Best Wireless Dash Cam with Parking Mode (Buying Guide)

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Best Wireless Dash Cam with Parking Mode

If you’re looking for the best wireless dash cam with parking mode, this article has 4 cameras worth considering that cater for all budgets.

Regardless if you spend a lot of time looking at video recordings from your dash cam or check them only when you need to.

WiFi functionality and a dedicated mobile app are a must these days. 

Taking out the memory card and using a laptop to view the recordings is just not practical in this day and age. 

Table of Contents

Surprisingly, there are still a number of dash cams that do not come with mobile app connectivity and WiFi.

I’d suggest avoiding those if you like using a smartphone for managing your video files.

A dedicated mobile app does much more than just view the videos on the dash cam memory card without removing the card itself. 

Apps can be used to do almost anything on the dash cam without having to navigate through a menu on a tiny screen, using minuscule buttons. 

We have four great examples of dash cams that do it right.

Rove R2-4K Dash Cam

Mobile app features

Since it is the topic of the discussion, the mobile app gets to be talked about first. Rove is a lesser known brand and their R2-4K is more of a budget option. 

Regardless of the price tag, Rove have developed a decent mobile app with a fair degree of functionality.

Camera settings

The mobile app can be used to configure camera settings such as resolution, frame rate, turn microphone recording on or off, adjust G-sensor sensitivity, video segment length, to name a few.

Besides the configuration part of the camera which you will only use a few times to get the unit up and running, the app is basic in terms of file management features. 

Video files can be directly viewed in the app and transferred to your phone’s internal storage. You can also pause and resume video recording or take snapshots. 

In essence, the app does all the basic things and not a great deal more but there is nothing wrong with that. The app is available for iOS and Android phones.

Hardware

The hardware side of things falls in line with expectations. ROVE uses SONY IMX335 sensors.

They do a reasonable job at recording clear videos at 4K, 2K, and 1080p even in poor lighting conditions.

The impressive part is that it supports micro SD cards of up to 512GB in size.

High capacity SD cards should be supported on all cameras that can record in 4K in my view.

GPS data

It is worth mentioning that this particular Rove dash cam comes with a built-in GPS and the GPS location can be embedded into videos, being updated in real-time as the vehicle moves.

VAVA Dual Dash Cam

Mobile app features

The VAVA dash cam has a rather interesting mobile app when compared to the Rove. It has a few extra features such as social media sharing which is great for those who like to spend time on various social media platforms. 

When you connect to the dash cam’s WiFi to manage it via the app, you will have to use your mobiles data plan connection. 

If you use the social media sharing button from within the app, the video will only be posted once you disconnect from the dash cam.

Google Maps

What really stands out in regards to the apps functions is the itinerary feature. The app uses Google Maps API and combines with GPS data collected during recordings.

GPS real time data shows your exact location at that precise moment on a particular video, which is displayed on the upper part of the phones screen. 

While you watch the video on the bottom half the location on the map moves as the video plays.

Beyond the neat itinerary feature, the app can do all the things you would expect. It can be used to set the video resolution and frame rate, configure the parking mode, enable audio recordings, plus take snapshots.

Video files can be viewed, managed and also transferred to the phone’s internal memory for safe keeping if required as evidence by an insurer.

Camera sensors

As the price of the VAVA dash cam places it closer to the mid-range, it is a realistic expectation to see decent video clarity.

Plate numbers are distinguishable in daylight and during the night time thanks to the Sony IMX307 for the front camera. 

The rear camera uses a Sony IMX323 image sensor which has similar capabilities to its brother in the front camera.

Both the front and rear camera can record in 1440p as well as 1080p.

Support for memory cards of up to 128GB capacity is nice to see alongside the full HD video recording as this means less write cycles on the micro SD card, giving greater longevity to the card.

Battery power

Vava uses a built-in battery to power both the front and rear cam when in parking mode. The battery does not have a very large capacity which is why parking mode only records when an impact is detected. 

Due to the battery limitations the unit does not support time lapse as it would require a much higher capacity internal battery.

Lifechaser Dual Dash Cam 4K

Mobile app features

The very first point of note about the Lifechaser Dual Dash Cam is that it does have full support for both iOS and Android apps, plus a dedicated desktop video player for macOS and Windows computers too.

The video player can be used to play videos on your computer once you save them locally to the hard drive.

Using Google Maps API, the video player displays your location on the map using GPS data embedded in the video file as it is playing. The location is updated in real-time which is a nice feature to have.

iOS & Android Support

The mobile app is available for iOS and Android and comes with all the essentials.

It can be used to change all the camera settings, video quality, parking mode settings, timelapse settings.

G-sensor sensitivity, and pretty much everything else that needs to be configured is present.

File management is straightforward. You can view all the video files recorded and still shots taken directly in the app.

The app can also be used to transfer video files directly to your mobile phone.

If you want to view them in the desktop video player, you first need to transfer them to your phone and then, from the phone to your computer. 

The easier way would be to just get a card reader and insert the micro SD into your laptop.

Hardware specification

For both the front and rear cams, Lifechaser uses OmniVision OS_08A10 CMOS sensors which offer better image quality than the popular Sony Starvis sensors. 

The front camera records in 4K while the rear camera is limited to 1080p, this should not be seen as a major drawback. 1080p saves storage space and rear view footage is not that useful in the event of a traffic incident in some instances.

An interesting choice is the use of a built-in lithium battery. In parking mode, while running on the battery, the camera records only when it detects an impact using the G-sensor. 

If it has a permanent power source, it can be set to record continuously in timelapse. It can also add GPS data embedded into the video using the built-in GPS module.

Rexing V1P Pro Dual 1080p

Mobile app features

The Rexing V1P dual channel dash cam kit is the more desirable choice out of the 4 dash cams presented here. As expected, it has an Android and iOS app but it also has a desktop video player. 

Surprisingly, it is very similar to the video player offered by Lifechaser but with a couple of extra features. It can read and display G-sensor data and vehicle travel speed along with the real-time GPS location on the map.

The mobile app is not much different from what is being offered by the competition. It connects to the WiFi built into the main dash cam and can be used to change all the settings in the camera. 

It can be used for file transfers, view video files, start or stop recordings, and take still shots.

Viewing video files on the desktop player also requires the files to be transferred locally to a computer in a similar fashion as suggested with the Lifechaser dual channel dash cam.

Hardware

What recommends the Rexing V1P Pro dual channel dash cam kit is not the mobile app or desktop video player.

These two are nearly the same as what the Lifechaser kit offers. The hardware is what gives the Rexing V1P an edge over the competition.

The model uses supercapacitors and has better support in terms of accessories. Rexing makes a dedicated hardwiring kit that can be purchased separately.

Hard-wiring kit 

The hardwiring kit makes it easier to have the camera detect when the car is turned off and start recording in parking mode. Parking mode offers several options such as impact detection, motion detection, and timelapse recording.

Image quality

As far as image quality goes, Rexing does not disclose what CMOS sensors they are using but details such as license plates are visible even in recordings taken during the nighttime. 

Both the rear and front camera record in 1080p and while some would consider the absence of 4K support a miss, they are certainly mistaken. A good CMOS sensor can deliver sharper videos at 1080p than a mediocre 4K capable one. 

Also, 1080p video recording takes considerably much less space than 4K videos, especially when talking about a dual channel setup that records on the same micro SD card for both the front and rear camera footage.

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