Viofo A129 Plus + Hardwire kit + parking mode, led not shutting off or normal? Wifi mode always goes off.

[markm75]

I ordered this a129 Plus dash cam and this hardwire kit.

I believe the hardwire kit was the correct one.

I used a fuse tap to an always on 12v spot and the other to ACC.

I've tried playing with parking mode settings, but the goal and my understanding, at least its how it works on the vantap mirror system in our other car, was that for parking mode on, the camera should shut off unless it detects a gshock?

I've tried parking mode timer off and on (90 sec), not sure what this even does, does off mean parking mode is off, or something else? I've set parking mode gsensor to max, set to auto detection. I have the main power usb going into the top of the unit, not the side. I think as of now I have the module set to 12.8 on voltage cutoff, though i may try setting that to 12.4, dont think its related to issues here. I also think i read i should hear 3 beeps after ACC is off if in parking mode, i had the sound off ill try again later with it on, though the one attempt at gsensor didnt do anything.

At one point it was in fact shutting off and i tried tapping on the main front unit (not sure if rear has gsensor), but it wouldnt come on.

I think it might have been after setting the timer mode, now after ACC is off, the unit either stays solid red on rec light or it flashes repeatedly after some time.

Does anyone know what the expected behavior should be here?

Also, it seems you must manually enter wifi mode all the time to use the app, is that also expected?

Thanks in advance

 

[Capture Your Action]

When the camera enters parking mode, it does not shut off. If the camera turned off, then it would not be able to record the incident.

When it enters parking mode, the car icon on the LCD screen will change to the icon if the intended parking mode. For Auto Event Detection, it will change to the icon of a stickman.

WiFi should be off when not in use. It will add heat and stress to the hardware as well as lower the bitrate, affecting the image quality.

 

[markm75]

When the camera enters parking mode, it does not shut off. If the camera turned off, then it would not be able to record the incident.

When it enters parking mode, the car icon on the LCD screen will change to the icon if the intended parking mode. For Auto Event Detection, it will change to the icon of a stickman.

WiFi should be off when not in use. It will add heat and stress to the hardware as well as lower the bitrate, affecting the image quality.

So with parking mode if the lcd is off, should the Rec led be on I assume or flashing? I guess I'll look for the icon on the screen at first to verify

 

[Capture Your Action]

Yes, one or two led's will be on. In Auto Event Detection, the left led will flash when there is not sensed motion (not recording when flashing). In the other parking modes, the left led will remain solid.

 

[markm75]

Yes, one or two led's will be on. In Auto Event Detection, the left led will flash when there is not sensed motion (not recording when flashing). In the other parking modes, the left led will remain solid.

Thanks that makes sense now. What i still dont quite understand is the meaning of the "parking mode" timer, set to off or 90 sec, does this need set to 90sec to even function?

 

[Capture Your Action]

Parking mode timer tells the camera how long to wait to enter parking mode after the car has been shut off.

 

[markm75]

Parking mode timer tells the camera how long to wait to enter parking mode after the car has been shut off.

This was the enter parking mode timer, not the actual parking mode timer. I set it to off (i guess just starts soon as the key is off), maybe 90 makes more sense.

Things seem to be working fine now that I understand what to look for, with a few exceptions.
I turn the key off, the unit starts to flash the red rec light. If i shake the unit it will then go solid, or if i get out and walk in front of the camera it does go solid and record both good.


However, after turning the key back on and using the phone app to access the videos, i'm not finding any in the "parking" tab section, but it turns out they just got mixed in the main view and are out of order.

Is this just an issue with the app? Or if i put the card in a pc, should i find parking mode videos in their own folder (ideally)? Doesnt seem to be doing this.


On the parking mode overall timer, i have it at 8 hours now, but what happens after the 8 hours, does the unit go to sleep, what happens if someone tries to steal the car or its shook or hit, will it still come back on and record on that event?

 

[Capture Your Action]

Yes, I knew you were referring to the Enter Parking Mode Timer. I should have stated the name correctly.
With the other timer, Parking Mode Timer, the unit will shut off after the set time has been reached. If anything were to happen after this, it would not be recorded.
While there is a paring mode folder, all parking mode files go into the regular folder, but have their own looping cycle, separate from the regular files. I think this is just a small bug in the firmware.
Any files flagged by the g-sensor however, will be moved to the RO (read only) folder.

 

[markm75]

Yes, I knew you were referring to the Enter Parking Mode Timer. I should have stated the name correctly.
With the other timer, Parking Mode Timer, the unit will shut off after the set time has been reached. If anything were to happen after this, it would not be recorded.
While there is a paring mode folder, all parking mode files go into the regular folder, but have their own looping cycle, separate from the regular files. I think this is just a small bug in the firmware.
Any files flagged by the g-sensor however, will be moved to the RO (read only) folder.

Bummer that it wont just come on if the gsensor is detecting movement after the timer expires. The mirror system in the other car does this, it comes on after its off and detects a shock.

I guess for now ill try a few different parking mode timer settings to see what covers most situations. If it doesnt significantly lower my car battery volts over 12 hours i may just go with that.

 

[Capture Your Action]

Your mirror camera probably has a built in battery. The Viofo cameras all use capacitors. Your mirror camera may power on for a few minutes with no power connected, but it will miss the actual event. Could also miss who hit you if it wasn't able to turn on in time.

 

[Tam1978]

If the other dashcam comes on after a shock, then it was never really off. It must have been recording while it was off as well, otherwise you'll miss the actual impact and it won't be recorded.

edit: haha, you beat me to it

 

[markm75]

I guess the only thing i need to double check is whether I should move the camera to the lower part of the window on the rear tailgate rather than the top (down just above the wiper). I'm thinking it may block less of the main view down low, but maybe not, either way its working ok in its current placement.

 

[Tam1978]

I had the same decision for the rear camera. I ended up placing the camera at the top but not on the window. I was thinking I had to place it on the window which caused a large portion to obstruct the view. After watching a few videos of mounting the rear camera, I placed it on the trim above the window with only the lense part "in the way". Not noticeable any longer, for me anyway. Maybe try viewing some videos on Youtube to get ideas. FYI, I have an SUV where the window is slantedat the back and there is a wiper on the bottom part of the window.

 

[markm75]

I had the same decision for the rear camera. I ended up placing the camera at the top but not on the window. I was thinking I had to place it on the window which caused a large portion to obstruct the view. After watching a few videos of mounting the rear camera, I placed it on the trim above the window with only the lense part "in the way". Not noticeable any longer, for me anyway. Maybe try viewing some videos on Youtube to get ideas. FYI, I have an SUV where the window is slantedat the back and there is a wiper on the bottom part of the window.

Does the lens aim down enough that it shows the view inside the wiper zone though, being as its up so high? I placed it down lower on the window thinking it needed to be there, but i think if i had ran it down to the bottom, i could get away with it in the button wiper zone because thats not an area that needs visibility.

The biggest issue with these cams and videos online is that very few show the rear install or one on a similar suv.

 

[Tam1978]

I can view the wiper in my rear dash cam. This is on a 2012 Kia Sorento. I also think the higher view gives you views of other cars / items that could be a factor if an event / accident happens. My wiper also reaches high enough that the lense is in the clean area for the wiper. It is just above the rear defrost wires but when aiming down, I can see a couple of them out of focus and not really an issue. I got my idea of the trim in this video:

Mine is a little different. I have some trim around the window and I fished the cable around the top head liner in between the seems and through the rubber boot that goes from the body to the rear door/hatch. I also purchased a 90 degree cable to minimize interference and how low it had to be. The video has other suggestions that can apply to other situations.

View from the dash cam. The black thing behind the Viofo text is the wiper:


View of interior with the hatch open:


View from exterior. You can see the part of the dash cam that obstructs the view:

 

[markm75]

I can view the wiper in my rear dash cam. This is on a 2012 Kia Sorento. I also think the higher view gives you views of other cars / items that could be a factor if an event / accident happens. My wiper also reaches high enough that the lense is in the clean area for the wiper. It is just above the rear defrost wires but when aiming down, I can see a couple of them out of focus and not really an issue. I got my idea of the trim in this video:

Mine is a little different. I have some trim around the window and I fished the cable around the top head liner in between the seems and through the rubber boot that goes from the body to the rear door/hatch. I also purchased a 90 degree cable to minimize interference and how low it had to be. The video has other suggestions that can apply to other situations.

View from the dash cam. The black thing behind the Viofo text is the wiper:


View of interior with the hatch open:


View from exterior. You can see the part of the dash cam that obstructs the view:

Thank you! this was perfect. I guess i can try top most on the glass or up on the trim as well. Though really, so far its not bugged me too much where its at, but i can go higher now that i realize this. Only thing i'm concerned about is if i can get the sticky material completely off the glass without a mess, to move it. Thankfully though they provide a few spares to change it.

Side note, i seemed to lose about 0.4v 13.1 to 12.7v on my battery over about 4.5 hours today with it set to 8 hours. I may swap out the 128gb high endurance for a 256 high endurance or maybe even a regular sandisk 400gb (wondering if high endurance is really needed). I think 128gb might yield about 8 hours at the high setting, 16 on the 256gb etc. Really though for casual traveling to and from work, 16 hours is about 3 weeks for me of driving.

 

[Capture Your Action]

256GB is the max supported size. Some have said they are using larger cards with success, but there are no guarantees. I would avoid the non High Endurance SanDisk cards.

 

[viofo]

512GB card is OK, we have tested it with Sandisk 512GB cards, but better to use 128GB card. If there is a card problem, not cost too much to replace the card.

 

[markm75]

Here is my arrangement n placement
On the rear, yeah i guess i could move it up 2" to keep it further out of view, though i'm not sure if its worth the fuss on moving it. I dont notice it too much unless i'm "looking" for it.

 

[xiongguoy]

512GB card is OK, we have tested it with Sandisk 512GB cards, but better to use 128GB card. If there is a card problem, not cost too much to replace the card.

This is great advice, replacing 4 128s is definitely cheaper than a single 512. Having multiple cards and rotate them