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Vantrue N2 Pro Dash Cam Review
- 1. Vantrue N2 Pro Dash Cam Review
- 3. PRICE The Vantrue N2 Pro dual dash cam is priced at $199.99. B
- 4. SALES PACKAGE • Dash cam • User guide • Quick start guide • Suction mount with 10 ft. cable with a 12V cigarette lighter adapter • Power cable • Mini USB cable
- 5. DESIGN • 3.8 x 1.5 x 1.5 inches. • Features a mini USB 2.0 port. • Operating temperature ranges from -4 to 158 degree Fahrenheit. • Supports seven languages. B
- 6. INSTALLATION • Attaches on the windshield using suction cup. • Camera auto powers and starts operating as soon as the vehicle is turned on. C
- 7. BATTERY Features a 250 mAh 3.7 V polymer lithium-ion battery. Camera and suction cup mount feature USB ports for charging. C
- 8. MEMORY AND STORAGE The dash cam requires a memory card for operation. Supports microSD cards with memory capacity up to 256 GB. The videos can only be on external memory cards as Vantrue does not offer a companion app for N2 Pro on any operating system. C
- 9. VIDEO – FRONT-FACING CAM • 2.5k (1440p) HD resolution that result in a clear footage with vibrant colors. • Rotates 80° to capture movements outside the vehicle. • Night time/low-lit condition videos are crisp owing to the dash cam’s ability to display wide dynamic range.
- 10. VIDEO – CAB-FACING CAM • The cab-facing camera provides both audio and video feature. • Records 1080p at 60 FPS. • The 140˚ field of view covers the entire cabin. • Infrared lights and sensors help in producing usable images even in complete darkness. B-
- 11. AUTO LCD OFF • Auto LCD Off feature allows the LCD to switch off after 3 minutes. • The cam would continue recording with blue light blinking on the emergency button. C
- 12. ACCESSING VIDEOS • The videos captured by the dash cam is only saved on the microSD card. • The files are sorted and saved under three folders: Event, Normal, Photo, and All. C
- 13. LOOP RECORDING Loop recording clip setting options include 1, 3, and 5 minutes. When the G-sensor detects an event/impact, it will prevent the current clip from being overwritten. B
- 14. G-SENSOR The G-Sensor identifies any critical events by detecting vehicle impact and collisions. It protects the current video clip from being overwritten. The G-Sensor sensitivity can be adjusted with the 3 in settings. B
- 15. PARKING MONITOR The sensitivity can be adjusted using the G-sensor setting menu to low, medium, high, or can be turned off. It uses motion sensor to detect activities/impact in close proximity of the vehicle. The camera requires constant power supply when parking mode is active. B
- 16. GPS • The GPS mount is not included in the sales package. • GPS tracking and vehicle information can be included in the captured footage by enabling them in the Stamps menu. C
- 17. TIME LAPSE AND SNAPSHOT A user can choose photos to be taken once every 1, 5, or 10 seconds to create time lapses. The captured photos are played at 30 FPS to create a time lapse. Pressing the Emergency/Camera button captures a snapshot. B
- 18. PROS 18-month warranty period. Customer support. Infrared light and sensors in cab-facing camera. Starts quickly and has an easily navigable interface. Firmware updates are easy download from the Vantrue website.
- 19. CONS Requires an additional mount for GPS. Loose mount. Limited compatibility with microSD cards. The device auto overwrites the existing Event videos. No Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity. No companion app or cloud-based storage system. Hardwiring or external battery pack is required for parking mode.
- 20. OVER ALL SCORE C
Editor's Notes
- Vantrue was founded in January of 2015. along with other video related products, Vantrue offers six models of dash cams: N1 Pro, N2 Pro, N4, X4, S1, and T2.
- The N2 Pro dual dash cam is priced at $199.99.
- It weighs only 12.8 ounces making it one of the lighter dash cams available in the market. It features a mini USB 2.0 port. Its operating temperature ranges from -4 to 158 degree Fahrenheit. The front camera has a 170-degree viewing angle. The rear camera has a narrower 140-degree viewing angle. The device supports seven languages: English (default), simplified Chinese, German, Japanese, Spanish, French, and Italian.
- Installing N2 Pro is fairly easy. It attaches on the windshield using a suction cup. The camera will auto power and start operating as soon as the vehicle is turned on. While the installation process is fairly easy, Vantrue under-delivered the claimed quality with the mount. As per reviews by verified customers, the mount came loose fairly easily. This was a major flaw in design that caused a lot of distress to drivers as the mount would sometimes come out during a driving event. It made N2 Pro highly unreliable. However, Vantrue did resolve this issue by providing replacement and making quality changes in production.
- The N2 Pro dash cam features a 250 mAh 3.7 V polymer lithium-ion battery. The device has two USB ports for charging – on the camera and the suction cup mount.
- The dash cam requires a memory card (microSD card) for operation. The sales package does not include a memory card and it has to be purchased separately. The device supports microSD cards with memory capacity up to 256 GB. If a microSD card with capacities of 64 GB, 128 GB, or 256GB is used; it is recommended to format it on the camera first. Vantrue recommends using a microSD card with speed rating of class 10 or higher like the Samsung Pro Endurance Card or Samsung Evo Card). Not all cards are compatible with the device. For example, cards from SanDisk are not compatible with N2 Pro. The videos can only be on external memory cards. Vantrue does not offer a companion app for N2 Pro on any operating system. Nor does it provide any cloud based storage options. This makes the N2 Pro an unreliable option for Truckers. For instance, in an accidental event where the microSD is damaged along with dash cam, the driver will have no evidence of their innocence. This unfortunately defeats the purpose of dash cams for truckers.
- The N2 Pro’s front-facing camera features a 2.5k (1440p) high definition resolution that result in a clear footage with vibrant colors. It is also able to rotate 80° to capture movements outside the vehicle. The camera starts recording as soon as engine is turned on. The number plates of vehicles can be read clearly without any difficulty in videos captured during daytime. The videos captured during night time or in low-lit conditions are crisp owing to the dash cam’s ability to display wide dynamic range. The license plates however are a little blurry for fast-moving vehicles – especially in the vicinity of a bright street light. N2 Pro offers the option of reducing the resolution to 1080p HD and increasing the frame rate from 30 FPS to 60 FPS. It essentially doubles the number of screen grabs from which one could potentially find a readable license plate. This definitely helps in addressing the problem. However there were some isolated incidents where users still couldn't read the plate in the said condition. The cab-facing camera provides both audio and video feature. These might not be a necessity for truckers, however it certainly is a good add-on. It drops down the resolution at 1080p. It also constantly records at 60 FPS. The 140˚ field of view is wide enough to cover entire cabin. The infrared lights and sensors helps in producing usable images even in complete darkness. The setting on the dash cam allows the user to also shoot in Single Front Cam Recording Mode.
- The N2 Pro’s front-facing camera features a 2.5k (1440p) high definition resolution that result in a clear footage with vibrant colors. It is also able to rotate 80° to capture movements outside the vehicle. The camera starts recording as soon as engine is turned on. The number plates of vehicles can be read clearly without any difficulty in videos captured during daytime. The videos captured during night time or in low-lit conditions are crisp owing to the dash cam’s ability to display wide dynamic range. The license plates however are a little blurry for fast-moving vehicles – especially in the vicinity of a bright street light. N2 Pro offers the option of reducing the resolution to 1080p HD and increasing the frame rate from 30 FPS to 60 FPS. It essentially doubles the number of screen grabs from which one could potentially find a readable license plate. This definitely helps in addressing the problem. However there were some isolated incidents where users still couldn't read the plate in the said condition. The cab-facing camera provides both audio and video feature. These might not be a necessity for truckers, however it certainly is a good add-on. It drops down the resolution at 1080p. It also constantly records at 60 FPS. The 140˚ field of view is wide enough to cover entire cabin. The infrared lights and sensors helps in producing usable images even in complete darkness. The setting on the dash cam allows the user to also shoot in Single Front Cam Recording Mode.
- The illumination from the LCD screen may be distracting to some drivers in the night time. Auto LCD Off feature allows the s LCD to switch off after 3 minutes. The cam would however continue recording with blue light blinking on the emergency button. Pressing any button will switch on the screen.
- The N2 Pro is not Wi-Fi or Bluetooth enabled. The videos captured by the dash cam is only saved on the microSD card. The only way to access the captured footage is by transferring the data on the microSD card to a mobile device or a computer using a card reader. The files are sorted and saved under three folders: Event: Contains all the critical events detected by the G-sensor or videos locked by the user. Normal: Contains standard recorded videos. Photo: Contains standard images. All: Contains all standard videos, critical event videos, and standard images.
- The N2 Pro dash cam offers options including 1, 3, and 5 minutes for its loop recording clip setting. When the G-sensor detects an event/impact, it will prevent the current clip from being overwritten. Choosing to record 1 minute clips will take less space on the memory card. Choosing to record for longer period, like 5 minutes, reduces the chance of an accidental event being recorded towards the end of the clip (like on shorter recordings).
- The G-Sensor identifies any critical events by detecting vehicle impact and collisions. When such instance is identified, the camera will protect the current video clip from being overwritten. The device does so by locking it and saving the footage in the “Video/Event” folder. The G-Sensor sensitivity can be adjusted with the 3 in settings: Low, Medium, or High. The sensitivity is set to Medium by default.
- The parking mode on N2 Pro is not turned-on by default and has to be activated in the setup menu. The sensitivity can be adjusted using the G-sensor setting menu to low, medium, high, or can be turned off. The feature uses motion sensor to detect activities/impact in close proximity of the vehicle. On detection, the cam comes alive and starts recording. The dash cam stops recording after 10 seconds of inactivity. It is a useful feature in events of vandalism, robbery, or hit and run. When parking mode is active, the camera requires constant power supply. If the vehicle does not have ignition primed, the camera cannot stay active for long periods of time. This is due to the limitation of the 250mAh 3.7 V Li-ion battery. Hence, to use this feature, the dash cam needs to be hardwired. Another alternative is to use an external battery pack.
- The N2 Pro dual dash cam supports GPS functionality. However, it does not come set up in the sales package. A user will have to purchase a separate GPS mount to track the vehicle’s route, location, and speed. GPS tracking and vehicle information can be included in the captured footage by enabling them in Stamps menu. Vantrue recommends to install the external GPS mount onto the camera instead of the original mount.
- The N2 Pro also features a time lapse feature. A user can choose the photo to be taken once every 1, 5, or 10 seconds to create time lapses. The captured photos are then played at 30 frames per second to create a time lapse. This is a good feature for drivers who want to record a ‘memento’ of whole trip. However, it might not serve much purpose to a trucker as the normal recording is turned off when the dash cam is set to time lapse. In any accidental event, a driver might end up with just 1-2 pictures of the incident, instead of an actual video.
- Most dash cam providers offer 12-month warranty. Vantrue offers an 18-month warranty period for N2 Pro. Customer support. Infrared light and sensors in cab-facing camera. The N2 Pro dash cam is quicker to start and offers an easily navigable interface compared to other dash cams by Vantrue. Updates made to the firmware is easy download from Vantrue website. The system automatically updates if the microSD card contains the firmware upgrade file.
- Requires an additional mount for GPS. Shortly after its launch, verified customers complained about problem with mount – they would come out loose frequently. Limited compatibility with microSD cards. The device auto overwrites the existing Event videos as soon as the Event folder occupies 30% of the card capacity. Almost all dash cams at the $200 price point offer Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity. However the N2 Pro dash cam is neither Wi-Fi enabled nor offers Bluetooth. Does not offer a companion app. Does not offer a cloud-based storage system. Hardwiring or external battery pack required for parking mode.
- The Vantrue N2 Pro dash cam is a good dash cam that provides dual cam at this price range. It was also the first provider to do so. It will be of great utility for rideshare drivers, like the drivers operating for Lyft or Uber. However, for truckers it might not be an ideal choice. The lack of storage options is a big downside for the dash cam. Absence of companion app or a cloud based platform wherein the captured footage is uploaded makes monitoring the fleet cumbersome and more complicated than it has to be.