So many drivers now use dashcams, that it helps keep us all on our toes when we’re on the road. They help focus the owner – and other road users – on how decisions, actions and behaviour might be recorded at any time.
The market is releasing ever better units for us to fix to our vehicles – and fix those moments in time. Chinese firm VIOFO has just released its flagship A229 Plus dashcam which has some great features few others have.
Most notable is that the new unit can record from three cameras simultaneously. One up front, one to the rear and with the option of adding a third camera looking inside your car. This will surely appeal to UBER drivers and other driving professionals who want to improve their safety while working – or to reassure their passengers.
Dangerous driving
Another top-spec feature is the upgrade from 1080p recording to 2k. This means your video clips will be of a noticeably higher quality than most other dashcams on the market, and together with the new high-resolution Sony image sensors, this will give you one of the finest dashcam images available. So good in fact that you will stand a better chance of recording details such as vehicle registration plates which other lesser models sometimes struggle to see. This could be crucial if you have a hit-and-run accident and need to trace the culprit – or possibly catch a motorist driving dangerously.
I recently filmed a driver overtaking me on a zebra crossing, narrowly missing a pedestrian, at night. Sadly, the camera – on an older, different brand of camera – totally failed to capture the registration number in the gloom, rendering the clip useless.
Night vision is good on this VIOFO too. With extremes of light and dark frequently encountered on the road this unit works very well, giving a crisp, clear image in high contrast situations. The optional polarising lens improves the picture even more by reducing reflections on our windscreen.
You’ll need a memory card for your dashcam to record onto. As with all such units this dashcam records constantly on a ‘loop’ and when it detects what it thinks is an impact via its G-sensor, it automatically saves that portion of the recording. You can also – literally - tell it to save a recording if you see something you want to keep.
Other handy features include:
- Simple to set up ‘plug and play’.
- 12-command voice control (you can tell the unit to take a photo or save a recording for instance)
- Three-mode parking protection which will record incidents affecting your car while it’s left unattended.
- The ability to control your dashcam via an app on your phone. You can download videos and manage the settings without having to push buttons on the unit, which you may want to mount unobtrusively behind your rear-view mirror.
- Built-in GPS, which records it will tell you exactly where a recording has happened, the time and your travelling speed.
- Optional Bluetooth remote button which you can place within easy reach of your driving position and which can be pressed to save a recording.
Speed record
Priced at around £229, it’s one of the best and could give you vital evidence in the event of a collision or other incident. It will make you a safer driver too because you will know that your own speed and driving will be recorded. Don’t forget to tell your insurance company; some may give you discounted premiums if you have a dashcam.
Pros
- One of the best image qualities available on the market
- Ability to record from three cameras
- Parked car protection
- Control your dashcam settings and download videos from an app on your phone
Cons
- The unit is a bit larger than some others
- There is no on-board recording, you need to buy a memory card
- You’ll need to run cables around the trim of your car to connect the cameras and power supply. A hard-wiring kit is available, to power the dashcam, which you will need to operate the parking protection mode.
