Yet another S1 Pro review thread

[jonat]

Like some of the others in this forum, Vantrue sent me an S1 Pro for review, asking me to write about it here. It just arrived today, so I haven't installed it yet, but I did power it on and play with it for a while.

I have some immediate issues with the instructions included:

• There is a QR code for a "Full Manual" download - this takes you to the N2 manual, a very different model. The Vantrue web site's page for manual downloads does not have one for the S1 Pro
• The mounting instructions have to be wrong. Included in the package are two "electrostatic stickers" that look like screen protectors. The manual has you stick one of these on the windshield, and then you use the 3M VHB adhesive preattached to the dashcam to stick the cam onto this sticker. If I did this, it would fall off instantly. Please correct me if I am mistaken.
• The instructions properly tell you to change the WiFi password from the default 12345678. What they DON'T tell you is that only the first eight characters of the new password you provide are used, so if you typed in a longer password and try to connect to it later, it will fail.
• Speaking of WiFi password - you can set this only in the Vantrue phone app, not on the cam itself. The dialog for this in the app (iOS for me) has extremely low contrast text inside the three text fields, and they are unreadable. I guessed that the first is for the old password and the others are for the new one (entered twice).
• A plastic "crowbar" (as named in the manual) is included. I can only guess what this might be for (probably removing the mount from a windshield - the package includes spare VHB adhesive for the front and rear cameras.) I did like that the cam can be slid off the mount (which I gather also includes the GPS receiver), but it slides to the right, so keep that in mind when selecting a position.

I like that the lens can be aimed, both up/down and left/right. I found the app very responsive, a welcome change from my Garmin Dashcam 50 and its "Virb" app.

I separately bought the hardwire kit; the Vantrue web site is unhelpful in identifying which of their several hardwire kits are correct, but I am pretty sure I got the right one (USB-C, and not the one that uses the OBD port.) Annoyingly, the hardwire kit's USB-C connector is straight, not the 90-degree of the included adapter.

I also intend to buy the circular polarizer - again, the Vantrue web site is silent on whether the 40mm model fits the S1 Pro, even though it is promoted on the product page, but I think it does.

 

[Agie]

Like some of the others in this forum, Vantrue sent me an S1 Pro for review, asking me to write about it here. It just arrived today, so I haven't installed it yet, but I did power it on and play with it for a while.

I have some immediate issues with the instructions included:

• There is a QR code for a "Full Manual" download - this takes you to the N2 manual, a very different model. The Vantrue web site's page for manual downloads does not have one for the S1 Pro
• The mounting instructions have to be wrong. Included in the package are two "electrostatic stickers" that look like screen protectors. The manual has you stick one of these on the windshield, and then you use the 3M VHB adhesive preattached to the dashcam to stick the cam onto this sticker. If I did this, it would fall off instantly. Please correct me if I am mistaken.
• The instructions properly tell you to change the WiFi password from the default 12345678. What they DON'T tell you is that only the first eight characters of the new password you provide are used, so if you typed in a longer password and try to connect to it later, it will fail.
• Speaking of WiFi password - you can set this only in the Vantrue phone app, not on the cam itself. The dialog for this in the app (iOS for me) has extremely low contrast text inside the three text fields, and they are unreadable. I guessed that the first is for the old password and the others are for the new one (entered twice).
• A plastic "crowbar" (as named in the manual) is included. I can only guess what this might be for (probably removing the mount from a windshield - the package includes spare VHB adhesive for the front and rear cameras.) I did like that the cam can be slid off the mount (which I gather also includes the GPS receiver), but it slides to the right, so keep that in mind when selecting a position.

I like that the lens can be aimed, both up/down and left/right. I found the app very responsive, a welcome change from my Garmin Dashcam 50 and its "Virb" app.

I separately bought the hardwire kit; the Vantrue web site is unhelpful in identifying which of their several hardwire kits are correct, but I am pretty sure I got the right one (USB-C, and not the one that uses the OBD port.) Annoyingly, the hardwire kit's USB-C connector is straight, not the 90-degree of the included adapter.

I also intend to buy the circular polarizer - again, the Vantrue web site is silent on whether the 40mm model fits the S1 Pro, even though it is promoted on the product page, but I think it does.

Some nice thoughts there, the S1 Pro isn't available for the public yet or has just gone out to them hence no manual on the Vantrue website. As for wifi password, I'm sure just minor glitch and will get sorted in final firmwares or day one fixes going out to the public.

Nifty little camera, the S1 Pro so looking forward to your further thoughts on it.

 

[jonat]

I'm not as sanguine as you regarding the WiFi password. It's only because I've seen this issue with other products in the past that I even thought to check if it was the case. I'd be delighted if they did fix it.

 

[Agie]

I'm not as sanguine as you regarding the WiFi password. It's only because I've seen this issue with other products in the past that I even thought to check if it was the case. I'd be delighted if they did fix it.

Works fine for me on my Vantrue Nexus 4 Pro, but Hopefully they get onto it soon

 

[DT MI]

The manual has you stick one of these on the windshield, and then you use the 3M VHB adhesive preattached to the dashcam to stick the cam onto this sticker. If I did this, it would fall off instantly. Please correct me if I am mistaken.

The 'stickers' have a '1' and '2' side - and both have a protective film over them. Follow the instructions paying attention to the 1/2 side because the side going on the windshield seems to have some type of adhesive on it, definitely not just electrostatic. I moved the camera from my car today and actually had to use a razor blade to separate a corner of the sticker from the windshield before being able to peel it off.

 

[jonat]

First problem. Unlike some of you, Vantrue did not send me a hardwire kit, so I bought my own. The one I bought is https://www.amazon.com/gp/B083XB8T7T, but it doesn't seem to work in that when I shut off the ignition, the cam just shuts off and does not go into parking mode. I have parking mode enabled for motion. I'm used to seeing some sort of LED action indicating parking mode, but there are no LEDs lit on the S1 Pro. Of course, none of the several hardwire kits on Vantrue's site claims support for the S1 Pro. Did I simply buy the wrong one?

Jeff kindly sent me the full manual, which has quite a bit more detail than the included booklet. For example, it explains what the crowbar is for (pushing wire into trim).

I was annoyed to find that when I did a firmware update, it reset the WiFi password to the default. I did notice this time that the password dialog indicates a maximum (and minimum) of eight characters - it should support longer passwords.

 

[DT MI]

I was annoyed to find that when I did a firmware update, it reset the WiFi password to the default.

That's pretty normal behavior for almost all dash cams - a bit of a nuisance. Can't help with the hard wiring/parking mode since mine isn't hard wired but I'm sure one of the other 'early adopters' will be along shortly.

 

[Agie]

First problem. Unlike some of you, Vantrue did not send me a hardwire kit, so I bought my own. The one I bought is https://www.amazon.com/gp/B083XB8T7T, but it doesn't seem to work in that when I shut off the ignition, the cam just shuts off and does not go into parking mode. I have parking mode enabled for motion. I'm used to seeing some sort of LED action indicating parking mode, but there are no LEDs lit on the S1 Pro. Of course, none of the several hardwire kits on Vantrue's site claims support for the S1 Pro. Did I simply buy the wrong one?

Jeff kindly sent me the full manual, which has quite a bit more detail than the included booklet. For example, it explains what the crowbar is for (pushing wire into trim).

I was annoyed to find that when I did a firmware update, it reset the WiFi password to the default. I did notice this time that the password dialog indicates a maximum (and minimum) of eight characters - it should support longer passwords.

Found similar with the Nexus 4 Pro full manual online, which was literally double the size at 42 pages compared to the paper manual in the box which was 23 pages

 

[rcg530]

First problem. Unlike some of you, Vantrue did not send me a hardwire kit, so I bought my own. The one I bought is https://www.amazon.com/gp/B083XB8T7T, but it doesn't seem to work in that when I shut off the ignition, the cam just shuts off and does not go into parking mode. I have parking mode enabled for motion. I'm used to seeing some sort of LED action indicating parking mode, but there are no LEDs lit on the S1 Pro. Of course, none of the several hardwire kits on Vantrue's site claims support for the S1 Pro. Did I simply buy the wrong one?

Jeff kindly sent me the full manual, which has quite a bit more detail than the included booklet. For example, it explains what the crowbar is for (pushing wire into trim).

I was annoyed to find that when I did a firmware update, it reset the WiFi password to the default. I did notice this time that the password dialog indicates a maximum (and minimum) of eight characters - it should support longer passwords.

I replied to your other post about the hardwire kit you purchased. I believe it should work with the S1 Pro (see other post).

Assuming you have motion parking mode enabled, when you turn off the ignition switch, if the screen is already on you'll see a popup panel stating "The dashcam is about to stop recording and enter motion detection mode" and the message will disappear in a few seconds. Then S1 Pro should turn on the screen (if not already on) and display the parking mode icon for motion parking mode (person walking with motion streaks behind them). The S1 Pro screen will left on for an outrageously long 3-minutes and then it will turn off the screen.

I just ran a test using this same 3-wire hardwire kit to power my S1 Pro 2-channel dash camera. I had one left over from my review of the Vantrue E1/E1 Lite dash cameras. I configured S1 Pro for motion detection parking mode. When I turned off the accessory/switched power, the S1 Pro acted just as I stated above as it entered motion detection parking mode. Turning on the accessory/switched power caused it to return to normal recording mode after a seconds.

Assuming the S1 Pro's parking mode configuration is correct, the next question is related to how the hardwire kit is wired into your car. If the dash camera turns off when you turn off the ignition switch, that often suggests that the constant battery power wire (red wire) of the 3-wire hardwire kit is connected to a switched/accessory power source instead of a constant battery power source. Only the yellow wire should be connected to a accessory/switched power source. You may want to verify that power remains present on the fuse/fuse tap used for the red wire of the 3-wire hardwire kit when the ignition switch is turned off.

 

[jonat]

Thanks for the details. I'll do some additional testing.

 

[jonat]

Silly question #1. In the Vantrue Player app for Windows, how do I get it to show the GPS info and map? The video has the GPS data visible, and there is a GPS folder on the SD card, but I can't figure out how to get the app to read it. I also tried Vantrue GPS Player, same problem. I found the documentation of the "GPS Player", but it just shows the GPS info displaying automatically. The phone app has no problem displaying the map once the video is downloaded.

 

[jonat]

First real test today, after aiming the front and rear cameras. The day is overcast, so perhaps not the best test. I love the wide angle of both, with the front camera showing the full width of the windshield. Image quality is good enough for my purposes - I have it set at 1440/1080- I see there is a higher resolution available, but I am not sure if this gains me much - I will try it. This is the first 2-channel dashcam I have owned, so it is fascinating to see that view.

Adding on to my earlier comment about firmware updates changing settings, I noticed that the LCD stayed on continuously even though the app said it was set to 1 minute. I changed to a different value and then back - now it turns off properly.

Manual annoyances:

First we have this diagram:



and then we have this:



Notice that the cord is now connecting to the lens side of the camera, which is of course impossible. It's also the oppposite direction from what the "correct" picture shows. I don't see why they care which way around the camera is - for my car I have it mounted the "wrong" way based on the first diagram, and it works fine, once I flip it in the settings. I appreciate that the lens rotates 360 degrees - I had to rotate it down quite a bit due to the angle of my rear window.

I also question the manual showing installing the front cam to the left of the rear view mirror. This can prevent you from sliding the cam off its mount, as it slides off to the right as I noted earlier.

 

[DT MI]

I noticed that the LCD stayed on continuously even though the app said it was set to 1 minute. I changed to a different value and then back - now it turns off properly.

There is a bug in the firmware regarding this. When you change the settings it will work - until you power cycle the camera, it will then 'forget' the setting. Actually it doesn't forget, it just ignores the setting and operates as though it's set to 'Off', even though when you check it's still set at 30 sec/1 min/3 min. At this point the only way to turn the screen off is either with the buttons or voice command.

 

[DT MI]

Silly question #1. In the Vantrue Player app for Windows, how do I get it to show the GPS info and map? The video has the GPS data visible, and there is a GPS folder on the SD card, but I can't figure out how to get the app to read it. I also tried Vantrue GPS Player, same problem. I found the documentation of the "GPS Player", but it just shows the GPS info displaying automatically. The phone app has no problem displaying the map once the video is downloaded.

Not a silly question. The only version I've been able to get to work is Version 2.0.8 (available here: https://www.vantrue.net/app/app.html). I'm still playing with 3.6.6 when I have time.

@GeekOnTheHill discovered that 2.0.8 won't work until until the 'GPS' folder on the card has the 'hidden' attribute removed. Interestingly after getting the program to work you can then put the hidden attribute back on and the program will continue to work. Given that my background is in software development I find that 'interesting' to the extreme.

In my testing I've gone so far as to rename the GPS folder, as well as delete it completely, and the program continues to function. This leads me to believe the GPS folder data is superfluous since without it the program still tracks vehicle movement thus suggesting the GPS information is also embedded in the video files.

Even after the viewer program is functioning it has shortcomings:

1 - It will only show the GPS track for the current files being shown versus all the files in the queue. In other words there's no way (at least that I've found) to show an entire trip routing.

2 - When playing the 'A' (front) video the 'B' (rear) video will be shown in PIP format. This is good - however when finished playing that file it will then start playing the 'B' (rear) file with the 'A' (front) in PIP format.

I'm still playing around with both programs but I'm not impressed at all.

 

[jonat]

Another software engineer here - nearly 40 years in compiler and OS development. This problem is not only bizarre, but it also shows Vantrue really dropping the ball here.

You're right that the GPS (and G-force) data is encoded into the MP4s - the GPS folder isn't needed. I have a third-party "Dashcam Viewer" that worked great with my Garmin Dashcam 50, but it too doesn't see the GPS data in the S1 Pro files.

 

[DT MI]

I have a third-party "Dashcam Viewer"

I have that as well. It recognizes the front/rear file pairings fine but not the GPS data. I'll be sending some files to Traveler for analysis and possible inclusion in the supported cameras. I also noticed that it has some issues with the different aspect ratios of the front/rear videos.

 

[jonat]

https://exiftool.org/forum/index.php?topic=8833.0 has a rather depressing discussion of this topic - it seems each maker chooses to record this data a bit differently. If I had to guess (which I do), I'd say that the S1 Pro does this differently from earlier Vantrue cams.

Thanks for sending the files to Traveler. Until today I had not realized that the form for this data was vendor (and in some cases model) specific. It would be nice, of course, if Vantrue's own app supported their cams.

FWIW, unlike many of the reviewers here, I am just an ordinary consumer and don't have a steady stream of dashcams coming in to do instrumented reviews on. I do take my reviewing role seriously but approach it from the perspective of what I think the average buyer would want to know.

 

[jonat]

Interesting - exiftool can see the GPS data. An excerpt.

GPS Date/Time                   : 2023:09:23 16:38:58Z
GPS Latitude                    : 42 deg 47' 48.75" N
GPS Longitude                   : 71 deg 31' 47.14" W
GPS Speed                       : 40.031
GPS Track                       : 310.28
Accelerometer                   : -0.804 0.127 0.596
GPS Date/Time                   : 2023:09:23 16:38:59Z
GPS Latitude                    : 42 deg 47' 48.98" N
GPS Longitude                   : 71 deg 31' 47.52" W
GPS Speed                       : 39.7069
GPS Track                       : 310.43
Accelerometer                   : -0.816 0.117 0.611

 

[DT MI]

Thanks for sending the files to Traveler.

Haven't sent them yet. Need to put together a representative compilation as a "SD Card image".

FWIW, unlike many of the reviewers here, I am just an ordinary consumer and don't have a steady stream of dashcams coming in to do instrumented reviews on. I do take my reviewing role seriously but approach it from the perspective of what I think the average buyer would want to know.

Same here.

BTW my background is the opposite of yours - mostly infrastructure, embedded systems, and user interface stuff. Played with OS internals part-time for a couple of years but never got into it real deep.

 

[DT MI]

Interesting - exiftool can see the GPS data. An excerpt.

GPS Date/Time                   : 2023:09:23 16:38:58Z
GPS Latitude                    : 42 deg 47' 48.75" N
GPS Longitude                   : 71 deg 31' 47.14" W
GPS Speed                       : 40.031
GPS Track                       : 310.28
Accelerometer                   : -0.804 0.127 0.596
GPS Date/Time                   : 2023:09:23 16:38:59Z
GPS Latitude                    : 42 deg 47' 48.98" N
GPS Longitude                   : 71 deg 31' 47.52" W
GPS Speed                       : 39.7069
GPS Track                       : 310.43
Accelerometer                   : -0.816 0.117 0.611

Looks to be the same as the data in the 'GPS' folder except for the accelerometer information.