Wifi wort the extra cash?

Richb77

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Hi all.

I am looking to purchase my first action cam and wanted to know something's before making my purchase.

I've read and watched all the relevant reviews and have narrowed my choice down to the SJCAM 4000 or M10.

The difference between these seems to be style only.

My question is about the wifi option.

Is it worth it?

Is it useful in the real world or just a gimmick?

And for those wondering why I have not mentioned the SJ5000...I don't think I will ever need 60fps so I would only consider the 5000 and 5000 wifi. What do they offer over the 4000? From what I can see not enough.

Cheers for any advice and real world experience.
 
If your using the SJ4000 or M10 as an action cam then WiFi is super useful for mounting it to chest mounts, helmets or any place that viewing the screen is difficult. As dash cam, it may not be necessary if you have a screen yet could be handy. It's not so easy seeing a 1.5" screen especially in certain lighting.

The M10 has a better interface and buttons in addition to the shape, which is less likely to attract thieves. What it lacks is a rear recording indicator; otherwise quality is the same.

https://dashcamtalk.com/forum/threads/sjcam-m10-short-review.8923/
 
@country_hick, you have been a member here at DCT for three months now and by your own admission you do not own a dash cam or action cam but you offer post after post after post of misinformation, opinion and sometimes factless advice based on stuff you find on the internet that often has little or nothing to do with the subject at hand. Telling a new member seeking advice that , "Wifi is largely for the conspiracy theorist.", is just the latest example and the video you linked has nothing whatsoever to do with @Richb77's query. In fact, one of the things he requests feedback about is "real world experience". If you actually owned an action cam that you were trying to aim while it was mounted on a motorcycle helmet or a dash cam you were trying to aim that was mounted on the back of a rear view mirror you might have a clue as to why people find wifi to be an attractive feature.

I have no desire for any sort of conflict on these boards but I keep biting my tongue with so many of your similar posts. Most people come to DCT to learn about the technology, get help making a purchase decision, and share what they know or have learned from hands-on experience. You on the other hand seem to just like to hear yourself talk. Why not finally go out and buy yourself a camera so that you might gain a clue about what you are talking about?

Wifi is largely for the conspiracy theorist. Using wifi you can record the police and not worry about your footage being taken and deleted by them. It could be handy if you want to immediately download your video to another device in your car like a laptop or smart phone.

Here is an example of an all out exceptionally expensive dash cam type setup that is unaffordable. You can see one reason for wifi explained better here.
https://dashcamtalk.com/forum/threa...t-is-sadly-to-expensive-for-most-people.8997/
 
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And for those wondering why I have not mentioned the SJ5000...I don't think I will ever need 60fps so I would only consider the 5000 and 5000 wifi. What do they offer over the 4000?
Only SJ5000+ have 60FPS and of course it costs more. The SJ5000 and SJ5000Wi-Fi are with novatek chipset.
Any SJ5000 records with better quality than SJ4000 just because using Panasonic CMOS instead of Aptina CMOS. If today I need a cheap decision I will go to SJ5000, but never to SJ4000 or M10. Or I can wait for a future action cam with Sony CMOS and almost same price as SJ5000. :cool:

But as a dashcam is not good any of SJCams:



enjoy,
Mtz
 
If considering wifi maybe hold off and wait for some feedback on the new Xiaomi camera, could be worth a look
 
If considering wifi maybe hold off and wait for some feedback on the new Xiaomi camera, could be worth a look
@Richb77 what are you planning to use the camera for? Post more info if you need help. I own the SJ4000 WiFi and M10 and am happy to test anything. I also have some mountain biking footage of the SJ4000 and used them both as my rear view dash camera for a while until I got the 0806.
 
My question is about the wifi option. Is it worth it? Is it useful in the real world or just a gimmick?

I sample check my video clips once a week. To ensure that the cam is actually recording to memory card. A kind of safety check ... like testing tyre pressures weekly.

I remove the MicroSD cards from my 2 Mobius cams. Insert card into an SD card adapter. Insert into a Kingston MobileLite Wi-Fi card reader. View clips on my iPad. Occasionally save screen grabs to iPad. Occasionally save a clip to iPad.

I do the same thing with the GT550 in my girlfriend's car. The GT550 has a screen, which is ok for initial setup, however, I find it unsatisfactory for checking clips.

A dashcam with well implemented inbuilt Wi-Fi capability would be useful to me. It's a convenience I will look for in whatever camera will eventually replace my Mobius cams. So, to answer your question, I don't think it's a gimmick if well implemented. I cannot say whether Wi-Fi has been well implemented in SJCAM cameras. My recollection of Techmoan's reviews is that there's scope for improvement.
 
WiFi is the next Mobius upgrade. Guessing :cool:
 
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Of course Wi-Fi is the normal way of Mobius. Will be great, but I am not sure it will be with the newest NT96660 Novatek chipset.

Some features of NT96660 chipset:
- real-time capability for 1080p60, 1080p30, 720p120, 720p60, 480p240, 480p120
- full frame still capture while video recording
- up to 50M pixel CMOS image sensor
- high speed serial interface like sub-LVDS/MIPI(1.5G)/HiSPi up to 10 channels and 2 clocks for most commercial CMOS sensors including Sony, Panasonic, Aptina, Samsung, Sharp and Omnivision, etc.
- HDR sensor composition such as SONY DOL mode and Omnivision staggered mode
- Wide dynamic range (WDR) for global/local illumination enhancement
- EIS with gyro-sensor input
- rolling shutter correction for CMOS sensor
- max. 4 video input
- 16-bit DDR3 SDRAM bus, supporting up to 4Gb
- DRAM operating frequency up to 600 MHz
- Secure Digital card and SDIO (3 sets)
- support eyeFi for wireless connection

enjoy,
Mtz
 
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WiFi is the next Mobius upgrade. Guessing :cool:
This comes to mind
acb.jpg
 
Of course Wi-Fi is the normal way of Mobius. Will be great, but I am not sure it will be with the newest NT96660 Novatek chipset.

Some features of NT96660 chipset:
- real-time capability for 1080p60, 1080p30, 720p120, 720p60, 480p240, 480p120
- full frame still capture while video recording
- up to 50M pixel CMOS image sensor
- high speed serial interface like sub-LVDS/MIPI(1.5G)/HiSPi up to 10 channels and 2 clocks for most commercial CMOS sensors including Sony, Panasonic, Aptina, Samsung, Sharp and Omnivision, etc.
- HDR sensor composition such as SONY DOL mode and Omnivision staggered mode
- Wide dynamic range (WDR) for global/local illumination enhancement
- EIS with gyro-sensor input
- rolling shutter correction for CMOS sensor
- max. 4 video input
- 16-bit DDR3 SDRAM bus, supporting up to 4Gb
- DRAM operating frequency up to 600 MHz
- Secure Digital card and SDIO (3 sets)
- support eyeFi for wireless connection

enjoy,
Mtz
That sounds very interesting thanks @Mtz - I'm looking forward to seeing what the quality of this new Novatek chip is like but it sounds promising indeed - especially the 4 channel bit opens up more options.
 
That sounds very interesting thanks @Mtz - I'm looking forward to seeing what the quality of this new Novatek chip is like but it sounds promising indeed - especially the 4 channel bit opens up more options.

I think it's going to be good for us for dual cam product, (Ambarella has been stunted for dual support with limited sensor support and poor data write rates) looking promising so far anyway
 
I'm guessing heat from the A7s is the biggest issue as to why we haven't seen anyone do a dual A7LAxx camera like Sungmoon did with the X2 to get around the limitations of the 70 as it would be a nightmare to cool it?

I've got one of the Lukas LK7950 WDs making it's way to me so I'm looking forward to seeing that with the Wifi etc.
 
I'm guessing heat from the A7s is the biggest issue as to why we haven't seen anyone do a dual A7LAxx camera like Sungmoon did with the X2 to get around the limitations of the 70 as it would be a nightmare to cool it?

I've got one of the Lukas LK7950 WDs making it's way to me so I'm looking forward to seeing that with the Wifi etc.

It's a platform I want to work with but still waiting for the SDK to catch up and bring the promised functionality and not the stunted performance we have now, I was doing better things with A2 previously that the A7 still can't do, it will get there but I just had to put some projects on hold until such time as they get it up to speed, heat is certainly one of the issues it still has right now
 
Hi All.

Thanks so much for the information and updates.

So i will start off by stating i have bought an SJCAM M10. Good cheap deal on ebay (45GBP)...I am British so tend to trade in both the UK and Germany and the UK is where i got the better deal.

I wasnt 100% sold i would need WiFi for the action cam and saved roughly 40% of the purchase price.

My main reason for purchase is to attach to my motorcycles while riding. I dont like the idea of a camera attached to the side of my lid (helmet) in case of an accident...I know quite a bit about materials and helmet design and the thought of sticking a peripheral on the side scares me!

One day i plan to go diving again and it would be great for that too. I examined what i was planning to use it for the one or two times i could make real use of the feature it would 90% of the time be unused. So i chose to save a little cash now.

I also plan on a car DVR install but i want a dedicated hardwired install for that. If only the polaroid cube would work...I am edging towards a mobius setup with some custom housing and hidden wiring. But thats a little off in the future.

Again thanks so much for the help! I'll be sticking around for a while longer :)
 
I like those Eye fi cards but my DSLR uses CF and they do no CF version (BOOO).

There is always the option for dashcam to make a small micro to SD card adapter. Simple PCB with a card slot (I am no good with electronics but i think even i could do it) or buy one!SDHC-SD-card-to-micro-SD-TF-extension-adapter-FPC-cable-for-mobile-phone.jpg

A good enough install could hide this away perfectly...In fact i think thats what i will be doing.
 
It is generally considered ill advised to use a microSD card full time in one of those SD card adapters plugged into a device like a camera due to voltage issues and overheating. There have been a number of posts here on DCT cautioning that it is not a good idea and why it should be avoided. Those SD adapters for microSD cards are really intended for short term occasional use (transferring files) rather than in lieu of a regular SD card permanently installed in a device..

So, with this logic in mind, I wonder if using an Eye-Fi card in one of these cable type adapters might ultimately cause similar problems with overheating and other issues with the microSD end of the adapter and eventually cause damage to a camera in long term use? Might it even damage the Eye-Fi card itself? My understanding is that there can also be an issue with signal integrity and speed with adapters as the signals come off the SoC, down the PCB traces and into the USB socket. In this case, this situation might also be exaggerated by a run through a cable before getting to the microSD port.

An Eye-Fi card is in fact a radio and is very likely to draw even higher current and cause much more stress on a device than a standard memory card. Just sayin'.

Any one else have some thoughts on this?
 
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