[glennbk]

Looking to buy a new Chinese knockoff dash cam. Which options do I need to buy to get a good install?

https://viofo.com/index.php?controller=cart&action=show

HK3-C Hardwire Kit. Which option?
-ATS
-ATC
-MINI
-MICRO2

Thinking just buying everything would be the best.

[avi66]

I'm thinking of buying a cheap Chinese knockoff parachute Would you ?

VIOFO seems to get some good feedback for value for money. Personally, I just bite the bullet and go with the BMW ACE 3.0, especially if you want a parking mode that doesn't affect power management.

This is the pro version that comes with an LCD display, but there's a version without a display as well.

[Roundel-NY]

Originally Posted by glennbk

Looking to buy a new Chinese knockoff dash cam. Which options do I need to buy to get a good install?

https://viofo.com/index.php?controller=cart&action=show

HK3-C Hardwire Kit. Which option?
-ATS
-ATC
-MINI
-MICRO2

Thinking just buying everything would be the best.

What dashcam is VIOFO "knocking off"? I have 3 of their dashcams in the family, they all have been working great. The A119 is going strong for the 5th year now...

[MontyB1]

There are about 3 chip solutions for almost the entire market.

Viofo have been found to use the best and latest solutions offering 2k and 4k that many others don't. For value for money and bang for the buck they have had some great reviews. So much so I decided to get one myself the A119 I think as some of the others offer front and rear I didn't want. Also better to get some with super capacitors rather than batteries. Again the batteries swell and go over a short period and the capacitors don't, again Viofo go the capacitor route.

As a great example of why some are spending fortunes for average give this a look. There are a few other comparison videos that show that some of the £200 cameras you want to get for features and not for quality.

[gphin]

A few months back, I looked at several options including Viofo. I decided on a Vantrue N2S. Two cameras, front and interior in one unit. The interior camera has a wide angle view that also covers the outside sides and rear. I use a simple 20,000MAH phone charger battery pack connection for parking security which provides over 24 hours of charge for the camera. No complicated wiring connections. Very clear cameras. Have had for several months now and no complaints. Highly recommend. Just another option you might want to consider.
https://www.vantrue.us/n2s

[climbbike]

I got a Viofo and returned it because it actually rattled. Maybe just a one off issue

[climbbike]

And by the way, there are quite a few dash cams with the better chips. Just look at what chip is used and not the marketing bs. I've had good luck with 70mai. Minimum of 5mp for sure. 8 mp if you want the best.

[avi66]

Originally Posted by MontyB1

There are about 3 chip solutions for almost the entire market.

This should not come as a surprise. There are relatively few companies used in most tech when it comes to SoC, cameras, etc.

I kinda reminds me of the phone manufacturers that always lead on spec, using the latest processor as a differentiator, whilst others focus on the total solution and experience.

There are differences in product features so just buy what best fits your needs. For example, I don’t want to rip my car apart to fit a rear mount camera, so I wanted a solution that would allow a module to be mounted on the front camera that provides a rear mirror type view. It’s a compromise, but I’m happy with the solution and image quality via the 8mp sensor.

[glennbk]

Chinese companies with unique externals, but identically the same inside. I did go with the A139 4K. We'll see how it turns out when it arrives from China (Guangdong). Here's hoping the strikes don't impact the arrival.

[madbeatz]

Originally Posted by glennbk

Chinese companies with unique externals, but identically the same inside. I did go with the A139 4K. We'll see how it turns out when it arrives from China (Guangdong). Here's hoping the strikes don't impact the arrival.

Looks like a great dashcam and and I can see from feedback from multiple forums that VIAFO has good reputation from customers!

I didn't see it on the company website but does the 139 have park mode, remote alerting/viewing and cloud storage capabilities?

[avi66]

Originally Posted by glennbk

Chinese companies with unique externals, but identically the same inside. I did go with the A139 4K. We'll see how it turns out when it arrives from China (Guangdong). Here's hoping the strikes don't impact the arrival.

Just noticed that on the Viofouk.co.uk we only get the 2k version of the A139, which is discounted down to £219 in their sale, but on viofo.com we get 4k at £264 in the sale.

Any idea if it offers buffered parking mode ?


Also, it would be great if they considered the aesthetics of having multiple cables running to the camera when they design these things. At least the BMW design got that right.

[deviation01]

FITCAMX much cheaper plug and play comes with trim replacement to look like OEM!

[avi66]

Originally Posted by deviation01

FITCAMX much cheaper plug and play comes with trim replacement to look like OEM!

There's not very much info on what it can do on the website.

Does it have a buffered parking mode ?
Does it have motion detection and g sensor in parking mode ?
Does the hardwire to fuse box for parking mode cause parasitic drain issues with BMW power management (notice they recommend the rear view mirror Y cable power connection which doesn't appear to support parking mode)?

[glennbk]

Not sure. I'll find out after installation. I could spend an extra $360 for a dedicated battery, but not really interested. Mostly buying it for driving around DFW. People here are getting progressively crazier and thought I needed proof.

[avi66]

Originally Posted by glennbk

Not sure. I'll find out after installation. I could spend an extra $360 for a dedicated battery, but not really interested. Mostly buying it for driving around DFW. People here are getting progressively crazier and thought I needed proof.

Makes sense and I’ll rely on Drive Recorder for that. Used it a couple of times and it works ok. It’s the parking side I’m more worried about.

[Roundel-NY]

I used to have my A119 hardwired in 2019 X3, and had it running while the car was parked (street parking). I think the cam was working for ~6 hours before the voltage dropped low enough for the battery cut off to stop it. This allows for enough juice to be left for the car to start again. In colder climates you may want to set the cut off at the highest setting in colder months.

[avi66]

Originally Posted by Roundel-NY

I used to have my A119 hardwired in 2019 X3, and had it running while the car was parked (street parking). I think the cam was working for ~6 hours before the voltage dropped low enough for the battery cut off to stop it. This allows for enough juice to be left for the car to start again. In colder climates you may want to set the cut off at the highest setting in colder months.

Is this "parking mode" or just constant recording while parked until the voltage drops to a certain level ? How was the camera wired for power ?

also, did this not generate any BMW Power Management Error messages or shut down car systems (see link below) ?

https://x3.xbimmers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1696342

[Roundel-NY]

Originally Posted by avi66

Is this "parking mode" or just constant recording while parked until the voltage drops to a certain level ? How was the camera wired for power ?

also, did this not generate any BMW Power Management Error messages or shut down car systems (see link below) ?

https://x3.xbimmers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1696342

mine was constant recording, and on the hardwire kit there are several options for battery cut off. I used Viofo hardwire kit and wired into the front fuse box.

[glennbk]

Going to let my local shop perform the installation. They do a number of installations for th local BMW dealer. Heck, they even installed the Advanced Eye cameras because the dealer couldn't complete it enough time. Service was swamped.

[moonshine]

Originally Posted by deviation01

FITCAMX much cheaper plug and play comes with trim replacement to look like OEM!

I just bought and fitted the FitcamX to My X3m40d. https://fitcamx.com/collections/bmw/...39888585392300

I had one in my Porsche 718S.
Easy to fit, looks oem . Takes power from rear view mirror
4k, G lock,

[avi66]

Originally Posted by moonshine

I just bought and fitted the FitcamX to My X3m40d. https://fitcamx.com/collections/bmw/...39888585392300

I had one in my Porsche 718S.
Easy to fit, looks oem . Takes power from rear view mirror
4k, G lock,

Does it have a parking mode connected by rear view power ?

[moonshine]

Originally Posted by avi66

Does it have a parking mode connected by rear view power ?

No, ( I went for the 4k front only camera.) and didn't bother with parking mode.
It's the Model B fitting
The blurb is at the bottom of the page I linked to..
It says "parking mode is Hard wire to fuse box(Contact us to buy a fuse box cable)"
It uses the Novatek 96670 cpu

The porsche 718 kit was connected to the fuse box and was very simple to wire in.
One chassis ground terminal and 2 fuses, one to permanent hot spare fuse and other to an ACC switched spare fuse