If you don’t pay attention for a moment, there’s a crash. Braking a little too late or another driver sleeping at the intersection – the result is immediately visible in the crumpled fender or the dented rear. The argument often begins as to who is to blame for the accident. With the Viofo A229 Pro 3, a silent witness is always on board, providing clear evidence if the parties involved in the accident cannot agree.
In a ruling dated May 18, 2018, the Federal Court of Justice admitted recordings from dashcams as evidence in order to clearly clarify the question of guilt in traffic accidents in court. However, for data protection reasons, permanent recordings are not permitted; they must be overwritten again and again at short intervals. Sequences may only be permanently archived as evidence in the event of a collision or significant vehicle deceleration. We explain what you should pay attention to when using a dash cam in the dash cam guide: legal questions, technical details and models starting at 40 euros.
Design and assembly
As the device name suggests, Viofo delivers its A229 Pro 3 with three cameras. One monitors what is happening on the road in front of the vehicle, the second has an eye on the interior and camera number three follows what is happening behind the car. The front camera has a 2.4 inch display. The entire body is made of very robust and impact-resistant plastic. The workmanship is top notch and commensurate with the high purchase price.
The camera lens can be swiveled up and down by around 75 degrees. This means you have an optimal view of the road in every vehicle. Disadvantage: The dashcam is glued directly to the windshield; there is no separate holder. This means that the screen adopts the fixed angle of inclination of the windscreen. As a result, you can rarely enjoy an optimal top view, as we found in the test in a Volvo XC90. Ease of use is also limited because the A229 Pro 3 cannot be individually aligned. The adhesive solution also means you can’t spontaneously take the dash cam out of the car and attach it to another vehicle.
The other two cameras for interior monitoring and the view from the rear of the vehicle are also glued on. This is less of a problem because these cameras usually remain permanently mounted. Both cameras can be rotated 360 degrees for the best possible orientation. These get their power from the front camera using a 2.8 millimeter thin USB-C cable (guide); the cables are also long enough for large SUVs, station wagons and vans. In order to lay the strips invisibly, a little bit of tinkering is required; you may be able to hide them in the roof lining.
The cigarette lighter serves as a power source. The set includes an adapter with two USB ports. Vehicles with their own USB port can be connected this way.
Technical data and equipment
As with its other models, Viofo relies on image sensors from Sony. The front camera films with a maximum of 3840 × 2160 pixels and 30 FPS (images per second). The rear camera monitors what is happening with 2560 × 1440 pixels, and the interior camera works with 1920 × 1080 pixels. Both also record at 30 FPS. Thanks to recording angles of 140, 160 and 150 degrees, you can capture a large part of what is happening around the car. HDR is also supported, which enables videos with more contrast. In the dark, four infrared LEDs automatically brighten the interior.
Recordings end up on microSD memory cards of up to 512 GB (guide). In addition to the slot, there is a jack plug on the housing for connecting an external microphone. You can set the length of the video clips yourself in the menu. You can choose from one, 2, 3, 5 and 10 minutes. If you press the middle button with the orange triangle, recordings are locked and can no longer be overwritten. To save space on the memory card, you can reduce the frame rate. The dashcam also does not record the sound if necessary. A special feature is the clever buffer function: The A229 Pro 3 saves the video that has started automatically 15 seconds before and 30 seconds after a movement is registered.
Dashcam Viofo A229 Pro 3 in the test: housing & design
Dashcam Viofo A229 Pro 3 in the test: housing & design
GPS, Galileo, Beidou and Glonass ensure the reception of satellite signals for positioning. In the video you can, among other things, show the current location and the speed you are driving. Using the Viofo app for Android and iOS devices as well as on the PC, routes taken can be subsequently displayed on a map. Speed and time information are also available here. The G-sensor notices when a parked car is bumped into and records the scenario as described with appropriate advance notice. To permanently power the dashcam in parking mode, you must purchase the separately available hardwire kit cable that taps into the car battery.
If you wish, you can only see the live view of the front camera on the monitor; alternatively, you can also display the other camera images in parallel. The displayed image can be both mirrored and rotated. In order not to touch the camera, it allows certain tasks such as starting recordings or taking photos using your voice. Unfortunately, German is not available as a language; you have to make do with English, Chinese, Russian and Japanese.
service
The ease of use of the A229 Pro 3 is high, but there is still some room for improvement. It is operated using five buttons below the display, which does not respond to touch or swipe gestures, but does display a sensible and self-explanatory menu with symbols and white font on a blue background. The dashcam provides information about the current operating status via five small LEDs (for status of PWR, REC, GPS, MIC and Wi-Fi). Because the screen cannot be angled and is often not optimally visible due to the specified inclination of the windshield, handling is made more difficult.
In order not to have to block videos directly using the orange button on the dashcam in an emergency, Viofo offers around 18 Euro one simple Bluetooth remote control to take over this job. The A229 Pro 3’s voice prompts always inform the user of important details, such as when a recording has started or a clip has been protected. As explained above, there is the option of controlling the dashcam by voice – but not in German.
With 5 GHz support, the dash cam can be connected to an Android smartphone or iPhone via WiFi. The free Viofo app gives you access to all settings and allows you to download the clips quickly. A live preview is also possible. If you use software such as “Dashcam Viewer” on a Windows PC, you can read out the GPS data and display individual routes on Google Maps.
Video quality
The A229 Pro 3 delivers some of the best video quality we’ve ever seen from a dashcam. The recording at 3840 × 2160 pixels and 30 frames per second is very sharp during the day, almost free of artifacts and noise. The level of detail is great, textures such as asphalt, meadows and forests are recorded in the finest structures and shades, and colors are reproduced naturally. The image quality is good – license plates can be clearly recognized not only during the day but also at night.
Dashcam Viofo A229 Pro 3 in the test: original recordings
Dashcam Viofo A229 Pro 3 in the test: original recordings
In the dark, the front camera impresses with its excellent performance. Here too, the detail representation is excellent, image errors are hardly noticeable. Kudos for the good lighting. The interior and rear cameras work with fewer pixels, but also deliver sharp and vivid moving images with a high information content.
Price & alternatives
The A229 Pro 3 currently costs directly from the manufacturer Viofo 267 Euro (Code TECHA229P). It is currently available on Amazon with the same coupon for 293 euros. Polarizing filter, memory card and Bluetooth remote control are not included. The manufacturer states a recommended retail price of 360 euros.
Conclusion
With the Viofo A229 Pro 3 you know what’s happening in front of, behind or in the car at all times. The front camera in particular impresses with crisp, natural videos during the day and at night. Here you can really speak of a reference class. The operating concept is sophisticated, the equipment is top-notch and the app control is reliable. It’s just a shame that the tilt angle of the display cannot be adjusted. The lack of a touchscreen is bearable. Overall, Viofo’s concept is convincing with three high-quality dash cams in one set.