Don't have a dash cam yet? What are you waiting for? (Read 6601 times)

Flapp_Jackson

Re: Don't have a dash cam yet? What are you waiting for?
« Reply #40 on: August 25, 2023, 10:12:17 AM »


For that one specific test, the Thinkware U3000 obviously wins. 

But, #1 is cost.  The single channel VIOFO A139 Pro is about $229, and the Thinkware U3000 is over $400.

If money is not a concern, then I think basing your purchase on parking mode versus driving mode (where the U3000 loses) would be a question for the person's individual needs or preferences.

Thinkware has some other features the cheaper ones don't, so it needs to be a total/overall comparison choice.  Like most electronic products, the choice is never as easy as it ought to be.  Seems to always be a trade-off.

The extreme person would buy one dashcam for license plate recording, one for parking mode, and one for driving mode based on the best one for each situation.  He'd also invest $2000 in battery packs so the parking camera never loses power and never drains the car's battery.

I believe the Thinkware products have cloud capability, but you need a WiFi connection. That normally means purchasing a hotspot device and monthly service from a cellular provider.  if you travel on the mainland a lot, good luck finding the one cellular provider that has complete coverage all across the lower 48.

Cellular -- one more cost to factor in.

One thing the U3000 has the others don't is front & rear radar for parking mode.  it can detect a potential problem as it approaches, start recording earlier than most motion detection versions, and then go back to sleep.  By using low power-draw radar, it saves the car/supplemental battery by keeping the camera/s off until the radar "sees" something to record.  The radar feature helped the U3000 be rated as probably the best parking mode device if you don't want to miss an image you might need AND longer operating time before the dashcam shuts down completely to save your car battery while parked.

The reasonable man adapts himself to the world;
the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself.
Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man.
-- George Bernard Shaw

macsak

Re: Don't have a dash cam yet? What are you waiting for?
« Reply #41 on: August 26, 2023, 06:00:13 AM »
mai has a starvis 2 dashcam now
initial quick comparo...

edited for no focus


For that one specific test, the Thinkware U3000 obviously wins. 

But, #1 is cost.  The single channel VIOFO A139 Pro is about $229, and the Thinkware U3000 is over $400.

If money is not a concern, then I think basing your purchase on parking mode versus driving mode (where the U3000 loses) would be a question for the person's individual needs or preferences.

Thinkware has some other features the cheaper ones don't, so it needs to be a total/overall comparison choice.  Like most electronic products, the choice is never as easy as it ought to be.  Seems to always be a trade-off.

The extreme person would buy one dashcam for license plate recording, one for parking mode, and one for driving mode based on the best one for each situation.  He'd also invest $2000 in battery packs so the parking camera never loses power and never drains the car's battery.

I believe the Thinkware products have cloud capability, but you need a WiFi connection. That normally means purchasing a hotspot device and monthly service from a cellular provider.  if you travel on the mainland a lot, good luck finding the one cellular provider that has complete coverage all across the lower 48.

Cellular -- one more cost to factor in.

One thing the U3000 has the others don't is front & rear radar for parking mode.  it can detect a potential problem as it approaches, start recording earlier than most motion detection versions, and then go back to sleep.  By using low power-draw radar, it saves the car/supplemental battery by keeping the camera/s off until the radar "sees" something to record.  The radar feature helped the U3000 be rated as probably the best parking mode device if you don't want to miss an image you might need AND longer operating time before the dashcam shuts down completely to save your car battery while parked.
« Last Edit: August 26, 2023, 07:53:38 AM by macsak »

macsak

Re: Don't have a dash cam yet? What are you waiting for?
« Reply #42 on: September 03, 2023, 09:57:06 AM »

macsak

Re: Don't have a dash cam yet? What are you waiting for?
« Reply #43 on: Today at 06:57:54 AM »