Dash Cam gives your car sensors and sensibility

Noel Campion is pleasantly surprised by the Nextbase 512GW Dash Cam, his first trial with this in-car technology

Nextbase 512GW Dash Cam, which records excellent quality video at full resolution, among other great features.

I have to admit that I’ve never used a Dash Cam before I started trying out the Nextbase 512GW.

I honestly didn’t think that they were necessary and were more for entertainment than for any practical use. However, after using the 512GW for the last few weeks I’ve come to change my mind.

In the box, you’ll find the 512GW Dash Cam, a powered GPS module/mount, and a long adapter cable that powers the unit via your cigaret lighter socket. You also get a soft case for the dash cam, a USB cable to connect it to a PC, a car window sticker saying ‘Protected by Nextbase’, and a quick start guide. The 512GW records directly to a microSD card up to 128GB, but it doesn’t come with any, so you’ll have to factor that in as an extra cost.

Installation could not be easier. The suction mount/GPS module is solid and makes for a strong bond to the windscreen. The dash cam mounts into this using a proprietary socket connection which makes connecting and disconnecting very easy. The USB power is connected to the 512GW directly, but it would have been nicer if it was connected to the mount instead, making it even easier to disconnect the unit. That being said, I didn’t remove the dash cam from the car too often.

The 512GW is packed with features including wifi for connecting either an iOS or Android smartphone to it to view or transfer footage. The front lens has a polarising filter that can turn to eliminate glare and reflections from the windscreen.

You also have a mini HDMI port on the side of the unit for playback on a TV as well as the option to plug in a rear dash cam, which allows the 512GW to record both front and rear video at the same time. However, you are limited to 1080P, but super as a parking aid.

The 512GW can record video up to Quad HD 1440p and features a Sony Exmor R CMOS with stabilised video recording. The overall quality from the video is excellent at full resolution. You can also record at lower resolutions, HDR, and 60 fps, but only in 1080p mode otherwise, it’s 30 fps. You can also do some cool stuff like time-lapse recording for either three minutes or two hours.

On the back, you’ll find the 3in full-colour LCD display that’s plenty big enough to view video live or for playback.

The menu system is fairly intuitive and simple to use with touch controls off-screen on either side of the screen. Here you can change all of the settings and playback video files. You can set the display to stamp things like your GPS co-ordinates, speed, time, date, and licence plate number on the video. Each item can be turned on or not. You can also choose whether or not you want to record audio. You can also have the display turn off after a set time or have it display only your speed in full screen.

Wifi is a nice feature to have because it allows you to view/stream and or download your footage directly from the 512GW to your smartphone using the free Nextbase app. You have the option to record dual video or not, which means it records a low-resolution file while simultaneously recording a full resolution 1440p file or whatever resolution you set it at. A three-minute file is roughly 725mb at full resolution while the low res file (480p) for the same clip is around 72mb.

The low-res file is the one copied to your phone, so if you want the high-res file you’ll need to copy it to your PC. You don’t have to worry about the card filling up because it will keep recording and overwriting the oldest files as it goes. Obviously, the bigger the card you use the better, as you’ll be able to hold more video.

Meanwhile, thanks to the built-in g-force sensors, anytime that there’s a shock to the system, it automatically protects that video file so that it doesn’t get overwritten. That being said, I found that it protected files when I went over a pothole or for other times where I couldn’t see a reason for it. However, you can reduce the sensitivity of the sensors. Another bonus of the g-force sensors is when you use the parking mode. This automatically puts the 512GW into standby mode, but as soon as it detects motion it’ll start recording for two minutes. This could be very handy if someone bumps or crashes into you while your car is parked as, hopefully, you’ll record their number plate as they drive off.

One of the things that really got me geeked out is the free Nextbase Replay 3 software. This allows you to not only playback your videos on your PC or Mac, but it will also show you a Google Maps display of your journey as you watch as well as a display of the g-force sensors readout. You can playback from the microSD card or directly from the 512GW via the supplied USB cable. You can also share your videos on YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, Twitter, or directly to your insurer within the software.

Overall, the quality from the video is excellent and although I’ve seen other options that have more features, including 4K video, the Nextbase 512GW is a richly feature dash cam that offers any car user all the necessary features, peace of mind and some novelty features as well.

Next Base 512GW Dash Cam is available now from Halfords for €199. Optional rear cam €59.