VIOFO A229 Plus & Pro Dash Cam | In-Depth Review | BlackboxMyCar

[@Turgineer]

One of the best dashcams on the market.

[@bishopgeorge1333]

I bought the A129 Pro Duo from you guys about 4 or 5 years ago and now that I have taken it out of my previous truck I am tempted to buy the A229 Pro.

[@blackboxmycar]

It's quite the upgrade! The cabling will need to be changed to switch to the new models. If you're curious about all the differences, we have an article here: www.blackboxmycar.com/pages/upgrading-from-the-viofo-a129-to-the-new-a229-proandplus-series

[@bishopgeorge1333]

@blackboxmycar Okay I look at the A229 and love it I will be getting one soon thank you.

[@bizuca]

Just got the Pro yesterday.Thanks

[@blackboxmycar]

Enjoy the camera!

[@user-bx8zg4kq1e]

me too😃

[@Hexa8]

Best budget dash camera of 2023

[@blackboxmycar]

Agreed!

[@Omnislash_Vince]

Budget?it was £300!!😂

[@feminine-imminent]

you could a get a cheap temu dashcam

[@4giveNever4get]

Hey, BlackboxMyCar, would you pls. include the optional Remote Control component in your A229 series review next time ? 🙂

[@blackboxmycar]

Thank you for the feedback! We will keep this in mind for further videos.

[@ogriboy]

Tests seem to show that despite upgrade blackvue DR970x plus still has inferior video on number plates yet used Starves 2

[@battlefield3112011]

They skim on HDR, now it is way too expensive for what it is.

[@Liquery]

Hi, curious about the A229 Plus. Can the 2CH simultaneously do front 2K 60 (HDR OFF) and rear 2K 30 (HDR ON)? My concern with buying a dash cam is having better framerate over resolution. Therefore, a 2K 60 would be better for me than a 4K 30 front camera.

[@blackboxmycar]

Hi there! I can confirm that you can have the front camera set to 2k @60fps while the rear camera is set to 2k @ 30fps. However, the HDR is all or nothing so you'll need to have it on for both or neither. At least there's an auto-HDR setting, which will you can set to only enable HDR during certain set windows.

[@Liquery]

@@blackboxmycar Appreciate your response! Was afraid the 2CH would lock me to 2K 30 both just for having front + rear run together. My initial plan was to get just a 1CH dash cam (A119 mini 2) so I could secure my 2K 60, as it's very important to me. As for the HDR, I wish they would just allow us to enable it on one camera out of the two, without affecting the other. Viofo should really take notes on that!

[@blackboxmycar]

No worries, glad I could help! I'll pass on your feedback about HDR to VIOFO.

[@Liquery]

@@blackboxmycar Sorry for bothering you too much, but there's a summer sale right now in AliExpress and I wondered If I'll be able to get 1440p60 on Front if I get the 3CH version. Again, don't care if the rare will be 1440p30 and interior 1080p30!

[@CaptainCJ97]

Not shocked how well the quality is giving viofo nostly force on that. I wonder how well it can handle the heat compared to thinkware

[@blackboxmycar]

The body of these models is higher-quality than earlier A129 models so we're expecting it to handle heat better, though they were still rather reliable. Plus, from the A229 Duo to the A229 Plus/Pro Duo, they've added additional heat sinks internally. We may need to give it the good ol Beat The Heat test when things warm up though ^^

[@K03sport]

how do you turn off parking mode when you are in your own garage (that sees random foot traffic because it is attached to the house)?

[@blackboxmycar]

Parking mode can be disabled in the settings of the camera. You can also set it to only record motion/impacts so it won't draw much power in your garage. There's also the old fashioned way of unplugging the camera, or the advanced way of installing an in-line switch.

[@PanzerPlatform]

@@blackboxmycar What about long pressing the power button?

[@mpcp27]

​@@blackboxmycar...Yeah..I had that switch option installed for parking in the house garage but it's another point of failure. I started getting parking mode turning off itself when I was out. Traced it to the switch failure. I removed the switch and have been manually turning off the camera when parking at home.

[@Izaya_Orihara]

Can you read the license plate numbers with this dash cam? You should really dedicate a section of the review just for this because this is what dash cams are for especially with hit and runs

[@blackboxmycar]

Absolutely! We appreciate your feedback and will definitely consider it for our future videos. The VIOFO A229 Pro, with its 4K UHD main camera and Sony STARVIS 2 technology, is built to capture high-quality footage, including license plates, even in challenging conditions like low light or high-speed situations. Its HDR and Super Night Vision features further enhance its ability to capture clear details at night. This feature is especially crucial in hit-and-run scenarios. Thanks again for your suggestion!

[@user-oz5ml3en9r]

Do they provide 3 channel viofo cable kit for the car in the package ? I try’d in AliExpress with no luck

[@formetoknow540]

I have the A139pro but might buy this A229 pro for a different car

[@beckhamzhang4805]

Great video. Can you plug the cameras in a power bank instead of the car battery? Which is better in general, Plus or Pro? Thank you.

[@blackboxmycar]

You certainly can plug the camera into a power bank instead of a car battery, we sell dash cam battery packs for that exact purpose. With that being said, using a standard USB battery often isn't ideal, since it can't tell the camera to go in and out of parking mode. As for whish is better in general, since the key difference is resolution, the A229 Plus is often better due to the lower price tag.

[@jonathanbasham2127]

I sometimes leave my car for to 1 to 4 days at most. how long will the camera have power for? and what settings should i use for parking mode to maximize the time available for these features to work. i currently have the thinkware u 3000 but its app interface and gps accuracy is sub par. im going to return it

[@blackboxmycar]

To get the most out of parking mode with the Thinkware U3000, use Energy Saving Mode. Without a battery pack, it lasts about 1-2 days. With a battery pack, it can last 5-7 days, depending on the pack and settings. Enable Smart Parking Mode to save energy by recording only when incidents or extreme temperatures occur. If you have problems with the app or GPS, contact our support team at [e-mail]. We're here to help!

[@jonathanbasham2127]

@@blackboxmycar thanks. But I was wondering what the settings and time would be for the viofo. I think the 3000 is just not working for me

[@bobroch1107]

I have the Garmin 67W dashcam which is great. But, I would like to have another dashcam for the back of the car.

[@Moonface00z]

So should one buy the pro or plus ? which one is better

[@blackboxmycar]

The pro is better! 4k resolution vs 2k.

[@DR0CK]

229 plus offer 2k 60fps on front camera, 229 pro does not offer 60fps on any resolution. More fps, better chance at capturing a plate. Im torn between the 2 i really want 60fps, but i also want the quad gps in the pro

[@Moonface00z]

@@DR0CK Same. My existing dashcam has 4k on the front but it only captures at 25fps. That 5 fps will not make it any different 30fps is enough for slow captures. But if there is a HIT & RUN even 4k cannot capture it clearly in time with 30fps

[@Velocity0428]

Hi again. Would you be able to quantify the sensitivity options of motion detection? I mean how far will the dashcam detect motion when it's set to low, medium and high? My A229 Pro's motion detection is set to low but it seems that it never stopped recording from the time I left my car parked.

[@sssnake2332]

I'd appreciate it if you made 60fps videos, not 24fps, and showed people the difference between 30fps w/HDR and 60fps without. Cheers!

[@blackboxmycar]

Thanks for the feedback!

[@azrealtornick]

I live in the Phoenix Arizona area and have heard that the pro model May overheat a lot more than the plus model. What are your thoughts? Should I just stick with the plus model to avoid overheating?

[@blackboxmycar]

Yes, the basis that the 4k Pro model runs hotter than the 2k Plus model is true. From some community testing, we've seen that the difference is 28℉ (16℃) between the two. For more information on that, check out the thread here: dashcamtalk.com/forum/threads/a229-pro-test-review-pp.49779/page-2#post-603138

[@carpandrei7493]

If I buy the A229 Plus, can I add at a later step the rear camera? Is it available to be purchased separately? Or should I go for the A229 Plus duo from the start?

[@blackboxmycar]

The manufacturer, VIOFO, sells the rear camera separately here: viofo.com/dash-cam/336-a229-plusa229-pro-rear-camera-replacement-with-cord-and-adhesive-sticker.html Do keep in mind that it will likely be fulfilled overseas which can take a while, and will be less expensive if you get them together.

[@samw636]

How to install the viofo A129duo with hardware kit not usin parking mode. (save battery).

[@blackboxmycar]

Check out our hardwiring guide here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bn-weXiEjriGsMk

[@crazzyhorse5038]

Have you tried the VIOFO RTC300 telephoto camera for the A229 Plus/Pro? It has Starvis 2 and HDR. I see they are claiming the telephoto lens is better at reading license plates.

[@blackboxmycar]

Glad you're excited about the RTC300 too! As it's just been announced, we haven't had hands-on with it, but will certainly be testing it out and discussing with VIOFO, so stay tuned

[@crazycouter]

I have recently bought the A229 PRO with the 4K etc and I love it hands down, I have owned many dash cams such as Blackvue, Nextbase Thinkware etc etc and the A229 is far better but my problem I have is that I cannot get the hardwiring sorted as I have a continue power feed correctly but I connected the acc wire to my fuse box as it says in the instructions and when I turn off my engine it switches the dash cam OFF ?? because the acc turns off at the same time as the engine and I then cannot use the parking mode ?? any ideas will be a help, thanks Nev from the UK

[@blackboxmycar]

Sorry to hear you're struggling with hardwiring, there are various reasons why parking mode is not engaging. Firstly, please ensure parking mode is enabled in the settings of the camera, and that the voltage cut-off on the hardwire kit is not set too high. As for the connections themselves, ensure everything is wired properly, as per our hardwiring guide: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bn-weXiEjriGsMk

[@2008solsticegxp]

I think it would be great to see videos of these things being cracked open to see what's all under the plastic housings

[@blackboxmycar]

Thanks for the feedback! I'll see what we can do. In the meantime, Panzer Platform over on DashCamTalk has done just that with these units, and noted an added heat sink compared to previous installations. You can check that out here: dashcamtalk.com/forum/threads/a229-pro-test-review-pp.49779/

[@UnchainedMelody86]

Is there a way i can run parking mode for a month at a time without draining my car battery?

[@blackboxmycar]

A month is a really long time! The closest you can get is combining the energy efficiency of the Thinkware U3000, with a dash cam battery pack like the PowerCell 8.

[@clubtc05]

Great video! Thank you for making this, I have learned a lot. Question, if I get the A229 Plus but place the smaller camera in the front and have the main 229 plus under the seat, would this work? I wish Viofo would make a box that will fit under the seat and a small camera like the rear view camera they make for the front. I also have issues of the dash cam freezing up because of the Texas heat, so that's the other reason why I wanted to run the small camera in the front.

[@blackboxmycar]

Hi there, glad you liked the video! Yes, this would technically work I suppose, but you'd be wasting the front camera's recording, which has better quality. If you're looking for a main unit that is hidden, along with smaller cameras for the front, then you may be better off with the DR770X or DR970X Box units from BlackVue.

[@clubtc05]

@@blackboxmycar Thank you for the reply, I will checkout the blackvue. Subbed!

[@MrFalllen]

is there a three camera setup? front / back / inside?

[@blackboxmycar]

Yes, both cameras are available in a 3-channel format, the A229 Plus 3-CH, and the A229 Pro 3-CH.

[@VeritasEtAequitas]

Will only do 2K + 1440p rear simultaneously at only 30 FPS. Will only do 4K if the rear camera is disabled or disconnected completely!! Will NOT do 60 FPS on anything no matter the settings, even HDR etc turned off. Sounds like a bait and switch

[@user-rs8vp4vi4c]

I am a manufacturer of driving recorders in China, and I need to know the latest products and prices. Please contact me!

[@blackboxmycar]

You can find the latest VIOFO products and prices here: www.blackboxmycar.com/collections/viofo