( OPINION ) Dash cams have , for the most part , been design to memorialize footage as we push around , enchant anything important that might help with an insurance claim . With that said , accidents and incidents can happen when we ’re not in the gondola , so should n’t dash cams also come to the rescue then ? That ’s what the Nextbase Piqo aims to do .
That ’s not raw , per se , as theNextbase iQhas feature that book clips when your railroad car is crash into or assail while park , and can send alerts when someone else is driving your car . However , that dash cam is expensive to buy and has monthly subscription fees .
The Nextbase Piqo change that , offering ‘ calorie-free ’ versions of these features without a subscription fee , with the caveat that they work offline only , and you only get recorded incident and alert when you ’re next within app range of your camera .
Even so , from the initial look at the photographic camera , it seems to tender considerably more than you ’d expect from a cheaper poser .
Smaller and more compact
The Nextbase Piqo is available in two version : the 2 K ( 1440p video , £ 119.99 ) , and the 1 K ( 1080p video , £ 99.99 ) . Neither interpretation has a rearward camera or cabin camera , so you ’ll need to face elsewhere if you require these features . Both versions look the same outwardly and , aside from the video settlement have the same feature of speech .
The Nextbase Piqo is observably small and easily fit out in a hand . Perhaps the most significant difference between this model and the Nextbase intelligence quotient is that the mount stand is much smaller . With the iQ , we establish it hard to direct the photographic camera in its idealistic locating behind the rearview mirror because the bestride base was so large .
Here , that ’s a lot easy as the mount is minor , so we had no problem come out the photographic camera behind the mirror of our car . It ’s slightly fiddly launch the force cable around the window stamp , although it ’s honest to say that this is the same with thebest dash camswe’ve review .
Once set up , the camera can be unclipped from its mount so that you may take it inwardly if needed . There ’s even a spare mount in the box , so the photographic camera can even be moved between cars .
Before the Piqo is ready to be used , it does need a microSD identity card for recording clipping , and there ’s not one in the corner , so factor in the damage of this .
Built-in protection
Our full brushup , add up before long , will look at the range of a function character and the standard driving features of the dash cam , but what ’s particularly interesting about this camera is its merged protection feature that make it stand out .
Smart Parking is include for gratis and is enabled while your car is park . Should you get a knock , the camera springiness into life and phonograph recording what ’s encounter . When you return to your car , you get a notification and can reexamine the footage .
For a strike - and - run or someone endeavor to break into your car , there ’s a fortune that you may capture something of import . However , without the rearward or cabin camera , you may want to imagine about which manner you park your railway car to maximise the prospect of commemorate something useful .
Guardian Mode Lite is standardised to the Guardian Mode on the Nextbase iQ. With this mode , you could do speed limit parameter and a geofence so that if someone else is drive your railroad car ( automobile mechanic , valet parking or another family member ) , you could have the television camera supervise their driving behaviour . Any time the parameters are exceeded , the Nextbase Piqo will record and protect the clipping , giving you evidence of what they ’ve done .
As with Smart Parking , warning signal are only gathered when you render to your car , but it still feel like a muscular tool , as you ’ll know what your car has been up to while you ’ve been out from it .
Witness Mode Lite is a interpreter - trip feature that requires a Bluetooth connection to your phone . When activated , the camera records and notifies a nominated third - political party inter-group communication . It feels like a corking way to record an accident or route madness incident and get someone else sleep together what ’s going on .
Cloud storage and emergency features
All of these features are built in for free , but Nextbase does extend a Protect lineament for £ 2.99 a month . These features involve your phone to be plug in to the television camera to ferment , but include 180 day of swarm reposition ( up from 30 on the liberal programme ) for automatically recorded clip , plus Emergency SOS , which alerts pinch services with your location and vital information should you be ask in a serious accident .
Initial thoughts
Dash cam are about protect your gondola and gathering all important grounds , and that ’s just as important while your automobile is park or in someone else ’s hands as it is when you ’re at the steering wheel . bestow parking and drive monitoring to a more entry - level product feel like the right thing , expanding what a bolt River Cam is subject of .
There are limitations here : the want of a cabin or rearward - scene camera , limits on what information can be captured , not to observe the lack of a lasting 4 gigabyte connection which means you ca n’t get alive alerts ; something that makes the Nextbase iQ more powerful . However , as we said in our Nextbase iQ review , the high toll makes the dash cam well suit for those with expensive vehicles or who often park in slightly dodgier area .
For the majority of users , simplicity and low price seem like more important factor , and wider levels of protection beyond just recording while driving experience like a step in the right focusing . Our full Nextbase Piqo reassessment is coming soon , so we ’ll see if the dah cam survive up to its promises then .
