Has VIOFO improved long term reliability?

[Panzer Platform]

Crap, that's not a good thing. Why can't these companies make it easier to replace these batteries without soldering ?

The RTC Battery only needs to outlast the 12 month warranty. lol

 

[Dashmellow]

RTC Battery.


If you have a small screwdriver, and basic DIY skills, yes.

FCC ID 2AMBW-A229PRO Car Dash Camera by Shenzhen Viofo Technology Co., Ltd

FCC ID application submitted by Shenzhen Viofo Technology Co., Ltd for Car Dash Camera for FCC ID 2AMBW-A229PRO. Approved Frequencies, User Manuals, Photos, and Wireless Reports.

fccid.io

View attachment 71516

Brought to you by the Department of Redundancy Department.

 

[Dashmellow]

Crap, that's not a good thing. Why can't these companies make it easier to replace these batteries without soldering ?

They'd rather you feel the need to go out and buy a new camera rather than tackle a slightly challenging DIY battery replacement. Often, by the time the battery dies there are newer cameras avialable.

 

[LateralNW]

Crap, that's not a good thing. Why can't these companies make it easier to replace these batteries without soldering ?

You won't need to.

With newer Viofo Dashcams the real time clock doesn't have any problems with the real time clock battery.

You should expect the RTC battery to last somewhere between 5 to 10 years so you won't need to worry about replacing the battery.

The RTC power usage is very low like 500nA and when the car is running it might use 2uA from the car power, in other words it runs on the smell of an oily rage lol.

 

[Dashmellow]

You won't need to.

With newer Viofo Dashcams the real time clock doesn't have any problems with the real time clock battery.

You should expect the RTC battery to last somewhere between 5 to 10 years so you won't need to worry about replacing the battery.

The RTC power usage is very low like 500nA and when the car is running it might use 2uA from the car power, in other words it runs on the smell of an oily rage lol.

It's good to hear this. I've experienced a couple of RTC battery failures over the last 14 years so I've come to expect that it could happen. Then again my A119 V3s have been working fine for 4+ years now without a hiccup, longer than most other dash cams I've owned with the exception of Mobius cams but Mobius cams use supercaps to back-up the time and date.

 

[mentadent]

Good info, I didn't know VIOFO had a RTC battery. I guess without it, the first few minutes of a video would be the wrong time while GPS locks.

 

[DashCamOnBoard]

Well, I think it's still concerning. 5 years isn't a long time and it's the principle of the matter. They should make it easier to replace a simple, inexpensive battery for whenever it fails.

 

[mentadent]

I find that reassuring. 5 years is a reasonable lifespan, and it reflects well on the product's quality. Companies shouldn't be obligated to make everything endlessly modifiable, especially for minor components.

 

[DashCamOnBoard]

I just think it's a shame to potentially have to replace a perfectly good working unit over such a small dinky thing. The lifespan could be a lot more than 5 years. But then the stupid battery dies and you end up wasting a perfectly good product that you paid good money for.

 

[Dashmellow]

Five years and still doing fine is pretty decent for a dash cam and this happens to be much better than the old days when, if you got past a year or two with a dash cam you were doing really well. And the technology with sensors and processors improves at a pace where after 5 years there's a very good chance you might want to update your cameras anyway. For example, although there is nothing wrong with my A119 V3s I just upgraded one of them to the A119 Mini 2 because the new Starvis 2 sensor, and all other technology in the camera is very compelling, especially at the price I paid.

 

[Panzer Platform]

The lifespan could be a lot more than 5 years.

The warranty is only 12 Months.
If the camera lasts 5 years that means;
1.) You got your money’s worth
2.) You got 4 years of “free use”
3.) After that timespan there will be significant advancements, and you’d want to upgrade anyways.

October 2019: A129 Pro (First 4K)
December 2022: A139 Pro (First STARVIS 2 & HDR)

My prediction for the next “breakthrough” will be super efficient processors that reduce operating temperatures.
This will allow a 4-CH system with 4K60fps & 100Mbps Bitrate on all four channels.
I wonder how they would cope with the memory?
Maybe dual SD Card slots with 1TB capacity each, (2TB total).
I wonder how much those Viofo brand SD Cards will cost, oh crap.
And still no cloud for @mentadent lol

 

[DashCamOnBoard]

Warranties and lifespan aren't the same thing. Buyers expect cars to last longer than 5 years / 60,000 miles. I'm the kind that doesn't wanna upgrade. I'd rather be one-and-done and forget it.

 

[Panzer Platform]

Warranties and lifespan aren't the same thing. Buyers expect cars to last longer than 5 years / 60,000 miles. I'm the kind that doesn't wanna upgrade. I'd rather be one-and-done and forget it.

I agree with you 100%
You would have a valid argument if this was 1985, and we were in the golden age of high quality Japanese consumer electronics.
Sony walkman, boombox, answering machine, portable TV, camcorder, VCR, etc. all lasted well beyond 20 years.

Today we have rush to market Chinese made goods with little R&D, and even less quality control.
The paying customer has unwittingly become an unpaid R&D, and QC Inspector by reporting issues to manufacturers for firmware updates, and returning / filling warranty claims on defective units.
Our beloved “one-and-done” days are long gone.
That’s why I keep saying if your dash cam outlasts the 12 month warranty period, “you’re making free money”.