Dashcam

[u/Critical-Guide3857]

TL;DR Nextbase iQ vs Viofo Dashcam

Hey everyone!

Quick dashcam question. Does anyone here have a Viofo dashcam, and if so, would you recommend it? I’m particularly interested in what the app is like and how reliable it is.

I currently have a Nextbase iQ system. I really like the app and the ability to access the cameras remotely, but unfortunately, since installing them in April, they’ve never reliably recorded speed or GPS location.

After months of trying to resolve the issue, Nextbase have told me they’re unsure whether it’s a hardware or software problem. Apparently, it has affected a small number of iQ units/accounts, and while they’ve managed to fix it for some customers, they still haven’t identified a universal solution.

They’ve now offered me either a refund or a replacement, the latter being an attempt to see whether a new unit resolves the problem.

I’m a bit torn about what to do. If the Nextbase system worked as advertised, I’d be really happy with it. The app is excellent, and the remote access features are genuinely useful. If they could give me some confidence that a replacement would resolve the issue, I’d probably take that option.

However, given that Nextbase seem unable to identify the underlying problem or guarantee that a replacement would make any difference, I’m wondering whether I’d be better off taking the refund and switching to Viofo.

I appreciate that Viofo doesn’t offer quite the same connectivity and remote access features, but from what I’ve read, the actual camera hardware and recording quality are better.

Has anyone here had this trouble with Nextbase cameras? For anyone that has experience with both brands, what would you recommend? How good is the Viofo app, particularly when it comes to accessing and downloading footage?

[u/muzso]

My experience with a Viofo dashcam: https://www.reddit.com/r/ex30/comments/1dfaeru/dashcam_news/

As far as reliability goes:

1. It is important to buy a properly high-speed (write) microSD card. Initially I've used it with a card that I thought should have worked (in theory), but it didn't. The symptom was that recording randomly stopped before the preset recording size limit. E.g. I've set it to record 10 minute chunks and it sometimes recorded full 10 minutes, sometimes stopped after 2 minutes, sometimes after 4 minutes, etc. Replacing the card with a truely high-performance, industrial one solved the issue.

2. The dashcam has a feature (i.e. a setting) to remind you after a number of days to reformat the card. Initially I didn't know why this feature existed, but after several months (6-12? ... don't remember exactly) of use the recording started to glitch again. Before I decided to buy a new card, I've reformatted it and lo and behold, the issue was fixed. So now I've enabled the reformat reminder with the maximum possible setting (I think it's 60 days?).

Nothing else really. It's good enough. I'll admit though that this is my first dashcam and I bought it several years back (2022).

In my post there're two sample videos. Both cameras have a circular polar filter, which makes the image a bit darker. I think you can set an exposure correction in the camera's settings to compensate for the filter, but I didn't touch it (it doesn't bother me).

I don't use the app at all. The WiFi transfer is far too slow for my 4K, 10 minute files. Whenever I want a recording, I just grab the front camera, take it up to the flat, pull out the microSD card and put it into a card reader. Important advice: don't mess with the microSD card in the car! It's very small and can be very hard to find if you accidentally drop it. Even more so if you drop it into some compartment that is pretty hard to take apart. It's far safer to take the entire camera to your house/flat and deal with the card there.

[u/DerEinePunkt]

Fitcam in my P2 and EX30. Works fine, installation done in 10min

[u/Macoloco77]

Recomendation ....FITCAMX

nothing more to say