
VIOFO
A229 Pro Series
Top-tier video, reliable evidence, but app struggles.

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I have personally used the Blackvue 900S (died after 6 years) and now the Viofo A329S (3 channel) which I'm also very happy with. Both have excellent parking modes. Both were hardwired to provide recording while parked. The third channel (fisheye) allows for angles on the side that your front and rear camera won't catch. I opted for the A329 because it allows you to plug in a SSD drive. My micro SD card is 128 gig, the SSD is 2 terabytes. If you're concerned about battery drain, look into getting an external battery pack. I know these things are expensive but once you're involved in an accident, you'll be happy you spent the money.
Whichever unit you end up with, I would go with professional installation. It only adds a hundred or so to the purchase price and the install is cleaner. You'll find it's not rocket science and you can easily see how they did it and replicate in your other vehicles. The reason I say this is of you want it to be truly a passive experience, you'll need a unit with park assist so it can just be active/activateable at all times and the cigarette lighter option does not allow for that. Find a vendor like a stereo isntaller who also sells dash cams. I did that for my first one, a blackvue 900s For my second and third, I installed myself.
Wow that price is criminal. Go to a local car audio/ auto electrician shop. They'll install it for a couple hundy, plus of course the cost of the product its self. I got a top of the range blackview fully installed front and back 4k for just over 1000 bucks
Used a blackvue 9 series for me
Blackvue. Clear crisp video (even at night), was pretty straightforward to hardwire, convenient to download footage, parking mode with built in volt limiter (can use an exterior one too), cloud storage capability and rear cam fits even with my rear curtain closing for my LS. Used mine for over 7 years, have in multiple cars as it's the favorite of all I've used. Worth even if it's just the UHD ones.
I have a 2019 Forester Sport and installed a BlackVue front and rear camera setup. The front camera fits nicely just in front of the rearview mirror, and I was able to route the wiring through the same cover/chase used for the mirror wiring. It’s a little tight, but definitely doable. All of the wiring is hidden behind the windshield trim and headliner on the way to the rear camera. Just be mindful of the side curtain airbags when routing cables. A plastic trim removal tool kit is worth having for the job. The most challenging part was fishing the rear camera cable through the rubber wiring boot into the rear hatch, but once that was done everything went together pretty smoothly. I’ve had the setup installed since 2020 and it’s been very reliable. The only issue I’ve had was the original SD card failing. I replaced it with a BlackVue-branded SD card in 2021, and it’s still working perfectly. I’ve actually needed the footage several times. Most recently, it helped document a semi backing into my wife’s Outback last October while I was stopped directly behind her.

VIOFO
A229 Pro Series
Top-tier video, reliable evidence, but app struggles.

VIOFO
A229 Plus Series
Dual-cam coverage, great video, but app still problematic.

FITCAMX
Integrated / Universal Series
OEM fit is great, but night video/recording unreliable.

VIOFO
A119 Mini 2
Compact, budget-friendly Starvis 2 clarity; app issues.

ROVE
R2-4K Series
Affordable, easy; 4K claims debated, SD card picky.

Ranked #1
VIOFO - A229 Pro Series

Ranked #1
FITCAMX - Integrated / Universal Series

Ranked #1
VIOFO - A229 Plus Series

Ranked #1
VIOFO - A229 Pro Series

Ranked #1
Vantrue - N4 Series