BlackVue DR650GW / DR650S

This is the worst dashcam ever owned and was not cheap. Had owned 5 different brands over the years so far.
This is the 650S 2 Channel hardwired into car with Blackbox kit by professional installer who sold the entire system to us. The unit after around 4 weeks of use continually says "Blackvue for your safety, restarting normal recording" The SD card is then not able to be formatted.
It has been back 6 times to Blackvue in Perth who have always promptly under warranty kept replacing parts and modules and SD cards. Now it is doing it again while still under warranty. The GPS has stopped recording speed again. The single camera version of the same model in another car has never been a problem.
We have asked for it to be replaced by a different model but were declined . Retailer keeps sending us back to Blackbox.
Very dissapointed

I bought blackvue dash last year, everything was working fine until 5th of May 2019. The date and time is wrong, i tried to reset it myself but it is still the same everytime i tried to do it. I emailed to Blackvue customer service and they advise how to reset. I did everything theyhave asked and also emailed them my dash details. I tried to find my serial number which should be on the camera when i take it out but it wasnt so i emailed them my wifi number that is on the wifi. I do not get a reply back until really late of the next day. Now when i go back to my dash to review videos i now notice that it makes this loud static sound like what you hear on the radio when it gets distorted. It was never like this when i first purchased it. My whole family has blackvue and mine is the only one that has been doing this. I have tried to get a reply back but nothing, quite disappointing with customer service. I need to know how to rectify this as my dash cam is still in warranty and Blakvue customer service is taking their time in replying back to me. I contacted where i purchased my dashcam and they told me to get in contact with Blackvue first and wiat for their reply what to do next, at this stage i do not even know when i will get another reply

Purchased one about three years ago, and the sound recording failed after three weeks. I had the unit replaced as I refused to wait three weeks for it to be repaired. After 18 months of usage, the sound recording failed again. We got better value from a unit in my wife's car that was one third the price. Because of the cost and poor reliability, I can only give it two stars.

Needed to be hard wired but well worth the effort. So impressed will keep it for whatever car i drive even though costly to have hardwired. Havent needed to update software after 2 years of wear. Costly to buy but so much better than cheaper dash cams. Before buying a dashcam its worthwhile doing the research. This product is worth the money.....

Bought 2 Dash Cams for our cars and had them "hard wired" by an Auto Electrician, the only way to go! Both were very easy to set up once fitted, I did this on our computer (don't have a "so-called" smart phone) with ease, right global location and the settings we wanted. One camera worked perfectly on play-back but the other had a "Script Error" message that blocked the viewing screen.We contacted the main supplier's support team for help. Within less than 24 hours we received a reply and a site on how to fix it. Not being totally computer savvy, I rang the support number and the guy guided me through the update procedure which worked great. The "new" update has much clearer display and viewing and is just like you are driving the vehicle for real! The service we have received has been excellent

Considering this camera wasn’t cheap it is very disappointing that it lasted 1 year and 10 months! And the salt in the wounds is that 6 months after I bought it the warranty went from 1 year to two years. My local electronics shop now refuses to stock them because of the failure rate and how painful BlackVue Australia are to deal with. Will never buy another BlackVue.

The app is not user friendly. Compared to much less expensive cameras this is not a good one. Camera quality is good, but if you need info from the app ie how to change passwords etc, forget about it. Mine is sitting in a draw, and I went and bought another cheaper one. much easier to use. Overall very disappointed in this camera.

I wouldn’t recommend this camera at all, it’s been nothing but trouble. The WiFi connection is hopeless, it only works if you sit in the car right next to the unit. So it’s pointless. It takes several attempts to login once you do get the WiFi connection, the unit keeps saying “wrong password” even though it is the right password that has been saved on my phone from the previous log in. Contacted BlackVue and was told to download the new firmware, which is a complicated process with little instruction. That changed nothing. Issue remains. The camera also interferes with my cars DAB radio making it pretty much impossible to listen to the radio at all because it keeps dropping out. I have put noise suppression choke ferrite core clips on the cables which didn’t help either. To watch a video back takes ages to download when watching on your phone, but does work well if you can be bothered removing the card to plug into your computer. I also got the power pack for constant recording. The motion detection is a load of rubbish, I have the settings on the lowest possible detection and it just constantly records. So in the garage at night with zero movement the camera just keeps making new files with nothing happening. It should only start recording and create a new file once some movement is detected. So if I did have an accident I’d have about a day to get the vision before it would be recorded over with files containing nothing. I would expect these issues from a cheap $100 camera but not from a expensive “top of the line” camera like this. Would definitely NOT recommend.

I have found that the quality of the video is 5-star during the day and 4-star at night - even the audio is good quality. It is quick and simple to set up, and is 12 Volt powered so there are not transformers to mount and / or possibly fail. It is a pretty basic unit - no screen / WiFi / bluetooth / GPS (optional extra) but the low price reflects this.

One thing I really love about it is the tiny size - it hides up behind my rear vision mirror and is almost invisible from inside unless you know where to look. Naturally, because of its small size, it does not have a screen - you have to remove the SD card to view the footage. This is a price I was prepared to pay for discreetness (although I believe the newer versions have WiFi to overcome this).

As others have mentioned, I sometimes get the 'Format SD Card' warning for what seems like no reason - if it happens, I unplug the power for that trip. On the next trip I will plug the power back in and the problem has generally gone away.

This dash cam is not all things to all people, but it certainly ticks boxes for a basic, front facing, excellent quality dash cam. If all you need is excellent quality video without all of the bells and whistles, at a good price, I would highly recommend it.

The dash cam worked very well for a while then stopped working without any warning. Changing the SD card, rebooting, downloading and installing firmware are all complicated and time consuming. Theres a constant “invalid settings” warning. I’ll be looking to get my money back and get a more reliable dash cam.

I bought this about 12 months ago when I picked up my new car got it installed a week later after picking up the car, the camera was all setup and functioning a few months later upgraded the SD card to the black box 128gb card. All working for about 8 months then the battery seem to be an issue because it was not holding the settings would of have to reset the camera once a month due to time and date was incorrect. I went back to the dealer to get it assessed been advised it just needed a firmware update. The camera was up to date prior, didn’t believe it and got in contact with Auto black box and they had for it replaced with a new one. I would of given it a lower rating but auto blackbox restored my faith in reliability of blackvue brand. I was at first upset as I bought the latest dash cam and a month later the newer edition came out and couldn’t return it.

I have a fleet of cars, and one Blackvue 650 2 ch, nothing but issues from day on, cable to rear renewed, rear camera stopped no power now, multiple issues with the upgrades, and cloud etc,
I think the rear camera is better than the front on video, but it never works, so thats in the bin.
No more Blackvue for me.

Purchased this unit 18 months ago. Had it fitted by an auto electrician complete with the power magic pro. This unit worked well for the first 6 months but then came daily issues, ranging from, loss of audio, no recordings, turning on and off at random times. Seriously every couple of weeks something would go wrong. I contacted blackvue support and with there assistance via email over a 6 month period, it was diagnosed as having a broken NAND memory??
Anyhow since it was outside the warranty period they were not prepared to fix it at there cost.
Not happy with the product, will be removing and throwing in the bin over the weekend.
Save your money.

In a previous review in regards to the BlackVue cameras, we had problems with reliability and problems with SD cards.
Tom from Auto BlackBox contacted me personally to discuss the problems.
After sending items back I was kept informed. I would note the DR650GW dual camera, 64gb card, tinted lens were the items sent.
Although the DR650GW was just over 2 years old the expectation from me is that I should get more than 2 years usage. The rear camera lens ended up being replaced, 64gb card (Blackvue) was also replaced (less than 12 months old which was a previous replacement) and the tinted lens cover which had started crazing was also replaced.
In a previous post, I also indicated cards should last more than 12 months due to the cost. Auto BlackBox also supplied a spare 32gb Blackvue card at no cost so thanks for that.
I would say the customer service was excellent from Tom and also Chaim.
As it stands we now disconnect all cameras at night or when the cars aren't being used when parked at home to help with the SD cards lasting longer.
We also carry a spare SD card in our cars (Driving School Cars) so if we have a "card issue" (card saying please check SD card) we can simply swap the card over to maintain the cameras operating whilst on driving lessons.
After using these cameras for a few years overall they work quite well but you do need to monitor your SD cards. By that, I mean regularly view the videos on a computer to ensure they are recording properly and the time zones don't change and there is no disruption to continuous recording. Broken recordings can mean you may need a new card. (Card formatting and checking firmware should be checked first)
Due to having dual cameras, the cards can rewrite quite quickly (when set at higher resolution) so a larger capacity card should be used especially if you leave your car in public car park. (Magic Pro required for operation when engine not running or parked for long period)
It's a shame they don't have a pivot so the camera can be turned to the sides when needed rather than fixed straight ahead or behind and maybe a "time-lapse" recording for parking as some other brands do.
At least it's good to see that the customer service is great and resolved our issues.
Well done to Autoblackboz in WA.
Geoff
Penrith Driving School

This is not actually what I wanted. I wanted one with a screen because I have a Bull motor body on the back and it would be good to be able to see what is directly behind me as I am driving.
Ultimately the rear camera was the clincher for getting this unit over any other, it was the only one in Australia at the time with an all weather rear camera. I also opted for the BlackVue SD card, they are expensive but I watched a Youtube reviewer who had issues with a non BlackVue SD card so I figured I would forego that pain and get one straight from the start. The stupid pricing on the SD card is what prompted me to give 4 stars, not 5.
There were a couple of issues in the first month or so, that ended up being caused by the SD card failing.
Claiming warranty was totaly painless though. Black box in Perth were a pleasure to deal with.
The front camera is unobtrusive and it has performed well since a firmware update in March.
I do like that it will record while parked too.

I purchased the 650GW 2ch some time ago. I was fine for about 13 months then the SD card problem started. I tried various SD cards including the one from Blackvue. I kept getting the "Please check the SD card" message. I'd re format the card once a week and kept getting the error message. I disconnected the rear camera and the problem stopped. I payed for a 2ch dash cam but I've ended up with a 1 channel cam. Never again will i buy a Blackvue dash cam.

I am the owner of two BlackVue dashcams. Had an intermittent issue and cannot recommend the Australian distributor of these cameras highly enough. This is what SERVICE should be like! Both in quality of service, as well as going way beyond the proverbial mile to resolve the problem, but also in terms of response (next day delivery to Gold Coast from Perth!!!). Unheard of these days. The assistance given even beyond the warranty period and the friendly help deserves more than the 5 stars that I can give them. Especially as the issue was NOT the camera, but my own due to the proximity of the rear view mirror bracket! Much appreciated for all your help and friendly service, and thank you especially to Chaim of the support team at AutoBlackBox.com

Hi,

Today I upgraded the firmware of my dashcam.

Post the upgrade, the sensor warnings are flooding in despite the fact that I have put the impact sensor to 20. I have tried multiple numbers ranging from 20 to 100 and not seen a change. Surely I can't set it to too low so wonder what the ideal number.

Has anyone seen this issue?

regards,
JB

How many words does it take to let you know that I feel very dissatisfied with the purchase of this unreliable dash cam, I thought I was buying the best but maybe a cheap one would have served better. It is obviously a bad unit as you have discontinued it that’s the best thing for it.

Good resolution and clear. Do not have overheating problem and connection are good. Wide angle. However, need to purchase it together with power magic so that things will be working very well.

Will strongly recommend this car camera to anyone who is looking for car camera, anywhere in the world