# Vantrue N2



## NoDay (Jul 25, 2017)

I've been looking into 2 channels cameras and discovered the Vantrue N2. I feel this is the best camera I can get for less than $200. I could be wrong.

I am seeing there is an N2 and a N2 upgraded. I cannot for the life of me determine what the 'upgraded' really is. Anyone know for sure what the difference is?

I am also considering the vantrue r3 any thoughts on that camera? The difference to me will be the wifi phone capabilities.


----------



## NoDay (Jul 25, 2017)

several websites later, discover pro has ir in the rear facing camera too and a few others.


----------



## mtchavez (Mar 31, 2017)

I have been using this camera for over a month now. Works well! Very small not one rider has noticed it. Videos are very clear.


----------



## RynoHawk (Mar 15, 2017)

Like I said in another thread, this one is on my wish list. The N2 Pro has the vastly improved IR for the interior cam from the previous N2 and from video review I saw (UberMan), it looks real good for the price (about $200 or less when on sale).


----------



## Ezridax (Aug 3, 2017)

The N2 pro is awesome. Excellent video quality inside and out, even in the dark. Like others said, it's very small and I haven't had anyone say anything about it.


----------



## bsliv (Mar 1, 2016)

Give consideration to the cmos sensor that the cameras have inside. The camera won't produce images better than the sensor is capable of delivering. Its sorta like a car's engine. The maximum speed the car can go is limited by the engine. Other items may cause a lower speed, or image quality, but the sensor sets the max. Assuming everything else is perfect, you'll get the max.

The N2 Pro has an OV4689 looking out front and a IMX323 looking back. The OV4689 is an inexpensive chip used in many cheap Chinese cameras. The IMX323 is made by Sony and has the same performance as the IMX322 in a less expensive package. The 322 has good low light performance and has near ir range. That means near ir led's will help even more with capturing clear images. A big drawback of using led's is the lack of exposure range in cmos chips. If something is close to the led, it will be brightly lit but everything darker will be dark. Or the close object will white out and everything darker will be ok. 

A solution to over/under exposure would be a sensor even more sensitive than the IMX323 with fewer or no leds. The IMX291 fits the bill. Another solution to the exposure issue would be to mount the led's remotely but that's a lot of work.

The N2 Pro has a wide 170° view out the front. That's great to see in front and to the sides. There's a trade off, tho. The wider the view, the less detail per given area in the image. A wide angle (170°) will gets lots of lanes of traffic. A telephoto (10°) may only get one character of a license plate in the view. So the wider the lens the more you can see but the narrower the lens allows more detail (like license plate numbers). 

People on this forum are experts on ride share. People on some other forums are experts on dash cams. I might not take the advice from a dash cam forum concerning rides share. 

I like viewing the video, controlling the camera, and downloading files from my phone via wifi. Once the initial setup is complete, most won't usually mess with it. Having a screen on the camera is so 2015. The screen may be cheap but it isn't free. It generates heat, consumes power and may alter the design of the camera. One can discretely get a live view of either camera on a phone. Some can send the video to the cloud. Extra safety.

Too long?


----------



## NoDay (Jul 25, 2017)

mtchavez said:


> I have been using this camera for over a month now. Works well! Very small not one rider has noticed it. Videos are very clear.


That's good to know. There is a lot of money tied up in that purchase. Is it worth it for you? Did you go with hard wired or cig lighter?


----------



## NoDay (Jul 25, 2017)

Vantrue N2Pro arrived today! can't wait to test this out and let you know how it goes!


----------



## NoDay (Jul 25, 2017)

bsliv said:


> Give consideration to the cmos sensor that the cameras have inside. The camera won't produce images better than the sensor is capable of delivering. Its sorta like a car's engine..............................................................................................................................................................................Too long?


I bit long yes. 
Having dual cameras felt like a larger necessity than that of wifi. I had enough budget for one of those features in a good camera and not both. The blackvue camera had my interest but it was too expensive.


----------



## bibo987334 (Mar 31, 2017)

Totally for the Vantrue n2 Pro it has high quality dual lenses. See here specs and useful information:
aliexpressfavorite.blogspot.co.il/2017/10/vantrue-n2-pro-dual-lens-dasham.html


----------



## RynoHawk (Mar 15, 2017)

I agree it is great. I would suggest getting at least a 64g SD card and formating to FAT32 as the dual channel 1080 can fill up a card pretty fast.


----------



## MercDuke (Nov 18, 2017)

This is a really nice camera I just bought one with the GPS Mount, it works great! Just hook it up, and plug it in, took about 1 minute to get it attached and mounted in the car.


----------



## Snowblind (Apr 14, 2017)

RynoHawk said:


> I agree it is great. I would suggest getting at least a 64g SD card and formating to FAT32 as the dual channel 1080 can fill up a card pretty fast.


That's what I did, I had the N2 (previous version) for over a year. Very happy with it.
Btw, if you are unable to format your Card to Fat32 (required) and that option is not available in Windows, here is a free program that will do it for you:

https://www.easeus.com/partition-master/fix-windows-was-unable-to-complete-the-format.html

Very easy to do. Works well for all Cards 64GB or bigger.


----------



## estore009 (Oct 14, 2017)

Snowblind said:


> That's what I did, I had the N2 (previous version) for over a year. Very happy with it.
> Btw, if you are unable to format your Card to Fat32 (required) and that option is not available in Windows, here is a free program that will do it for you:
> 
> https://www.easeus.com/partition-master/fix-windows-was-unable-to-complete-the-format.html
> ...


Guiformat tool will work also to format 64GB card as FAT32 by Windows computer!


----------



## MercDuke (Nov 18, 2017)

I don't even know what FAT32 is, I took the 64GB card I bought and stuck it in the camera, pressed Format, it is working great! Such a nice camera. One thing though, I live where it gets below freezing every night so I have been brining the camera inside. Does anyone know if it really damages the camera if it gets cold? I want to do a HARDWIRE setup...


----------



## estore009 (Oct 14, 2017)

Most dashcams works with FAT32 format card,and it is a better way to format it in camera unit!


----------



## robstv (Aug 20, 2017)

MercDuke said:


> I don't even know what FAT32 is, I took the 64GB card I bought and stuck it in the camera, pressed Format, it is working great! Such a nice camera. One thing though, I live where it gets below freezing every night so I have been brining the camera inside. Does anyone know if it really damages the camera if it gets cold? I want to do a HARDWIRE setup...


Also used camera to format here as well.
Based on camera questions and reviews at Amazon, went with an orange Samsung 100MB/s (U3) MicroSD EVO 128 GB card. 
Works perfectly.


----------



## KD_LA (Aug 16, 2017)

Definitely go with a 128GB card, but make sure you get the one they recommend https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XWM99NP/?tag=ubne0c-20 -- not something cheap. And format it no less than every 2 weeks or the file storage on it may get heavily fragmented and you'll have recording performance issues.


----------



## jaystonepk (Oct 30, 2017)

I just got my N2 pro and 64 GB card Friday. Quality seems very good but think I need to adjust the settings because the card is already full. Didn't realize the cam still records while the screen is off so I ended up pressing start/stop rec button more than I should have.


----------



## KD_LA (Aug 16, 2017)

jaystonepk said:


> I just got my N2 pro and 64 GB card Friday. Quality seems very good but think I need to adjust the settings because the card is already full. Didn't realize the cam still records while the screen is off so I ended up pressing start/stop rec button more than I should have.


The screen auto-off is useful, with an always-on screen there's too much distraction to you the driver (esp at night) as well as from pax making too many inquiries about it. It records when the left-most button blinks blue. I've inadvertently stopped recording a few times, so I always check on the blinking blue.

I also turned off my G-sensor, although you can probably set it to low sensitivity. This will lock a current video file (mine is 3 minute loop) when it detects a shock. Trouble is that I accidentally found out damn near 1/3 the files over a 1 week span got locked -- because of shock from too many damn pot holes and bumps! Be very careful with this, because when G-sensor locks files for any reason, those files will stay there taking up space, leaving less room for normal video, giving you less hours, until you format the card.


----------



## RynoHawk (Mar 15, 2017)

KD_LA said:


> I also turned off my G-sensor, although you can probably set it to low sensitivity. This will lock a current video file (mine is 3 minute loop) when it detects a shock. Trouble is that I accidentally found out damn near 1/3 the files over a 1 week span got locked -- because of shock from too many damn pot holes and bumps! Be very careful with this, because when G-sensor locks files for any reason, those files will stay there taking up space, leaving less room for normal video, giving you less hours, until you format the card.


I turned mine off as well. Even at lowest setting many files were going to locked folder.


----------



## MercDuke (Nov 18, 2017)

I've been using it for a week, it just shows the screen for a minute. Not one PAX has noticed, but the message I am getting is FORMAT the card often. Doesn't seem like that's a big deal, you just press a button.


----------



## Snowblind (Apr 14, 2017)

Just an FYI, Costco has a pair of 64 GB Micro SD "Ultra plus" on Sale for some $49.99 I think.

...Edit: Now I found the 128 GB for $39.99 on amazon.


----------



## KD_LA (Aug 16, 2017)

Snowblind said:


> Just an FYI, Costco has a pair of 64 GB Micro SD "Ultra plus" on Sale for some $49.99 I think.
> 
> ...Edit: Now I found the 128 GB for $39.99 on amazon.


Be careful using cheaper cards, Vantrue calls for a specific Samsung card.


----------



## Nikmartin (May 12, 2019)

Thanks contributors for your views. It really helpful for me.


----------



## CarpeNoctem (Sep 12, 2018)

MercDuke said:


> I don't even know what FAT32 is, I took the 64GB card I bought and stuck it in the camera, pressed Format, it is working great! Such a nice camera. One thing though, I live where it gets below freezing every night so I have been brining the camera inside. Does anyone know if it really damages the camera if it gets cold? I want to do a HARDWIRE setup...


If it gets below freezing in your car you run the risk of the liquid in the LCD display freezing. I doubt the electronics will be harmed. Many a laptop had this issue arise after being left in cars during the arctic blast of last winter.

Condensation from a cold camera being warmed up suddenly may cause an issue. Possible but not probable...


----------

