although you might not have much record time by the end! Considering how long people tend to keep cars, that might mean you replace the battery in your car one extra time.

 

[RainDrps]

i don't recommend cameras with lithium batteries, so yes. And I would choose the Viofo anyway because of better build quality. However 70mai do make decent dashcams, if you want to save money in the short term, and just want something that works, then they are OK.


I like to have a rear camera, but if there is a budget limit, I would make sure I have a really good front camera before starting on a rear, and I am quite happy to drive without a rear. I tend to upgrade the front and put the old front in the rear, then almost never look at the video from the rear, while I quite often look at the front video.


Depends, the Viofo hardwire kits have an adjustable low voltage cutoff, so you can set it fairly high and it will have little impact on you car battery, but then you don't get many hours of recording time. Viofo also has a parking duration timer, which I have set on 3 hours, which covers all supermarket trips, but doesn't empty the battery overnight while parked in a dark garage! Some people park on the street and need overnight recording though.

I have a 70mai hardwire kit, and I think it only has an 11.6 volt cutoff, which will almost empty your battery, not very good for a standard car battery, and I don't think 70mai has a parking duration timer, unless they have added it recently, so yes, that will give the car battery a hard life. All car batteries have a limited life though, very few last 10 years even with minimal use, 5 years life isn't uncommon, the more you use it, the more you will reduce that life, but it is a battery, if you use it, you should expect it to wear out. Even if you do empty it every night, I would hope that you would get 3 years out of it, although you might not have much record time by the end! Considering how long people tend to keep cars, that might mean you replace the battery in your car one extra time.

Well the 70mai isn't even cheaper, it's 210 euros while the a229 plus is 195 euros with a coupon on amazon..
a119 mini 2 is 120 euros with a 40 euro coupon.
Viofo seems to be way more prefered?

It's being bought as a gift for me so budget isnt much of a concern i can put some money towards it and get the a229 plus if its actually worth having a rear, it's just my car was damaged twice when i didnt drive it for a day or 2 and i ended up paying the insurance and increasing my insurance rate sadly. at least 1-2 days is my goal.. i see there is some powerbanks etc than can expan the time up to 77 hours but are 200+ more

 

[Nigel]

Well the 70mai isn't even cheaper, it's 210 euros while the a229 plus is 195 euros with a coupon on amazon..
a119 mini 2 is 120 euros with a 40 euro coupon.
Viofo seems to be way more prefered?

It's being bought as a gift for me so budget isnt much of a concern i can put some money towards it and get the a229 plus if its actually worth having a rear, it's just my car was damaged twice when i didnt drive it for a day or 2 and i ended up paying the insurance and increasing my insurance rate sadly. at least 1-2 days is my goal.. i see there is some powerbanks etc than can expan the time up to 77 hours but are 200+ more

For parking, if you only have a front, then you need to make sure you are facing the person who hits you. For some people, that is fairly easy, not so easy if parked on the street though. It sounds like you would be better off with a rear, so yes, your insurance probably went up by more than the cost of an A129 Plus, so being able to get the culprit to pay instead next time is worth the cost.

Your car battery will probably only last 1 day before the hardwire kit turns off due to low voltage if using a dual dashcam for parking mode, but the cost of a powerbank big enough to keep it going for two days is rather high, and is unlikely to fully charge anyway unless you do a lot of driving. If you only drive 10 minutes per day then you won't get enough charging done. Some people charge powerbanks at home, and take a fully charged one to the car every day, which does solve the problem, if you actually get around to doing it!!

You need to treat the dashcam as part of your insurance, and work out if getting extra cover is actually worth while. A basic dashcam definitely is, but parking coverage for several days becomes expensive. There are some dashcams that have low power parking coverage that can last for several days, Thinkware U3000 uses radar to wake up only when there is movement around, which is quite good, although the image quality is not so good. The new Viofo A329S will also have a low power parking mode that wakes up when it is hit, which while not ideal, because it wont record the actual impact, is much better than nothing. Both those dashcams are beyond your current budget though.

 

[RainDrps]

For parking, if you only have a front, then you need to make sure you are facing the person who hits you. For some people, that is fairly easy, not so easy if parked on the street though. It sounds like you would be better off with a rear, so yes, your insurance probably went up by more than the cost of an A129 Plus, so being able to get the culprit to pay instead next time is worth the cost.

Your car battery will probably only last 1 day before the hardwire kit turns off due to low voltage if using a dual dashcam for parking mode, but the cost of a powerbank big enough to keep it going for two days is rather high, and is unlikely to fully charge anyway unless you do a lot of driving. If you only drive 10 minutes per day then you won't get enough charging done. Some people charge powerbanks at home, and take a fully charged one to the car every day, which does solve the problem, if you actually get around to doing it!!

You need to treat the dashcam as part of your insurance, and work out if getting extra cover is actually worth while. A basic dashcam definitely is, but parking coverage for several days becomes expensive. There are some dashcams that have low power parking coverage that can last for several days, Thinkware U3000 uses radar to wake up only when there is movement around, which is quite good, although the image quality is not so good. The new Viofo A329S will also have a low power parking mode that wakes up when it is hit, which while not ideal, because it wont record the actual impact, is much better than nothing. Both those dashcams are beyond your current budget though.

Honestly, I barely get to drive my car because I live in a tourist area and if I move my car, it takes over an hour to find another parking space. I drive once or twice a week and it's not for that much time.
My town also has a lot of people that are retired which are horrible drivers. I plan on getting my own place at the end of the year with a garage which will remove my need for any kind of 24h parking at all, but for now you think the a229 plus is the better option or just stick with the a119 mini 2? Powerbank idea sounds interesting but just when i pop to the supermarket or go into the city..


Doesn't Viofo a119/a229 also have buffed parking and only wakes up when hit?

 

[Nigel]

Doesn't Viofo a119/a229 also have buffed parking and only wakes up when hit?

They have a buffered parking mode that records only when hit, however the rest of the time it is storing video in its buffer for in case it gets hit, so is still using most of the normal power.

There are quite a few dashcams that will wake up and record when hit, but until recently they have tended to take 6, 10, maybe 12 seconds to wake up sufficiently to record, which is normally a bit pointless. We are starting to get fast start wakeup, the A329 is only around 2 seconds, which doesn't give time for people to get away, but it is still not great evidence, while the buffered parking mode will actually give you a recording of the hit and run.

A single channel dashcam will use less power than a two channel, so will give around 50% longer recording, but if you aren't driving enough to charge the batteries, it wont make much difference. If you have a 20,000mAh USB battery pack, and change it daily, then the A119 will run 24/7, and the A229 Plus two channel will get nearly 24 hours. Although don't leave the battery pack in the sun, and if you are considering it, read up/ask about suitable battery packs for use in high temperatures.

I guess you can't follow the normal advice and put a camera in your house to watch the car at a distance? That is often the best advice, but not feasible from what you have said.

 

[RainDrps]

They have a buffered parking mode that records only when hit, however the rest of the time it is storing video in its buffer for in case it gets hit, so is still using most of the normal power.

There are quite a few dashcams that will wake up and record when hit, but until recently they have tended to take 6, 10, maybe 12 seconds to wake up sufficiently to record, which is normally a bit pointless. We are starting to get fast start wakeup, the A329 is only around 2 seconds, which doesn't give time for people to get away, but it is still not great evidence, while the buffered parking mode will actually give you a recording of the hit and run.

A single channel dashcam will use less power than a two channel, so will give around 50% longer recording, but if you aren't driving enough to charge the batteries, it wont make much difference. If you have a 20,000mAh USB battery pack, and change it daily, then the A119 will run 24/7, and the A229 Plus two channel will get nearly 24 hours. Although don't leave the battery pack in the sun, and if you are considering it, read up/ask about suitable battery packs for use in high temperatures.

I guess you can't follow the normal advice and put a camera in your house to watch the car at a distance? That is often the best advice, but not feasible from what you have said.

Unfortunately no it's not possible. I'm still having a hard time picking between them, I managed to get the a119 mini v2 at 95 euro and the a229 plus at 165 euros. Rear cam would be nice but I'm not sure if it's ever used.

20000 mah batteries are cheap right ?

 

[oleeee]

Capacitors offer longer lifespan and greater stability.

 

[Seer]

I wouldn't use the parking mode with Viofo dashcams. I have had bad experiences with them. The problem is their hardwire kits. The voltage cutoff are faulty. They won't shut off the unit if you're battery's voltage is low. With cars that aren't driven daily, the battery frequently goes dead because parking mode depletes them.

 

[RainDrps]

I wouldn't use the parking mode with Viofo dashcams. I have had bad experiences with them. The problem is their hardwire kits. The voltage cutoff are faulty. They won't shut off the unit if you're battery's voltage is low. With cars that aren't driven daily, the battery frequently goes dead because parking mode depletes them.

First that I've heard.

 

[Seer]

First that I've heard.

That's surprising because I have installed about 10 dashcams and most of not all have this problem. Hardwire kits are notoriously defective. Many people have commented on this. You probably haven't had an issue with yours because you drive your car often. Don't drive it for a week and see what happens.

 

[RainDrps]

That's surprising because I have installed about 10 dashcams and most of not all have this problem. Hardwire kits are notoriously defective. Many people have commented on this. You probably haven't had an issue with yours because you drive your car often. Don't drive it for a week and see what happens.

why wouldnt you drive your car for an entire week?

 

[Seer]

I work from home. Sometimes I don't drive for an entire week

 

[RainDrps]

I work from home. Sometimes I don't drive for an entire week

I also work from home, I drive at least 1-2 times a week.. what did you do then to solve this issue? i was considering hooking it up to an external battery but idk

 

[Julian23]

I also work from home, I drive at least 1-2 times a week.. what did you do then to solve this issue? i was considering hooking it up to an external battery but idk

I don't have any issues with my Viofo HW kit. It has been running fine.
What I did do however to quickly disable the dashcam without having to long press the button is install a switch that completely shuts off the hardwire kit. I don't need my dashcam at home and want to preserve the battery. The switch is simple but effective.
No power draw at all like this.

An external battery will be the even better choice. More run time with less charging time.

 

[RainDrps]

I don't have any issues with my Viofo HW kit. It has been running fine.
What I did do however to quickly disable the dashcam without having to long press the button is install a switch that completely shuts off the hardwire kit. I don't need my dashcam at home and want to preserve the battery. The switch is simple but effective.
No power draw at all like this.

An external battery will be the even better choice. More run time with less charging time.

Any ideas for external batteries i can use?