Dashcam

[PeteTP]

I’ve been a customer of theirs for 14 years and never so much have I seen or been offered a cable(s). They mustn’t like me.

PeteTP

[Arnett]

15 minutes ago, Herbie said:

So, they just randomly decide to run a cable in your car without asking your permission or even asking if you want it???

I had already ran the cable both times but it wasn't perfect, was poking out in numerous places. They just tidied up my half baked attempt. 

[PeteTP]

Ah, right. 
 

PeteTP

[Herbie]

20 minutes ago, Arnett said:

I had already ran the cable both times but it wasn't perfect, was poking out in numerous places. They just tidied up my half baked attempt. 

Aha, fair enough 

[VFR]

As a new owner I decided to become a sponsor as I was intending to buy a BlackVue 750 LTE camera and had Halfords in mind to supply it & also read about the servicing discounts etc.

Bought from Halfords but the club card does not cover tech items but the friendly lad there sorted a price match some how and got me a nice discount off the price, bought the OBD cable to connect it to the port so it was fitted by myself in under an hour (dead easy using that cable)

Popped back to Halfords just to check something and the same lad fired it up on my phone, this is the model with a Vodafone sim installed so its always on via the cloud (wherever that is)

Well over the past 6 days After calling Blackvue many times (answer real quick & very helpful) it turns out that the sim thinks I am using the sim in something that is not allowed, but today that was at long last cured.

Great and sitting in the car checking it all out while on the phone to Blackvue again all looking good with good view from front & back, off I go indoors that is around 100meters away (hence I bought this type camera so I can see what it sees at any time) no connection ?, back on the phone again & they say it sounds like the camera is not getting enough power from the Battery ?

Does nor ring true in this case as the car is faultless / low mileage and has just had a major service by Lexus prior to me picking it up but I did go back to the car to turn it on to check & as you know it fires the engine up for a minute or so and nothing changed camera wise so will have to call them again tomorrow but am now getting a tad annoyed with this issue so it may well be going back.

Is there another member using this LTE type BlackVue and if so see something that I may have overlooked ?

[Herbie]

1 hour ago, VFR said:

Bought from Halfords but the club card does not cover tech items

It certainly used to but it was a year or two since I did that.

1 hour ago, VFR said:

with a Vodafone sim installed so its always on via the cloud (wherever that is)

Just think of it as external storage for your data.

1 hour ago, VFR said:

off I go indoors that is around 100meters away (hence I bought this type camera so I can see what it sees at any time) no connection ?, back on the phone again & they say it sounds like the camera is not getting enough power from the battery ?

Respectfully, I would say that's absolute garbage.

Are you sure that when you were in the car that you were connected to the camera via the cellular (phone) network? It sounds like you could have been connected by wifi or Bluetooth and when you went in the house you went out of range of either of those technologies.

To connect to the camera via LTE (cell network) then both camera and phone would have been connected to a cell tower - is it possible that the phone doesn't get a good signal in the house?

[VFR]

Evening Herbie

Mobile in the house is connected via WiFi to the router (BT Halo & also BT sim) all the time so that is sound.

Vodafone app shows a good signal for its sim as does looking at their coverage for you area section on the web.

Tried turning off Wifi & Bluetooth on my mobile while in the car but nothing changed on the last occasion (earlier)

Having doubts about this piece of kit now & it was not cheap which is even more annoying.

[PeteTP]

Hello,

By way of explanation/update, I’ve twice had to postpone my dashcam fitting as I’ve been poorly. However, I’ve an appointment very soon to have the job done. 🤞

Will post again when it’s fitted.

PeteTP

[VFR]

Called BlackVue again today and it turns out that they have changed the PUK number on many of the newer S.I.Ms and Vodafone system has thrown a wobbly so refuses them access to the cloud. (well the system does)

They assure me that it will be resolved soon & Vodafone have refunded my first months fee (£4.00) so should anyone else thinking of buying an LTE model ask the question first as it can be very frustrating when what you expect to be a simple plug & play is not.

[STE041]

On 8/31/2021 at 5:26 PM, KevH said:

Sure £390 supplied and fitted for both front and rear. This is Lexus Edinburgh https://www.easternwestern.co.uk/lexus/accessories/dash-cam.php 

Ive seen other dealers offering them for £350 for the pair or £250 for just the front.

Thanks

Kev

I used to have a Nextbase 380GW in a 16 plate IS300h - front only back then as a rear camera wasn’t available. I believe the dash cam in the link above is the next generation model which lets you connect a rear facing camera. If these are anything like the 380GW, they last about 2 years or so before you will need to replace it. It was good while it lasted.

Since upgrading from the IS300h in 2019 to the ES300h F Spot with Takumi pack i changed dash cams from the 380GW initially swapped over to the ES to the 522GW with rear camera and fitted it myself. The wiring loom needed changing and with a rear screen sun blind you are limited to on of the top corners of the rear screen so that the sun blind does not get fouled by the camera. It works a treat. When I upgraded again from a 69 plate ES to a 21 plate ES - same spec and Takumi pack, i had the 522GW transferred to the new car and it is still in good working order

I’d recommend the Nextbase 522GW with hardwired rear cam, and if i were to change cameras id go for the 622GW 4K camera.

With both the 380 and 522GW having an internal Battery for use when the car is parked, if you don’t use your car that much you will find that the front cam will need to be removed from the car for a rough 2 hour charge indoors via USB. I had to do this only once in the first lockdown (March 2020). I will try and post some pics of the install if I can find any. 

Bottom line is as others have said, a dash cam is a dash cam, so compatibility should never be an issue as all they need is a switched (ignition) 12V supply. The install into the ES took around a couple of hours for me to complete with no knowledge of how to dismantle panels in the car. For Lexus to install it in to the 21 plate took around an hour or so for both front and rear cameras

Hope this helps

[STE041]

Nextbase 522GW with rear camera into 2019 69 plate ES300h F Sport with Takumi pack

[PeteTP]

Fitting this afternoon.

 

🤞for full result.

[PeteTP]

UPDATE  (If anybody is interested)

Great service as per usual from Ipswich.

Very neat and tidy job. Just makes a few low-key beeps when it fires up. Apart from that, it’s pretty much a passive bit of kit.

Lexus got me to download the correct app, whilst I was there, and it was quickly linked to the device. Resolution of imagery from both front and rear cameras is excellent, IMO. However, I need to read the manual to get myself fully versed on all the various functions and facilities.

Car was returned to me valeted. Result? Happiness of cse!

Hope this has been as useful a thread to other members as it has been to me. Sincerest thanks for all the contributions as well as the generosity of sharing wisdom, knowledge and experience.

👍

 

PeteTP

[KevH]

Glad to hear it’s fitted and you like it, my ones only just over a month old and I’ve got enough footage of cars pulling out on me to start a YouTube channel lol 😂

[LenT]

12 minutes ago, KevH said:

I’ve got enough footage of cars pulling out on me to start a YouTube channel lol 😂

And did you get a satisfying ‘Gotchya’ feeling?  I know I do!

Another favourite around here is cars approaching roundabouts in the left lane of the dual carriageway - and then turning right without warning.

On a lighter note, I have several movies of a family of ducks crossing Silverstone High Street.  And even a couple of chickens crossing the road - although I never did find out why.

[DTR]

Hi

Just had a Nextbase 380 fitted by Nottingham Lexus (£358). This has no screen so does look neater on the front screen. Took me a while to get it to talk to the phone as the Nextbase App which I used with a Nextbase 522 in my previous car needs the screen. The 380 needs “Cam Viewer”. Annoying that my phone seems to “forget” the dashcam via Bluetooth. Bit too complicated for me. However resolution does look Ok when downloaded.

[Mincey]

31 minutes ago, DTR said:

Hi

Just had a Nextbase 380 fitted by Nottingham Lexus (£358). This has no screen so does look neater on the front screen. Took me a while to get it to talk to the phone as the Nextbase App which I used with a Nextbase 522 in my previous car needs the screen. The 380 needs “Cam Viewer”. Annoying that my phone seems to “forget” the dashcam via Bluetooth. Bit too complicated for me. However resolution does look Ok when downloaded.

I've got a 380 in my IS, fitted by Lexus Leicester. I've given up trying to get it to talk to the phone - there are only so many hours in the day I can waste pressing that blue button! It's much easier to take it off and connect it to a computer in the house!

[PeteTP]

Hello there,

Im the village idiot and particularly rubbish on tech. However in this instance I’ve found it to pair with my Iphone 10 XR (I think that’s what mine is) nay batha at all. Dunno if I can be of help or you’d prefer to maintain your respective positions of satisfaction.

PeteTP

[Arnett]

14 hours ago, PeteTP said:

UPDATE  (If anybody is interested)

Great service as per usual from Ipswich.

Very neat and tidy job. Just makes a few low-key beeps when it fires up. Apart from that, it’s pretty much a passive bit of kit.

Lexus got me to download the correct app, whilst I was there, and it was quickly linked to the device. Resolution of imagery from both front and rear cameras is excellent, IMO. However, I need to read the manual to get myself fully versed on all the various functions and facilities.

Car was returned to me valeted. Result? Happiness of cse!

Hope this has been as useful a thread to other members as it has been to me. Sincerest thanks for all the contributions as well as the generosity of sharing wisdom, knowledge and experience.

👍

 

PeteTP

Good to hear Pete, did you use your existing camera in the end? 

I am always really happy with the service at Ipswich. The chairs are so comfy in the waiting area aswell. 

[PeteTP]

Hi Arnett,

 

This is my first foray into the world of dashcams. Agree about those chairs at Ipswich. Pity they didn’t fit in my boot space as I would happily have one at home!

 

PeteTP

[PeteTP]

Just check that you are using this app and NOT the Nextbase app. Contra intuitive but this is what I was told to use and works perfectly. Hope that may be of use.

 

PeteTP

[VFR]

Update on the BlackVue 750-CH 750 LTE

Bought this on the 23rd Sept and as I said had no end of trouble that was in fact a Vodafone issue but now resolved, but ..............

 

It would seem that this camera will use up to 500ma per night and this can cause an issue as if the camera is plugged into the OBD port to power it via the provided cable it may well cause the cars Battery to fall below the 11.8v cut off point that the camera will detect and turn off all the LTE functions to protect your Battery (so they told me today)

Hmmm well the car never hesitates to start in an instant so should the Battery be going that low I would expect some hesitation ?

No not so (he replied) as it does not work like that (not convinced)

Should have guessed as they sell 2 types of power packs for these cameras that power the camera & the car will charge these packs when running but of course they are not cheap either.

I did read up about this camera prior to & watched a few YouTube vids and none of this was mentioned so before getting rid of the BlackVue person who I was talking to as it was clear to us (had him on speaker) he was totally uninterested and simply kept talking over me as I said that this is a real expensive camera & I have had an issue from day one and now feel while talking to you that I have done something wrong .............. BYE!

 

On paper it sounded good & I guess would be as its always monitoring and you can also see what it is seeing (if it works that is.

Will now contact Halfords as I will be looking to exchange this pain in the neck unit for another brand (regular brand that is)

[Herbie]

55 minutes ago, VFR said:

Hmmm well the car never hesitates to start in an instant so should the battery be going that low I would expect some hesitation ?

No not so (he replied) as it does not work like that (not convinced)

This is in fact, true.

A conventional car has a starter motor that draws upwards of 300A to crank the engine. If the Battery is low then you'll know about it because the cranking will become slow and labourious.

A hybrid doesn't have a starter motor and the engine doesn't crank in the normal sense.

The 12V Battery boots the computers and gets the car into READY mode, at which point you could drive off on Battery power alone. When the hybrid system wants the petrol engine to run it energises MG1 and uses that to spin the engine up to 1,000rpm before applying fuel and a spark to fire it.

It takes about 20A to get the car into READY mode instead of the 300A or more to crank the engine of a conventional car, and with no starter motor you never get the slow and labourious cranking that would usually indicate a low Battery.

[LenT]

1 hour ago, VFR said:

Will now contact Halfords as I will be looking to exchange this pain in the neck unit for another brand (regular brand that is)

Very sorry to hear that you’re having such trouble getting this BlackVue to perform as you want.  As I understand it, you bought it from Halfords and fitted it yourself.  You then went back to Halfords to get a setting up problem resolved.

You then had further problems at which point you contacted ‘BlackVue’ - rather than Halfords - for a solution.  Now was this a BlackVue agent, a retailer or Pittasoft themselves?

Frankly, how interested an agent might be in a unit bought from Halfords is questionable.  On the other hand, you may well have already discovered the outer limits of Halfords’ technical knowledge.

I wonder if you have considered approaching the manufacturer, Pittasoft.  They operate a Help resource which might be a useful place to start.

https://blackvue.com/blackvue-help-center-how-can-we-help-you/
 

[VFR]

Evening Len.

I called BlackVue UK based in Scotland many times over the past week at least and at first was impressed with how quick the answer the phone and the willingness to talk me through any issue but after talking to the very dismissive fellow today I thought enough is enough.

Spoke to Halford chat and they told me to simply take it back for a refund / exchange etc as it is within the 30 days & not doing what was described (in effect faulty)

Just to double check after a 20 (ish) mile drive home I left it about 30mins and fired the app up indoors .......... nothing (unable to connect to cloud)

Popped out to the car again and all good once there with ignition on, back indoors and just tried again ........ zilch.

Halfords in the morning to have a chat & see what happens ?