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Review on VIOFO Interior Infrared Buffered Detection by Kevin Carr

Revainrating 5 out of 5

Great value for money, reliable but some flaws

I researched DVRs for a few months before deciding to buy this one. To be honest, I was finally convinced to buy it after YouTube channel Car Cam Central highly recommended it as a good mid-range camera. First let me say that I would buy this dash cam again which is why I gave it 5 stars. . It provides a clear image both at night and during the day. But like all products, it's not perfect. The mic is easy to toggle on and off if you're having a private conversation or don't want your bad singing to be recorded. It's also pretty easy to protect clips from being overwritten by pressing the center button on the camera. Clips can be timed with options of 3 minutes, 5 minutes and 10 minutes. One caveat: I mount the camera behind the rear view mirror because it captures the most in the middle of the window, and the police are less likely to issue a ticket for "obscured vision" when it's behind the mirror. Sometimes I have to take my eyes off the road to press a button, which isn't ideal. For this reason, I strongly recommend that you buy an external remote control that you can use the adhesive backing to place anywhere in the car and that will sync. to the camera via Bluetooth. I placed mine next to the steering wheel and it's very easy to save clips with the press of a button. The camera also has many customizable options such as video resolution (either to save space or improve video quality) and a time-lapse feature to save memory card space. You can change the rear camera video to black and white or color. There is also an auto color feature but I used that and for some reason some of the clips turned pink. No big deal, just weird. For this reason I'm leaving it in black and white for now, which is called "Mono" in the camera settings. hatchback. This creates a reflection in the camera. You can still see the vehicles, but they are less clear. The optional camera can be used as a rear or cockpit camera, so you can connect it to look at your car from the front. In this case you *might* get a rear view of your car in the frame, but that depends on the car and where you place the camera. Also, it doesn't pick up license plates that well while driving. This gives a very clear picture when you stop directly in front of the car (see video), however the reversing camera hits the number plates when you come to a full stop. I didn't see the license plate clearly filmed while driving. So if I ever get into a car accident while another car is running away, I'll probably read the license plate out loud with the mic on because I don't think the camera will catch it. The dash cam is still value for money in my opinion as hit and run accidents are rare and in a typical accident where both parties stay put the video makes insurance easier. disappointed with the wires they provide. First, the USB connectors are not standard USB-A connectors, so you'll need to use their cables. (It might be the less common USB-B type, but I honestly can't tell.) The cable connecting the rear camera is long enough for my Honda Civic, but it's quite thick! It was more difficult to get it into the upholstery of the car, but I managed. It took about an hour to hide the back wire. The main cable, which connects to the car charger from the front, has a normal thickness and is easier to hide in different corners of the car. It took about 20 minutes to complete. I bought a cable that allows you to plug the camera directly into an outlet. Motor so it can run when the car is off. (This camera has a parking mode). However, I don't know enough about cars to tinker with the engine, so I have to pay a mechanic to do it. Another inconvenience is the transfer of footage. There are several possibilities for this. There is a VIOFO application that allows you to sync to the camera over Wi-Fi generated by the camera. It syncs well and you can change settings from the app when it's connected (the camera can't record while you're using the app. You can only exit camera recording in view mode). The camera also fails to record while you upload footage using the app. Also, since you're using Wi-Fi to connect, not Bluetooth, you'll need to use your phone's data to upload your footage. These clips are quite large due to the high quality, especially if you use the 10 minute clip setting, so your data may suffer during the upload process. If you're involved in an accident, you'll most likely want to download it to your phone at the scene to save it and also show it to the police for a report, so I'm not a fan of that, but at least you have the phone downloads option . There are other ways to download clips. One is to take a micro SD card and insert it into your computer. This means that you need accessories for this. You can also connect the camera directly to your computer using one of the supplied USB cables. But otherwise a very solid camera at a reasonable price. It gives me peace of mind that if I get into an accident, I have it.

Pros
  • An absolute legend
Cons
  • Mostly good but...