Review on 2.5K WiFi GPS Mini Dash Cam - Vantrue E1 1944P Voice Control, 24H Parking Mode & Wireless Controller - 1.54" LCD Front Car Camera W/ Night Vision & APP Support 512GB Max by Jonathan Sanders

This review is for the Vantrue E1 Dash CamMy initial impression upon unboxing was that this is a quality piece of kit. From the packaging to the unit itself, you can tell that care was taken to give a premium feel.Included in the box was a nice user manual, remote control, power adapter, mounting bracket, warning stickers, extra adhesive pad, polishing cloth, diagram sheet, pry tool, and of course the camera. The pry tool was an especially nice touch, as this is something they definitely didn't have to do, but having this on hand made installation so much easier. Sure, I could have found something in the toolbox, but I didn't have to, and I appreciate that.Installation was a breeze using the included bracket and cigarette lighter adapter. It honestly probably took 15-20 minutes, including hiding the wire. Speaking of, there was plenty of wire to reach my center console where my power outlet is located. That hasn't been the case on some previous dash cams I have tried. Side note: I did later order the Vantrue OBD-2 hardwire kit so I could leave my power outlet open. It works great.Out of the box, my camera had the older firmware loaded, so I downloaded the updated firmware to my SD card (I used a Samsung PRO Endurance 64GB) using my laptop. The camera updated on next power on, no issues.I found configuration and operation to be fairly easy, though navigating the menus with only a down arrow can get a bit annoying. Luckily once you get it set up, you really don't need to get into the menus for anything, so it is only a minor annoyance (and an understandable one due to just how small it is).I chose the "crash detection" parking mode which puts the camera into a low power mode until it senses movement (opening car door, etc). My cigarette lighter outlet is constantly powered, so this was the best option for me. I found the remote control to be more useful than expected. You know when you're out driving and you see something you are tempted to pull your phone out to get a picture of? Just press the button on the remote, and it will lock the video and save a snapshot. Awesome! As a bonus, with it adhered to my dash, it looks like it came with the car.I played around with the mobile app some, but honestly found it a bit of a pain. My iPhone didn't like being connected to an access point without internet access, so it kept disconnecting and switching back to my home Wi-Fi. I even went as far as to change my Auto-Join settings, but it still just wanted to disconnect randomly. For my use case, occasionally pulling the SD card out (or the camera from the mount) to bring it inside and download videos is fine.Now, let's talk about the most important aspect of this dash cam, image quality. In short, I would summarize it as better than most, but with room for improvement. During sunny or overcast weather, image quality is crisp. I was able to pause a couple videos where I was passing cars head on at 55mph, and in more than half the cases I could make out the license plate, and in the rest, I felt like the combination of a partial plate and made/model/color of vehicle, the vehicle could still be identified. At slower speeds, or traveling in the same direction, results were even better. At night time, however, it was a different story. Image quality was blurry and reading anything was pretty much impossible except for the most optimal conditions. It is still better than the value dash cam it is replacing, but that isn't saying much. Quality is better at night with plenty of street lights, but still not great.In closing, I'm more than satisfied with this dash cam, and I feel that it is a good value for the money. I recently went through and watched a bunch of online video reviews of various dash cams at various price points, and I feel like the E1 hangs with the best of them.