Should you’ve ever been in a minor fender bender and needed you had photos to again you up, you’ll be able to perceive why dashcams have long past from area of interest accent to near-essential package. The VIOFO A329S 3CH takes that good judgment additional than maximum—it does not simply duvet the entrance, it covers the entrance, the cabin, and the rear concurrently—all in 4K, 2K, and 2K.
I reviewed it in my nephew Josh’s 2017 Audi S5. I have already got a dashcam in my very own automotive, so quite than pull it out, Josh’s S5 was the take a look at automobile. We put in it in combination, and I have been reviewing the photos from his day by day drives since.
VIOFO supplied the A329S 3CH, 64GB microSD card, HK6 hardwire package, and wi-fi Bluetooth far flung for overview. The corporate had no enter at the contents of this text.
8/10
- Connectivity
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Kind-C
- Recording High quality
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4K entrance, 2K rear
- Symbol Sensors
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STARVIS 2
- True 4K entrance photos with sharp, correct colours
- 210° fisheye cabin digicam captures the whole inner
- IR night time imaginative and prescient obviously identifies faces and passengers
- Wi-Fi 6 for speedy 30MB/s report transfers
- Hardwire set up is fiddly and time-consuming
- Cabin and rear cameras solely energy throughout the entrance unit
- Settings controlled on-device solely, no longer by way of the app
- $469.99 base worth is a vital funding
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We move hands-on with each product to make sure it is price your money and time.
Worth and availability
The VIOFO A329S 3CH is $469.99 at the VIOFO US website online with the default 6M rear cable and 1M inner cable. You’ll be able to customise cable lengths at checkout—rear cables move as much as 20M and inner cables right down to 0.15M—with costs going as much as $484.99 relying to your configuration.
The 64GB industrial-grade microSD card is an additional $39.99, and if you wish to have parking mode capability (you do), the HK6 hardwire package begins from $25.99. The wi-fi Bluetooth far flung is $19.99 if you wish to have it.
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Specs |
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Entrance solution: 4K UHD (3840×2160) @ 30fps Cabin solution: 2K QHD @ 30fps, 210° FOV fisheye, IR night time imaginative and prescient Rear solution: 2K QHD @ 30fps Sensors: Sony STARVIS 2 (all 3 cameras) HDR: Sure, all channels Wi-Fi: Wi-Fi 6 dual-band (2.4GHz + 5GHz) GPS: Integrated Display: 2-inch LCD touchscreen Garage: MicroSD as much as 512GB; SSD as much as 4TB by way of exterior connection Parking mode: Time-lapse, low bitrate, affect detection, hybrid (HK6 required) Voice keep watch over: Sure Dimensions: 3.5 x 2.2 x 1.9 inches (primary unit) |
Design and {hardware}
It is smaller than you’ll be expecting—and that issues
The very first thing that moves you while you pull the A329S 3CH out of the field is how compact the principle unit is. Josh admitted he was once somewhat frightened when he noticed it—he’d by no means had a dashcam ahead of and was once fearful it might block his view. As soon as it was once at the windshield, the ones considerations evaporated. The triangular wedge form manner it sits flush towards the glass quite than jutting out, and it really slightly registers if you end up using.
The two-inch LCD display is sharp and responsive—no lag, simple to navigate, and readable in daylight. Controls are laid out logically around the entrance face, with LED signs for energy, recording, GPS, microphone, and Wi-Fi all obviously classified.
The ports let you know how the device works
Turn the unit to the aspect, and you’ll be able to see two gold-tipped coaxial connectors along the MicroSD slot—those are how the cabin and rear cameras attach. Here is one thing price understanding prematurely: each the cabin and rear cameras draw their energy throughout the entrance unit by way of those coaxial cables. They do not have their very own energy supply.
In observe, this implies when you get started with USB energy, you’ll be able to solely have the entrance digicam operating till you attach the opposite two cameras’ coaxial cables. It isn’t a dealbreaker, but it surely stuck us off guard to begin with.
The cabin fisheye and rear digicam
The cabin fisheye is a small cylindrical unit that sits close to the rearview reflect, pointing into the auto with a 210° ultra-wide box of view. 4 integrated IR LEDs kick in robotically in low mild, flipping to black-and-white night time imaginative and prescient that obviously selections out faces and passengers. Rideshare drivers particularly will admire how completely this digicam covers the internal.
The rear digicam is any other cylindrical unit for the again windshield. Even with the S5’s somewhat heavy window tint, the rear photos held up neatly in sunlight—the Sony STARVIS 2 sensor does numerous heavy lifting right here.
Set up
Beginning with USB is really plug-and-play
Getting the device up and operating on USB energy is so simple as it will get—mount the entrance unit, plug into the cigarette lighter socket, attach the coaxial cables for the cabin and rear cameras, and you might be recording. We did not want to take a look at the instruction guide as soon as for this section.
Josh ran it this fashion for a couple of days to get a really feel for the device ahead of we dedicated to hardwiring. That is a smart means and the modular design makes it simple.
Hardwiring takes time—plan for a complete afternoon
The HK6 hardwire set up is a special tale. We adopted the instruction guide and supplemented it with a YouTube educational appearing the similar package going right into a Mazda—that more or less vehicle-specific steerage is beneficial as a result of fuse field places range such a lot between vehicles.
Truthfully? It took us round 4 to 5 hours. More than one trim panels had to come off to course the cables cleanly, and there is a way to taking away inner trims with out cracking them that takes persistence to get proper. We ended up with slightly of extra cable, which is much better than operating quick.
This is not a grievance of the A329S 3CH in particular—any three-channel device with cables operating entrance to rear goes to contain this type of paintings. However it is price entering into with practical expectancies.
Efficiency
The entrance digicam photos is sharp, detailed, and color-accurate in some way that in truth justifies the 4K headline spec. License plates, boulevard indicators, and automobile main points are obviously legible, and HDR handles the distinction between brilliant sky and shadowed street neatly. Should you ever wanted to make use of this photos as proof, you would be assured presenting it.
“License plates, boulevard indicators, and automobile main points are obviously legible—when you ever wanted to make use of this photos as proof, you would be assured presenting it.”
The cabin digicam covers the whole thing
The 210° fisheye box of view is the A329S 3CH’s birthday celebration piece—it captures all the inner in a single shot, together with each entrance seats, rear passengers, and the street visual throughout the windshield and rear window. In low mild the IR LEDs transfer on robotically, or even in near-darkness faces and passengers are obviously identifiable.
For any individual using professionally or simply short of entire documentation of what came about within the automotive, this digicam is phenomenal.
The rear 2K photos is powerful sufficient that during many clips it is really exhausting to inform with the exception of the 4K entrance photos at a look. The Sony STARVIS 2 sensor compensates neatly for the S5’s tinted rear glass, and sunlight photos is sharp and detailed.
Low mild and nightfall
Complete darkness checking out wasn’t conceivable—this overview was once performed all the way through the United Kingdom summer season, when nights do not actually get darkish. Nightfall photos from the entrance digicam displays the STARVIS 2 sensor dealing with fading mild neatly, keeping up usable element as ambient mild drops. In case you are in a area with really darkish nights, the STARVIS 2’s pedigree will have to serve you neatly, however I will be able to solely in truth document what I examined.
Parking mode is extra delicate than you’ll be expecting
Josh discussed one thing price highlighting after a couple of nights of getting the device hardwired: the parking mode movement detection is impressively reactive. Overdue one night time he was once alerted to motion out of doors—it became out to be a neighbor’s automotive pulling up, not anything extra. Hardly ever dramatic, however precisely the purpose. The digicam was once observing when it had to be, and it stuck one thing most of the people do not have idea two times about.
The VIOFO app
Rapid, useful, however settings keep at the gadget
The VIOFO app connects by way of Wi-Fi 6 and the rate distinction from older methods is noticeable—moving 4K clips for your telephone is fast quite than tedious. Reside view displays all 3 feeds concurrently in actual time, and the playback album permits you to filter out photos by means of Entrance, Rear, and Inside channels taken care of by means of date.
Something to flag: you wish to have to be attached to the digicam by way of the app to obtain photos, which then seems within the album. That is a minor further step however price understanding.
The primary limitation is that settings—video high quality, device personal tastes, report control—are all treated at the gadget itself quite than throughout the app. It really works wonderful at the 2-inch display, however in-app settings control could be a significant growth.
Festival
How the A329S 3CH stacks up towards the Vantrue E3
The obvious selection at a cheaper price level is the Vantrue E3, which information 3 channels at 2.7K+1080P+1080P the use of Sony STARVIS sensors and is available in significantly inexpensive.
The variations are actual, although. The A329S 3CH gives true 4K as opposed to the E3’s 2.7K entrance, a much wider 210° fisheye cabin digicam as opposed to the E3’s 165° inner digicam, 2K rear as opposed to 1080P, Wi-Fi 6 as opposed to usual Wi-Fi, and Sony STARVIS 2 sensors throughout all 3 channels quite than the first-generation STARVIS. If you wish to have the most productive conceivable photos high quality—in particular for pro or rideshare use—the A329S 3CH is the more potent selection. In case you are an informal motive force who’ll infrequently overview photos, the E3 is a forged selection at a decrease outlay.
Must you purchase the VIOFO A329S 3CH?
The A329S 3CH is a really spectacular piece of apparatus that delivers on its headline specifications. The 4K entrance photos is superb, the 210° fisheye cabin digicam is class-leading, and the rear digicam punches above its 2K spec. For any individual who desires essentially the most entire three-channel protection to be had, that is the only to shop for.
- The hardwire set up is time-consuming, however that is the truth of any three-channel device—no longer distinctive to this digicam
- The cabin and rear cameras powering throughout the entrance unit manner USB-only setups come up with entrance digicam solely till the coaxial cables are attached—price understanding ahead of you get started
- In-app settings control is an opening, however on-device configuration works neatly
- At $469.99 it is a severe funding, however the {hardware} earns it
Purchase it if: You need the most productive to be had three-channel photos high quality, power professionally or for rideshare, or just need evidence-grade recording on all 3 axes.
Skip it if: You are a informal motive force who infrequently evaluations photos and could be similarly served by means of a more practical two-channel device at part the fee.
- Connectivity
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Kind-C
- Recording High quality
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4K entrance, 2K rear
- Symbol Sensors
-
STARVIS 2
