The Vantrue N4 is the first 3-channel rideshare dash cam to hit the market. The camera records the front, rear and interior view making it an ideal dash cam for Uber/taxi drivers. The interior camera comes with 4 infrared LEDs that illuminates the vehicle’s cabin at night.
The Vantrue N4 uses the HiSilicone Hi3559 V200 processor and claims to use Sony STARVIS CMOS sensors. The front camera has a 5M sensor with a 155° lens, the Cabin camera has a 2M sensor with a 165° lens and the rear camera has a 2M sensor with a 160° lens. The specific CMOS sensor model numbers are not provided. Note that all 3 lenses give a fish-eye effect due to the wide angle nature of the lenses used.
Video Quality
The front camera records 1440p with a bit rate of 15.3 mbps producing good video quality during the day and average quality at night. The rear camera records 1080p with a bit rate of 8.3 mbps. The quality is average during the day and below average night. The interior camera records 1080p with a bit rate of 6.7 mbps. This camera performs very good in the day and average at night. Front passengers can be seen clearly but rear passengers are not as clear.
Features
While we like the form factor of the N4, the suction cup mount is not the most discreet. That being said, the mount allows the camera to swivel to record interactions at the side windows. The N4 comes with a G-sensor and a GPS mount is optional. The N4 does not have WiFi but PC and OSX apps are available. The camera uses a super capacitor instead of a battery which makes it suited for hotter climates. On the negative side, error notifications are displayed on the screen but no audio notifications are available.
The N4 can be hardwired to your car for parking mode. There are 2 modes available, motion detection which is not buffered and time lapse which records continuously (1 fps or 5 fps). If you are planning to use this camera in parking mode, time lapse is recommended. Note you will need to purchase a hard wire kit for this to work.
Support
Like other Vantrue products, build quality is good and reliability appears to be good as well. Vantrue has decent support and does provide firmware updates. The warranty can be extended from 12 months to 18 months when registering online which is a positive.
You can also read the N4 review from our member Sunny here.
Comparison with N2 Pro
The Vantrue N4 has a similar design to the popular N2 Pro, Vantrue’s dual ridershare camera but there are some key differences.
- N4 has a 2.45″ screen vs 1.5″ screen for the N2 Pro
- N4 has menu buttons on top of the camera vs under the screen on the N2 Pro
- The N4 pro is slightly larger at 45 x 45 x 108mm vs 39 x 42 x 100mm for the N2 pro
- The N4 pro uses a different mount connector. The N2 Pro mount is not compatible
The following photos compare the N4 with the N2 Pro
Known problems
There are no common problems reported with this camera.
Sample Videos
The following video from our member Sunny has front, rear and cabin videos for both day and night.
Should I Purchase?
The Vantrue N4 leads the way as being the first tri-channel rideshare dash cam available. We are impressed with the design, quality, use of a capacitor and 18 month warranty.
The main negatives are the video quality for all 3 cameras is not the greatest, no audio error notifications, no WiFi and a relatively high $260 price tag. Overall a reasonable buy if you are in the market for a 3-channel rideshare camera.
Firmware
WARNING! MAKING CHANGES TO YOUR FIRMWARE ARE PERFORMED AT YOUR OWN RISK. WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE TO YOUR DASH CAM AS A RESULT OF THESE INSTRUCTIONS.
Firmware Update Instructions
- Download the firmware to your PC;
- Insert a microSD card (32GB – 266GB) in the camera, and then connect the camera to the computer through the USB port. Copy the firmware file (Vantrue-N4.bin) from the computer to the microSD card, then unplug the camera from the computer and turn it off;
Note 1: the firmware file (Vantrue-N4.bin) will not be recognized by computer, it could just be recognized by the dash cam, so don’t try to open it on PC or try to rename it, just copy it to the card. - Plug the camera to a power charger (not computer), or press the power button
- The camera will auto upgrade. This will take about 30 secs to 1 min. During this time, the camera will not turn on and will not respond to any button or operation
- Once the dash cam upgraded successfully, it will turn on.
- Please have a check the version of your device now (go to the System Setup menu and turn to the Version) and see if it has been upgraded successfully.
- Format the microSD card when the update has been completed, or the camera will upgrade itself every time when it detects the firmware file in the card.
Latest Firmware
The latest firmware can be found on the Vantrue site.
User Manual
The English user manual can be downloaded here.
Specifications
Detailed Specifications
| Read Review |  |
| Camera Type | Rideshare |
| Form Factor | Cylindrical |
| Country | China |
| Processor | HiSilicone Hi3559 V200 |
| CMOS Front | Sony STARVIS |
| CMOS Rear | Sony STARVIS |
| Channels | 3 |
| Screen | 2.45″ |
| Touchscreen | No |
| GPS | Optional |
| G-Sensor | Yes |
| Wi-Fi | No |
| Parking Mode | Timelapse |
| Lock Files | Auto or Button |
| Max Resolution Front | 2560×1440p (Quad HD) |
| Front Frames Per Second | 30 |
| Max Bitrate Front (Mbps) | 15.3 |
| Max Resolution Rear | 1920×1080p |
| Rear Frames Per Second | 30 |
| Max Bitrate Rear (Mbps) | 8.3 |
| Video Format | MP4 |
| Compression | H.264 |
| Diagonal Viewing Angle Front | 155° |
| Diagonal Viewing Angle Rear | 160° |
| SD Card Type | MicroSD |
| Max Size (Spec) | 256GB |
| Max Size (User) | 256GB |
| Size Front (mm) | 108 x 45 x 45 |
| Size Rear (mm) | Unknown |
| Mount | Suction |
| Power Supply | 5V |
| Operating Temp | -10°C to 70°C |
| Battery | Capacitor |
| Error Notification | Screen |
| Swivel (To Record Side Windows) | Yes |
| Apps | PC, OSX |
| Cloud Connectivity | No |
| Release Date | Feb 2020 |
| Warranty | 18 months with registration |
| Unique Features | First 3-channel rideshare camera (front, rear and cabin) |
| Advantages | Good build quality & reliability Mount can swivel 360° 18 month warranty with registration |
| Disadvantages | Average video quality No WiFi Error notification via screen |
| Final Word | First tri-channel rideshare dash cam. Overall good design and build. Video quality is not the greatest. Consider if you are in the market for a 3 channel cam. |
Published: Sept 22, 2020
Vantrue N4 - DashCamTalk
The Vantrue N4 is the first 3-channel rideshare dash cam. Overall good design and build. Video quality is not the greatest.
Product SKU: Vantrue N4
Product Brand: Vantrue
Product Currency: USD
Product Price: 260
Price Valid Until: 2023-01-01
Product In-Stock: SoldOut
6.7