Cross-posted from my Amazon review here that I purchased at full price
When my last cheap dashcam stopped working, I set out to look for the best value for money budget dash cam with the best video quality. I considered the Viofo A119 which a lot of sites recommend, but did not get that one as at $95 it was a bit expensive and did not have WiFi, then I purchased the Yi Smart Dashcam which had an absurdly high number of positive reviews on Amazon, but ended up being thoroughly disappointed by the Yi Dashcam due to its poor, grainy, out-of-foucs video quality with serious heat susceptibility issues. I ended up returning the Yi and getting this Roav A1 even though i did not see a large number of reviews for the A1 in the ‘dashcam enthusiast’ community forums like Dashcamtalk.com
After testing the Yi & the Roav A1 side by side during my return window I can pretty much say that the Roav A1 is hands down the BEST WiFi dashcam available in the ~$50 price range with an excellent Sony Exmor IMX323 sensor with great daytime and night video quality . Here’s how the A1 stacks up against the Yi :
COMPARED TO THE YI SMART DASHCAM:
- Much better, noise free, sharp in-focus daytime video quality with license plates clearly visible within 20-30 feet infront of you, even at high speeds or places where the YI would struggle (see my comparison pics)
- Much better, natural looking Night video quality with less noise and clear outlines (reading license plates at night is hard for both dashcams at this price point, but the A1 does a comparatively better job)
- Comparatively much better WiFi transfer speeds on the Roav A1 while transferring videos via the App than the Yi
- The Roav has a 140 degree field of view (FOV) , compared to the 165 degrees FOV of the Yi . While the Yi may look better on paper , In my testing the 140 degree FOV for the A1 was better in real life as it provided a less distorted ‘Fish eye’ image than the Yi and yet captured everything in front and the side lanes adequately
- The only redeeming quality of the Yi Dashcam was that it could record at 60FPS@1080P while the Roav can only do 30FPS@1080P & 60FPS@720P. But the poor image quality of the Yi ruins this advantage anyway
- The Yi also has lane departure warning system which the A1 does not have . But those features are really gimmicks and more of a nuisance than be helpful with multiple false alerts
SUCTION MOUNT
- While I generally prefer sticker mounts , the suction mount included with the A1 was pretty good and did not fall off , even under 95 degree hot weather(where temps inside parked car can reach almost 140)
- Try using a bit soapy water to wet the suction cup for a more firm fit in case yours keep falling off
DISLIKES
- The only minor negative that I can think of the A1 is that its video/image quality looks overly sharpened and as a result a bit harsh looking. But I can kind of understand the logic of using an overly sharpened image in order to get maximum licesne plate readability…so there’s that.
- The WiFi must be turned on manually from the menu each time you wish to use the app (it turns back off once the camera turns off) . While having WiFi not running when not in use helps keep the camera run cool , but a dedicated hardware WiFi button would have been better
LIKES
- Absolutely great daytime and night video quality , that captures license plates in most conditions where lighting is adequate and really that’s the most important part of any dashcam
- Responsive and helpful chat support via the mobile app itself that actually responds to your questions when I wanted to know how to upgrade the frimware on the A1 manually (It was a pain to deal with Yi support in comparison)
FINAL THOUGHTS:
I loved this dashcam so much , that I got two of them for my car (one front , one rear). And to summarize 
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- If you are looking for the best WiFi in the $50 price range - Get the Roav A1
- If you are looking for a cheaper dashcam , consider upping your budget to $50 and - Get the Roav A1
- If you’re looking for a more expensive dashcam - Again take a good hard look and consider getting the A1
