One of the reasons the dash cams don’t have built in batteries is that the inside of a car can get really hot while parked in direct sunlight. This can result in an explosion of the battery.

I was considering buying this one...but now I've changed my mind. Thanks for the honest review.

Thank you for making each of your subjects so easy to understand!!

Thanks for the review. Has a few things that changed my mind in making this purchase

Super helpful video! I just became a dad and I’m looking into purchasing a dash cam, because of all these dumb drivers out there and I want to be as safe as possible. Thank your doing this 🙏🏼

You’re a nice new channel that does everything right keep it going bud!

TL;DR: Cons: Always needs Wi-Fi, no battery, notifications get annoying.

I am considering purchasing this and your tips are very helpful. Thanks!

I like these follow-up videos much better than unboxing/review videos that are made after only owning the product for a week or less! Question though, can you leave the camera recording to the SD card only (no WiFi or phone connected) and then later access the files through WiFi? Like say it's recording to the SD card and your phone is not connected but then you are involved in an accident where you need the footage to prove fault, can you then connect your phone and download the previous files to your phone while on scene, to show an officer, without removing the SD card or using a computer?

I'm just here because I love watching you make videos 😂

I'm contemplating getting my dad a dash cam...this (and the previous full review you did) is the exact type of review and feedback I was looking for. Thanks for being so thorough! I have a lot to consider 🤔

I appreciate you taking the time to record this update of what the dashcam is like to use over the course of months, I was considering buying this product as in actually has some really neat features like automatic clip saving and cloud storage, but needing to keep Wi-Fi on the phone on all the time and being forced to receive notifications every time you drive are actually deal breakers for me. Thank you for helping me to avoid buying a product that would just annoy me!

Very detailed review, great job!

Just got the Black Friday deal... waited 3 weeks for the offer. I think I can tolerate the cons... looking forward to putting mine in. I’m ALWAYS on the road

This video helped me a bit. I’m glad there isn’t a battery, as I live in AZ and our heat would make a battery explode! I do think other cameras have better features and functionality, but this one gives a lot of bang for the buck. I got one off of their site refurbished and saved a few $$$. I do think it’ll do what I want it to for a price that I can afford.

I’m an iOS developer, they probably use the notifications to trigger the WiFi upload stream. They should be more transparent about “why” you need to enable notifications. Luckily the latest iOS you can hide those notifications

FYI I’ve updated my 12 pro to 15.xx and had nothing but issues with major heat and battery life. After weeks of issues and troubleshooting I finally found out that NEXAR was to blame. If I enable location to “ always “ the app functions properly but my phone becomes a heater. I find myself leaving it off and now have a dash cam that doesn’t do anything

Thank you ! You are doing a great job love your video

Question... I just used this for the first time today. I went to my drive and it shows it started at 8:15 which is correct. But when I click on the drive either in the app or the cloud, the video starts at 8:47, so I am missing around 30 mins. Even though the trip shows start at 8:15 also. Any ideas? Thanks

Thanks for your insights.

Thanks for the video, really helpful

Thanks for the show.

Great vid! Just ordered mine, but already experiencing "technical difficulties." First couple of rides it worked and synced to my phone fine. Now, it pairs, but won't auto-record when I start driving. I have to manually activate the "start ride." Any ideas? I've checked all the tutorials, unpaired, re-paired, etc. Help! LoL

Nicely done, Guv'Na!

In the app, when I play back my drives there is no sound. My “Camera Sound” and “Audio Recording” are all on. Am I missing something here? I thought my playbacks will have sound and audio if they are on.

Great job!

Thanks for the review, so basically it doesn’t record when you parked your car, the engine turned off and leave your car outside overnight or anytime during the day ?

so does the beam record your location as you are travelling? does it do this while on wifi only or does it also do it while using only the sd card and no wifi or bluetooth connections? what is it like to access the sd card videos on a laptop? does it capture low light situations ?

I live in northeast Alabama where the Appalachian mountains start, so even in a big town, we temporarily loose phone service for a few minutes. Especially between NE Talladega county and the Georgia state line. That would be a problem, for sure.

Thanks for the video, the WiFi issue can be remedied with a hotspot which I have on my phone and Apple Watch. Notifications don’t bother me!

My question is, if I have an sd card inside and it becomes full. Will it stop recording on the sd card or will it keep recording and start deleting/overwriting the oldest videos?

I didnt have my phone with me today and met with an accident. I tried retrieving videos frrom sdcard but it was not saved at all. It just had several months old videos thats it. Is there any way to retieve videos ?

I recorded my 1 hour commute and could only play back the last 5 minutes. Does it need to be connected to my phone to play back the entire drive?

Is there any way to use my home wifi to sync the videos with the cloud and not the App? For example, after I arrive home, the cam connects automatically to my home wifi and uploads the videos

I know I’m late to the comments but hoping you still view these. My question is, I street park, does this camera record and save incidents such as someone bumping your car or smashing a window? Or does it just save everything and deletes in a loop?

For some reason my iPhone 11 does not automatically connect to the wifi of Nexar beam. I have to connect manually to the wifi every time I get in my car (which gets annoying). Not sure if you or anyone else is having this problem and can give me some advise?

Can you connect to the camera to view saved videos on the SD card?

First great review. Second, so does it come with an sd card you can save to instead of cloud upload? I’d prefer to do that. And do u recommend this cam over all others or is there a better more affordable one?

Question, so if someone borrows the car, the only way for you to see their drive is to download it from the sd being that your phone wouldn’t be around? Or would it upload once the phone gets back around camera

Question about wifi and cloud beam... if the car has a LTE connection itself, would it still require connection to the phone? Not sure if the cam needs connection to the app via wifi or if it just needs the data connection period.

Thanks for the knowledge witch nobody provided 😭😭💜

Thank you man

Glad I came across this video. Was just about to invest in a camera.

Hey I know this is a old video but I recently purchased one of these and I wanna know why I am not able to connect it to the application on my phone. I have an iPhone 11. Thanks

Would having sync up and drive through T mobile make it more convenient? It makes you vehicle a wifi hot spot.

Very helpful

Great review .👍🏼

Good review. Is that a paddle shifter on your steering column?

I just saw a video where she installed to USB. Does it come with a USB connector? I'd hate to leave it in the lighter location especially having the wires hanging. With her USB she ran the wires under the carpet into the USB in the glove box. For me the most important is the ability to record while car is off and parked. Does it have a sensor to activate with movement, without batteries will it turn on while the car is off? Ive watched 3 of these videos and they all lack important details of the abilities.

Thanks for your review. I've owned the camera for several months now too and have a few questions that I can't find answers to. For instance, iIf the App isn't launched, are drives recorded anyway? And, if the phone isn't connected or with you, do clips record to the card?

Mine keeps turning off. Ive unplugged the short cord going from the mount to the cam and put the plug going into the mount directly into the cam and it works....for a little while but then turns off again. Its done this FOUR times. I havent EVER removed the SD card so I KNOW its in there right. The cords dont look worn and the original adapter is in there so not sure whats going on or why it keeps turning off and Nexar's bot support tells me they wont replace it until i have PROVEN i did all their troubleshooting steps. Im at a loss and about to rip it out of my car and throw it away im so frustrated!!

Does it really need to be UP in the window can i put level on dash and hide wires better?

I had mine for about 6 months and for some reason it will not power on? I unplugged and replugged everything and even checked to see if my outlet had power, which it does.. have no clue why it won't power on??

The camera always records to the card inserted. If your Wi-Fi is off, you can STILL pull the sd card and download the footage. As far as the blanks you showed in between the saved clips, nexar told me it was because my phone "idn't compatible" with their app. It works but is "isn't optimal" per good ole nexar. Still have the best video quality for the money, they ARE worth the little annoyances.

Great video! Would the Nexar camera upload to a dummy or any old phone you have laying around as long as it's app compatible and does not require SIM card network (carrier) other than just the WIFI to store the footages? Please let me know, thanks!

To clarify with regard to turning WiFi off, as it has an SD card, it records to the card, correct? If that is the case, then the real issue of turning WiFi off is if you have no card installed. Secondly, you noted having lost clips on your phone. As it has an SD card, can one simply upload the drive from the SD Card, to the cloud, via the phone later? I work in IT/ID Forensics and I can see why there is no WiFi direct connect from the device to the cloud as what network would it be using? They'd have to install a network chip and then you'd have to join a network plan to make this happen, or they'd have to reach a deal with the carriers to allow you to add Nexar to your plan similar to having another phone on your phone plan. This is similar with Suunto watches and others. While hiking, they connect to overhead satellites to map your hike, but not to a network as there is no internal network chip. In the long run, you run into the same issue you note; your phone is in an area where there is no signal. Well, you'd run into the same issue if the Nexar was connected to a network that fell out of signal. I do like your reviews as you cover the good, the bad and the unfortunate. Ideally, the best system is a cam connected to a an SSD Digital recorder. I have one vehicle with (4) cams on it: front, back and sides. All cams are wired into a small 8 TB SSD DVR Recorder under the seat and it records everything. This is similar to what the 18-Wheeler guys use.

Will leaving the camera plugged in to the cigarette outlet kill the battery? Or does the camera cut power when the car is turned off?

If it doesn’t have a battery, how does the parking mode work? According to nexar’s website, parking mode will only work if the port it’s plugged into loses power with the ignition turned off. So if it doesn’t have a battery...then......?????

Hey Metz Tech, I just ordered a 2021 version of this camera on Amazon for $69.95. Still no battery backup inside. What part of the power plug works loose, the USB part of the plug itself from the socket? There may be a way to rig some type of retention device to prevent this from happening. I'm a new subscriber.

I just bought one and every time I shut off the external audio you know when it makes noises when you turn the car on and off a pass back on the app is there anyway to shut this off permanently it’s so annoying

I have the THINKWARE Q800 pro, the main issue I have with it takes awhile for Wifi to turn on so I can see the videos that were recorded, and having to retype the password of the THINKWARE it’s annoying always says password is wrong even when it’s the original password it comes with like Abcd1234 frustrating but when it’s working it’s great ha

Will this dashcam work with the "OnePlus 9 Pro"? What I'm asking is, is it compatible? Anyone can answer, thanks.

Good stuff bro

maybe my beam is newer but it has a batter in it that last while unplugged all night in parking mode. I don’t leave plug into the cig lighter cause it will pull on the battery

I feel like something no one touches on is how to save a video directly from the app or dashcam directly to your phones internal storage. Like to your phones gallery or downloads folder.

I won’t loose WiFi connection but my full drive section looks just like yours! Also, say my drive was 1 hour. The full drive section will say my drive was 1 hour, but will only have recorded 13 minutes with the beginning and end missing. So annoying! I make sure to open the app before my drive to make sure I see the camera is recording through the app. Why is this happening and what’s the solution? An updated solution video would be greatly appreciated!

Does it automatically safe on the SD card if doesn’t save on the cloud?

This is helpful. I almost purchased this, but my car disables wifi when I’m connected to car play. So this may not work for me 😔

When you plug your SD card into the computer to view the clips, are your files only one minute each? Mine are

Since it has to be on WiFi will that affect me having my WiFi on ti use my Apple car play?

Hey! Such a nice video, and convinced me to pick mine up for $75 and so far, I like it! However, I have one question about setting up the Auto Start-Stop Drives. How do you get it working, and how do you know it's working? I can't figure that out and that's like a big thing for me.

Will it record without wifi phone connection if there's a SD card in it?

And also there is an option park mode. But you said it doesn’t have a battery, how will it work if the engine is off?

Are there any dashcams that use usbc? Everything I use is usbs, a dashcam that uses that too would be nice.

If it doesn't have connectivity will it still save to SD card? Sorry if that's a stupid question.

it's the best dash cam I ever bought, shows speed shows map, records everything , it's always recording with the sd card in it. I have no problems with the dash cam.

I want to try this, so online there a choice of how much memory do you want, so if i pick the lowest can i put my own sd card? Or whats the downside of it ? There is 4 hrs up to 36 hours?

Turn on Ask to Join Networks so your phone won't automatically connect to wifi networks while you're driving around.

I've been using this cam since 2019 when i bought it on Black Friday for $60. I love the autonomous nature of just getting in the car, it turns on with the ignition power, connects to my phone and starts doing its thing. Yes, the constant notifications can be kind of annoying. The "leaving wifi on" complaint isn't really an issue though... your phone shouldnt be just auto connecting to any open wifi; that's not how that works. You have to request to connect to a wifi network, at most you could get notifications of an open wifi network nearby (my Pixel sometimes does), but you can disable that easily. I've also never once had an issue with a loose cable causing it to lose power, and i've hit some serious potholes in Indianapolis LOL. I think my only complaint is no clear way to navigate in the app showing SD card stored footage. Like I have no way of knowing what is actually stored on it versus whats on my phone/cloud.

I have a problem with the suction cup adhering to the windshield. Does anyone have a solution to it?

What if car is parked you have phone with you ? And someone hit your car ? Does it record?

Got mine for $69.95 and bought 3. So far, I like it. Wished it showed speed on the recording, but can't beat the price.

Does it loop record on the SD card?

So does the nexar beam have parking mode on it? If so, how do I set it up?

I Have several work trucks for my business so I wouldn't be able to physically be in all of them. Could I use this camera with the SD card only? No phones or the app. And just access the footage through my computer.

Does it need to be hardwired for the parking mode to work?

So it does record for me even with the notifications off. This only works for me b/c I turn the car off the I wait for the cam the turn off. Then I drive again and it turns on on its own and starts recording. Also it does have a built-in battery it it.

Doesn't it record to sd card if not connected to your phone?

Can you access the sd card footage via the nexar app?

So if you record without wifi on the sd card… you can’t then later turn the wifi on and download your vids to ur phone??

Which dash cam do you recommend ? Any brand is okay.👍

Mines not recording the first 5 minutes of my drive. Any solution?

have you contacted nexar about any of these cons see if they have a fix for them?

But can you use a router for network instead of wifi on your device ???

How well does it do in heat? My issue finding dashcams especially below the $100 is that most of them can’t survive the heat for very long.

Can these products be shipped to Europe, Albania to be exact?

My question is if your phone is not in your car and someone hits your car I was told it should turn on and record it . So how can it record the car hitting yours if your phone is not in yours ?

I am having wifi disconnect issues on the Pro. I hate having to connect to the wifi. I think if you are in the car and it makes you connect Bluetooth it is over kill. Why can’t it be Bluetooth only. I got an external backup. Works well for the pro.

Did they change the USB charger to 12 volt charger?

I just subscribed! What dash cam would you recommend then?