Side by Side Comparison of: VANTRUE vs Elecmall

This review is more of VanTrue than the R1. I purchased the dashcam on Christmas of '15. 17 1/2 months before it gave me the blue screen of death. I really did not expect much from their "18 month warranty" as most companies now days find someway to weasel out of their responsibilities. After contacting Samantha @ Vantrue and a short exchange of particulars, she assured me they would honor their warranty. I am now using a their updated, albeit slightly outdated, version - the X1. It was supplied free of charge and in a quick manner. I am thrilled that companies like VanTrue are still to be found in todays business environment. I fully intend to do business with them in the future. (As long as they are still building the top notch product I have come to rely on)

I was very hesitant to purchase this dash cam, but it has exceeded expectations and I'm very happy with the purchase. It's got a lot of great features for the price and does everything very well. Plus their customer support is fantastic! I've contacted them several times both before and after I made my purchase with various questions and always got a response in record time regardless of the day or hour. I'm very impressed with this device and have provided some pictures to show quality. Note I blurred out plate numbers and road signs that might show my location and my windshield is a bit dirty so the quality looks better in person than shows up on the screenshots I took using video playback on my computer. So understand the real images and video look even better than my pictures suggest.Parking mode has also been fantastic. When I'm parked I unplug the device completely, it powers down, but the battery inside holds a charge to feel an impact motion and automatically turn on to capture and save several seconds of video. I've left my car for 24 hours and the parking mode still kicks on, so no need to hardwire for constant power.Pros:Crisp video captureAutomatically saves and locks video files when a jolt of motion is detectedHas a great parking mode that works even when the device is off and unplugged.Small sizeEasy to route cable along trimCons:Chrome accents are a little flashy (i used black grip tape to conceal it)I had issues with a 64gb sd card, possibly just my card, my 32gb card worked flawlesslyAll in all I would definitely recommend this device. great features including parking mode, great video quality, good video even at night, and fantastic customer support.Attached are several pictures taken at different times of the day (morning, mid-day, afternoon, and night) with license plates and street names blurred out for privacy. Also keep in mind dirty windshield and these are screengrabs using the video playback on my computer, Also attached are pictures of how I taped up my device to better blend in to my mirror and be less visible.

I have had the Vantrue R1 Pro 2K Dash Cam for about a week now. I first set it up and tested the highest quality, with sound recording, and the largest dimension for recording. There was a hesitation and skipping of several frames about every 2 seconds. Now this may seem like a dash cam problem, but it could be the 64GB memory card I bought with it, or my old Windows 7 PC from 2011, or QuickTime player it needed to replay videos at that dimension. The actual dimension of the video was way too enormous anyway, larger than my widescreen monitor! I played around with the many video dimensions by selecting a new smaller size, stopped sound recording (so I could sing again ;), but kept the quality at the highest setting. After trying several combinations, I can play the videos back in Windows Media Player,and fits nicely on the screen. The quality is very good, the recording and playback is very smooth. The lense is nice, and has no distortion / fisheye look even though it is wide-angle. I am very happy with the results I have managed. There are so many different combinations that can be tried, making it very flexible and easy to configure. The fact that it has so many combinations, means people like me who like to experiment can try many different settings and review the results.The mount works very well, and I like how easily the Dash Cam can be removed from it to take inside (just slide it to the side), while leaving the mount attached to the window. I don't have to fight with it, and I do not have to remove the tiny 64GB card. Just bring the Dash Cam in, attach to the USB port via cable, and it becomes a storage device, where you can then easily copy the files off the device.Several reasons led me to buy this Dash Cam. First and foremost, when I was searching on Amazon, I noticed every comment in the reviews was followed by a response from Vantrue. I like a company that is actively supporting their product. I also received an email from them with a few more tips. They try very hard to solve your problems and it has a great warranty. Also, there were many positive reviews, which is always good to see. A low percentage of bad reviews also is good.I am very pleased with the results, and will continue to experiment with the settings. It's been a lot of fun to work with this device.I have had this dash cam for 1 month now, and I am very satisfied with it. It works flawlessly, and has no problems looping / overwriting the oldest files. I bring it in every week or so and check the quality of the videos. No problems so far.One issue that I did have was when first plugging in to my PC, the driver installation fails. Unplugging it and having it attempt to reinstall the drivers works the second time. It did this on my work laptop also. But it does install the drivers and I can copy the files to my pc.UPDATE: Today, my unit failed after 2 months, only a red light would come on. I contacted Vantrue via Amazon, and Joe from Vantrue responded within 15 minutes of my submission (This was after 6:00 CST). He had me reset the unit (which I did not see the reset button on the side), and it is working great again. I am very satisfied with Customer Support when I get a response and a solution that fast!

The Vantrue R1 Pro Dash camera is worth every penny of the $119. The camera body is full metal and feels real sturdy. The window mount is all plastic, but the suction cup is amazingly strong. I drive a Jeep and hit every speed bump at full speed. With all the bouncing I have not once heard the camera come in contact with the windshield. The audio quality is not bad, but driving around without doors and roof on is noisy and windy. Anyhow, I did not buy it for the audio. The only CON for me is the User Manual. I am not sure if something got lost in the translation from Chinese to English, but it could use some more editing. The Vantrue customer service (Joe) was outstanding. He was quick to respond (Saturday night) to help me solve a problem I had with the camera setup. https://youtu.be/20Fsrej6YVM

To put it bluntly, upon testing this camera it KNOCKED MY SOCKS OFF!!! It has absolutely incredible clarity and definition. The lens angle is perfect and the camera is easy to use. I truly don't know how a manufacturer can put this amount of workmanship and features into an item that is as inexpensive as this one. It even looks awesome on a large flat screen monitor using the mini HDMI connector. You will have to buy a cable to do this however. I'm more than happy with this purchase. I also will mention that I had a need to ask the seller a question and my question was answered within five minutes! Just buy one....you will be happy with it.UPDATE: I have had this camera for almost 2 months now. I HAVE had some problems with it. Number One: It gets VERY hot even when not in the sun. It is uncomfortable to leave your finger on it. Number two: In my opinion the manual is bare bones and should have far more explanation and examples. Number Three: I just removed the camera to take some files off of it. I hooked up the usb and it says "USB CONNECTING" It has said that for 20 minutes now. I cannot get rid of it. I unplugged the usb cable and it does not change anything. There is NO way to turn it off since the battery is not accessible. No combination of buttons change anything at all. I am now disappointed in this cam.

I ordered this camera maybe 6 months ago, which was the previous version R1, and then switched to the current version, which is the R1-Pro that's replaced the old model in the same listing. I liked the older version because it took extremely good video for my purposes. Even going 75mph down the interstate, when I reviewed the footage, I was able to clearly read mile marker signs and license plates. Much like our own vision, the edges of the far peripheral vision were not as clear, but they were still far better than I expected at high speeds. Driving around town it sees pretty well across the entire 170°.My biggest problem with the old version was that the buttons and interface were somewhat hard to operate. I had to take it down and fiddle with it to do anything at all. The buttons just weren't user friendly. Thankfully, this has been fixed in the new model.The R1-Pro model that's listed now, I like much better. It has a number of improvements, three of which are really important to me.1) The video resolution is higher in the new model. I haven't tested it at high speeds yet, but around town so far it's great. This lens sees better than I do.2) The user interface is less clunky, and a bit more intuitive.3) They added a panic button. If something happens, you activate the panic state and it will lock the current file as protected, so it doesn't get recorded over when it loops around, just the same as if you've had it detect an accident.I need to fiddle with the parking and motion detection features. I turned motion detection OFF in the old one, because there was a delay, for example, when starting to move again after waiting at a stoplight. Motion detection I don't recommend. Parking protection I do recommend.Last thought - if it doesn't like your SD card at first, try using the device to format the card. It wouldn't accept one of my memory cards until it was formatted. Now I also like to carry a spare SD card in my purse. That way if there's a longer stretch I want to preserve (like on a two hour trip), I can swap the card out and deal with it later.Overall, I do recommend this if you've never had a dash camera before. It's a really good value for the price, it's easy to use and pretty much fool-proof, and the company's customer service people (at Vantrue) have been extremely patient with me bugging them with questions every two days. They really are very responsive.

Great Value and fast shipment

Purchased this for my daughter. She has yet to use it, but her fiance says it will come in handy as he teaches her to drive.

This $17 dashcam is excellent. Forget spending anything more than that and just purchase this one. I have a 32gb card in mine and it is just perfect. The only problem that I have with it is in the morning when I try to stick it to my windshield. It keeps falling. I think it has to do with the windshield being cold. If anyone has any ideas on how to get it to stick in the morning, it would be much appreciated. Other than that, I highly recommend this product. The video is good for daytime use. I haven't really used it at night, but I'm sure you would be able to at least make out license plates. For the price, you have to buy it. I am planning on purchasing one for my wife's car and my daughter's car.

This turned cosponsored out to be a terrific tablet. The screen is beautiful crisp and clear. The sound is better than most, though the volume is poor. Lots of space, especially after adding a 32 GB micro SD. A great buy for the price.

This HD Forward Facing Road Camera/DVR is a nice camera and for the price, it has great quality.I asked my husband and his partner if they would set the camera up in their Ambulance to test it...here are their results. And we tried several times to get good weather but it seemed every shift my husband worked, it was raining. This is on Thanksgiving Day.For legal purposes it's a great idea to have a forward facing camera. This camera worked great and it wouldn't be difficult to determine what happened, how it happened, and who was involved/who's at fault, at the scene of an accident.You may notice the date says October, this was input by accident and should have read November. You have to input the time and date yourself because it's not connected to internet.As you see on the video, the camera view is pretty level and changes shortly after video begins. On my camera, the lens must be a little off because my husband said that he put it on the windshield making the camera housing a little angled to have the video straight on the screen and while he was driving to a call, his partner OCD'd him by making the camera straight causing the view to be a little off. Even with this angle, you can clearly see everything and it's not really an issue. The only editing that has been done is clipping parts out for privacy purposes (addresses, faces, etc..) and transition effects to go from one clip to the other making it a little more pleasing during the transition of clip to clip. Being that this is an ambulance responding to calls, the video looks as if he is driving slow, but he's actually driving pretty fast so not sure why it appears to be driving so slow. The video seems to act as if it's recording at higher frames per second and automatically slowing down. This is actually ideal to capture every detail if you did need this for legal purposes.The video records in .avi format, which for our windows 10 computer it did not allow us to view the video on windows media player. We could hear the audio but had green lines going through the screen rendering it unable to be seen. I used a free video converter (Any Video Converter) to convert the video to .mpg or .mpeg1 and could view it in Windows Media without any problems.The audio is great and you can clearly hear whatever is going on. The DVR has the capability to record with motion detection. While this is a good feature when not in the vehicle for long periods of time, while driving, it starts with motion, stops after a couple of minutes, then starts back up because there is motion. The stop and start are quite fast and don't miss anything, but it gives you several video files to have to piece together instead of one continuous file. In my opinion, this is great if your not moving around and something happens in front of your vehicle but I prefer the continuous record while driving.There are many settings in this DVR allowing you to customize your DVR to your liking. Hopefully my husband can get a nice sunny day to show off the quality in better conditions and share with you. In this price range you can't beat this DVR.I received the Elecmall HD Vehicle DVR in exchange for my honest review.

Clear video when played back on a computer. I am using a 32 GB memory card and there is a ton of space left. I am using the second highest setting for recording. Extremely clear picture. Great dash cam for around $15. I have it set for 15 minute segments once that is done it starts a new segment. If you drive less than 15 minutes it will record that segment and then start a new segment the next time you start the car. Cam turns off about 30 seconds after the car turns off. For the price you can't beat it. Instructions are very basic, but after reading a couple of times and playing with the buttons i got everything programed including the time and date. You will need the SD card adapter as the slot is the size for the old full sized SD card.

I ordered this camera several months ago and so far it seems to work well. The video quality is good both day and night. Set up is easy if you are willing to read the manual and spend a few minutes familiarizing yourself with the camera. I also found answers to many of my questions in the questions and reviews posted about this device on Amazon. I was very pleased with the construction and feel of this camera. The metal/plastic materials used in the construction of the camera give it a higher quality feel. My only issue with the camera it the cheap quality of the suction cup mount. After approximately a month and a half the mount gave out and I was unable to reattach it to the windshield. I was very disappointed to find out that such a great camera is rendered completely useless by something a simple as the suction cup mount. I attempted to find an after market mount, but could not find one that fit this device. I did order one from iSaddle which I was able to rig to hold the camera, but that required some cutting and a rubber band. After seeing some of the other reviews about this camera I see that the mount is a common problem. I did contact Vantrue customer service about the mount and was pleased that they quickly shipped two replacement mounts to me. I only hope they work to include a better quality mount in the future. With all that said, I would recommend this device to anyone looking for a good affordable dash camera.

I got 2 of these R1 cameras they work very well. I did however learn that it is best to keep them at factory settings other than the loop recording or the motion sensor. Mine I think came with the motion sensor already turned off if your don't and you want to stream all the time you should turn it off otherwise the camera will shut off if nothing is moving in front of it. One important thing I think I screwed up on is changing the video recording to the highest resolution setting for the best picture possible , I had a 64 gb card as well so I had plenty of memory. I think this caused my problem with the camera not to stream , it would stream for about 8-10 seconds at a time at periods but most of the time it would take stills every 2 to 3 seconds constantly. I had to return the cameras and the ones I got back I did not mess with the factory resolution settings and it is crystal clear and I have no problems at all. One more thing if you want to delete all files on the card while in the camera , they on coarse will be in the file named NORMAL when you manage to get to the option of deleting all files press OK, on the X not the check mark , this made no sense to me and it took me awhile to figure it out. REMEMBER DONT CHANGE THE RESOLUTION SETTINGS THEY ARE VERY GOOD THE WAY THEY ARE. hope this helps.

The performance of this camera has been as expected so far which is very good, many people have gone into great detail already on it so there is no point in doing it again.My only grip and is a big one is with tiny print in this products owners manual. You have to strain your eyes to read the thing which is really unacceptable for a product costing $120, that is why I gave this camera 4 stars. The red numbers under the screen symbols on page 6 are near invisible--they match numbers below which describe what the screen symbols are. Unlike other camera's in this price range that have a web sight to download owners manuals, Vantrue has none that I could find. I figured out how to operate the camera but don't like the idea that I could be missing a feature by just guessing at the controls.This is a recommended camera but the manual is lacking.

I ordered this camera over one of the dash cams on sale at Costco because of the huge 170 degree wide angle. The video quality is great and I also wants something that could function on its own battery when not plugged in to the car. I didn't really care about having gps, so that was not on my checklist. The two biggest negatives for me were super shiny front face that begs theives to grab it, and the lack of method to adhere suction to rough are on windshield around mirror. I was able to fix both to my satisfaction. To make the bright shiny metal less obvious to thieves, I purchased sheets of adhesive felt and cut it into sections that fit the curves of the exterior. This also helped cut down on the temps. Before I installed the felt, I couldn't even pick this thing up one of the hottest SC Summer days. To be able to mount the suction cup properly, I took an old glass camera lens and broke it out of the housing. I put 3m double sided adhesive on one side of the lens and stuck the suction cup to non-scratched side. It has been up a couple of months now and has not fallen off once. Both the camera and suction method have survived temps up to 175 degrees as recorded with my thermal imaging camera.

Excellent video recording quality, and because it accepts 64GB MicroSD cards you can record several hours of it even at the highest resolution. Small enough to mount next to the rear view mirror, and since the swivel allows you to turn the camera a full 360 degrees, you could flip it around to face you and your car occupants (or you talking to a cop) if you wanted to record that for whatever reasons. The wide recording angle (170 degrees) catches pretty much everything happening in front of your windshield, although such a large field of view may make it problematic to clearly read license plates of other vehicles not directly in front of the camera, despite the excellent resolution. Audio recording quality - if that matters to you - is also better than I expected from a $99 camera. On other dash cams I've owned the audio is usually muddy at best, this one is clear as a bell. The mic is on the bottom of the body, which probably helps regardless of how you orient and install the camera.A couple of wishes: Unlike others, I'd rather NOT purchase the optional GPS module if and when it becomes available - don't want my video evidence to show how fast I was going - so I wish the speed readout in the video could be disabled (instead of showing "000 km/h" all the time) without a GPS unit connected. Date and time only would be just fine, adding the license plate number will be a nice touch when they implement that feature in other countries outside of China. Also, I wish the camera looked more stealthy (matte black body) instead of shining silver, making it awfully conspicuous and visible from outside the car, which can be a plus or a minus - but mostly a minus in my view. I resolved the hard wiring issue by wiring a 12V receptacle - purchased on Amazon as well - into a switched source above the map lights' overhead console of my Land Rover LR4, and plugging the camera's included power supply to that hidden receptacle. From that point it is a short run to reach the camera just to the side of the rear view mirror, so all cables are out of sight and no 12V receptacle wasted.

I see that yet another glowing review has been posted since I got mine, which is no surprise. I thought I'd delay writing a review for a few days until I'd had a chance to get acquainted with it.Before posting, I exchanged some e-mails with Vantrue and have been very impressed with their promptness and customer service. This has also been favourably noted by others here.The unit is both heavier and larger than I expected. But it has a metal frame (=sturdy) and a usable screen on the back.Others have posted excellent daytime images, but here are some I took at night. (I seem to be having some issue with posting videos on Photobucket, so these are reduced-size screen shots from my iMac.)What impressed me was that even on a rural road at late dusk (9pm PDT) the faint dark blue of the sky was still discernible. There are settings for Day or Night mode. These images were all taken in Night mode, but I turned it off as I headed home and some detail was lost, but the camera still recorded in colour.The 170º lens provides a very wide image area with little edge distortion.All in all, excellent performance.So, what's not to like? OK, I do have a few quibbles - but they're not deal-breakers, just things that I thought could be better or different.The manual is, fairly awful IMHO. (I can hear the gasps of disbelief now- "A GUY who read the MANUAL? Are you nuts?") Well, yes, in a moment of weakness I did read the manual. There is enough comprehensible information to get the unit up and running- as we have all found - but it appears to have been written by someone "who had studied English." (Not, apparently, by George/Joe from Vantrue, whose English is good.) Now I will admit that this sort of thing is a pet peeve of mine. Manuals should be in clear, correct and unambiguous. However, they are working on a revised manual.You will notice from the pics that the vehicle's speed reads "000 km/h". This feature I believe requires the GPS unit, which at this point is not optimized for N. American use. But again, this is in development. Likewise being able to embed your car's license plate number in the footage. Currently this feature is optimized for use in Asia, but this, too, is being updated for N. American use. (You actually can enter your number, but it will be preceded by a Chinese character.)Removing the unit from the car, say for security at night or to connect it to your computer, is not as straightforward as I had hoped. The mount fits VERY snugly into the slot on the top if the camera, so it's best to unstick the suction cup and remove the entire mount and camera. (Unscrewing the swivel lock and detaching just the bottom section with the camera will damage the upper part of the clamp. Ask me how I know.)The enclosed battery is 220mAh and will only power the unit for a few minutes, so really only useful for changing settings if the unit is disconnected from power, or to provide power during the shut down/save operation if your cigarette lighter outlet is tied to the engine being on or off.As far as hard-wiring the unit into your car's electrical system, as some have asked about, it's worth noting that although this can be done, you still have to use the supplied DC-DC adaptor or equivalent since your car provides 12V and the USB input wants to see 5V. A smaller, less obtrusive power adaptor would be nice.But these are small quibbles overall. It seems to be well built, the image quality is excellent day or night, they have good customer support and they are responsive to customer feedback, which is not something you hear often. Works for me.

Great product for the car and for safety and have documented proof of any problem you might have....in your car.

I recently purchased this due to the dangerous drive home on the expressway. I routinely get cut off when going 40 miles and hour and someone on their phone in the other lane, which is completely stopped, decides it's a great idea to pull out in front of me without looking, when my car is less than 12 inches from their back bumper. It is a great way to prove that it wasn't your fault for rear-ending someone, especially in Florida, where you automatically get the ticket unless you can prove your innocence. It is the size of a radar detector, and the screen is very small, but big enough to glance at while you're driving just to make sure it's recording. The unit DOES allow playback, contrary to other reviews. I also haven't had any trouble with the suction cup. It has a lever that must be flipped after you've pressed it against the windscreen, and is very difficult to remove unless you flip the lever back when taking it down. The picture quality is not bad, but it's not as clear as a $400 HD video camera. It has about the same quality as a cell phone video.There is one thing that may benefit others, the instructions say to press the menu button twice to enter the system settings, where one would go to set the time, date, etc., however, this is not correct. To enter system settings, you must press the menu button and then the mode button immediately after. The instructions aren't very clear, but they do provide a basic understanding. Taking a few minutes to view the menu options will reveal that it's pretty simple to figure out. (It took me about 30 seconds to figure out how to access the system settings just by randomly pressing the menu button and then the other buttons.)All-in-all, it's not bad for an $18 camera. If you are expecting greatness, then you may want to go with one of the $140+ cameras on here, but again, for $18, it's not at all bad.

This product has a lot of negative reviews and I have no doubt that many of those are valid but I got one and surprisingly, almost everything works.What I don't see is a lot of information in these reviews about which SD memory cards work well in this unit. I got this one from Amazon which is a name brand and was 50% less than most other cards. $8.00 instead of $12.00.Sony 32GB Class 10 UHS-1 SDHC up to 70MB/s Memory Card (SF32UY2)The only thing on my dash cam that doesn't seem to be working is the amount of available time for recording. My 32 gig Sony card, after formatting shows about 5 hours and 40 minutes recording at the highest resolution. When I lower that resolution the available recording time should go up but it doesn't. So I just leave it on the highest resolution.The video I get is good quality, not great, but very usable. The screen does not swivel. It only flips up are down. I can continue to record video with the screen flipped up. The car cigarette lighter cable is very long, enough to run it along the top of the windshield and still get down to the car socket.The battery, once disconnected from the power source, last just a few seconds. It does not accept a charge and keep it.The audio quality is pretty good and records all conversations in the car.In my 2004 VW Jetta the cigarette lighter always has power to it so I unplug the unit when I leave the car. However, when driving, the on/off button to start and stop recording works so I only record when I want to. I have read in reviews that others have said that button did not work and the unit was always recording, which is not my experience with this unit.The video storage is AVI format and can record for a maximum of 15 minutes before it creates a new file. 15 minutes of recording at the highest resolution creates a file just over 1 gigabyte (about 1.1 gig). I take the card out and play it on my Windows computer just fine.The IR lights are pretty useless and I have them turned off in the settings. There is a motion detection recording ability in the settings but I have not tested that function.So, I'm surprised that mine works so well and I will update my review if my opinion changes. That anyone can make something like this and ship it from China and still make a buck (probably that amount literally) is amazing to me.

For the price it is selling it is really good. I don't have a lot of money to spend on something like this, so this was good find. The video is like VGA. The field of view is wide, so it captures a lot. Playing back the video, it look grainy but I could see stop light colors, stop signs, speed limits signs, road lines, and people on the sidewalks. I feel more comfortable driving with it knowing that I have a video recording going. Going to court with out video proof, you might as well quit. This gives you a better fighting chance. Some reviews are pretty bad, but if you're on a tight budget, this is thing is good. It is better than nothing, and better than having to argue who was wrong when the other guy is a liar.

Menu & mode are not that easy but it takes pretty good videos. Would prove useful as evidence in a crash. Good price.

I wanted to try a Dashcam but was not sure if I would like it so I went for this because of the cost and the specifications. I also watched whatever I could find on YouTube. My experience has been so so but it did get me started. First there is the battery, it doesn't hold a charge very well and will cause the camera to freeze up, I just took it out and it started to work again, I've ordered another one along with a charge, don't know if it is even necessary. Programming this thing is a matter of trial and error so plan on sit down for 10-15 minutes to push all the buttons and go through all of the menus. It is suppose to be 1080p but I don't believe it. The image quality is not that good. Night shooting is poor. Daytime shooting is okay but don't expect to read car tags or sign until you are very close. Objects in motions are blurry and the frame rate must be very slow.The results: It cost less than $15 for a dash camera that is fun to watch later. You will see drivers do some stupid things and some very dangerous things, too. Maybe something to post on the web. Don't buy this for the quality. The viewing angle is narrow, the images quality is okay but not hi-def and the lenses is small and probably plastic. The window mount works very good and the power cable is long enough to tuck in the window molding and still reach the charger plug. The IR night lighting is not strong enough to be useful so I turned it off. If you want to drop $100 to $200 on a good camera you can, I would like to have one as well, but for something to mess with that does a reasonably good job this will work fine. Just don't expect too much.

Good quality videos and easy to set up. On the 2nd week of use though, the unit doesn't seem to power up correctly. The charging LED would be lit, but the unit will not turn on and record. This has happened 3 times this week already. The only way I seem to have found out to make it work would be to first turn the key ignition to ACC, then wait for the dash cam to power up and start recording, then to turn the key the rest of the way to start the car. If I do this motion all at once, it seems a 40% chance the dash cam doesn't power up to record.

EDIT - Seller handled the situation well. I am upgrading 1-Star to 3-Stars while the seller prepared to sell me a sample of the updated product without design flaws. Your favorite engineer will keep you posted on updates.DO NOT BUY! I am an engineer and this product is faulty! I would give 0 stars if I could! This camera has failed me more than once. Got hit while my vehicle was street parked and came back to find my bumper lying on the floor. Then got hit another time from the back while driving. Driver of the other car overtook me and turned through side road. If the camera was working, I would have gotten his license plate. The camera runs and shuts off by itself. Then I disabled parking mode so it does not switch off while driving and then this happened while it was parked (latest pic from yesterday). I saw the other reviews here and the company points to disable parking mode for the unit not to stop recording but please tell me what's the point of having that feature on this useless camera if it makes it useless. I'm definitely contacting my affiliates, the society of engineers and also department of consumer affairs. I have never posted a detailed review like this but the number of times my cars have been damaged. Wow.

I used the this item over the weekend and overall for the price it's a great dash cam. My biggest issue was the the suction cup, which I tried every method found to ensure it stayed affixed to my windshield with the exceptions of glue. After about 10 minutes, it would come crashing down. The picture quality was great, the overall functionality was great, but not being able to affix it to my windshield is the show stopper and not something I would like to deal with. Returning item and will be purchasing a different brand.

I gave a good review at first but now I am starting to experience minor glitches that are becoming more and more common. it has froze when trying to view on my TV and also it has gone into recovery mode a few times when started up. I'm just praying that if I ever were to need it in the event of an accident it will provide.

First and foremost read all reviews carefullyPros of the Vantrue R-11. Very good video during the day, fair at night2. Has the parking setting3. Takes good still picturesCons1. Will record and stop recording at random, no matter what the settings are. (I reset the motion part to record all the time and this has helped, so take some time to go over the settings and go with what works for you.)(Having it loop back with a 64 GB class 10 card still leaves many days of recording before it records over older ones.) (If something save worthy happens I just hit the lock button and then download it later for saving long term or posting online.2. Get's very hot just resting (speaking with support they are working on this part)3. Instructions are just about none existent4. Needs a good web site for support site.5. Would be nice to update buggy software.6.Worst part is what I feared, it shows it is recording and in the loop mode but after I needed to go back and look at something important I find out it has not recorded in 25 days! This is now in the trash. Im buying something else today.All in all it is not a bad unit, it does work and shoot good video without breaking the bank. I look forward to the next line that comes out.

UPDATE:Below was my original review. I still like the camera, but the license plate menu item is in Chinese with no English option.My battery won't hold a charge almost since day one.File folder naming convention is STILL confusing, have to browse by date created in WindowsTorn between three and four stars-* Owned for about a week, unit gets warm while driving to work under 70 degree temps. Unknown if it will become an issue come full summer* Video quality is superb* Transfer speed to computer is OK. Seems a device with 1080p should also sport USB 3.0?* Setup literature is hard to follow- if you're technically competent, just jump straight into the menu items, it's not horrible to pick up quickly* No matter what mode it's in when you shut it off, it automatically starts recording a new clip every time you turn it on. I've collected a bunch of 5-second clips of my knee* There's some strange license plate recognition setting in the setup menus. When you select it, you only have Chinese as a choice, then English format...huh? When English is the selected/displayed language for all other menus* I like that you can zoom while it's recording, set the display time after recording has started,* The unit displays a moon and star indicating night mode. You have to stop recording (pull over) and go into the menus to change it to day. Seems this should be automatically detected?* I work early before sun up, when I open the garage- all lights out, the camera infrared shows nothing 10 feet away on the garage wall. If I hold my hand or point it at an object in the car, I can see (pitch dark) said object within several feet due to infrared illumination. I don't see why they even put the things on there- useless.***Overall, this is a good camera for the price range. I hope the manufacturer sees this post and tells me there's a FLASH or EEPROM update that improves the functions noted.

the camera works well, how bad it has is the base of the screen is very fragile, the screen is not broke, only the screw that holds the base of the screen, so other works well, is not HD but is good and particularly it fulfills its purpose

does a decent job, however the instructions suck.

Everything is easy and working as expected, only one big issue, folding screen in and out corner pin that hold the screen in place broke off. Now I hot glue it in an open position permanently. That happen in 2nd day of used. Now you know why you get what you pay for.

Is not what I expected it to be. The video is not clear to as what it says it is.

For $15, this little thing is a great deal. However, when I transfer the AVI files onto my laptop it shows that they're corrupted. In other words, unplayable. I downloaded some software to try and remedy this situation, but to no avail.I noticed that shorter videos transfer quite well, but longer videos show up as corrupted. I'll try fiddling around with it more, but due to this issue I don't have evidence to present for the major incident I was involved in.

I bought this to replace one that died. The old one looks exactly the same BUT new one is different in that it uses a mini USB (NOT a micro USB) for power and not the small 2.2mm x 5.5 mm type plug. What was the POWER IN is now A/V OUT but you don't get the A/V cord. You have to leave the door open to plug in the mini USB power cord! Old one had a photo sensor on the bottom (for IE LEDS?) that is gone on the new one. Looks like the unit was redesigned to reduce the number of parts needed. Setup screens have changed. Having trouble getting the unit to shut off with the power button. Shuts off OK if the power cord is unplugged.

At first when i got this dash cam, it worked wonders.Nearing half a year since I brought the cam issues starts to show. It started to freeze, and stop recording. The blue blinking light indicates it is recording. The red light mean it is charging. I turned on my car, the camera turns on, the LCD screen is on. But it is not recording.There are times it just freezes, you see a loading or busy circle marker on the LCD screen, and there are no actions behind it.I hope the manufacturer contact me in regards to this. This is extremely troublesome.

Less then one year old and is dead, power connection at plug where it plugs into camera has short and even if you can get power the screen wont light up no function's work. The camera has an 18 month warranty but you cant access the manufacturers website which is Chinese by the way and these are no longer sold on Amazon which I can understand as it is junk so how do I get my money back the warranty is still good for over 8 months. I probably cant and warranty means nothing now that its no longer available however Amazon should help me. I got ripped off by a POS Chinese product and their bogus website. Live and learn Crooked Seller!!!

after seeing all these great review on amazon, i think this is the one, so i bought 3, for myself and family members. Boy was i wrong and stupid for buying 3 for thesePROSbuilt quality is goodvideo is very clear,can see license plate180 degrees camera viewhave audio recording option, you can turn on or offautomatically power on when you turn the car on, turns off automatically when detect no powerCONSwindshield suction cup will only last few months at most, this is what i hated the most, every few weeks the camera falls downcamera is very obvious from the outside and inside, not to discreet, way too noticeabledoes not come with memory cardsometimes it crashes, sometimes for no reason, will freeze then screen will display recoveringsometimes when i start the car, it automatically power turn on and suddenly turns off for no apparent reason, i have to manually turn it onside note: i had rear ended a car few months back, guess what? this camera caught nothing, it only power on after the crash, i specifically remember it was on when i was driving that day before the car accidentwill i recommend this one, NOthe people giving this great review are obviously FAKE and/or getting the product for free in exchange for biased reviews

Over view: con: sketchy reliability/odd ball construction. Pro: crisp filming.I gave this dash cam two stars for a few key reasons. reliability: had it for a few months and while it has performed and recorded while I was driving there have been many, many instances where if i don't turn the key fast enough to start the car the camera will not turn on. So from time to time I find myself missing drives because the camera will turn on and then right back off when I start the car. I then have to unplug it and plug it back in to get it to boot up. The other main complaint that the "record" light is a faint blue LED that blends in with the body of the cam. This makes it hard to see if its working or not, with conjunction with the first issue makes me second guess if its working or not. Whats the point of having a dash cam if it does not turn on half the time. My other big complaint is that I sent an email to the address listed for tech help on another question and never heard back.The Good: film quality, when it does work its on par with my gopro, crisp clear footage.over all I would have liked to never buy it, spent another $100 and got a name brand unit I know I could return or talk to a person.

To start this review, let me state that this review is for the camera I received pre June/July (R1) before Vantrue released their updated model (R1 Pro). I felt I should really take my time with months of use in all types of weather & temperatures before posting a review. The camera I received simply said "Car DVR" on the front instead of updated Vantrue, has 4 IR lights instead of 2, speaker on the front instead of the back, etc. I want to definitely stress this first as perhaps Vantrue may have updated some of the issues *I* had as well as warn anyone who might try to get it used or maybe even a seller's stock of the older model.For the good, this camera is very top notch in terms of the wide angle and HD video it records. The audio the microphone picks up is also fantastic. It picks ups in-cab conversations as clear as day, and it is cool to go back and watch your recordings listening to you and your passengers or music you were playing at the time. It does perform well at night but do not expect the IR lights to really help in terms of driving illumination. It is likely more for removing the camera and taking close pictures in a dimly lit environment in my opinion. The extra memory (it supports up to 64g instead of 32 like most other dash cams) is a very nice bonus for having more files before the overwriting starts.Now the bad. The instructions that I received were not very helpful at all. It was more helpful to download the Falcon F170 pdf instructions (since the original version, pre-redesign was basically a clone of this other camera) to learn all the ins and outs of this camera. The time-stamp on the bottom is rather large and centered but it is not a huge deal. The only bad thing is if you don't have the optional GPS add-on attached, it will constantly say 000 km/h. Another annoying thing to me was that it creates a separate folder for each day yet when it overwrites the older files and empties the directory, it doesn't delete the folder! You are then left with a handful empty folders on the storage card.Visually, it is small and compact but the decision to have a shiny, chrome style circle around the lens area was just totally foolish in my opinion. I tried to surreptitiously position it behind by rear view mirror, hidden cable and all, in my Wrangler and did a pretty good job; however, my first passenger remarked immediately before even getting into the car about my new camera. I ended up using a cheap matte black paint ($1 walmart) to cover the chrome part so it wasn't so noticeable. The unit is also noticeably heavier than the two others (my father's and my new dash cam) that I have experienced since ditching this one. Also, the little plastic tab cover for the catch/holder on the top of the unit snapped off after only a few uses. It did not affect securing the until to the suction cup mount at all though.The worst part of the unit i received however, is the total lack of reliability whatsoever and this was really the death knell for this camera. The recording light would be flashing but pressing the "OK" button to turn on the display to check would fail to respond. I'd have to power the unit off/on to get it to start recording again and then it would hang again at some random point in the future. The camera gets very warm (especially compared to the new dashcam I have) and I wonder how much this had to do with the reliability issue. I was using it all throughout the summer here in North Carolina for reference. People in super hot, desert climates should be somewhat wary in my opinion. I had left the camera plugged in (constant 12v port, not the switched one) and running sometimes while I went into stores or the gym, so I fully acknowledge I may have been at fault for damaging the unit. The electronics of this particular camera may not be able to withstand those type of temperatures. I will note though that I do the same with my new camera and have *no* issues whatsoever.I really wanted to like this camera and gave it a good 4-5 months of use before posting this review. The reason for rating it so poorly is due to the total lack of reliability. I just had too many instances when I thought the camera was working and it turns out it had hung/crashed. And honestly, what is the point of having one of these things if it fails and you miss that one moment for which you bought this in the first place? I upgraded to the slightly cheaper TaoTronics and haven't looked back at all. There was massive potential with this camera, but it was such a disappointment and waste of money in the end for me. Take your time, research and really shop around with these dash cams!

Latest update 9/18/2016They sent me a replacement after it malfunctioned within a few months for FREE but that too only lasted 13 months and stopped recording.I guess I'm going elsewhere to find one that's more reliable.

For the price it is ok. It records and does have a good picture and does operate lick it is suppose to when plugged into the 12 volt socket that operates only when the vehicle it turned on and off. These are the things I find wrong with it.1. The IR does not work at all2. The day date stamp returns to the default every time it comes back on. I get tire of having to reset the date and time the camera powers down. If I have to make several stops it gets tiresome having to continuously.3. The instructions that come with it are very vague and just barely just show how to record and play. They do not give any detailed instructions on how the set it up or operate the features.I do not recommend this item unless you are not worried about not having the proper date stamp to CYA if you do have a need to prove something happened when it did happen. Pay the money to get a better camera.

Product never worked properly ... for some reason it is out of focus .... I eventually had to order another one. I have two more of the same and they work perfectly, therefore it is hit and miss on this item. But for the price and it is not a great loss! Hope the new one works fine. Will send this one back!

Clearly cheap knockoff.Missing AV output on case.Identified memory card and AV output feature in ad and printed instructions enclosed within the retail box.Limited features.

My husband liked the product, but it only worked for about 5 minutes then the screen froze up and after trying it again about an hour later it would not even come on. Really was hoping it would work. I ordered on the 20th and got it on the 27th as a Prime member.

 Lots of warnings. First of all, this is the basic bottom of the line dash cam. It is very cheaply made. I has a battery, but you must have it plugged up for the entire drive. The battery is only for taking pictures, so it only lasts for about 3 to 5 mins. If you have an accident, I would advise using your cell phone to take any pictures as previous reviews state problems with the SD card. This device does NOT come with an SD card. You must purchase one. It can use up to a 32gb SD card. You cannot view the video on this device. You must put the SD card in your computer and view it that way. Example: If you get pulled over, you cannot view the video to show the officer that your did indeed stop at the stop sign. Also, this device does not record in HD. The video is VERY low quality. I have attached pictures of the device, the instructions, and a video. The instructions are terrible, so you will need to play with the device for a bit to figure it all out. Another thing that bothered me was the "door" where the charger connects to the device. Since it must be plugged in at all times, the door remains open. The door is loose and swings open while driving and stopping. Since this device records sound, when you play the video you will hear a loud clicking sound from the door swinging and hitting the device. If the product worked and I decided to keep it, I would have broken this door off. Unfortunately, my device would not hold a charge. On the bottom left hand corner of the screen it indicates if the device is being charged or not. As I mentioned, the battery only lasts a few minutes so my device would shut down while I was driving. Lastly, the suction cup DOES NOT WORK. It will hold for a few minutes then it will fall. Since it is so cheaply made, I do not think that this device would last longer than a week if it continually dropped and hit my dash. The plastic is very thin. If you hold it in your hand and squeeze, the device will break. That is how cheaply it is made. I purchased this for $18 and I returned it. I will end up spending a bit more for a different device. I would NOT recommend purchasing this product. However, if you absolutely need a dash cam, and yours holds a charge, than this could work out for you. Just use velcro instead of the suction cup, and tape down that door.

The video is so blurry, to the point that you can only see the plate number of the car in front when you are so close (bumper to bumper). Sometimes the unit freezes, and you can't end the video nor turn it off unless you remove the battery (I'm doing this at least once everyday).

The dash cam served its purpose while it worked. I found 3 design flaws: (1) The suction cup kept falling off the windshield during hot sunny weather. A bigger & better quality suction cup may solve this problem. (2) The video time stamps seem to lack behind the actual time of the video. (3) the camera malfunction under 100F weather. I cannot resurrect it.Time to get a better quality dash cam.

This camera is useless. It claims to perform continuous recording; looping back to the beginning of the memory card and replacing the oldest video files first before recording over it. Instead, it fills up the video card and them stops recording altogether.TOTALLY USELESS

I have a really good description of this camera and I can sum it up in one word---Junk. Have many issues with it but the number one is the thing skips and records at will. Not reliable at all. And customer support is great if you can read Chinese. Would be fine as a paper weight.

Good product, video is well formatted having high quality, but some videos are then corrupted after a few recordings. It loops every 1, 3, or 5 minutes and depending on the level of time used, the video will then become corrupted, cause lapses in the recordings. The dashcam also stops recording randomly, making its use very sketchy.

USB cable is faulty, doesn't work if base is lifted because the internal copper is too thin and frayed. This assumes the copper within is shoddy and as thin as possible, only works when kept at a certain angle. My dash cam is also defective, as it freezes when the SD card is full and then does not respond to any button presses and only shuts off when unplugged and the battery runs out. Very unhappy for the price paid for this product.

Pros: Solid construction. EXTREMELY high video quality for both day and night driving. Low profile design. Built in viewfinder/display. Easy setup and installation. Excellent cost/value proposition. Very responsive and helpful customer care through Vantrue's Amazon store. Good documentation.Cons: No integrated GPS. Lens doesn't lend itself to using a polarizing filter. Some firmware quirks.I say "nearly perfect" because if not for a couple of shortcomings, this device would be a perfect 10 star device. The biggest shortfall is absence of integrated GPS. That's the bad news. The good news is the device IS equipped with a GPS antenna port and I do know that a companion GPS antenna for the device is expected to be available soon. I will update my review when that is available.One thing I give a lot of weight to is how a company responds to customer feedback and concerns. It doesn't matter how well a product is built or how it performs if the company selling it isn't there to back it up. I can tell you in that regard, Vantrue has exceeded every expectation. Yes, the unit is well built. Yes, the video quality is EXCEPTIONAL - STUNNING - UNMATCHED even when compared to other devices at a much higher price point.The setup and installation is a breeze. Device comes with documentation that should answer most every question and for questions that aren't, customer care has your back. The built in viewfinder/display takes all the guesswork out of making sure the camera is mounted properly for optimal recording. Once the GPS add on is available I honestly believe you won't find a better Dash Cam at this cost. Frankly I'm not sure you'll find a better Dash Cam at ANY cost.Yes I have (and will) buy this again. I could have docked the R1 Pro two stars for it's current lack of GPS but the rest of the camera is so good that it compensates very nicely. Once GPS is available I hope to be able to give this device the full five stars it would otherwise deserve.UPDATE 3-1-2017: Camera has not had heavy use in the time I owned it. It has been replaced twice and has once again stopped working. The GPS mount was delivered but the major downside on this camera is the manufacture does not have a software viewing solution. After two years dealing with them I'm convinced they never will have a software solution. I stand by the statement that the video is fantastic... WHILE IT WORKS. Will not purchase another Vantrue product.

I have had trouble with this product from day one. The image quality was very poor no matter what I had the settings on. My cell phone takes a better image even at night.I hate giving bad reviews but this product just isn't of good quality and I have had nothing but trouble with it.

This is a piece of crap. The on/off switch doesn't work reliably and it doesn't come with an SD disk. It barely works, and the screen burn is bad. Save your money and invest in a properly engineered product.

you have to reset the date feature every time you turn the camera on, There was very little notice that a memory card as required to make the item operate.. costs more to return the items than they are worth... trash cans for these items...

i was highly expect this dvr to be in my car and records everything, but the fact is not.within the box, it contains the DVR, power cable, suction and the manual. so i power up the DVR and insert SD card.everything works great, second day, when i start my car, this DVR is un-touchable, every button i press, it does not response.no matter what i did, it just wont response anything, so i took the battery for a hard reset, when it was on, it works again for few mins.and it is done, that is why i'm returning it.

Not good. I actually went through 3 of these. That's right, I always have to learn the hard way. Bought the first one and was so impressed after I installed it that I ordered another one the same day. I think I should have waited another 12 hours. After the first day I had nothing but problems. Kept getting error messages or would die out. Notified the seller, who impressively sent another one free of charge. Went through the remaining 2 within 3 weeks. They both just died and never recovered. Save your money and shop for a pricier model. You get what you pay for.

This dash camera is an unequivocal piece of crap. There are hundreds of listings mostly from Chinese kids.... with prices ranging from $6.00 to $13.00..... I paid roughly $18.00 hoping it might be a different quality.... TOTAL JUNK! It was D.O.A. DEAD will not charge, will not work... a royal piece of JUNK!