Last month saw Swiftcover become the first mainstream insurer to offer a discount to their customers that install a dashcam. While their 10% discount might only equate to around £30 off their average policy value, it’s great to see a new company recognise the benefits that dashcams offer.
As discussed in their latest blog, Adrian Flux have been offering a discount for around two years and were one of the first UK insurers to do so. Due to the specialised nature of the cover they provide, the savings made can often cover the cost of the dashcam in the first year alone!
Footage captured by car cameras helps insurers to apportion responsibility for an accident much quicker than occasions when video evidence isn’t readily available. Often these cases simply end up with responsibility being shared 50/50 between both parties, as neither will accept blame and the evidence in inconclusive. Understandably, the communications involved in this take a significant amount of time, resource and therefore, money. By eliminating, or vastly reducing this process, insurers are able to save money and it’s great to see them passing these savings on to drivers.
Be sure to keep an eye on our Cheaper Car Insurance page for details of all insurance companies that are offering dashcam discounts. We hope that we’ll be able to add many more companies to it in the future.
If you’ve read our review of the BlackVue DR550GW, you’ll know that we’re big fans of 2-channel dashcams here at Car Camera Shop. To you and me, that’s a dashcam that features both a front and a rear-facing camera. There’s no denying that having footage of activity on the road behind you as well as in front gives outstanding peace-of-mind. So we were excited to review the iPixi/Winycam V200HD and see how this smart looking dashcam performs.
Key Features
HD quality video (1280 x 720) at 30fps.
120° (front) and 140° (rear) 2MP CMOS sensor.
Multi-lens to capture video from front and rear.
3” LCD touch screen.
GPS maps for speed and location tracking.
G-shock sensor to detect sudden and severe movement.
Parking mode for protection when parked.
Adjustable adhesive windscreen mount.
MicroSD cards up to 32GB. 16GB card supplied.
Aside from the rear-camera, the other stand-out feature of the V200HD is the LCD touch screen. At 3″ in width, it’s the largest screen of any of our dashcams and is unique in offering touch screen capabilities. Despite the screen size, the front-facing camera unit isn’t too bulky. Larger than some other cameras, but still small enough to be concealed behind the rear-view mirror.
As you may have seen from our unboxing video, the V200HD comes well packaged with all the necessary components to get it up-and-running, including a memory card. The main unit is as small as it can be considering the 3″ screen, and is largely black, with ventilation holes around the sides to help disperse heat. On the front of the camera is the lens, surrounded by an LED ring. This glows red when the camera is recording but this can reflect in the windscreen, particularly at night, so thankfully this can be disabled in the menu settings. Apart from that, things are left simple, with three small LEDs on the rear to show you that the camera is powered up, recording and that the GPS has a signal. There is also a microphone and one solitary button that can be used to record manually, which is placed in a convenient position.
The touch screen is impressive and makes navigating through the cameras menus a breeze. It’s not as advanced as today’s smartphones, but the basic touch functionality works very well as is very well suited to the dashcam market. I powered up the camera before installing it to have a play with this unique feature and was flicking in and out of the menus in no time at all. Using straight-forward on-screen icons, navigation was intuitive and there was very little lag, meaning it wasn’t frustrating to use. It’s a minor detail, but some of the menus have spelling mistakes and grammatical peculiarities in them which hint at the V200HDs foreign heritage, as Winycam originated in Korea.
The rear-facing camera is small and neat and connects to the main unit by a long cable. This enables the front, main camera unit to process images from both cameras. This means that when watching your videos, either on the LCD screen or using the software provided, the image can be flipped from front to back easily. This makes it easy to track activity around you as you either pass something of interest, or you get overtaken, for example.
Installation was easy, but slightly more time-consuming than some other cameras, due to there being three cables to find homes for. The first cable is for power, and this was simple to run around the windscreen, down the side of the dashboard and under the passenger seat to the cigarette lighter. The second cable was to connect the rear camera, and in my car, a Ford Focus, this was easily hidden behind the edge of the roof liner, the door surrounds and various bits of interior trim. The only minor complication came with leaving enough slack cable for the hatchback to open, but that didn’t look messy when the hatch was closed. The third cable is for the GPS unit which is, unusually but not uniquely, separate from the main camera unit in the V200HD. While some people prefer this as it allows the GPS receiver to be positioned where it can get the best signal, it does mean it’s an additional unit to mount in your vehicle. I tried this in several positions and it performed perfectly in all of them. Even when completely hidden behind the roof lining, it still captured my location accurately.
Mounting the main camera unit was also simple. The adhesive mount features a small ball joint and a tightening ring so it can be secured in place once it has been aligned. Once I had positioned it, neatly behind my rearview mirror, the adhesive stayed in place with no issues at all. The only problem I encountered was that the angle of my windscreen meant that the camera couldn’t point downwards as far as I would have liked. This meant that I captured slightly more of the sky than I would have liked to. This didn’t limit the amount of on-the-road action that I recorded, but it could have impacted the cameras brightness settings as it dims the overall image to compensate for the light from the sky, resulting in darker footage.
One other minor comment at this point would be that the adhesive pad was white, meaning that it was very visible from outside the car. Using black, grey or clear adhesive would have meant that the install was more discrete. The rear camera also mounted easily and neatly at the top of my rear windscreen and didn’t block my view at all when looking in the rear-view mirror.
Of all the cameras that I’ve tested, the iPixi V200HD was one of the most reliable and I never had any doubt that it would be working faultlessly. Upon starting it up, a voice message prompted me that “normal recording would now begin”, referring to the regular recording mode, as opposed to parking mode for example. At first I would check to see that all the correct functions had kicked in and that the camera was working as I wanted and it always was. Some other cameras, particularly budget cameras, work perfectly and then, for some reason, can throw a tantrum and stop doing what you expect. These complications can almost always be resolved, but they can sew a seed of doubt in your mind. With the V200HD, I never had that. I used the camera daily for over a month, as we feel that to really put a camera through its paces you need to use it over a prolonged period, and never had any issues at all. This peace-of-mind is compounded by the V200HDs ‘cut off voltage’ feature which means the camera can be left powered while you’re away from your vehicle for a long time, but eliminates the risk of it running your battery down completely. It will continue to record, in parking mode, until the voltage of your battery drops to a pre-defined level at which point it will turn itself off.
During everyday use, the V200HD recorded my speed and location very accurately with its GPS receiver, identified moments of significance such as heavy breaking or bumps with its G-sensor and switched automatically between the appropriate recording mode depending on whether I was driving or parked. To me, a good dashcam is one that can be installed, and largely forgotten about until the footage is required. I feel that this dashcam is a good example of that.
I would say that V200HD isn’t designed to be removed from your vehicle once it’s been installed. With three cables to disconnect and a mounting bracket that’s slightly tricky to reconnect in situ, this camera doesn’t lend itself to being taken out of the car overnight, for example. This will suit some people, who see the presence of a dashcam as a security measure, while it will be off-putting to others who may feel that a dashcam is an invitation for a smash-and-grab opportunist thief. Fortunately however, the Micro SD card slot is easily accessible and the card was easy to remove so that footage could be viewed on my PC.
Image quality is, without a shadow of a doubt, the most important factor with any dashcam and the iPixi V200HD scores well in this area. It’s not the best, and seems to struggle particularly in areas with rapid lighting changes, such as driving though tree shadows for example, but it’s perfectly adequate. At standstill, number plates are crisp and sharp but while in transit these can be more difficult to make out, depending on your speed in relation to other vehicles. This is often the case with dashcams and there is a trade off between cameras excelling is some areas of image capture but struggling in others. I think the V200HD has reached a good balance.
Most dashcams capture footage at thirty frames per second (fps), delivering smooth video that most people would be very happy with. The V200HD, splits this frame rate between the front and back cameras, meaning that the front camera delivers 20fps and the rear camera, just 10fps. To a tech purist, such as myself, this is a shame, as the footage appears every so slightly jerky. However, it doesn’t necessarily have a hugely detrimental effect on the cameras ability to capture the necessary footage in the case of an accident.
In order to view your footage in more detail than the LCD screen can offer, you’ll need to transfer it to your computer. The iPixi ‘WinyBBViewer’ software is only compatible with Windows so if you’re a Mac user you won’t be able to benefit from its features. You can still view your footage, but you won’t be able to access the location, speed and g-sensor data that your V200HD has gathered as easily. The software is simple to use and makes it easy to access all the data that you’ve captured. Videos can be easily flipped between the front and rear view, which really helps to paint a clearer picture of the activity around you, and simple tools for tweaking the image for the best view and for extracting incriminating videos and stills, make it really useful in the case of any incident.
So, if you’re after a dashcam with front and rear cameras, which limits you to just a handful of options, you could do a lot worse than the iPixi Winycam V200HD. While the image quality could be better, its many other features mean that it’s a very capable unit. The 3″ LCD touch screen is a unique and well implemented feature than makes the camera very user friendly, despite the complex featured that it offers, and once it’s been installed it can be largely forgotten about without any doubts as to whether it is performing as required.
Sample iPixi V200HD Videos
Unboxing Video
iPixi X100FHD Downloads
iPixi V200HD Software
iPixi V200HD User Manual
iPixi V200HD Installation Guide
Buy the iPixi V200HD Camera Online
The iPixi V200HD is available to buy online for only £249.99 which comes complete with the rear camera all the accessories you need to install it in your car and get up and running.
The iPixi X100FHD (also called the Winycam X100FHD) is a unique camera with many features which make it stand out from the others. At £199.99 it’s priced at the top end of the range and has full HD, GPS mapping for speed and location tracking, a g-sensor to monitor impacts, parking protection, and a unique swivel lens allowing you to point the camera inside the car – a feature particularly useful for taxi drivers and driving instructors.
Key Features
Full HD quality video (1920 x 1080) at 30fps.
130° wide angle lens with a 2MP CMOS sensor.
Rotating camera for front/rear recording.
GPS maps for speed and location tracking.
G-shock sensor to detect sudden and severe movement.
Parking mode for protection when parked.
Photo mode.
Adjustable adhesive windscreen mount.
MicroSD cards up to 32GB. 16GB card supplied.
The first thing we noticed when opening the box and unpacking the camera was that is felt like a sturdy and well built unit. The materials oozed quality and it was firmly put together. You get all the essentials in the box but no spare adhesive pads means there’s no backup in case you want to move the camera later. You can always get spare adhesive pads from eBay though if you need to.
The camera contains a single record button which is used to change the camera modes and manually lock a video file. There are 2 LED lights at the rear of the camera which are visible to the driver, one for power and another to signal it’s recording. The SD card slot is underneath the camera and there’s a front facing LED which flashed as you drive along. This light is very bright and overbearing at night but you can turn it off in the camera settings.
The installation process is simple. In our test we stuck the camera behind the rear view mirror so it’s tucked out of the way from the drivers’ view. Of course, this means that when you rotate the lens it will record the back of the mirror so if you need this feature you’ll need to mount the camera further down the window or to one side. However, always be mindful that you mount your camera in a safe and legal position.
Once installed, the iPixi X100FHD camera can be adjusted both up/down and left/right to make sure you get the best footage possible. The camera cannot be taken out of the car once it’s installed which means you can’t tuck it away when you’re on holiday or even taken it into the house to view the videos or change the settings. This means you need to take the memory card out of the camera and plug this into your computer instead which can be a little tricky, especially when it’s dark.
The camera has a nice voice guide system which tells you when it starts and ends recording, amongst other things. It’s nice to get the re-assurance that the camera is on and recording rather than having to check the LED lights to make sure it’s definitely working.
Like many cameras, the software and user manual is supplied on the camera itself, and accessed via the SD card. The software that controls the camera settings and allows you to view the video footage GPS and g-sensor data is only compatible with Windows. Therefore, we don’t recommend this camera if you’re not a Windows user since you won’t be able to change any settings (including the date and time) or view this additional video content.
The iPixi (or Winycam) X100FHD camera is very easy to use and setup. It automatically enters into parking mode once the camera hasn’t sensed movement for a few minutes and it automatically locks video clips when it senses an impact or sudden shock (via the built in g-sensor). If you want to manually lock a file as you’re driving along, simply press the one and only button on the camera. It really is very simple to use – once it’s in it just runs itself.
The most important factor when it comes to car cameras is the quality of the video – this is what ultimately counts when you need to rely on the evidence. The iPixi X100FHD records in full 1080p HD at 30fps. The video quality is on a par with other dash cams in this price range.
The rotating lens which allows you to flip the camera to face inside the car is a great feature for taxi drivers and driving instructors that would find recording inside the car useful. You will of course need to make sure to mount the camera in a position that will see in both directions. Normally, you would mount the camera behind the rear-view mirror to keep the camera out of the way, however, this will mean you won’t be able to make use of the rotating lens.
Changing the settings on the camera needs to be done with the supplied Windows software. You take the card out of the camera and insert it into your computer to load the software. Then, insert the card into the camera again (the camera will be in the car at this point) and the camera will update itself when you turn it on. This can pose a problem when updating the date and time of the camera. Firstly, you set the time using the software on your computer for a time in the future that you will insert the memory card into the camera. You then need to insert the memory card into the camera in your car at this set time.
At around the £200 price range, this iPixi/Winycam dash cam has a unique rotating lens and is very easy to use, it’s Windows only software and limited portability may limit its appeal to some.
Sample iPixi X100FHD Videos
Unboxing Video
Sample Footage
iPixi X100FHD Downloads
iPixi X100FHD Software
iPixi X100FHD User Manual
iPixi X100FHD Installation Guide
Buy the iPixi X100FHD Camera Online
The iPixi X100FHD is available to buy online for only £199.99 which comes complete with all the accessories you need to mount it in your car and get up and running
Powering your dash cam with a cigarette lighter socket
If you’re new to car cameras it’s important to know that they get their power from the car cigarette lighter socket. Car cameras can’t work off an internal battery alone because they will only last a couple of hours before running out. It’s worth noting that many cameras do have an internal battery which allow you to take the camera out of the car and use a still camera.
The benefit of running the camera off the car cigarette lighter socket is that the power to the cigarette lighter socket is turned off when the car is turned off. This allows the camera to turn on and off with the car, preventing the camera staying on and draining the car battery when the car has been switched off.
This is all rather excellent but there are a few things you need to be mindful of. Some modern cars provide continuous power to the cigarette lighter socket which will mean the camera will never turn itself off. If your car provides permanent power you have two options:
1. Remember to unplug the camera from the cigarette lighter socket when you get out of the car. 2. Have your cigarette lighter socket rewired by a trained technician – expect to pay around £50 for this service at a main dealer.
How will I know if my car provides permanent power?
A simple test is to plug a car phone charger in and see if the phone is charged when you turn the car off. You may need to leave the car for an hour or so since some cars run on a timer where the power is turned off after a set period of time.
Hard-wiring a car camera
As an alternative, you can hard-wire the camera straight to the car battery using a special hard-wiring kit. This provides permanent power to the camera but then cuts the power once the battery has reached a set level to prevent discharging. These are typically used when you want to take advantage of the parking protection mode some cameras provide.
There are several reasons that we buy car cameras but the main one is so that we can prove our innocence in the case of an incident; in particular, those that result in damage to our vehicles. With even cosmetic repairs running to hundreds, or even thousands of pounds, being able to show, irrefutably, that it wasn’t your fault is crucial. And that’s exactly what I managed to do recently, thanks to the footage from my trusty Mini 0801 dashcam.
Last November, my car was parked in a busy service station car park and, while I was inside getting some food, someone reversed into my car and decided to drive off. The impact had been significant enough that some kind Samaritan parked a few spaces away heard the crash and made a note of their registration number, but they had already been captured on my dashcam!
I had recently installed a Mini 0801 car camera and was putting it through its paces for a review, and this was to be the acid test. I checked the footage on its screen and I had captured the driver returning to their vehicle, reversing into my car, pausing to view the damage and then driving off.
The damage wasn’t extreme, some paint had been scraped off my front bumper on the passenger side, but I’d only just bought the car, and as you can image, I wasn’t too pleased! So what next? I had incriminating evidence, but what were the next steps towards contacting the driver and getting my car fixed? And should I be involving the police?!
I decided that considering the extent of the damage, I’d rather try to contact the driver of the vehicle directly to reach an amicable conclusion. So I did consult the police, but only to get advice on how to go about this. They advised that I should contact the DVLA, with details of the incident and see if they deemed it serious enough to divulge the other driver’s details. After some searching online, I found out that it was a V888 form that I needed to complete so I duly filled in the form, including details of why I wanted to contact the driver and shipped it off with a £2.50 postal order.
After a week or so, I received my form back, with a letter to say that they required further information about the damage and quotes for carrying out the repairs. Thankfully, several local garages and body shops were able to give approximate quotations based on photos so a few phone calls and emails later and I had a handful of quotes. I also printed off pictures of the damage to help the process along.
I’ll be honest, when I received my next letter from the DVLA and I could tell before opening it that they hadn’t returned my form, I thought “GOTCHA!!”. I was excited as I opened the letter and was expecting to see the name and address of a total stranger who, although he didn’t know it yet, would be receiving a strongly-worded letter from me soon. However, it turned out that the car was registered to a company, which changed the complexion of my plan of attack!
If anything it made things slightly easier, as I could contact the company by phone and try to speak to someone about the issue straight away. Within minutes I was speaking to the company’s fleet manager and he confirmed that the vehicle was one of theirs. He seemed sceptical at first as I told him that one of his vehicles had caused damage to mine but he was interested to see the footage I’d captured. I managed to extract a short video clip that was of a file size that could be emailed and sent it over to him.
Within minutes, such is the undeniable power of video, he’d replied to say that the business would cover all costs!! No quibbles, no negotiation, just immediate acceptance of responsibility.
If I’m honest, I’d have liked to have spoken to the driver as it was their poor driving and their decision to drive off that caused this whole mess, causing me frustration and effort. However, under the circumstances, and after a heartfelt apology from the company, I felt satisfied. The car was booked in at the garage and when I picked it up the day after it looked as good as new.
So after purchasing my car camera, for under £100, I was saved an expense several times that, thanks to the footage it captured. If I hadn’t had the camera, I might still have been able to get in touch with the driver thanks to someone who decided to jot down their registration plate, but that’s not always going to happen and can’t be relied upon. Also, would the driver, or in this case company, have been so willing to pay if it was just my word against theirs? Probably not. They hadn’t noticed any damage on their car so why would they believe me?
We always knew that car cameras could help drivers to prove their innocence in the case of any accident and now we have the proof and we wouldn’t be without our dashcams nowadays. And with cameras like the Mini 0801, Mobius and G1W, among others, offering superb video quality for as little as £49.99, the peace of mind they offer is easily affordable and they can pay for themselves in no time at all.
Have you used your dashcam footage to successfully prove your innocence in the case of an incident? We’d love to hear from you if you have! Comment below or contact us here.
Today we’ve been speaking to the Chinese company that manufacture the Mini 0801 about the next-generation of this hugely popular dashcam. To be named the Mini 0803, this new car camera is currently in the final stages of testing before it reaches mass-production.
Featuring an updated Amberalla A7L30 or A7L50 main chip and an AR0330 3MP image sensor we’re anticipating that the Mini 0803 will deliver ultra-clear video and with wide dynamic range (WDR), excellent image quality in all lighting conditions. With talk of including a lane departure warning system, which alerts you if you stray from your lane, this camera could include unique features that set it apart from the rest!
We’re hoping to get our hands on one as soon as possible so stay tuned for our first look reviews and sample video! You can view more information on the Mini 0803 camera on our product page.
The Mobius ActionCam is an all round action camera which comes with the basic dash cam features required to make it an ideal car camera. This includes loop recording, auto power on/off, range of car mounts, and auto recording amongst other things which turn this light and nimble action camera into the perfect dash cam.
Key Features
Full HD 1080p @ 30fps.
Loop recording, auto power on/off.
Photo mode.
Motion detection.
Range of mounts available.
MicroSD memory cards up to 32GB (class 6)
When you first hold the camera you realise just how small and light it actually is with an excellent build quality – it feels very strong and sturdy, more than enough to cope with even the worst drivers out there! It’s by far the smallest dash cam on the market and one of the cheapest. There’s no official box with the camera and there isn’t any instructions or software provided. However, you can download some Windows software to change the camera preferences and a PDF user manual created by third-parties (see download links below). Without the software, you can change the camera preferences by editing a text file on the memory card – it’s easy enough but can appear a little daunting at first.
The Mobius camera comes with lots of mounting options allowing you to mount it in the car with a suction or adhesive mount, depending on your preference. If you want to use the camera for other activities such as cycling or even snowboarding, you can purchase additional mounts. The camera mounts using a standard tripod thread which means you can use any mount with the tripod thread connection.
I’ve actually been using the little Mobius camera in my car for a few months and absolutely love it. During this time the manufacturer has released half a dozen firmware updates which improves reliability and adds new functionality. I’ve not had a single problem with the camera in the 3 months I’ve been using it and it has even captured an accident.
On a 16GB MicroSD memory card you can get around 2 hours of video at the full 1080p 30fps high quality setting. You can obviously get more if you reduce the quality down to 720p but you need the full HD to get the best quality footage available. The manufacturer recommends a class 6 memory card but I’ve been using a class 10 card without problems.
When you open the software you’ll notice that there’s lots of camera settings to play with. It’s worth having a play with the settings and trying the different options until you’re happy you have the best quality video for how you use it. Like many dash cams, it comes with High Dynamic Range (sometimes called Wide Dynamic Range) which improves the video quality in low-light or at night time. This can compromise the standard video however, since more noise is added to the video. If you rarely drive at night, then it’s best to leave this feature off.
After a recent firmware update, motion detection was added to the camera features. This works well but you cannot have motion detection running alongside normal recording. Unlike most dash cams, where the motion detection normally kicks in when you have parked the car, you will need to run the camera with motion detection on all the time which means you may miss out on footage whilst the car has stopped. It’s good to see the manufacturer releasing new firmware and features though – perhaps motion detection will improve over time.
The camera does lack some of the advanced features offered by other dash cams such as GPS maps, LCD screen, speed tracking, or a g-sensor. Event recording is not automatic (normally a g-sensor will automatically sense an impact and lock the video file) but there is a button on the camera which you can press to lock a file. This isn’t a feature I’ve ever used (I always forget which button it is!) so if you need to save a video file you can just stop the camera before it loops and overwrites the footage you want to keep.
Whilst it does lack some of the advanced car camera features, the quality of the full HD 1080p video is astonishing and trumps the top of the range £300+ cameras. It really is excellent both during the day and at night. So, if you’re looking for a small camera which takes exceptional video without the extra features this is the perfect camera.
video without the extra features this is the perfect camera.
The Mini 0801 is one of our most popular car cameras, and it’s easy to see why. It records great video, has a handy little LCD screen and hides discreetly in any vehicle. I use one in my car in fact and wouldn’t go anywhere without it nowadays. On the rare occasion that I have to drive somewhere and have forgotten to put the memory card back in it, I feel vulnerable! Strange but true! I feel positive that the time my Mini 0801 isn’t recording, will be the time something happens!! Anyway, I’m rambling…
One way of ensuring your Mini 0801 dashcam is performing at it’s best is to keep the firmware up to date. Firmware is essentially the programming of your camera and manufacturers will release new firmware files as they develop their products so users can update them. This often adds new features and menu options, or fixes known issues and bugs. With each firmware upgrade your product will usually get better and more stable.
Firmware is provided in the shape of a small file that can be downloaded via the internet and uploaded to your camera either via the memory card, or occasionally by plugging the camera into a computer.
The steps below outline how you can update your Mini 0801 dashcam with the latest firmware. Please note: While these instructions are tried and tested, any changes or updates to your firmware are done so at your own risk.
How to check your current Mini 0801 firmware version If you want to check which version of the firmware your Mini 0801 currently has, you can find this information in the menu. Press ok to stop your camera from recording if necessary and then hold the up button to access the menu. Press up again once the menu is open to highlight the ‘FIRMWARE’ option, then press OK. This will show you the firmware version you currently have.
STEP 1
Download the firmware file that is applicable to your camera. At the time of writing, the latest Mini 0801 firmware for the versions that we offer (without internal memory) is available below, and in the support section of our site. This is version 20131202.
Copy the firmware file onto a Micro SD card. If you’re using the one from your camera, format the card first so that the firmware is the only file remaining on it.
STEP 3
Insert the memory card into your Mini 0801 dashcam and turn the power on.
STEP 4
When prompted with ‘FIRMWARE UPDATE?’, press up top highlight YES in red, then press OK.
STEP 5
The screen will then display ‘PROCESSING…’ for a short time and the LED will stay solid blue. If your screen is set to turn off after a minute, it will do so but the update will continue to be carried out. The LED will remain blue until the update is finished (approximately 1m 40s later in our tests) at which point the camera will turn itself off. You may hear the power off tone and the LED will turn off.
STEP 6
Your Mini 0801 is now updated, but before you proceed, remove the firmware file from your Micro SD card to prevent the camera from asking if you want to update your firmware the next time you turn it on.
STEP 7
Re-insert your Micro SD card, power up your camera and check that the latest firmware is installed. You may need to check the menu settings and adjust them as they will have been restored to the default settings.
And that’s it. Told you it was easy, and your Mini 0801 is now bang up-to-date!
Posted by Car Camera Shop on Tuesday, 14 January 2014
We’ve tested a lot of dash cams here at Car Camera Shop, but never before one with a rear-facing camera. So when Pittasoft offered us a BlackVue DR550GW-HD to review, their first two-channel camera, we jumped at the chance. Having the ability to record behind your vehicle, as well as in front, greatly increases the chances of you capturing any activity that could lead to you needing to claim on your insurance.
Key Features
Full HD quality video (1920 x 1080) at 30fps.
139° wide angle lens with a 2.4MP Sony Exmor CMOS sensor.
Multi-lens to capture video from front and rear.
Wifi enabled to connect to a mobile app.
GPS maps for speed and location tracking.
G-shock sensor to detect sudden and severe movement.
Parking mode for protection when parked.
Photo mode.
MicroSD cards up to 32GB. 16GB card supplied.
Adjustable adhesive windscreen mount.
Upon opening the well-presented packaging, the build and design quality of both cameras is the first thing you notice, certainly in comparison to some of the budget range of cameras available in the market today. Continuing the sleek, barrel design of the existing BlackVue cameras, these are constructed of tough, beautifully finished plastic, with smart little design features, from the subtle placement of status LEDs to the touch-sensitive audio on/off sensor on the front camera. Even the air ventilation holes complement the design beautifully!
There are also some nice finishing touches such as the BlackVue logo on the lens cap and even etched underneath the adhesive pad on the rear camera that, while not strictly necessary, really do paint the picture that this is a premium quality product. The camera isn’t cluttered with buttons which helps retain its sense of style, but that doesn’t mean that it’s short on functionality either. At one end, a touch-sensitive panel enables you to turn audio recording on and off easily while driving and at the opposite end, alongside the power and rear camera connectors, a single button engages the DR550GW’s own WiFi hotspot. This enables you to access a wealth of setting and options via your smartphone, but we’ll talk more about that later!
Installation was easy, and we were impressed with the quality of the cables provided. Every connection felt made-to-measure, particularly the AV in/out cable connecting the two cameras which clicked into place firmly. All cables were long enough to route around the car, completely hidden from view behind the trim and beneath the carpet. The only complication we encountered was the amount of slack cable required to allow our hatchback boot to open. This loop of cable couldn’t be hidden as well as we’d have liked when the boot was closed, but it didn’t cause any visibility issues in the slightest and wasn’t very noticeable.
There’s definitely something very comforting about having a car camera installed. The peace-of-mind that comes from knowing you’ll have footage if anything happens on the road is appreciated. So catching sight of the additional rear camera in our mirror was very welcome. Its subtle white LED let us know that it was powered up and recording.
On powering up the camera for the first time we’re welcomed with a voice message, “BlackVue for your safe driving”. These voice prompts give you updates as to the status of the camera to make sure you it’s all working properly. While they’re a novelty at first, we eventually turned them off, preferring our camera to be seen and not heard. With this in mind, and despite the DR550-GW-HD being bigger than some cameras on the market, the main unit was discreetly hidden behind our rear-view mirror.
Using the free BlackVue app, available for iOS and Android devices, you can adjust just about anything you could wish to on your camera. From the video brightness and g-sensor sensitivity to the length of videos being recorded and which voice alerts you wish to hear. It also lets you view a live feed of what the front and rear cameras are viewing which is invaluable in positioning them in your vehicle. More importantly, the app is one of the key ways in which you can view the videos that your camera has recorded and we were impressed at how easy it is to use. The video files are easily identified as either ‘normal’, ‘event’ or ‘parking’ and by being either front or rear facing videos. They can be easily filtered so you can access the files you want quickly and easily.
Once playing, the videos streamed well from the camera and the image looked sharp. The view could be switched from front to back seamlessly at the push of a button. Depending on the device you’re using, you might not quite be able to make out registration plate numbers, but rest assured that the detail will be there once you view them on a bigger screen, such as on your PC or Mac.
The software provided is also intuitive and uses the same filtering system as the app to let you find the videos that you’re looking for easily. Using a smart picture-in-picture mechanism, you’re able to view the front and rear-facing footage simultaneously giving you a complete picture of activity around you at the time of any incident. To view more detail, the videos can be viewed at full screen size.
The only issue we found with the footage was that at speed, areas of the video became blocky and pixelated which was disappointing. When stationary, both the front and rear images look very sharp but they quickly deteriorate as the cameras struggle to process the images. This issue is caused by the low bitrate that each camera has. Even updating the camera to the latest firmware, which improved the video quality, we still noticed issues with the image quality. We’ve contacted Pittasoft for comment and will update this review once we hear from them. With the dashcam community happy to feedback to manufacturers to help them develop their products, we’d like to think that future updates will help to resolve this issue.
We also missed the ability to be able to lock video files of our choosing if, for example, something happened on the road around us that we wanted to keep a record of, but that we weren’t directly involved in; for example, a near-miss between other cars on the road or some anti-social behavior. With other dashcams, you can press a button to create an ‘;event’ file which won’t be overwritten by the camera and will be kept safe. It’s purely down to personal preference but we’d like to see this feature on the DR550GW-HD as we regularly use this feature on other test cameras. With so many people sharing video files of their experiences on the road nowadays, this is a very popular feature.
And so, in conclusion, the BlackVue DR550GW-HD really does set the bar high in terms of build quality and features, but has improvements to make in the video quality department. We genuinely hope that future firmware updates will rectify the issues that the camera currently has, at which point this camera has the potential to become one of the best cameras on the market.
Sample footage: Front view
Sample footage: Rear view
Sample footage: BlackVue HD Software
Note: the software footage above appears jerky due to our screen capture software. On-screen the footage is perfectly smooth.
The GoPro is arguably the best known action camera in the UK and has quickly established itself as one of the most popular on the market. With a range of different cameras and accessories available, it has become synonymous with extreme sports the world over and its high quality videos capture everything from skateboarding to scuba-diving.
So, if the GoPro is that good, does it also make a good car camera? We took our trusty GoPro Hero 3 for a road trip around the hills of Italy to find out!
Firstly, there’s no denying the quality of the video that the GoPro captures. We initially captured footage in full 1080p at 30 frames per second but eventually settled on 720p with an impressive 60 frames per second to give a smoother picture. Image quality was sharp and number plates were largely visible on the videos we took, which is important if you later rely on them as evidence.
Secondly, the GoPro app worked faultlessly and enabled us to position the camera each morning as we were removing it from our hire car overnight. It also offered easy access to the cameras settings and, thanks to the recent update, allowed us to view and manage recorded video files via our iPhone and iPad.
So, the GoPro records great video and is easy to manage. That means its a great car camera right? Unfortunately not. During our tests we identified some fundamental issues which limit the GoPro’s effectiveness as a dash cam.
Aside from the fact that when mounted on the suction cup mount it takes up a significant amount of space, the first issue that we encountered was battery life. While car cameras plug into your vehicles cigarette lighter and draw power whenever your ignition is turned on, the GoPro runs from an internal battery. In our tests, a full charge lasted around 1 hour 45 minutes which was suitable for most of our journeys, but did mean that the battery needed to be charged every evening. That was fine for the purposes of our test, but isn’t a long-term solution for anyone looking for the day-to-day protection of a car camera. It is possible to power the GoPro via a USB cable plugged into cars cigarette lighter but this requires the purchase of several additional accessories, which can be expensive.
The GoPro also breaks long videos up into manageable files of 17.35 minutes, seamlessly ending one video file and beginning the next. Dedicated car cameras use much smaller segments, usually just a few minutes in length, which help when your memory card is full and the camera employs ‘loop recording’ to overwrite old files that are no longer required. While the GoPro offers loop recording, the large video files don’t lend themselves to it as effectively as dash cams.
As well as this, the GoPro lacks some fundamental features that make car cameras as effective as they are. Most importantly, GPS, G-force sensors and a time/date stamp.
GPS allows a car camera to plot your precise location on a map and, using this information, can also measure your speed – a crucial factor in determining the events leading up to any incident and proving your innocence.
Internal G-force sensors enable car cameras to detect sudden and significant movement of your vehicle which could indicate an incident, such as a collision, sudden braking or evasive manoeuvring. Once it detects such activity, a car camera can protect the video file that was being recorded at that time, meaning that it can’t be recorded over accidentally, which guarantees your video evidence is kept safe.
Other more minor issues that we encountered included overheating (possibly due to the GoPros plastic casing amplifying the heat of the sun through the windscreen) and difficulty in managing the camera without the app as the LCD screen faces forwards. Also, with its wide, 170 degree lens, the GoPro has an impressive field-of-view, but the image suffers from distortion at the edge of the frame. This isn’t an issue if you’re filming extreme sports, but if the video from your car camera is to by relied on as evidence, you need to be confident that what’s recorded is clearly legible. As a comparison, the newly released BlackVue DR550 has a 137 degree lens, which seems to be a good compromise between capturing as much detail as possible and ensuring that it’s crystal clear across the entire picture.
So, in summary, while the GoPro is great for capturing a vast array of activities, it is unfortunately limited when being used as a car camera. Dash cams are purpose built to offer the ultimate peace-of-mind whenever you’re behind the wheel and to do this with the minimum amount of effort required on your part after installation. The GoPro may be sufficient for a one-off journey, but it’s not a long-term solution.
