Which Dashcam? Replacement of Blackvue 750x

justanick on 28/01/2025 - 12:11

Hi All,
I got a new car and would like to know few options here. My old car has Blackvue DR750x which works great specially the battery pack. I get huge offline recording. However the resolution is bad and can’t pick up the license plate numbers unless it’s daylight and car is super super close.

I called few dash cam installers and they informed me that opening the dash cam from my old car and swapping in the new cam will take $358 or more.

I’m now thinking should I upgrade to a new dashcam as I’ll be selling the old car.
-what are my options to use the Blackvue battery pack
-i need a dashcam with good licence plate details
- need to see the live recording through wifi

Automotive Dash Camera

Comments

  • kekw on 28/01/2025 - 12:27
    +10

    Viofo.

    • original15 on 28/01/2025 - 12:31
      +1

      Was a good deal before or after Xmas from memory
      I hesitated and regret it

    • mdell95 on 28/01/2025 - 17:19
      +1

      Viofo with a "Starvis 2" sensor soo much better than my original A119 v2

      • ATTS on 30/01/2025 - 17:30
        +1

        Noob q but i thought blackvue wqs expensive brand. Howcome viofo is better?

  • TimmyTims on 28/01/2025 - 13:13
    +3

    I found this video very helpful to get an idea of budget and whats available.
    If you want to keep using the blackvue battery pack though you may want to stick with blackvue (depends which battery pack you are talking about as you may need an adapter for other brands)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HswpRHu_X-k

    • Emphasise on 28/01/2025 - 17:02
      +5

      tl;dr for the video in order of cheapest to most expensive.
      Cheapest: Viofo A119 Mini 2 - $219 on Amazon
      Mid range: Wolfbox X5 3Ch - $324 on AliExpress, add $25 for the hardwired kit
      Best night performance: Vantrue N4 Pro - $429 on Amazon (with $111 coupon)
      Best overall: Viofo A329 4K - $629 direct from the site

  • idd on 28/01/2025 - 13:57

    If you have a Blackvue B-130X, or the B-124 battery with the 3-wire hardwire cable for power, they’re both compatible with any dashcam with hardwiring kits, you don’t need different adapters for different dashcams brands. If you have the B-124 or B-112 with the cigarette lighter socket power cable only, then you’re best to stick with Blackvue dashcams for parking mode functionality.

    And if you intend to reuse the battery pack, just make sure you take all the wiring that came with the battery, they’re harder to source.

    As for dashcam recommendations, Viofo current provides best value for money.

  • justanick on 28/01/2025 - 14:48

    Which Viofo do you recommend and where to buy for any issues? Previously I bought Viofo forget which one it was but was horrible horrendous customer support as it just didn’t record continuously after parking. The customer service team were like monkeys copy pasting from a template each time I reached out to them.
    Battery model I’ll have to go home and check. I bought it in 2021 it was Blackvue brand probably B-130x

    If it’s Blackvue which model can get license plate number without issues and I can see online through wifi by connecting to wifi dongle or insert a SIM card.

  • tsunamisurfer on 28/01/2025 - 16:01

    I am shocked that the resolution on BlackVues are so horrible for such a prominent brand.

    I forgot which model but it was around the $250 mark, for weeks I wondered if I missed a setting or installed it wrong or broke the lens etc. But confirmed the ability to see moving number plates comes down to pure luck if the car is moving slow enough and there is a lucky frame.

    • justanick on 28/01/2025 - 17:01

      I agree I got Blackvue DR 750x

      • DazMon on 29/01/2025 - 11:31

        I always thought the Blackvues were the good ones?
        I've got a Navman Mivue and I was going to upgrade to Blackvue?

  • omguleh on 28/01/2025 - 16:03

    Picked up the Thinkware X1000 dual cam unit during Black Friday sale and the quality is great. Comes with the hardwire kit in the box.

    • justanick on 28/01/2025 - 17:01

      How much was it and where was it from?

      • omguleh on 28/01/2025 - 17:49
        +1

        Automotive Superstore for $525 delivered.

  • justanick on 28/01/2025 - 17:03

    Unfortunately I got B124x does it mean I have to stick with Blackvue? Upgrading to which blackvue would give me a picture of the license plate?

    https://files.ozbargain.com.au/upload/100944/119341/img_9685…

    https://files.ozbargain.com.au/upload/100944/119342/img_9686…

  • justanick on 28/01/2025 - 17:48

    Also, one of the installer is asking for $90 to open the device from the old car and $250 to install it to the new car. Is that a reasonable price?

    • brifog on 28/01/2025 - 19:55
      +1

      No lol, dont be lazy and just do it yourself. Otherwise prepare to get reemed.

      • justanick on 29/01/2025 - 01:29
        +2

        I’m not lazy but I can’t risk breaking and damaging my car. There’s also airbags all around and I might just damage something.

  • justanick on 29/01/2025 - 01:28

    Am I stuck with Blackvue as I need to reuse the battery / save some money? Is upgrading worth it or I’ll get the same crappy blurry license plate view.

    VANTRUE N4 PRO Seems crazy technology you can get 360 view to catch someone who would damage your car from the size. Unfortunately it’s not available here and too expensive to import.

    • gyrex on 29/01/2025 - 11:00

      How large does it need to be to damage your car?

  • BatsRule on 29/01/2025 - 09:55

    aldi has one on "special" in February 😁

  • gyrex on 29/01/2025 - 10:59

    As others have said, Viofo offer the best value dashcams which have exceptional quality and features. I installed a Viofo a229 Plus in my wife's car and it's incredible.

  • DazMon on 29/01/2025 - 11:33

    Is having a battery pack better than what I have which is a Navman Smartbox?
    It can run overnight and not drain the car battery.

    • idd on 29/01/2025 - 16:50

      The Smartbox is a hardwire kit, which is designed to cut off power at your selected voltage, so having a battery pack in your case will just give you longer parking mode.

  • idd on 29/01/2025 - 16:48

    @justanick

    Your quote seems reasonable, I’d probably charge a similar amount, depending on the car you have.

    It looks like they used the cigarette socket power cable for your current setup, which means you're better off sticking with BlackVue to reuse the battery as is. However, you can still use the B-124X with any dashcam, you just need to buy a 3-wire power cable. I'm not sure if you'll find one in Australia, but search for a BlackVue 3-Wire Output Cable for B-124.

    For a dashcam, I’d recommend the Viofo A229 range—both the Plus and Pro will exceed any 1080p BlackVue models. Vantrue (depending on model) is also a solid option, but I prefer Viofo because it provides better parking mode features. Viofo offers both motion and impact detection, whereas I believe Vantrue only allows one or the other.

    Lastly, you don’t necessarily need a dashcam battery. The B-124X is estimated to provide around 18 hours of power, but since it has likely degraded over the years, you're probably getting closer to 10–15 hours now. A standard dashcam hardwired to a healthy car battery, without a dashcam battery, can get you close to 10 hours of power. So, it’s worth considering skipping the battery if you're not too fussed.

    • justanick on 29/01/2025 - 18:25

      Thank you mate. Looks like with Viofo most people had very good experience where as back in the days I purchased A129 Duo and I had a very bad experience.

      I really would like to steer away using my car’s battery as I know many people with bad experience.

      What would be an option for me to use as a battery pack for Viofo A229?

    • justanick on 30/01/2025 - 21:17

      I seriously doubt you would get 10 hours of battery without draining the car’s battery. I drive short distances and mostly over the weekend. Is that scenario good for me without the battery?

      Viofo A119 Duo killed my battery in the past :(

  • justanick on 29/01/2025 - 18:26

    What was the cheapest Viofo went up to and where can I find a good deal at the moment? Does it have wifi to see live view?

  • ratoloko on 30/01/2025 - 18:06

    I am receiving a Vantrue N2X 2.7K tomorrow with the GPS module and wire kit.

    Its resolution from what I saw are top notch with a cabin camera to face lying pigs saying that you were on your phone or what bs they come up with.
    The GPS module to face cops lying about speeding tickets.

    It also supports CPL filter as option which is a must have and live view via app for the price you are willing to spend.

    • justanick on 30/01/2025 - 21:14

      Mate give us a review please. Are you going to get a battery pack or connect it to the car’s battery?

      If you don’t mind me asking where did you buy and how much was it?

      • ratoloko on 31/01/2025 - 14:35

        Amazon AU, still the best place to get good deals even for house stuff. There is way too many Made in China stuff tho that are just garbage so avoid unknown brand.

        The reviews I saw for this 2.7k camera were good enough specially regarding reading the plates and the wide internal camera plus the CPL filter

        I paid $389.45 for:

        • GPS module: Easy to fight back lying pigs with speeding ticket.
        • N2X dashcam
        • 256GB SanDisk Endurance microSD. It supports up to 512GB
        • CPL filter to improve recording during the day breaking glares from the sun and all. It will break headlight glares at night
        • Wire kit for parking mode with 11.6V cut. Don't use 12v cut or higher because 11.6v will make sure it does not run if the car battery is below 12V increasing the chance of your car starting instead of the dashcam draining the battery flat.

        $389 isn't cheap but being able to read plates, CPL filter must have and excellent cabin camera to fight lying pigs is a must.
        I am pretty sure you have crossed cases on Current Affair where people got fined by those "intelligent" camera where they were not using phone but holding water bottle. Cabin camera solves that.

        This camera does not have battery but a large capacitor to avoid suffering with overheating lithium batteries issues.

        • ratoloko on 31/01/2025 - 22:53
          +2

          I just tested N2X driving at night, holy smokes.
          You do read the plates, I need to rotate the CPL filter to see if I can remove just a bit of the lights glare but you can read the plates fine.

          The cabin night vision camera is golden, rich in details, more than enough to show that you are not on the phone or something. I can just imagine what this puppy can do during the day.

          Plus the built-in GPS/speed is solid.

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