My preferred dash cams in 2024

[@Techmoan]

I’d also recommend any interested viewers watch this comprehensive video comparison of a number of different cameras to see how video quality varies between them. kzbin.info/www/bejne/oqvHqXaFq7Wka7M

[@moonshinepz]

this is really handy, many thanks.

[@Bozemanjustin]

Why on earth would you have to run a wire? Just send the information wirelessly from the back camera to the front camera That's a dumbest shit I've ever heard in my life So I've got wireless cameras outside all over my property, that work sending a video signal into my computer, but it won't work the 10 ft from my bumper to my car

[@Dirt-Diggler]

​​@Bozemanjustin power over WIFI ? If you bothered watching till 23.30 you know why WiFi isn't allways a good idea

[@Beany2007FTW]

@@BozemanjustinWhat are your wireless cameras *powered* by, magic?

[@therackstar]

These are branded as Rexing in the US..

[@FeroVlkolinsky]

Oooh - dashcams. That's how I found this marvelous channel. Your dashcam reviews were the best on KZbin back then - so thorough. But then I found this channel to have much better content ;). So a nice reminder of my personal history here. Keep it up man, really the most interesting tech channel around.

[@TFHC_cc]

Same 😊

[@BaileyMagikz]

same (2013 - till now) i remember looking at sportscams/dashcams and i came across teachmoans channel (now 24 and been here ever since)

[@SianaGearz]

I found him when he was reviewing motorcycles. And 808 keyfob cameras.

[@RomanTrollanski]

I am here since the day he went to the office with that spy pen...

[@ethernet0]

I was looking for a Xiaomi Yi action camera. That’s a long time ago in internet years. Wow

[@twocvbloke]

Another tip for knocked cameras, if you don't want to use tape or glue for wahtever reason; use a paint-pen to mark the position that is optimal, so if it gets out of alignment, just wist 'til the paint lines up again, just like setting the correct cam position in an engine... :)

[@FredGandt]

Adding a small lump of Blu Tack pushed onto the junction of the body and lens parts should hold it still without fouling or making adjustments difficult too.

[@MarkSinclair]

Dashcams! Yes! That's how I found your channel. Came for the Dashcams, Stayed for the puppets and the interest in old tech.

[@moonshinepz]

same 👍

[@Schroefdoppie]

Yep 😂😂

[@oldjake4233]

You type for an awful lot of us my friend.

[@zeldajunkielol2]

Same!

[@Daz_K]

Same here - for me that's how it all started - still a great review !

[@RadioJonophone]

Many years ago I watched one of your early dashcam reviews before buying one. That original one is now my rearward facing camera, with a more modern bells and whistles model in the front. I had it fitted to my previous BMW convertible. One day a car bashed into me in ASDA's car park. I wasn't moving, the other driver came out of a space near me and walloped the side. She shouted and bawled how it was my fault, I just smiled sweetly whilst writing down the contact info as per Road Traffic Act. Two other people approached the lady and spoke with her in her native tongue which was recorded on the dashcam. This was clear because I had the hood down in the sunshine. Later, my insurance company was about to settle in her favour as she had two independent witnesses to say I was speeding like a maniac through the car park etc. etc. The insurance had a copy of the dashcam footage, but they said that on such a smallish claim it was not worth arguing. If it ever came to court, they said, the conflict of evidence would mean the case was not a slam-dunk. I approached my local University language department with a view to translating the car park conversation, and thanks to some helpful people there it turned out that the people were conspiring to be those false witnesses. They were offering to concoct the reckless speeding narrative with the lady driver being only too pleased to accept the offers. I sent all this to the insurers to have the whole thing reversed. the third party insurance was revoked and they found themselves on a barred list for fraud. So, those moments taken to install a dashcam can repay you a thousand times.

[@jonothanthrace1530]

Conspiring in front of your victim, in ANY language, is a massive bonehead maneuver.

[@medes5597]

I am very suspicious of multiple aspects of this story.

[@dancooper6002]

@@medes5597 Nope, checks out. Especially the use of unofficial languages to conceal the fraud.

[@br3nd4n]

@@medes5597This^

[@TheD7035]

Of course you are.@@medes5597

[@jakubm1187]

I'm also a VIOFO man myself, mainly because of maintenance - they need none. I've had a119 v2 in my car since 2017 and it never failed. It's wired in such a way that it comes on with the opening of the car and goes to sleep a few minutes after closing. It always records, never corrupts the sd card (and i've used many cheap SD as well as more expensive ones, never had any issues), and due to having a capacitor inside it's battery will never fail since there isn't one.

[@neoaliphant]

ive had their gitup actioncams for years, great support from Bill

[@kutter_ttl6786]

I have the same camera. I bought it in 2019 when the V3 was coming out, so prices were dropping on the V2, so it seemed like a good combination of value and performance. Still use it now and liked it enough that I even got one for my mom's car. Along with the picture quality, the capacitor was also a factor that attracted me to it. Where I live, temperatures can range from -20 to +30 C, so it can handle those temperature ranges well. I use a Samsung Pro Endurance micro SD in it, I figured it was worth investing in a card that was designed to last through multiple recording cycles.

[@button-puncher]

Thanks for the tip. That's a good idea. Wire a relay in to the dome light (door pin switch), so that it'll turn on as soon as you open your door.

[@drsquirrel00]

I have the A129 series (various models), the 1080p could connect to YOUR wifi but you couldn't have a space in the password - how stupid! The 1440p had issues and they sent me 2 front and 1 rear cameras... I told them over and over again it was a software issue. Eventually... fixed with firmware! It irritates me just how bad the software is on this equipment... open source it please let us fix it! Other than the REALLY SLOW start up - great cameras let down by shockingly poor firmware.

[@jakubm1187]

I've wired the camera to the glove box light, since the lighter outlet is always on. It was kinda accidental but works like a charm@@button-puncher

[@awalden]

Excellent timing! My husband and I selected our FIRST dashcam video based on your videos and your website... and now it's time to replace/upgrade those old ones. THANK you for this video!! (Wishing you continued success with your channel!!)

[@stephenellis3430]

Tailgate wire hack. Take a 3/8 extension from your socket set. Wrap the lead around the bar to produce a spiral and heat the coil with a hot air gun. You need to get this pretty hot but obviously common sense not melting the lead. Then allow the coil tightly wrapped around the bar held with some tape until cold. The pvc will hold this coil shape and make a tidy tailgate harness. You can have a practice go with the heat using an old usb cable you got free with something else. Can use anything as a centre bar but found 3/8 gives a good coil that’s holds it shape.

[@stephenellis3430]

Great advice about camera position inside the wiper blade sweep. I think everyone has made that mistake first install. I have also found Micro SD cards can be hit and miss for compatibility. Nice the manufacturers now have a compatible list.

[@CezaryAkakios]

The inverse of this is also handy to know about -- if you have a cord that has been coiled or wound up and has taken the shape, and you'd rather have it straight, hang it vertically (I use a door jam) and use a hair dryer to add just a little bit of heat to the PVC insulation. Put a small weight on the end of the cable to make it hang straight (I use a clothesline pin) overnight or just for a while as it cools, and you will have a much straighter cord.

[@burntalive]

I remember watching the old dashcam videos. It really is crazy how far they have come over the years!

[@jcpren]

Through this video, I have learned to set video quality manually in my KZbin app to "Advanced" and then 1080p. I heard you praising the high quality and clarity of that dash cam - but it didn't look like it to me. Then I discovered KZbin was automatically choosing 360p to show me your video! 😳 I have no idea why - I have a decent wi-fi connection, and it coped just fine when I turned it up manually.

[@KevinT3141]

I hate it when that happens. It particularly sucks when the Chromecast decides to pull the 360p feed, as there's no way to adjust that. (At least not the last time I dug into it.)

[@Stevo_1998]

YT used to choose the video quality based on your connection speed (and what you set last time you changed it), but now they set it to either 360p or 480p on almost every video, presumably to save their own bandwidth and server processing costs? (I mention the lower bandwidth usage, because about a year or two ago they moved the old 1080p quality to 'enhanced 1080p' - which you have to pay for - and then added a lower bitrate version)

[@thesteelrodent1796]

@@Stevo_1998 YT doesn't have enough bandwidth to supply everyone with 1080p or higher video, so the apps default to 480p max no matter what your device is capable of. The web player tends to do better at staying at the quality you choose, but if it's left on auto, typically when you hit primetime (19.00 to 22.00 hours) it will drop to 360 or 480p and sometimes struggle to play at any higher setting. I find it also depends on the videos your watch. New videos that YT deem worthy of being littered with ads, seem to be allocated more bandwidth and will happily play at 2160p, while videos that are a few years old and have no ads, often struggle to play smoothly at 1080p without interruptions

[@vink6163]

I don't actually think this is KZbin's fault, I think it's a function of your Internet provider and how much bandwidth their network has to KZbin's servers. I used to have the same problem with it dropping back to 360p all the time, especially in the evening, but after switching to a better Internet provider offering gigabit speeds, I often find videos now default to 4K when I prefer 1080p as my PC can struggle a bit decoding 4K videos. I found that if I went to Google and searched for "speed test" they offer their own speed test, which seems to connect across the same networks as KZbin use. This Google speed test would report really low speeds when KZbin was struggling, while other speed test sites would report everything is fine at the same time. This showed me that my provider's links to Google were saturated while their links to other networks were fine, and this is why KZbin videos kept dropping in resolution and/or buffering. Turned out my ISP was gaming the system and bought fast links to the popular speed test servers and slow links to Google/KZbin. I was able to use screenshots of slow Google speed tests to terminate my contract early without penalty and switch to a better provider, and I haven't had any issues with KZbin since. Many larger ISPs now have local servers that mirror KZbin content as well, which is why popular videos are fast, while less popular videos have to go over those slower links.

[@icecreamtruckog3667]

If you have trouble with radio reception just put aluminium tape around the cable and ground one end to the car body or other ground sources, it should reduce the radio signals coming from the cable. The tape works like shielding in a coax cable.

[@marcusdamberger]

Also, some cars have their radio antenna integrated into the rear window, (front also) part of the lines you see for the defrost are also antenna elements. So spacing and routing the cable at right angles to the elements might also help reduce interference. i.e. try not to route the cable parallel with the lines on the window for as short as possible to reduce the length the signal can be induced. That combined with the foil idea above probably would reduce RF interference considerably.

[@LarryKapp1]

My cars radio antenna is in the rear window and amplified . That metal tape isn't going to help with the interference which is coming from the camera itself.

[@LarryKapp1]

@@marcusdambergerYeah my VW has antenna in the rear window and it is amplified back there too so the camera really messes up the signal. I removed the antenna connection for windshield to see if I could put on an exterior antenna but I would have to figure out how to get rid of the 12v that is also sent back on the coax to run the antenna amplifier that is mounted at the rear windshield connection. I decided I dont' drive enough to want to mess around with it. It is annoying though .

[@grayrabbit2211]

People still listen to the radio?

[@medes5597]

​@@grayrabbit2211millions. I listen to radio 4 whenever I'm driving on my own.

[@bedast]

The one thing that has bothered me with dashcams is they have all pushed for higher resolution for higher clarity. But they’re 15 or 20 fps and they compress the hell out of the video. Motion blur and compression artifacts still kill being able to see and read things. Resolution and “Sony Starvis Sensor” are the main marketing points. I’d love a 2k/1440p camera setup that pushes 60 fps. Most people can’t tell the difference between 2k and 4k with adequate encoder settings, and the higher fps will reduce motion blur. Unfortunately doing it “properly” probably costs more so they do the cheaper “bigger number better” marketing of resolution.

[@HD2You]

Viofo never had 4K at 15FPS or 20FPS or duplicate frames at night. There is no evidence for a dashcam that 60 FPS is better than 30 FPS. This is pure marketing, making people believe the 60FPS is better than 30FPS on a dashcam. 60FPS is reducing motion blur only in theory on a dashcam. Motion blur appear when there is no enough natural light and this happen at 60FPS and 30FPS, the same, 0 advantage for 60FPS. 4K advantage is only when you take a snapshot from a video and make a zoom on it to look for details. And some details like characters on car license plates are visible only on 4K and not 2K or FHD. The biggest gain for recent dashcams is the HDR feature and this is the only which can make possible reading car license plates at night, no matter the resolution or the FPS. In reality, a HDR 30FPS video is obtained from a 60FPS video because two consecutive frames with different exposures are blended into one frame to make evident the car license plates.

[@bedast]

@@HD2You In order to capture at 60fps, you need to be capable of capturing frames faster. Limiting to 15, 20, or 30 fps allows slower frame capture, which enhances motion blur. This is why high framerate TV and Movie content is less preferred when done poorly, because of the so called “soap opera effect” because our brains are used to the less clear motion. But it’s preferred when you need the detail. Low framerates are chosen because the hardware is simply incapable of higher framerates at the advertised resolutions chosen because “BIGGER RESOLUTION BETTER”. But then the encoder settings are set such that the compression just crushes the quality advantage. It’s all to drive down the cost and race to the bottom, really. Most people won’t care because they’re not regularly consuming their dashcam content. But then I see videos complaining of being unable to get a license plate number on a 4K recording because it’s not clear and everything is moving too fast. 2K/1440p at 60FPS with appropriate encoder settings to not crush the detail would be a really good sweet spot. But to support this properly would likely drive the price to a level that a company wouldn’t be able to sell it. Provided you’re not needing the recording for a hit and run incident, any dashcam these days will probably be fine because the culprits are all there. Hope you don’t need to use these low quality and cheap cameras for a hit and run or other moving incident though!

[@gbamck]

I don't know if you'll ever see/read this Matt but you've just returned DAB radio back to our lives after nearly 4 years of having a front/rear cam setup. I just went out and unplugged the rear camera and all the stations returned after being gone all this time. Thank you so much!!

[@cokker]

I love watching those dashcam compilations sometimes, the amount of self reporting is hilarious.

[@Techmoan]

Yes most of the U.K. ones show the ‘cammer’ is to blame - usually accelerating into a situation where caution would have been the wisest option.

[@dancooper6002]

The basic rule is you should only install a dash cam if you are an above average driver who is far more likely to be the victim of a wreck than the cause.

[@vink6163]

@@dancooper6002 I disagree - first thing I did when I got my licence was to install a dashcam, so that if (or being a new driver, when) I had any close calls or made any mistakes, I could go back and review the footage later to learn what I could do better next time. This has proven to be invaluable for improving my driving skills, because in the heat of the moment you can't take everything in, so being able to go back and review what the situation was and how you reacted (and perhaps what you should've paid attention to instead of what you did) has really improved my handling of unexpected situations. I completely recommend dashcams for all new drivers for this reason.

[@dancooper6002]

@@vink6163 You are wrong. The footage can and will be used against you in any accident you cause. Being a new driver you are in the highest risk group for being at fault. You don't want to hand the lawyers on the other side footage of how you messed up. Driving is not that hard to learn, you don't need to be reviewing footage to learn it properly.

[@vink6163]

@@dancooper6002 Great attitude there, don't admit your mistake and try to scam the other person, that's a shameful way to behave. If you stuffed up, admit your mistake and learn from it. Insurance pays for the damage and at least in my part of the world insurance is mandatory so everyone has it, no big deal, and lawyers almost never get involved. But I'm not talking about accidents, I'm talking about close calls where there was no damage and no insurance claim. It's so useful to be able to go back and see exactly what happened. If you're not interested in doing things like that to improve your driving skills, I'm sorry to break it to you, but you're one of "those" drivers who thinks they are too good to improve while causing problems for everyone else on the road.

[@MasterQuizzer]

You can pass the cable for the rear camera through the umbilical that carries the cables for the rear lights - much neater but requires you to move trim on the car and the hatch. The thin cable will make it easy

[@thesteelrodent1796]

on German cars the gaps the harness run through are usually measured to fit it exactly, and thus is can be a massive hassle to get an extra cable through that way. You also run a greater risk of interference if you do, depending on the quality of that coax cable

[@reimono]

The wiper covarage area tip is priceless. That alone deserves a like on this video. Thank you

[@pmk4343]

Gosh I feel old, I still remember you reviewing that weird flashlight looking dashcam that would constantly skip footage...

[@More_Row]

All things considered that wasn’t so long ago

[@MrButtonpresser]

I bought a VIOFO A119S in 2017 after watching your very instructive videos. It's still going strong, despite being exposed in a hot car all day in 45C+ summers.

[@ghostofdre]

I went with a A129 duo, strayan summers with the dashcam poking out of the window shades when parked, still going strong.

[@Eric-pc4yi]

As a Canadian, I love watching this footage just for all the old brown brick buildings you’ve got out there. I just like the look of it!

[@chaos.corner]

Very common in the UK. Though I believe that at some point, they ran out of clay and the houses started being a lot more orange. Much less attractive in my opinion.

[@thesteelrodent1796]

@@chaos.corneraccording to one of my teachers back when I was in school, to get the red brick they had to dig deeper into the clay as the top layers will produce yellow bricks and the deeper darker clay creates red brick. Thus red bricks costs more and that's why they're not used as much anymore. Not sure how true that still is, because these days they tend to dye the clay to get whichever colour brick they want

[@vink6163]

And the weather! I live in a hot sunny country which sure it's great, but seeing it overcast and rainy is so rare and cosy it's my favourite type of weather.

[@Maksym_K.]

As a Canadian, you should also like the quality of the road surface and markings))

[@JustaMuteCat]

For a very short stint I worked at a Ford dealership that had this extra service going on of installing dash cams for our costumers. One of the costumers asked for a different set than what we had on store to be installed on his raptor that was quite odd. It had no visible branding and it looked quite beaten up, the rear view(now parking rear view I guess) camera had an extra cable running off to a cob-like led setup and the control panel and preview screens were connected to a small box that was set inside the glove box. In the glove box was a smallish bright red box with a small card reader-like attachment with several microsd slots in them and even what looked like notebook’s ssd. From what the other guy that worked with me said, the owner had a history of getting rear ended and losing the rear cam quite often (he was also there often to get the rear bumper and trailer hitch point areas fixed a few times by then). The whole setup looked normal commercial stuff other than the glove box rig and we couldn’t start it up to test if it was in working order until the costumer came back to pick his ride back up. I got really curious and stayed after my normal shift to wait for the guy to ask about it since it was so out of the norm back then (that was like, 6 or 7 years ago now) and apparently, it was a home brew rig made of mostly commercial stuff that ran software from a raspberry pi board that would automatically offload the footage once a week via wifi that he was working on so the whole thing was probably a test rig or a proof of concept rig for that.

[@button-puncher]

With those cameras that connect vid coax cables, I'm guessing that you could just wire them to a regular security camera analog HD NVR. Most of them run off of 12V and use standard 2.5 or 3.5 SATA drives. You'd just need to use a DC block and power injector to insert the proper voltage to power the camera.

[@vink6163]

@@button-puncher It would be interesting to find out whether they were using analogue HD or whether it was a digital connection. You'd think it'd be easier to stick the USB signals onto the coax and overlay it with power than to mess around with analogue encoding and decoding chips, but who knows...

[@button-puncher]

@@vink6163 It's analog. Like standard composite but on steroids. Much higher bandwidth and frequency. That's why they use it in security camera AHD/TVI systems. Those systems were all originally installed with one coax to each camera so the bandwidth is almost unlimited. You can push that analog HD signal hundreds of feet. USB over coax would be a pain. You'd need active chips on each end to modulate and frequency shift the send and receive signals. From what I've read, the car cameras are using a mini USB connector but it's not actually USB. It's ethernet. That way that can get over 15ft without repeaters. It doesn't need to be shielded either. And I think USB requires a license fee whereas ethernet doesn't.

[@vink6163]

@@button-puncher Oh I'm well aware of analogue CCTV systems, I just meant it would be interesting to know if that's what they are indeed using here. If they are pushing Ethernet over the USB socket then it's quite possible they are using something else entirely over coax. I just meant it would be interesting to find out if they are using that or if they came up with something custom. I'm not sure you'd need to frequency shift the USB signals - there are only two of them (for USB 2.0) and there are two wires in coax so all you have to do is put a DC offset on them and job done - maybe.

[@button-puncher]

@@vink6163 I'd bet it's the same AHD signal. It's way cheaper for them to use the already available chips use in security cameras.

[@popitinpete]

Hey, that’s Lytham, my hometown. I recently bought a 2nd dashcam and thought “what a shame Techmoan stopped reviewing them”. You were so helpful when I bought my YiCam (no longer made). Still, the whacky audio stuff is really what I like. Thanks for your good work.

[@victorhugotoledocofre1366]

Brilliant. One of my long-time questions about your channel has been solved. 😀 Now you could make a video telling us all about the puppets; where they came from, how they stayed for a while, and why they went away, never to return. 😪

[@willlllllllllllllllllll]

Apparently he stopped using them because KZbin might flag his videos as children's videos

[@OnTheEdgeNow]

I started watching your videos when you were doing the dashcam reviews and have been watching them ever since. Thank you for many years of educational and entertaining videos.

[@gordon861]

Nice to see you coming back to this. I replaced my car last year and decided to buy a new camera to go with the new car. At the time Viofo US were doing a Labor Day Sale (I think) and offering 30% off with free UK delivery, I ended up going for a pair of A119 Mini 2 cameras. It was cheaper to do this and less hassle to wire up as the new car had an accessory circuit in the boot. Very pleased with the cameras, they are only 1440P but they boot very quick and have the new STARVIS 2 chip meaning the low light is good.

[@morphshag]

I was just thinking the other day that I hadn’t seen a dash cam video from you in quite some time, and here we are!

[@BaileyMagikz]

*well he's always in a dash, things to do, GPS's to see 😂* (well he's always busy, things to do people to see)

[@bletheringfool]

Same here. In fact, I watched one of his old videos, and then this I love it

[@joelsmith3473]

Originally bought a VIOFO A119 Mini and was pleased with everything about it except a transient problem where files would start to corrupt, the camera would realize it, would immediately start a new file, then announce it was recording. Couldn't figure out if it was heat, power, or a problem with the card speed; but it was more annoying than actually detrimental to the recording. Last year I bought the upgraded A229 Plus 2ch and have had no problems with it whatsoever. There was a minor problem that speed would read 0 at times while driving, but was quickly fixed in a firmware update. It's a good brand and I'm pleased you also settled on them.

[@Killamarshian]

I bought a dashcam (The Mobious) on your recommendation 10 years ago and it is still going strong. I am looking to update now and this video will be very useful, thank you.

[@wintersun398]

I’ve also got some mobius cameras in a drawer. I even fitted one with the little umbilical cable to make the lense remote by about 10cm

[@ericpircher]

This is why I have liked your videos so much over the years -- it's a certain kind of practicality you bring, and an appreciation of tech without worshipping it for its own sake. I wasn't particularly looking into dashcams when this notification popped up, but now all of a sudden I'm keen to install one! As we would say back home, onya Matt.

[@NiddNetworks]

I would think the rear cameras are taking a system used in older CCTV systems - it's called AHD - Analog HD. Gives you genuine 1080p over a standard coax cable. Allowed you to upgrade to hd cameras from composite without changing cables. Add a DC bias to the coax, and you've got your power sorted as well.

[@button-puncher]

My exact thought as well. I find it hilarious that they are using it for dash cams. AND that you could probably use one with an AHD NVR for a compact wide-angle camera.

[@HD2You]

Viofo A129 Pro and Viofo A139 from this video don't have AHD for rear camera. Other models have, but not these two. On dashcams the FHD is not transmitted over a coax cable but over an ethernet cable even it has USB connectors at the end.

[@NiddNetworks]

@@HD2You I was talking just about the devices with coax-based rear units... So you're saying the units which use a mini/micro USB are ethernet based? I'd love to see how they're doing that, format, etc. I would have thought they'd be digital, but actual Ethernet would introduce lots of issues (and cost). Fascinating from a hack PoV though.

[@HD2You]

Mat, just go with both dashcams at night and try to look at the car license plates when you are driving over 50 km/h. Be sure to enable HDR on A139 Pro. You will be amazed for sure and the HDR is the greatest invention on dashcams in latest 8 years. You will see no car license plates with A129 Pro if your speed is over 10 KM/h but with A139 Pro there are some situations when you can see the opposite license plates even at over 80 km/h.

[@Tactical_Hotdog]

Kind of intrigued to see the jump in quality.

[@ncot_tech]

Yeah it looks like we've gone a long way from "HD" video that's really 720p, and weirdly cropped.

[@vink6163]

@@ncot_tech Yeah now we have "4K" video that's really 1080p upscaled! Things have really moved on...or maybe they haven't.

[@marksanne7565]

I got this 139A pro last year before going on a road trip through the US and I am so pleased with it! Endless and fantastic quality footage of the whole trip.

[@commodorenut]

OMG THANK YOU. For over 5 years I have been chasing a radio reception problem in my car. It would hiss and fuzz on even local FM stations, and distant ones that used to be clear would be impossible to hear. Even sitting still they sounded like interference when you go into a tunnel. It has the antenna in the rear glass (it’s a sedan), so it’s not an easy task to test the system. I’ve changed the antenna amp module in the rear pillar, checked the power to it, and even changed the “radio stack” temporarily to rule out the entertainment system (with all the Aircon and screen incorporated) but the test unit behaved the same. I couldn’t work out what was wrong and gave up on it. Not that I use FM radio that much (I stream almost everything these days) but when there’s a traffic jam it’s good to catch the latest update on the commercial FM stations. When you mentioned RF interference, I realised the “fault” started after I installed the rear cam (original A129 duo in late 2018). I just went out to the car, unplugged the rear cam, and the FM reception from distant stations is perfect. I might have to shield that cable better and ground it. I ran it down the centre of the roof when I had the head liner out, and coiled the excess above the reading lamps (there’s a hollow space there). So it’s not like I ran the wire parallel to the antenna wire. Because of this, I don’t know how successful this would be. It’s likely to be the camera itself that’s noisy, and it’s real close to the antenna elements in the glass. Might have to move it to the bottom of the glass and see if it’s a permanent fix. Hmmm, is FM reception worth the poorer visual angles….🤔

[@vink6163]

What happens if you wrap the camera in a few layers of foil and make sure the foil touches the shield on the coax connector? Just curious whether that's enough to shield it or whether the RF noise will still escape through the lens. (Might even be worth wrapping the foil over the lens, just to see if that stops the interference. If not, it must be coming from the cable and not the camera.)

[@commodorenut]

@@vink6163 It took some clever work, but I was able to put a strand of solid wire in beside the metal part of the mini-USB plug that plugs into the rear camera. The A129 uses mini-USB rather than coax, and when Techmoan mentioned it, I initially thought the USB vs coax was the main cause for the noise issue, but I think the USB cable is actually shielded - I'm not ready to cut it open to find out though! Jamming this strand in let me ground the foil to the wire, and thus the USB cable. I built a shield out of foil that covered everything except the camera lens. Tested it. No change. I then used conductive aluminium tape, fearing the wax layer on the foil might be insulating, but no change again. There are 3 lines across the top of the rear glass that form the antenna array. The base for the cam is above them, and the cam looks out between the top and middle lines, with the lens only a few mm away from the top line. I pulled some more cable through, and slid the cam off it's mount to try it further down, and the FM fuzz reduced. Not to a great degree, but better. Still not acceptable though. So I did a few more tests. Unplugging the rear cam cable at the front stops the issue completely. Unplugging the cable at the rear cam (but still plugged in at the front) reduces it significantly, but doesn't stop it completely, so I think the cable is still part of the problem, and the camera is the main contributor. Short of fitting an alternate antenna to the roof that can do FM, my only other option appears to be relocating the rear cam away from the glass. Shame it's not waterproof, or I would put it under the ledge on the boot beside the reverse cam. Maybe I should look at the A139 duo and put my A129 Pro duo into my wife's car (which has a roof antenna, not an in-glass one).

[@vink6163]

@@commodorenut Nice job doing the testing and reporting back! Some interesting things you have discovered there.

[@an1_uk]

If anyone has issues with DAB reception with the Viofo cameras, what eventually fixed the issue for me was dismantling the rear camera and shielding it with copper tape. These Viofos are certainly the best for image quality, night time image quality, and price. I opted for the Thinkware U3000 due to the radar parking mode. I had my car vandalised twice and in both instances my hardwired Viofo dashcam had powered down and didn't catch anything. The U3000 lasts for days in parking mode with hardly any battery drain. It also has zero impact on dab reception.

[@MrSonicAdvance]

Here's a blast from the past. I really enjoyed your dash cam videos.

[@JamesOKeefe-US]

Love these Mat, a little old school throwback and still extremely beneficial. Always appreciate your work sir. Cheers from North Carolina in the US!

[@jvoric]

13:33 ferrite cores around the cables helps to reduce radio interference.

[@Matt3401]

A clip-on ferrite core near each camera significantly reduces DAB radio interference in my experience.

[@LycanWitch]

Much like many other comments, your original dashcam vids is what led me to discovering your channel so long ago

[@l...]

Important points 1- battery protection 2- time between hit and recording less than 2 seconds while parking 3- 60 Frame per second also known as 60FPS please 60Hz This is what I remember now

[@Mrflash222006]

Toyota dash cams are nextbase 380GW, Rfi on DAB is sorted by fitting a TDK clip on ferrite (3-5 mm) on the dab coax as near to the radio as possible

[@SardiPax]

After the endless rain and cloud we've had over the past few months it was lovely to see those sunny days...

[@marcusnolte7476]

The wiper tip alone is gold! easy to miss whilst installing. I'm still waiting for a wireless rear camera to spare me the hassle of routing a cable through the entire car. (power supply is in the back anyway).

[@JFirn86Q]

The mini coax cable is sending an analog signal, thus the lower resolution. The usb-c cable is sending it already digitized so there is much less loss in quality. However, your points are very valid and a big point to consider. I wonder if we can find a better usb-c cable to help with both size and shielding.

[@iandonkin6762]

I used to watch all your dashcam reviews all those years ago and now I’m delighted to find this one on your channel again now as I look to buy a device again! Great to see you have a significant number of subscribers too - one more added this evening and I will be going ahead with a Viofo purchase (or two), very soon indeed.

[@kestrel1960]

Wow. A trip down memory lane. I started watching your channel when you regularly did dash cam reviews many years ago and bought a few G1W’s on your recommendation. Thanks for the revisit. I enjoyed it.

[@nirgunapa56]

Just like the good old days - I always enjoyed your dashcam reviews - they were the best.

[@brewsnoop]

I became a dashcam "geek" from watching your videos when they first came out many years ago. I’ve always enjoyed your simple and real-life approach to reviewing dash cams. I currently have the Miofive 4k and I’m very happy with it. It’s been in my Ford Ranger since October of 2022.

[@davidlarson2534]

Excellent, excellent review. One feature I wish was present is a set screw or thumb screw lock on the camera. I have seen a multitude of videos where after an accident the camera position is knocked awry and most often no longer useful.

[@thetapeworm]

I just thought you'd settled on the Aukey DR02D cameras we all bought based on your excellent reviews, so glad you've taken the time to update us, cheers!

[@Vim-Wolf]

Wifey wanted a dashcam for her birthday a couple of years back. After a load of research I ended up buying the A129 front and rear set, with the filter and the full cabling kit, and had it fitted by a local specialist, was not disappointed.

[@FatCatGarfield]

I've been using a Viofo for many years now, and I love it. It came in real handy when someone sideswiped me and blamed me for coming out of nowhere when they hadn't bothered looking around them.

[@charliemartin-k7m]

I’ve been using a AKASO EK7000 for a few years now and the main reason I use it is because it has no over heating issues.

[@Channel7331]

Jesus, I completely forgot I found this channel because I was researching dashcams at the time, What a blast from the past!

[@Tarukai788]

Those 4K Viofos are no joke for a crisp image! I think like many folks in the comments here I found this channel originally through a camera review, but in my case it was the Sena Prism helmet camera one instead! It's nice to see a new dashcam review because you are so very thorough with your testing. Thanks for a great vid as always!

[@treverpitts]

Can we all agree that this dude puts in the best in-depth dash cam reviews yes a lot of dash cams are horrible but it's good to find a good dash camera that can read license plate and do what they're supposed to do.

[@thedarkknight1971]

AN IDEAL ONE WOULD BE... Simply a computerised box with an SD card slot, then two GOOD cameras with varying leads so that you could place the box under the dash, route the two cabled cameras (one up around the A pillar and mounted to face the front, the other along towards the back window to face backwards), and then a power lead connected to a power source (either wired into the ignition, or the 12 socket) and that's that! One box, 2 cameras, and it covers front and back areas with AT LEAST 1080p BUT, VITALLY with a high refresh rate of AT LEAST 60 FPS (its the high FPS that helps capture detail with higher speed movement of objects/numberplates/faces etc) when you pause the video (low FPS results in just blurrs)... IF an accident/collision occurs, just pull out the SD card and you have the video captured for evidence... Simple! WHY are there not MORE products like this? Having a big camera unit in the front windscreen could easily be pinched whereas a small camera on a lead behind the re view mirror for example, is less visible to opportunist thieves etc. 😎🇬🇧

[@Choralone422]

I do appreciate this video. I find value in seeing someone who has used a particular dash-cam model and can provide information on how it works, quirks about it and so on. I'm in the market for a dash-cam and the A139 Pro model looks to be the one that would best fit my needs! While I did not initially find your channel because of a previous dash-cam review, I do remember when you used to publish the occasional one. I also remember and miss the puppets! :)

[@oldred9122]

I'm watching this from the U.S. Jealous of all the nice little cars over there that we can't even buy here.

[@Zavakar]

Yeah, those little cars aren't fuel efficient enough for the EPA. Everyone knows that a 3 ton 25ft V8 monster truck is the most environmentally friendly vehicle you could drive. Pissed that I can't buy the new Hilux champ. Stuck with my 95 tacoma. Love the thing though

[@RomanTrollanski]

Meanwhile Japan... Hold my sake please...

[@InsideOfMyOwnMind]

Thank you!!! This is a major public service provided by you. I was looking into some other dash cams and did not even know about some of the features you covered. I love the old tech videos but this is pure gold.

[@mindbender6937]

You were my first adventure into dash cam reviews and I bought the one you recommended. Worked wonderful and appreciate the continued reviews. Also why I bought my RING doorbell. 😊

[@iscander_s]

6:36 I love how in promotional images they pictured a car with a Russian license plate, they know their customer base 🤣

[@HD2You]

russians are too poor to be customer base for a brand like Viofo. For sure there are russian buyers but they are just few compared to the drivers which are recording videos in their cars with some potatoes.

[@KuraMad2000]

I bought my first dash camera after watching your videos about them. I do greatly appreciate the insight you had at the time.

[@joffff]

Glad to see you returning to your roots - your dashcam videos were legendary

[@tambambam]

Would love to see you bring back the dashcam series. There are so many different makes/models and adoption of dashcams has increased exponentially since the old days. You were a pioneer is dashcam review content.

[@Tom_Losh]

I've been running the A129 Pro Duo 4K with GPS since September 2020, and it has been reliable and trustworthy. It would take either the eventual failure of that unit or a new unit that was amazingly better for me to even consider changing. 🙂

[@IgnatSolovey]

In colder climes there are not seconds but minutes, even tens of minutes, between start-up and drive-off, especially after a cold start from overnight parking. Where heavy snows and temperatures below (and MUCH below) freezing are something normal in winter (Northern US, Canada, Nordics, Alps, Tatran, Carpathian, Rodopi and Caucasus mountains, Poland, North and East of Ukraine, Belarus, Baltics, most of Russia except to the south from 50°N and west from 38°E, Northern Kazakhstan, Northern China, Mongolia, Hokkaido, northern and north-western Honshu in Japan), the procedure is like this: if you have remote startup, you start the car before you start to dress to warm up the engine and the interior. If you don't (which is most cases anyway), you clean enough snow to safely open the driver's door, start the engine and then continue to clean the snow off. Or just spend several minutes warming the car up, if you don't need to clean it.

[@encroute]

Back to your roots! As with many, this was how I found TM. After my expensive Blackvue was stolen from the car, I opted for one with the recording unit in the glove box, power hardwired in, and parking mode enabled. Have just realised I've not looked at it for over 2 years, so going to give it some TLC soon!

[@vink6163]

I wasn't planning on changing the original Aukey dashcam I bought after your original review years ago, but the jump in quality has made me decide to! Unfortunately I took eight days to watch this video after its release, so everywhere has now sold out of A139 Pro units and the official site says they are on backorder! Hopefully they appreciate the publicity you gave them.

[@bazahaza]

For rear cam installation I glued magnets onto the mount and a strip of metal underneath the headlining. Don't need loads of excess cable for your boot to open.

[@CyberKater]

I am using the A119 V3 and I am very satisfied.

[@harmzuay]

This past September, I bought the Viofo A119 mini 2 which is the single channel camera. For $110 bucks (after instant savings with Amazon coupon), you really can't beat it.

[@dave24-73]

I’ve had the wedged one for years,and what I love about it is you really don’t notice it.

[@pine111]

Talking about automotive things, would love to see you make some more videos about your cars!

[@andybarnard4575]

I recently tested the video quality on a viofo A119v3 with GPS. In good light at 20m you can just read a numberplate but the 2k 'low bit rate' video mode is as good as the 4k high bit rate modes which are limited by the quality of the lens. In the 2k low bitrate mode you get about 1 shift (8 hours) of video on a 64Gb U3 sdcard but 2-3 hours in 4k. 4k video is recorded in H.265 so playback on standard windows doesn't work without an optional codec whilst 2k is recorded in h.264 and plays back fine.

[@hornetbad]

For sure your channel is THE go-to for dash camera for years !! thank you man

[@oldwarrenpointforum]

Bought my VIOFO A129 Pro 4K 6 months ago as a direct result of your reviews and am very happy with it - it sits up behind the rear view mirror and you can't see it from the drivers seat at all so it really is a "fit and forget" if I have a gripe, its the memory card slot spring is quite good - to the point if you are not careful when removing or inserting the card it can (literally) eject itself into the car somewhere...

[@ShadowDrakken]

My biggest issue with dashcams, and the reason I no longer have one, is because they can't handle the local temperature changes. Video quality on all of them tends to be just fine these days, but I need a camera that can handle from around -30C to 43C over the year, and 30-degree change in a single day without the battery being just absolutely destroyed in a single year. :(

[@papaquonis]

I've had a Viofo A129 for almost 4 years now. Still very happy with my purchase.

[@databang]

Thanks for the update on dashcams

[@naturaldrivingvideo]

All videos on the Natural Driving Video channel have been recorded using the A139 Pro 2CH with external microphone. Besides the superior video quality provided by the unit and it's included front camera circular polarizer filter - a matte black dash cover is used (to further reduce glare) along with an external microphone to capture audio from outside the vehicle rather than inside.

[@DanielLopez-up6os]

The extra mic might be great for something like UBER or the sorts if a passenger gets angry you can hear the dispute better with the passenger sitting at the back.

[@stuartburgess2409]

I'm still using my GW1C you recommended all those years ago & it saved some great images of a very bad accident I had when a drunk driver ran into me at 04.00 in the morning just outside Carrow Rd Norwich !

[@supergeekjay]

The area that is missed by the wipers is known as the "Triangle of Doom". My Astra has it as the wipers on that sweep outwards. Vauxhall fitted my Road Angel, I had to take it back to have it re-done after a rainy day, all I could see was raindrops!

[@DJPenguino51]

I currently have the Viofo A119 v3 but soon to have their A229 pro (2 channel). For what it is, it has excellent picture quality. My only complaint with the A119v3 is that it would at times "forget" its settings like mph / kph and date / time. The old A119v3 will become my "travel" dashcam that will accompany me on vacation trips and whatnot (use in hired / rental cars). Amazon had their prices on the A229Pro lower than Viofo. I ordered the A229 Pro + 512GB card for under $400.

[@ryanjcole]

The reason the memory card is "full" despite the files being gone is a side-effect of how we deal with flash storage. Your writes are all linear... from start to finish. When a file is deleted it doesn't delete the data -- just the pointer. That's one block or two written vs several thousand. It greatly extends the life of your cards. Same with photography -- chimping and deleting does NOT recover space. A format is a single write, vs . a mass delete of 1000 files which is 1000 writes. Formatting is always best if you don't have data you need to keep but also so is offloading.

[@thedarkknight1971]

I know of a friend you uses a second hand Samsung phone with a dashcam app (Android). When he gets in the car he mounts the phone at the top pf the windscreen, plugs it into the power lead he tucked up/routed around the screen, starts the app and hey presto it works, and, WORKS WELL because, as you know, recent used phones have GOOD cameras and can record at 1080 or even 4K 60FPS and have built in HDR too. 😎🇬🇧

[@HD2You]

Oh, poor friend! :(

[@thedarkknight1971]

@@HD2You Poor friend? What are you on about? You mental or what? IF you think about it, it makes sense, a phone only a couple of years old can record at 4k 60fps, have built in - good 'Wide field' lenses, have HDR, a good clear screen so you can see exactly what you're recording, and can take up to 1Tb SD cards. So what's your problem? It's a workable solution for a dash cam use, it also saves on just disposing of the phone. What's more, IF you have any bloody sense about you, you can use mobile phones & the related apps for security cameras too (that some even allow remote viewing via internet access)... YOU poor thing... 😏 Bless you, have no imagination... 😏

[@HD2You]

@@thedarkknight1971 yes, I wrote poor friend because he doesn't have enough money to buy a dashcam which is starting recording just by starting the car engine, which means a set and forget installation. I think he can buy at about $50 a good dashcam and he is not forced to - mount the smartphone - connect the charging cable - start the smartphone - open the APP - press the button to start the recording - adjust the smartphone position to be sure it is recording properly - wear a solid mask to avoid the smartphone battery to explode into his face because of heat If dashcam recording by a smartphone was a good feature we would see it in many cars, not 1 one car from one million. I still have a VHS Panasonic M40 camera recorder. Should I use it instead of a dashcam just to not throw it away? At night is much better than any dashcam from the market and any smartphone.

[@ValdrVideo]

I've been watching your videos for years and years and never realized I wasn't subscribed until just now

[@nicwilson6587]

I have an expensive two camera setup from NextBase which I absolutely hate due to the buggy software they keep pushing to it (stops and starts recording over and over when driving) I think it’s time to swap to this brand and give them a go. Thank You Mat, an excellent video covering exactly what I look for in a camera ❤️

[@DevReaper]

I didn't see this one come through my subscriptions channels page but I searched for dashcam reviews as I had bought my original one on recommendation by you (the original reason I found and subscribed.) Life comes in cycles I suppose.

[@JRBlood]

Your ears must have been burning. :D I've been wondering on-and-off over the years why you were not doing any dashcam reviews anymore. I guessed you found the one you liked and didn't see a need to keep doing them. I subscribed to your channel way back then, bought the Vantrue N1 based off your review over 7 years ago, and I'm still using it. Yea it's getting long in the tooth, but minus needing to replace the battery it's been very reliable. Even the memory card in it is still the original I got when I purchased it. Thank you for your reviews and some of us do miss them, but as the saying goes "Time marches on..."

[@fritsified5952]

Since you mentioned you got a Toyota.. I've installed a Viofo with rear cam in my 2015 Toyota Auris Wagon. I managed to get the cable through the rear hatch grommet-tube-thingy of the original wiring loom for a clean installation. It was fiddly to do, but no hanging wires! And I got the power from the interior light system. It turns on when the doors get unlocked with the remote, and powers off 20min after locking the vehicle (so the battery doesn't drain if a light is left on). So I always get the first bit of the drive, and 20min extra for if someone parks a car right after I parked. It did require some research into the wiring diagrams.

[@commodorenut]

I did the same in my car. It’s a great way to wire it. Mine has a circuit that stays powered for around a half hour after you lock the car, and then turns off. I call it the “awake” circuit. It powers many of the modules. As soon as you unlock it with the remote, it powers up again, so by the time you turn the key it’s already recording. I did consider the interior light circuit like your setup, but in my car it’s controlled by the BCM, and cuts off as soon as you lock it.

[@John_Ridley]

Amazon sells the A129 Plus Duo that has the GPS base in it as standard. This is what I have in my truck.

[@evaldas266]

Is it good camera?

[@John_Ridley]

@@evaldas266 It's been OK for me. No problems.There are better, there are far worse. With any of them, buy a good card, specifically a high endurance card with several hours of space on it.

[@Azlehria]

I got in the habit of waiting a few moments after starting the engine, as you mention one camera needing, after driving a car with an oil pressure gauge. Gives an interesting insight to how the engine's working. Especially when it has a slow leak . . ..

[@garirry]

I bought an A119 back in 2019 and it's still on the same car and works great. I bought a second one a few years later when I bought my own car. The quality is excellent and I've had no issues with them (other than some bad contacts or cables, occasionally)

[@ianinvancouverbc]

I still use one of your dashcam suggestions. I did catch a little of Haydock Lane/Ashton Cross in your video, my old stomping grounds. I always loved your dashcam footage to recognise parts of the Wigan area

[@EldritchFyre]

Thanks for another great video, sir!. I've had no luck with "packaged" dashcams. I drive a Transit van - and the windhield is large. In the summer, the mounted camera in front overheats and locks up in the summer from the heat the vehicle builds up, and the sun hitting the camera directly. Every single one I've used, from ones that were $40, to some that were hundreds of dollars...have pretty much the same issues. I settled on a standard security DVR connected to wired cameras... not easy to install, but the functionality, plus having ther ability to have 8 cameras - I'm using 4 at the moment, front, back, and both sides.

[@Adam_M_D]

Found your channel back in the dash cams day. I like the tech but I always stay for the excellent stories.

[@darwiniandude]

I have the A129 Plus Duo (that is the front cam is 2560x1440, but I have it set to a 2560x1080 mode to record less of my massive dashboard and less sky) and it's fantastic. Love the Viofo cams generally.

[@HD2You]

this is very good to record as 21:9 and this resolution should be standard on dashcams. Unfortunately people think that more pixels recorded means better image quality and the stupidity goes so further that they are recording as 4:3 just because they see more pixels and doesnt matter for them that in their video are more sky and motor hood and dashboard compared to street.

[@TestGearJunkie.]

I have a Viofo T130, which it would be good to see you do a review of. It's a 3-channel unit, 1440 Front and 1080 Rear and internal. You said you didn't want an internal camera, but it can be useful - suppose the other driver accuses *_you_* of being on the phone, you can point at the internal camera and say 'No I wasn't' !! The rear camera (and power feed) are both USB-C. I do seem to have a bug with mine though, or two actually. I had it professionally fitted by an auto electrician, and I might have to go and see them again as it sometimes doesn't switch on at all, and I have to switch off the ignition and turn it on again, not sure about that. The more concerning thing is that it doesn't seem to save protected clips in the special folder on the SD card. It says 'Video protected' but it doesn't seem to work, maybe it needs a firmware update, I don't know, but I've always steered clear of doing firmware updates unless they're absolutely necessary, I'm always frightened of bricking the thing..! On the whole though, it's a good unit, and the internal camera is definitely worth having. The only problem is that 3rd party viewer programs only seem to display 2 cameras not all 3, and you don't always want to have to mess with a tiny phone screen to look at things, I like to take the card and put it in the PC with 22" displays..!

[@xdan0x]

0:40 Recognised the old Paradox club building straight away! 😂

[@SkyChaserCom]

After seeing this I scored a fantastic deal on a 3 channel 4k Viofo dashcam. Great unit over Rexing. Keep up the great videos and thanks!