Nextbase 412GW Dash Cam Review
The Nextbase 412GW Dash Cam from Halfords offers 1440pHD recording, an easy click and go mount, 140 degree wide angle view, an inbuilt battery, GPS and inbuilt wifi, and an LCD display for playback and menu options.
So, does that make it a good dash cam?
I’ve been thinking about dash cams for a little while now, ever since they first started to become more popular. I wondered, do they actually make any difference? Do they get you thinking about your own driving? Can they lead to others drivingmore safely? And how do they help if you actually do have an accident?
Then a few weeks ago, I saw a dashcam video taken on a road very local to me, demonstrating just how useful it can be to have a video when an accident occurs:
(warning – high speed crash and a bit of bad language…don’t watch if that will upset/offe
nd you!)
So after that, I decided to find out if a Dash Cam actually does make a difference, in any way.
The Nextbase 412GW Dash Cam
The Nextbase 412GM Dash Cam comes in a box with mount, 4m long power cable, USB cable, software installation disc, and window sticker. The long power cable means it’s easy to power it up without wires dangling around, and it can also be charged indoors using a mini-usb charger – this will give around 30 minutes of power without needing to plug it into the car at all (and it also means the Dash Cam will stay switched on for a while after the engine is turned off, very useful if you want footage whilst parked, or if you want to take it out of the car to record additional footage after an accident). It’s worth noting that a microSD card is not included, so you will need to purchase one separately to be able to use the Dash Cam. Cards up to 32GB can be used, which gives around four hours of recording at the highest quality.
Installation
The mount is fixed to the windscreen using a suction cup or a sticker. I had a bit of trouble getting the suction cup to work, but the Other Half managed it first try – as long as you don’t have horribly weak hands like me there shouldn’t be a problem! I really like the click and go mount – it means the power can stay permanently connected in the car, whilst the dash cam can be removed and reinstalled quickly and easily. This is important to me as I don’t like leaving tech in the car. One minor niggle is the lack of lens cap for the Dash Cam, it would be great if it could be easily covered as I find it does get smeared when I carry it around whilst out and about. Having researched further, I have found that there is a carrying case available, so perhaps that would help in the future.
Set-up
In total it took about 7 minutes to get the dash cam installed and running. Changing the menu settings was easy and intuitive, I found I didn’t need to read any instructions – in fact it comes preset with the most favourable settings and the GPS automatically sorts out the date and time, so there isn’t much fiddling around needed at all. The buttons are touch sensitive and illuminated, so they are easy to see and use even when its dark, and they work well. The Nextbase 412GW dash cam turns on automatically when the car is started, and records video clips in 2, 3 or 5 minute installments. Once the SD card is full, these videos will be recorded over. To ensure that important footage is not lost, the dash cam has a built in sensor that detects when an incident has occurred. There is also a button to press which will save important clips – I have found its difficult to tell if its actually worked though at the time, although reviewing footage later it has. The sensitivity of this function can be increased or decreased – for example, when driving over rough terrain it may be necessary to turn it down. We have a lot of potholes locally, and I found they set it off reasonably frequently when it was at the default level.
Video Quality
Recording both day and night is crisp and clear. I particularly like how well it records at night – I think it actually sees better than I do in the dark. In rainy weather there is a bit of glare from lights, numberplates etc when it’s dark, but I think that would be the same on any dashcam.
Viewing Videos
The Nextbase 412GW Dash Cam supports transfer of video via Wi-Fi, or you can take the SD card out and upload it directly to a computer. This second method is the one I prefer, as I’ve found the Wi-Fi is quite slow to use in comparison (that could just be because my phone is a bit slow generally!). I prefer to upload directly anyway, so the slow Wi-Fi doesn’t really bother me.
Is it worth buying?
In a word, yes.
It’s not the cheapest of dash cams at £129, but I absolutely love the ease of use – the click and go mount is amazing! – and the video quality is fantastic too. I think it’s good value, for what you get.
If you’re looking for a decent GPS enabled dashcam that records high quality footage, then the Next Base 412GW Dash Cam is a safe bet to go for.
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