Dash camera review

[grouch]

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This is a review of the Vantrue N4 Pro S dash camera along with various accessories. This does come in a bundle but the testing will be done on several different vehicles so certain options are used to facilitate that.

To make the review as inclusive as possible, testing will be done on a late model small SUV which generally predominates the traffic on the world’s roads, an older light truck that is also ubiquitous and an older sedan such as is often found in less affluent areas. All the testing will be done on left hand drive vehicles with notes to compensate for right hand drive vehicles. If RHD is mentioned, it is making allowances for the later.

To begin with, the camera itself comes in a nicely packaged box. Sealed with clear plastic, it is easily opened. Unlike some cheaper brands that come in that aggravating bubble wrap that usually ends up with bandaged fingers after trying to open it. The camera inside matches the picture on the box.

This model is towards the higher end of the price range but initially seems to be good value. A good, reliable dash camera will often pay for itself in an accident situation.

Power for the camera can be one of two ways. Either a constant power supply in which case it also acts as a parking camera to watch your vehicle in the parking garage or on the street. Otherwise, it can be an ‘ignition on’, supply. Like the radio, it will only operate when the vehicle is being driven.

This writer personally uses the ignition on power as the camera being on all the time is fine for a car that is driven every day and has a strong battery. If it sits for extended periods, the constant drain might cause an issue starting the car or truck.

Opening the box reveals all sorts of goodies. First up is the camera. Larger than most I have used; it looks to be well made and solid. Buttons are clearly marked. It does NOT come with a microSD card. These are easily sourced so that’s not a problem. Vantrue does sell the cards if you’re out in a rural area and want to order one along with your camera.

Besides the main camera, there is a rear camera in the unit I’m testing. Along with the rear camera is a cord to record and power the rear camera. It’s long enough to reach the rear window of most vehicles.

One tech tip for routing the cable. Do NOT coil it up. Loop the excess cable back and forth. A coil causes interference due to the power in a coil making an electromagnet. Looping back and forth avoids that. ​

Next are the power cords. There is one cord that goes to a USB port or charger to supply power to the main camera. There is a fairly long cord with a power input end on one end and a cigarette lighter plug on the other. This also has a USB opening on the plug

There are two mounts that adhere to the glass. Unlike less expensive units, these are designed to slide the camera off if you need to remove it. Some areas do not allow cameras so the camera can easily be removed. For the purpose of this testing, an optional vacuum suction mount will be used. There also various thingies (ßfancy technical term) These include adhesive clips to hold the rear camera wire up, a couple of rubber sleeves to hold the wire into a loop and even a couple of small tools. A small #1 Phillips screw driver and a plastic upholstery tool for tucking wires if so desired.

There is also an actual owner’s manual included. Most kits require you to go online. If you don’t have a good signal, it’s handy to have an actual paper manual. The actual directions are just a few pages but 8 different languages are included. Unfortunately, I don’t read most of them, but there should be something for most every customer. Lastly, a couple of big stickers! Whee! These are warning labels saying the vehicle is protected by a Vantrue camera. Whether you want to advertise this to the world is up to you. This writer has seen hot rodders spend $5000 on speed parts and get excited about the stickers that come with them.

The camera will accommodate an SD card up to 1 terabyte. This might be over kill for most driving but I’ve been in areas where that card would fill up quick. The SD card goes in behind the big red button. It’s a plate that comes loose with a fingernail. The card will only slide in one way so you can’t put it in wrong. Well, not without a lot of effort and maybe a hammer.

The big red button is also the emergency recording button if the camera is in record mode. This is for if you witness a crash but are not involved. You can also record people doing stupid things. Humanity never fails to impress with acts of poorly considered actions. Pressing it will have an icon of a locked padlock appear on the screen to show the recording is being saved.

Installation​

The optional suction mount is more deluxe than average. This is not a generic mount but is from Vantrue and designed for the N2X / N4S / N4Pro S / and N5S. Unlike cheaper units that you just stick the camera to and then slap on the glass; this has integrated connectors. Like the permanent mounting plates, it has a port for the power input and connects securely to the camera. The camera snaps in place on both the suction and permanent mounting plates. This will also allow the camera to be removed in high crime areas.

When installed, it makes a nice looking unit if one even looks at it. This writer’s preference is to mount a dash cam below the rear view mirror and towards the center of the windshield out of the line of sight. The driver can look under, the same as the rear view mirror as needed, but it doesn’t block the view of the road.

To install the suction mount is the same as the adhesive mount. Glass preparation is key. The glass must be cleaned before trying to install it. An alcohol based glass cleaner is best. Using an absorptive paper towel scrub the glass clean. This writer personally will use an alcohol swab to make sure no contaminants are left. This is especially important in dusty areas or a vehicle with occupants that smoke. Cleaning the entire windshield will make driving easier but only the mounting area MUST be cleaned.

One note. After installation, the view of the camera will be farther forward than the view of the driver. The camera will see things closer to the front of the vehicle than the driver can see. Watch videos on the internet of truck crashes and you will see a car drive into the front bumper of the truck but the driver cannot see the car due to being farther back from the windshield. Keep this in mind if there are legal questions after an accident.

The initial installation was on a Mazda CX-5. This is a popular vehicle around the world. It made a clean installation but problems with the power cord kept it from working properly. The camera tucked under the mirror quite nicely, but the screen was not working properly. Possibly due to low power through a defective cord.

The second vehicle it was installed into was a late 1980’s sedan. Specifically, a 1989 Oldsmobile Cutlass Calais S 4 door sedan. Plugged into the cigarette lighter socket it worked fine but due to the small size of the car, the camera was very close to the driver. Not being a small person, it was a bit uncomfortable to drive with. A smaller driver shouldn’t have that issue. It also took a large portion of the visible area of the windshield.

The third vehicle used was a 1996 Dodge Ram 1500. Power came from an ‘ignition on’ cigarette lighter socket. It was placed next to another camera from another company that was permanently installed. It makes for a rather crowded windshield but placed under the rear view mirror, visibility is fairly clear.

One issue appeared early on. The truck is used off road at times and has been modified through the years. The testing occurred in Indiana during the winter. Hitting pot holes sometimes tripped the G meter reacting as if a collision had occurred. The G meter can be adjusted in the settings menu but doing so might keep the camera from automatically tripping when you DO have a crash.

The screen is clear and the cabin camera shows the driver. The screen has numerous icons to show different functions along with GPS location and speed of the vehicle. If you tend to drive in a …spirited… manner, keep in mind your speed is recorded. Should you be involved in a crash, your speed is on record. If you are driving 60 mph in a 30 mph area, this can be embarrassing. This may make you drive in a more responsible manner.

If you see something, such as a crash in which you are not involved, the aforementioned big red button is at hand for the drive to reach up with the thumb to trip it manually. This is on vehicles that drive on the right side of the road. In areas that drive on the left side of the road, such as Great Britain, Japan as well as others, the driver can reach up with the left index finger to trip manual record.

Testing occurred in winter with temperatures that dropped to -4 degrees F (20 C) but the camera was unaffected. Previous cameras used over the years sometimes had faded or foggy video.

The camera video does have a bit of a fish eye look, but this doesn’t cut off the edge of the picture like some lower price units. The camera is also designed to capture license plates. When setting the camera for the first time, this writer went with most of the factory settings. One change was the factory setting of 30 seconds of captured video was changed to one minute. In case of a multicar accident at high speed, it may take that long for the metal to stop bouncing.

Most of the testing was done in the pickup truck, Because the rear window was so close, the rear camera wasn’t used. The back window would be blocked if the truck was loaded. If it wasn’t loaded, the cabin camera looked out the back window.

About the rear camera. While it wasn’t used, installation was considered. With the rear camera cable folded in loops rather than coiled, installation would have been placed just inside of the window where the rear wiper would clear the glass. This would have given a clearer view out the rear window. In U.S. states that use front and rear license plates, a car ramming from behind will show the license plate clearly.

One option that wasn’t used was the optional filter for the camera lens. This improves vision by reducing glare. It just snaps onto the camera but is not normally supplied with the camera. If your morning or evening commute tends to drive straight into the sun, it will reduce glare on the camera, if not the driver. It will also reduce glare from bright oncoming lights at night.

Is the camera worth the cost? Only the customer can answer that. It is a quality made camera system. While at the upper end of the price range, it is definitely easier to use. Younger more computer savvy users will probably find the instructions and controls to be intuitive and older users, such as this writer, will find it usable, if not as easy as dialing a rotary phone. Speaking of which, it has the ability to connect via WIFI to one’s cell phone. Properly connected, the camera can be played back at the scene of a crash to the police. This can prevent a citation in circumstances where what happened is unclear or the other driver is either mistaken or just lies.