Reddit reviews BlackVue Wi-Fi DR500GW-HD 16GB Car Black Box/DVR Recorder

Get a pair of Dashcams...

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When does the chip fill up? Never.

It just starts over after about ~30 hours in 1900x1080 x 30FPS

Longer if x 15FPS

Even longer if 1280x720 x 30FPS et.al.

And if I turned off the "Parking mode" motion sensor probably a few days.

I've had it last at least a week, before overwriting the older footage with some settings.

It uses the 12V accessory (cigar lighter plug) so if you want to have it 24/7 you'll need to hard wire to a fuse (I used the door fuse) or you could also use the below device that checks the voltage and when it drops to a set level, it shuts off or can set it to shut off after a period of time.

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From a previous thread here is my setup;

Front is Finevu CR-500HD

Rear is BlackVue Wi-Fi DR500GW-HD

To keep it 24/7 live/motion sensor I use this.

But the BlackVue UPS is the same, so either/or.

As far as one over the other?

The nice things about the BlackVue are both a built-in GPS and WiFi.

I have this just under my rear brake light (top of back window version) and I can use my phone iphone/android/tablet to view what is shown/stored on the camera. WiFi is not that strong and sometimes you have to sit next to the garage to be able to view away from the car. (Originally had it above the rear-view mirror, but moved it to the back for a better view, still have the mount up there and I might install a 3rd cam so can see the interior again)

And the GPS is built in so when I take out the 32GB chip it sync's up with a map to show where I was driving and how fast (moving map style)


Drawback? It is wide? i.e. the FineVu is a bullet type of cam and basically you see a lens, the BlackVue is a tube that covers the same width as the brake light so it shows more.

I like the FineVue as far as stealth but the BlackVue for the features.

The FineVu has a connection to add a monitor to view onboard images. And you have to buy an external GPS for the FineVu @ ~$40

Basically it is better to remove the 32GB MicroSD chip and view it on your computer.

Neither (at the time of purchase) can handle the 64GB MicroSD chips

They both loop the storage, i.e. after x amount of space, it writes over the older saves.

And depending on how you set up the sensitivity is how much it captures. e.g. if you have it on super sensitive, you'll get many 'Events' that never erase (like potholes/speed bumps) instead of regular capture/parking mode that gets overwritten on a space basis.

Both images are just as good.

Oh, and not a good representation of quality as I had to squeeze from a 32MB AVI to a 2MB GIF file and drop some frames, but here is a sample of it capturing a car crash on the left.

I went through about 20 crappy POS dashcams before I decided to shell out the >$200 for a blackvue.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B4E9764/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

How do I like it? I've bought 8 more for wife, family, and friends.
It mounts securely to the windshild, doesn't vibrate, and is small enough to be mounted behind my rear-view mirror (to the right) so I can't even see it. It doesn't have a screen (that's a good thing) and they have a great mobile app for viewing videos and configuring it. Also, it doesn't overheat in direct sunlight. Of course, it has GPS.

Here's video of a crash I was in taken with my BlackVue. Woman driving the truck slid on ice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_haW_HZR3Y

Its reviews have been crap as of late, but I haven't had any problems. Was a bit of a pain to get set up how I wanted (default language was Russian), but now it just does its thing.

• Camera
  
• Memory card
  
• If I was rich, I'd get this one instead
  
  Holds about 10 hours of footage, dumps the oldest clip when the new one writes. Powers on with the car, I ran the power cable up my headliner, through the door seal and behind the glove box to one of my power ports. Can't even see it, no splicing necessary (though you could tap into a 5v line if you have power to the rearview mirror).
  
  I've seen some shit in the few months I've had it. Several accidents (involving other vehicles), several near misses with cyclists and pedestrians being morons. I strongly believe every driver should have one for their own protection.

You guys really couldn't just look at the bottom right?

http://www.amazon.com/BlackVue-Wi-Fi-DR500GW-HD-Black-Recorder/dp/B00B4E9764

This one. I have had it since 2010, quite pricy at the time. Pretty sure you can find better dashcam for less than what I paid, now a day.

Dashcam is a BlackVue Wi-Fi DR500GW-HD 16GB (replaced the 16GB for a 32GB Micro SD Card).
Plays 1080p @ 30fps. If you watch a Youtube recording of this camera to check the quality, keep in mind most of the streaming uploads compresses the video so the quality will be higher than that.

Very nice camera. If you play the video in their program you can also see the Google map of your whole trip at the same time. You can also see it real time if you connect your phone with the WiFi's camera.

I used to have it in my 2012 Accord connected to the 12v power because it only activates when the ignition is On. So it records and it turns off when you turn your car off.

After an entire day with the dashcam on, I just discovered that Mustangs have the 12v power on all the time (??).
So I have to buy Blackvue Power Magic Pro to cut the power when the battery reaches 11.8v so it doesn't get discharged. You can also set a timer for parking mode so it records a certain amount of hours and turns off. It has a switch to cut the power when you turn off the car or you can let the camera with power so it records in parking mode.

You have to install some cables in the fuse box and attach the ground to the chassis. But it was done in 30-45 mins. Everything has instructions in English. Plus if you Google it there are a couple of videos to help you.

Double +1 for you, thanks!

I'm going to keep an eye on that, but it has some reviews that make me go "hm" (particularly the heat related issues and firmware flashing). I may actually get the DR500GW since that seems to have ironed out the teething troubles of the 400. Many thanks for pointing me in the right direction!

For Joe Citizen like you or I his recommendation is spot on. Especially so if you do not fit too many of his profile indices, or any of his guilt indices. (Lord have mercy don't be grabbing your head or avoiding eye contact if you're holding!)

One recommendation that may not have been financially reasonable at the time the video was made is a dash cam. One cheap example here in a Jalopnik article that costs $60. Even a nice rig like the Blackvue DR500GW-HD on Amazon is under $250. The devices are amazingly useful for establishing that you indeed did not 'bobble the lane' as claimed to justify the stop.

From the code on the bottom its this one: http://www.amazon.com/BlackVue-Wi-Fi-DR500GW-HD-Black-Recorder/dp/B00B4E9764

I have this one hard-wired in my Clubman with a 32gb card. So far, a year later it's been great. I mounted it on that little black plastic piece behind the mirror. Video quality is good, and it has GPS, an accelerometer, and will continuously record over the card so you don't have to format it. My only gripes are:

1. No Mac software
   
2. It rattles (might just be the car).
   
   I'm actually thinking of upgrading to this. It supports mac, and even has an iOS/android app that lets you stream video wirelessly. Expensive, though.
   
   

I use the BlackVue DR500GW-HD. It's expensive, but given the FJ's narrow windshield, I wanted something really small.

I have it mounted up behind the rearview mirror... first I mounted it up too high in an area the wipers didn't reach, and snow would block everything. So I moved it down. You can't see it from the drivers' seat though.

I used a credit card to tuck the wire up in the headliner, ran it behind the A-pillar, behind the dash and to the fusebox.