Easy to set up, instructions for use are fairly straight forward. Not the most intuitive but the camera is good quality, and the build is very sturdy.
13/02/2024
This dash cam won't be installed until the weather warms up, but I did a lot of bench testing of its features. And I'm mostly satisfied. Let's start with the Pros.
For the $99.99 (at the time of this review) selling price of this dash cam it is packed with a lot of features. This three-channel design means it records 3 separate video files simultaneously. Front, inside and rear. The manual says you can use up to a 32 Gig Micro-SD card but it comes with a 64 Gig card. So that must be a miss-print. I could not test it with any cards larger than 64 Gig as I don't have one. But for sure it works with the 64 Gig card that comes with it. And that was really nice of them to include this Micro-SD card.
The video screen can display each camera separately, or two of the cameras at the same time. A picture in picture display. I prefer the single camera image as it's less distracting and you only really need to see this to adjust the cameras. After that, your eyes should be on the road and not on the camera. If you're an UBER driver, this would be most useful for adjusting the inside camera to capture any action happening inside your car. Of all three cameras, the front facing one gives the clearest image.
Using Wi-Fi and an app, you can connect this dashcam to your smart phone. This allows you to manage your Dashcam from your phone or to download the videos to Android devices.
Another feature of this cam is to use it as a reverse camera. If you connect the red wire (see photos) to your reverse lights, it will then display the rear camera on the display when you back up. How useful that feature is depends on exactly where you place the camera. If it's near your license plate, it could be useful when hooking up a trailer, for example. If you are not planning to use this feature, you can cut the red wire off or just tuck it away.
This Dashcam also has sentry mode that will record if motion or collision is detected. It has a built-in battery that can power this unit when the car is turned off, but it would be better to keep it powered via the car battery. I'll talk more about that later. If this camera detects a collision, it will keep that video file in a separate location so it does not get over-written. This is something my old dashcam would not do. You had to remove the memory card before it was overwritten. So, this is one of my favorite features.
Lastly, this cam is small and does not intrude much on your vision through the windshield. This also makes it easier to hide the fact that you even have a dashcam. My philosophy has always been, don't tell anyone you have a dashcam until after the police reports have been signed.
Now for the cons. I only have one. This cam does not come with a permanent installation wiring harness. Many cars, including my own, turn off the power to the cigarette lighter when the ignition is off. Also, the use of that adapter is unsightly. There is mention of purchasing such a power harness separately, and they're not difficult to build if you know how, but it should have been included. Especially if you use this dashcam on sentry mode, I don't know how long the internal battery would last.
Other than the lack of this permanent installation wiring harness, I really like this dashcam and can easily recommend it. It does almost everything you could want a dashcam to do.
For the $99.99 (at the time of this review) selling price of this dash cam it is packed with a lot of features. This three-channel design means it records 3 separate video files simultaneously. Front, inside and rear. The manual says you can use up to a 32 Gig Micro-SD card but it comes with a 64 Gig card. So that must be a miss-print. I could not test it with any cards larger than 64 Gig as I don't have one. But for sure it works with the 64 Gig card that comes with it. And that was really nice of them to include this Micro-SD card.
The video screen can display each camera separately, or two of the cameras at the same time. A picture in picture display. I prefer the single camera image as it's less distracting and you only really need to see this to adjust the cameras. After that, your eyes should be on the road and not on the camera. If you're an UBER driver, this would be most useful for adjusting the inside camera to capture any action happening inside your car. Of all three cameras, the front facing one gives the clearest image.
Using Wi-Fi and an app, you can connect this dashcam to your smart phone. This allows you to manage your Dashcam from your phone or to download the videos to Android devices.
Another feature of this cam is to use it as a reverse camera. If you connect the red wire (see photos) to your reverse lights, it will then display the rear camera on the display when you back up. How useful that feature is depends on exactly where you place the camera. If it's near your license plate, it could be useful when hooking up a trailer, for example. If you are not planning to use this feature, you can cut the red wire off or just tuck it away.
This Dashcam also has sentry mode that will record if motion or collision is detected. It has a built-in battery that can power this unit when the car is turned off, but it would be better to keep it powered via the car battery. I'll talk more about that later. If this camera detects a collision, it will keep that video file in a separate location so it does not get over-written. This is something my old dashcam would not do. You had to remove the memory card before it was overwritten. So, this is one of my favorite features.
Lastly, this cam is small and does not intrude much on your vision through the windshield. This also makes it easier to hide the fact that you even have a dashcam. My philosophy has always been, don't tell anyone you have a dashcam until after the police reports have been signed.
Now for the cons. I only have one. This cam does not come with a permanent installation wiring harness. Many cars, including my own, turn off the power to the cigarette lighter when the ignition is off. Also, the use of that adapter is unsightly. There is mention of purchasing such a power harness separately, and they're not difficult to build if you know how, but it should have been included. Especially if you use this dashcam on sentry mode, I don't know how long the internal battery would last.
Other than the lack of this permanent installation wiring harness, I really like this dashcam and can easily recommend it. It does almost everything you could want a dashcam to do.
12/02/2024
This is a good enough camera if you are an Uber driver and want to be protected from bad passengers.
I use my car for work, and I used to be an Uber driver, so I know the importance of having a dashcam in your car. Not only is it vitally important for insurance purposes if you get into an accident, but if you are driving someone around, to prove your case and protect yourself when they might be a bad passenger or lie about something that could get your in trouble. I ordered this camera specifically because it was a 3 channel camera, having a camera pointing out front, in the rear, and the front camera also faces inside the cabin of the car. It's a nice package, including everything you need to get started, including the memory card for the camera. You can set it up to loop, so when the card is full, it will just start erasing the files and recording more footage. You only need to see the footage if there is an incident, so this is fine. The camera was easy to use and set up the first time, and everything was just plug and play. The only thing I wish it came with was a hard wiring kit, because you need to plug this into your lighter port, which means when you shut your car off, the camera shuts off as well. Video quality is acceptable. Not the greatest because it is not 4k, but at this price, pretty good. Certainly good enough. Overall, not a bad dash cam package that is worth more than its price if it is ever needed.
12/02/2024
As far as generic dashcams go, this checks all the right boxes as long as you're not expecting stellar video quality. With 1080p front, 720p rear/ internal camera, coupled with a cheaper sensor, the video footage is acceptable. In good lighting conditions the front camera can pick up license plates to close cars easily enough, as can the rear camera for cars directly behind you. Night footage isn't the best, as to be expected, but I believe it would certainly help in a situation should an "incident" occur where you needed to use the footage. The internal camera, being the lowest resolution, works fine and is lighted in the dark.
The menu system / buttons aren't the most intuitive, with a lot fiddling needed if you don't have the manual in front of you. However, once you've got the settings as you'd like them, you don't have to play around with them. I like that it includes a 64GB card so you can get going right away. It will quickly fill, but as it's loop recording that isn't really an issue.
Overall, it's an average quality dashcam when you factor in the cost.
The menu system / buttons aren't the most intuitive, with a lot fiddling needed if you don't have the manual in front of you. However, once you've got the settings as you'd like them, you don't have to play around with them. I like that it includes a 64GB card so you can get going right away. It will quickly fill, but as it's loop recording that isn't really an issue.
Overall, it's an average quality dashcam when you factor in the cost.
10/02/2024
This affordable camera offers a range of functions rarely seen at this price point. There is a front-facing wide-angle camera with 170 degrees of coverage, a cabin-facing camera with 160 degrees, and a separate waterproof rear camera offering 160-degree coverage.
The front camera is high-definition with 1920x1080 recording to capture facial details and licence plates. It features a large aperture to capture images in low light conditions and features Wide Dynamic Range. My home security cameras use WDR to compensate for dark and bright areas, allowing a balance between brightness and darkness and improving image quality. WDR lenses are especially effective in filming through windshield glass, which can confuse a camera’s light meter. The front camera is not adjustable on the XYZ axes, limiting where to place the camera for optimal coverage.
The camera is small and does not block vision when mounted on your windscreen. The long cable can be routed around your windshield frame to be (almost) invisible.
The interior camera is 720P, sufficient to monitor the cabin if you drive commercially. The interior camera is adjustable on the Y-axis (up and down).
The third camera mounts on your licence plate holder and must be hardwired to the head unit and a power source. The cord is long enough to work on my full-size pickup truck, and the power connection cable is fused and easy to install for even a clumsy backyard mechanic like myself.
The instruction sheet is clear (though the type was tiny for my aging Boomer eyes), and installation is a breeze. TOPGOOSE even includes an SD card for plug-and-play.
A built-in accelerometer will automatically lock down the video on the SD card when it senses impact from a collision.
After hardwiring in the back camera, the Mongoose can be set up to monitor movement and collision detection when your car is parked. The camera is grainy to save on storage but more than sufficient to document people around your vehicle.
One convenient feature of the TOPGOOSE is built-in WiFi, allowing you to review and save video on the card directly to your phone without removing the SD card and using a computer to read the disk. Too often, I find those tiny SC cards rocketing through space when I eject them, never to be found. The WiFi is convenient.
In conclusion, the TOPGOOSE cam is an affordable, well-made unit that provides crisp documentation of what you meet while driving on the road and monitors your vehicle 24/7 when parked. I plan to buy another unit for my car. The only thing I would change is movement on the X and Y axes for the front camera.
The front camera is high-definition with 1920x1080 recording to capture facial details and licence plates. It features a large aperture to capture images in low light conditions and features Wide Dynamic Range. My home security cameras use WDR to compensate for dark and bright areas, allowing a balance between brightness and darkness and improving image quality. WDR lenses are especially effective in filming through windshield glass, which can confuse a camera’s light meter. The front camera is not adjustable on the XYZ axes, limiting where to place the camera for optimal coverage.
The camera is small and does not block vision when mounted on your windscreen. The long cable can be routed around your windshield frame to be (almost) invisible.
The interior camera is 720P, sufficient to monitor the cabin if you drive commercially. The interior camera is adjustable on the Y-axis (up and down).
The third camera mounts on your licence plate holder and must be hardwired to the head unit and a power source. The cord is long enough to work on my full-size pickup truck, and the power connection cable is fused and easy to install for even a clumsy backyard mechanic like myself.
The instruction sheet is clear (though the type was tiny for my aging Boomer eyes), and installation is a breeze. TOPGOOSE even includes an SD card for plug-and-play.
A built-in accelerometer will automatically lock down the video on the SD card when it senses impact from a collision.
After hardwiring in the back camera, the Mongoose can be set up to monitor movement and collision detection when your car is parked. The camera is grainy to save on storage but more than sufficient to document people around your vehicle.
One convenient feature of the TOPGOOSE is built-in WiFi, allowing you to review and save video on the card directly to your phone without removing the SD card and using a computer to read the disk. Too often, I find those tiny SC cards rocketing through space when I eject them, never to be found. The WiFi is convenient.
In conclusion, the TOPGOOSE cam is an affordable, well-made unit that provides crisp documentation of what you meet while driving on the road and monitors your vehicle 24/7 when parked. I plan to buy another unit for my car. The only thing I would change is movement on the X and Y axes for the front camera.
10/02/2024
The TOPGOOSE 3 Channel Dash Cam offers comprehensive protection with its triple channel system, capturing video from the front, rear, and inside of your car simultaneously. With a 170° wide-angle front camera, a 160° in-car camera, and a 160° rear camera, it ensures all-round surveillance to retain evidence in unexpected situations like collisions.
Featuring high-performance Novatek chipset and Sony Sensor, this dash cam delivers smooth 1080P front video, along with 720P cabin inside video and 720P rear video. The IPS screen provides live-time video feedback, making it ideal for Uber, Lyft, Taxi, rideshare drivers, and anyone who wants to monitor their surroundings.
You can easily control the dash cam using the Viidure app on your smartphone via WiFi connectivity. The app allows you to view, playback, manage, download, and edit videos directly from your IOS or Android devices. With super night vision and parking monitor functions, it ensures clear video and images even in dark conditions and offers 24-hour parking mode recording.
Equipped with a Gravity-Shock Sensor, the dash cam automatically locks footage as evidence in the event of a collision or bump. The loop recording function overwrites the oldest unprotected files when the TF card is full, ensuring continuous recording. The compact design of the dash cam is easy to install and won't obstruct your view while driving.
With a one-year warranty and 24/7 technical support, TOPGOOSE provides worry-free after-sales service. Plus, it comes with a full refund within 30 days, ensuring customer satisfaction and peace of mind. Overall this is a great unit that works well and has great features and good support from the company. A great product that works well and does everything it’s supposed to do. :)
Featuring high-performance Novatek chipset and Sony Sensor, this dash cam delivers smooth 1080P front video, along with 720P cabin inside video and 720P rear video. The IPS screen provides live-time video feedback, making it ideal for Uber, Lyft, Taxi, rideshare drivers, and anyone who wants to monitor their surroundings.
You can easily control the dash cam using the Viidure app on your smartphone via WiFi connectivity. The app allows you to view, playback, manage, download, and edit videos directly from your IOS or Android devices. With super night vision and parking monitor functions, it ensures clear video and images even in dark conditions and offers 24-hour parking mode recording.
Equipped with a Gravity-Shock Sensor, the dash cam automatically locks footage as evidence in the event of a collision or bump. The loop recording function overwrites the oldest unprotected files when the TF card is full, ensuring continuous recording. The compact design of the dash cam is easy to install and won't obstruct your view while driving.
With a one-year warranty and 24/7 technical support, TOPGOOSE provides worry-free after-sales service. Plus, it comes with a full refund within 30 days, ensuring customer satisfaction and peace of mind. Overall this is a great unit that works well and has great features and good support from the company. A great product that works well and does everything it’s supposed to do. :)
30/01/2024