Vantrue E3 3 Channel 2.7K WiFi Dash Cam with GPS, Voice Control, STARVIS, IR Night Vision, 24 Hour Buffered Parking Mode, 3 Way 1944P+1080P+1080P Front and Rear Inside Dash Camera, Support 512GB Max

I hope this review will provide you with some additional information to help you decide whether this system is right for you!I recently purchased the Vantrue Element 3 Voice Controlled Three-Channel Dash Camera on Amazon. This is my third dashcam in six years. In my line of work, I frequently need to document exactly where I was and when I was there, so the GPS feature is very important to me. I also like having video evidence in the unlikely event of an accident. This dashcam is hands-down the best one I’ve seen. High-quality images and a wide range of functionality, as well as the integrated rear and interior cameras, make this system a valuable addition to my gadget collection. UnboxingFirst impressions are everything. The E3 arrives in state-of-the-art, double-walled packaging. At over two pounds, the box is heavy for its compact size. The interior boxes hold the main and rear cameras, the main camera mounting bracket, a tiny remote control, three cords, a little plastic pry bar for prying open trim panels, instruction manual, clear electrostatic stickers, extra double-sided adhesive strips, a polishing cloth and two “warning stickers.”InstructionsThe instruction manual comes in separate sections for English, Spanish, Japanese and Chinese. I only reviewed the 42-page English section. It’s professional, well-organized, in color and graphically rich. There are several composition and grammar errors that affect clarity. For example, “The system will automatically update with the Micro SD Card the firmware upgrade file.” (p. 40).InstallationTo properly conceal the cords, I had to remove or loosen several interior trim panels. The front camera was easy – about ½ hour. The rear camera was much more difficult – about two hours. If you’re not comfortable with this kind of work, consider hiring someone who is. Installation is well-described in the instructions but offers no advice on concealing the wires.I elected to install the main camera to the driver’s side of the mirror in my seven-passenger Chevy SUV. The 11.4 foot power cord was more than sufficient to conceal behind the windshield trim, passenger-side front pillar, behind the glove box to the socket on the console. I secured the cord to the wiring harness under the dash using small zip ties (not included). At some point, I’ll wire it into the interior fuse box using a fuse tap so all of the wiring is concealed. Although the front lens housing swivels in all three axes, the camera body itself swivels on the bracket on only one axis – forward and backward – so it has to be perfectly aligned with the top of the windshield in order to appear straight when mounted. A ball mount would offer more flexibility.The rear camera comes with a 20-foot cord which is more than sufficient for most vehicles. When used on a hatchback model like an SUV, the cord must pass from the hatch interior to the body interior. After mounting the camera on the rear windshield, I removed the top interior panel of the hatch and passed the cord through the waterproof wiring boot by loosening both ends of the boot, then pulling the cord through with a coat hanger. From there, I ran the cord above the headliner on the passenger side, loosening the pillar trim pieces along the way, then back across the top pf the windshield to the main camera.Set-upSet-up was straightforward: install and format the micro-SD card, download the app, turn on the camera’s’ wi-fi mode, connect the phone to the camera’s wi-fi, start the app and add follow the guided steps to connect to the device. The camera starts recording once the car is powered up. There are many preferential settings available, explained in the instructions. I used the default settings for most, but elected to increase the loop length (i.e. the length of each sequential recording) from one to five minutes, and turn off the camera’s display after three minutes.OperationOnce I read the instructions to understand all the camera’s features, I found operating the camera intuitive. The control buttons are located on the bottom of the device so they’re hard to see, but the indicators on the screen, above the buttons, make it easy to find them. The remote control allows an alternative to reaching up and handling the camera. The remote control can take a photo, lock a video and turn the microphone on and off.Some basic camera functions can be controlled with voice commands: take photo, video start, turn on/off audio, turn on/off screen, turn on/off wi-fi, lock the video, show front/rear camera, inside video on.Connecting to the camera’s wi-fi is optional. It allows the user to use their smart phone to control many of the camera’s features, view recordings and real-time images from any of the three cameras. The GPS map track function plots the location on Google Maps in a window beneath the camera view. The user must download the specific file to their smart phone to use this feature. The wi-fi connection has to be restored each time you use the app: turn on the camera’s wi-fi, access the phone’s settings and connect to the camera’s wi-fi, open the app and connect the device. When wi-fi is connected, the only way to control the camera is with the app. Pressing any button on the camera immediately disconnects the camera’s wi-fi from the phone. The app is not necessary for day-to-day use as recordings are saved to the micro-SD card.The camera accepts up to 512 GB micro-SD card, which is larger than any other camera I’ve seen. Using the default resolution and frame rate, the camera writes 260 MB of data per minute to the micro-SD card. When the card is 70% full, the oldest unsaved recordings are overwritten. Based on this, I should be able to store just under 23 hours of video. The camera offers options to save space, including low bit rate (i.e. low-resolution) and low frame rate recording for longer retention.The camera has parking mode, which uses motion detection to record activities outside the vehicle while parked. This feature works very well as a security feature.Video/Photo ProcessingThe camera produces crisp, focused images from all three cameras. The default setting is a one-minute loop. On this setting, once a minute the system produces three MP4 files – one from each camera – each one minute in length. The loop length can be increased to up to five minutes. Each file is named with the suffix “A” (Front), “B” (Cabin) or “C” (rear). To save the files, I connect the micro-SD card to my computer with a micro-SD card adapter (connecting the camera directly to the computer works just as well), then move all the files into a folder on an external hard drive. I run a Rename Master script to rename the files so the “A,” “B” or “C” is at the front of the file name, then sort them and place them into subfolders for “Front,” “Cabin” or “Rear.” I use VLC Player to load multiple files and play them in sequence.SupportVantrue provides instruction manuals and firmware updates to all Vantrue products. The latest firmware update for the E3 is dated 12/14/22. The system I purchased on Amazon was produced prior to this date, so I had to update the firmware to correct a couple of bugs. The website provides instructions for the update: download the update to your PC, connect the camera to the PC, copy the update file to the camera in File Manager, eject the camera, connect it to another power source and restart it. The update starts automatically and restarts.

Since I am getting a new car, I want to buy a new dash cam to protect my car.I searched around for a 3 channel dash cam and this Vanture E3 dash cam is a perfect fit.I am not going to bore you with all the specs and features. you can read that in the webpage.Here is what I love about the E3 Dash cam.Reason to buy a dash cam is to protect yourself during an accident. If you don't have proof even when you are not at fault. A lot of time Insurance companies will decide it is 50/50 fault for both drivers. So get a Dash cam to proof you are not at fault.What I am looking for when buying a dash cam. I have few requirements for the new dash cam1. It must be 3 channels, so I can capture the front, inside, and rear view. you never know when or where an accident will happen, so having total coverage is very useful.2. It must use a capacitor instead of a battery. I bought a few dash cams before and the battery is always the first one to fail in the hot sun. So picking a dash cam with a capacitor will keep the dash cam working in the hot summer.3. Wifi access to the dash cam, I want to download my video when I am not near my computer, so I don't need to wait till I get home to download it from my computer4. GPS built in. A dashcam with GPS can show your speed and direction when you need it, you can select not to show on the video, but it is better to have it than not.5. Long warranty. Most dash cams come with a 6 month or 1 year warranty. Vanture offers an 18 month warranty. I want to make sure Dash cam can survive a minimum 2 very hot summers .6. Parking mode. Sometimes I have to park my car on the street and with parking mode turned on, I feel much safer if someone ever bumps into my car. 7. Good video quality. You want the video quality to be at least 1080p, higher the better, but higher resolution takes up space. I think the 2.5K is more than enough for clear front camera and 1080P for both inside and rear is pretty good as well. I checked reviews on many dash cams video quality before I select this one. Another plus is I can buy an optional CPL filter to remove window reflections. Only a few dash cams offer such add on. After a few hours of research, This Vanture E3 dash cam fits the bill and has all the requirements I am looking for. I am very happy with a week of usage and would recommend it to anyone looking for a dash cam.Other than the points above I mentioned. Here are some other things I loved about the dash cam after a week of use.1. Adjustable front lens. I mount the dash cam on my passenger side, so it doesn't block my view, but the video angle is more on the right side of the car. With an adjustable lens, I can make it more focused on the driver side. 2. Remote voice control. I never think I will use it, but it makes a big difference, you can tell the dash cam to take a photo or turn on its WiFi. so you don't need to look around on the dash cam for a tiny button to take a photo or video. (dash cam does take video automatically, but when the SD card runs out of space it will erase older video to make room for new one. With voice control you can make sure the video is not erased when running out of space)3. Wifi App. The Vanture App is pretty easy to use, you can tell the dash cam to turn on the Wifi, and the app will connect to the dash cam to access videos in it. you can download the video for later viewing. Note: after you download the video, make sure you hit the synchronize option to save it, otherwise you can't find it on your phone with other apps such as youtube or file explorer.4. Magnetic mount. I love the magnetic mount on the dash cam, I don't think you need to use it often. But when I was playing around with it, it made mounting and dismounting the dash cam such an easy job. No longer do I need to look for a tiny clip or button to push, just apply a bit of force and it dismount from the base. But the mount is pretty strong, I drove some rough roads and it never fell off from the base mount.5. Support. I had an issue with the dash cam's MPH number higher than the actual speed, I contacted the support and within an hour, they told me where to download and upgrade my firmware with clear instructions. That makes me feel much better that someone can answer my question right away, they also have a Facebook page, so you know they will not MIA when you need warranty service.6. Support 512G SD Card, only very few dash cams can take up to 512G of SD card. Most dash cams are limited to 128G only, with 512G space, I don't have to worry about my videos getting erased because I ran out of space on a long road trip.Now let's talk about what I don't like or wish they offer.1. Mount adjustment, you can only adjust angle front and back, tile up and down, but you can adjust left or right. It is not a big deal for the front camera since you adjust the front lens. But for the inside dash cam you just have to live with it, good thing it has wide angle lens.2. CPL filter is not included, I think they should have CPL lens included in the purchase, I see the huge difference with and without the filter on my windows glare. I no longer see the glare on my video when I have the CPL filter on it. It also makes night time videos a tiny bit darker as well. but at least you can remove it if you want.3. Font on the manual book is too small. Maybe I am just getting old, but the manual book font is tiny, making things harder to read. And I don't see a way to download PDF, I suggest vendor put it on their website.4. WiFi is not always on. I have to push a tiny button on the dash cam in order to turn on WiFi and access the video. But this happened to all the dash cams, not just this one. I just wish I could just click on the app and auto connect to it.BTW, Installation of the rear camera is not that hard, it takes me less than 10 min to run the wire. And if someone hits me from the rear I have a clear video of it.After all, for under 300 bucks, I think this is the best bang for your buck to buy.Don't buy the cheap dash cam, they won't last and when you need it the most you don't have the video you need.