Navman MiVUE800 Dual Camera

Won’t connect to iPhone – Will not connect to wifi despite following the multiple problem solving suggestions. Lost footage of an accident. I paid a good amount for this and certainly wouldn’t recommend it to anyone Show details

Can’t turn off speed camera notification – Good device, nice and clear and easy to download footage from your phone (only from the last 90 mins, footage before this has to be downloaded on a computer) And helped me catch someone who had doored my car in the car park. The only annoying thing is the Speed camera notifications, it goes off at me in the car park so I turned off the sound but… Read more ·  3

when I’m parked the screen stays on And it drains the battery, same problem I have with it in my garage, if you turn off the screen, it turns back on within 5 minutes, if I delete the safety Cam, it comes back on within an hour or so. (Sometimes it says there’s a camera but there’s nothing there) But if you don’t have speed cameras near by, it’s a great buy!

Shame no connection to smartphone – Hooking the cameras up in the car was no problem. Image quality appears ok on the small screen. The proof will be when viewed on a computer or smartphone. Yes I can take the memory card out but was hoping to use an app to view the image on our phone but there is no Wi-Fi option in the menu. Show details ·  3

rear camera fault – l have a Navman 800 dual camera only just over 2 years and the rear camera stopped working and would shut down main camera when l disconnect the rear camera main camera work fine would expect it to last a lot longer and to replace the camera is very expensive Show details

Nothing but issues! Consumer beware! – If I could rate 0 stars, or negative stars even, I would. Purchased for an elderly family member as a Christmas present last year. Professionally installed in April of this year. NOTHING but issues since installation. Device disconnects and reconnects constantly. Have tried all troubleshooting steps to no avail. After lots of back and forth with… Read more

Navman, device was returned for repair/replacement only to be sent back saying that the fault cannot be replicated... I mean, come on. It's clearly an issue with this particular model as I have seen similar reviews elsewhere. Navman have since offered to repair it, however, how can something be repaired when the error supposedly cannot be replicated?! also, how can a brand new device need repair?! Apparently the SD card being used may be a cause for this issue as it's "not compatible" despite the fact that it meets requirements as shown in the manual. I'll add also, that the error occurs WITH or WITHOUT the SD card installed.... clearly not the problem. Replacement not an option so I have been told, as it's past 90 days since purchase. Though, this device HAS NEVER worked since installation. Navman can see when the purchase was made, and then device installed and first contact made with them regarding the issue, so honestly your 90 day replacement policy is a joke (especially during Covid-19 I may add). I want a resolution to this problem as soon as possible. PS: I have video footage of these errors that I can show you seeing as though you cannot replicate it, Navman. Consumers beware!.

Rear camera cable isn't long enough – I bought the MiVUE820 dual camera system. When installing it in my Prado 120, I realised the supplied 5m cable connecting the rear camera isn't long enough to reach due to my rear side swinging door. I contacted Navman who told me this unit is only suitable for cars, not 4wds, they don't have a longer cable, and I should check 3rd party suppliers,… Read more

where I haven't been able to find anything suitable. Nowhere on the unit does it specify this is not suitable for larger cars, I'm annoyed and disappointed, will return and get a refund.

Rear Camera not working – I am not sure that the rear camera is working at all. It is not appearing as a section of the LCD and can't see any recordings from the rear. The firmware is up to date. Can you please assist? Show details

[Correction: it's rubbish!] An [in]adequate dual camera unit with some poor design aspects and a quirky interface – [Correction: I have now come to the conclusion that, while they may be able to make GPS devices, Navman are rubbish at making DashCams. Despite doing my best to give this thing the benefit of the doubt, after a pathetic four months, it has now failed completely. It turns on only when the power button is pressed, does not register the rear… Read more

camera, and immediately turns off again. The car has an almost new battery, the voltage is fine and supplied via a BlackVue Power Magic Pro - the thing just can't tolerate the heat which is ridiculous in a country like Australia.

So, this thing is going back to JB HiFi and I'm going to buy a decent DashCam, like a BlackVue.

Update: the device has been returned for repair as it's over three months old. I fully expect to suffer the same overheat issues with whatever replacement they send, then I'll argue for a refund.]

[Edit: I have reduced my stars after experiencing the stupidity of the SD card formatting. The allocating of fixed amounts of space to different file types is utterly stupid - all it results in is a waste of significant space on the card. We hoped to see a file from earlier today only to find it had been overwritten after just four hours, despite there being 20% of the card free. As a software developer I cannot conceive of any logical reason why they made this stupid decision.]

We were recently unfortunate enough to have our car written off in an accident but fortunate enough to capture the accident on a dash-cam (which solved a heap of contradictory claims). As a result of some issues with that dash-cam I had to get a replacement quickly for the new car while the old unit is being assessed and repaired.

The new unit is a Navman MiVue 800 - a dual camera dash-cam with a 2.7" screen, in-built GPS, event recording and parking mode.

Unpacking the box, I briefly wondered where the actual device was, there were packets of cables, clips, the rear camera, the window mount and, oh yes, a small blue box which contained the device itself - I guess I was subconsciously expecting something phone/GPS size but this thing is small. The unit does NOT come with any microSD card, you must provide this yourself - any decent class 10 card will do.

My first issue was to mount the camera on the windscreen. I'm not a fan of suction cups, they can be too obstructive visually so I had to find somewhere where it would least interfere with my field of view or the sun-visors. An unexpected problem I had was that the first morning before starting fitting the camera I discovered that the suction cup had fallen off the screen overnight, despite not even having the dash-cam attached. I had cleaned the glass carefully and thoroughly so this could be a problem if the camera cannot stick well and falls off while driving. After a number of failed attempts to get the stupid thing to stick reliably I eventually found I could jam it between the mirror arm and the window, held in place with a thick cable tie - not pretty or ideal but adequate. My only other option would have been an optional rear view mirror clamp ($25) - according to Navman phone support I could buy these at JB HiFi, though not according to our local JB HiFi who found no listing for it.

My second issue was the placement of the rear facing camera. This car, like it's predecessor, is an old Saab convertible, so placing the camera on the rear window is not an option. Some dash-cams have a waterproof rear camera for fitting outside but sadly these are either poor quality, difficult to fit or simply look awful. As a result I have to mount the rear facing camera by the rear view mirror, looking out through the cabin - this camera proved to need a similar approach. I wasn't at all impressed with the adhesive pad on the rear camera, despite cleaning the target location carefully it didn't feel too stable. After the mandatory 24 hours curing time it failed as soon as I attached the camera and found it necessary to run a screw through it. Perhaps it would be fine on glass but the BlackVue adhesive pads were far superior I felt, the spare one I used was rock solid after 24 hours, the screw became just a precaution.

The cabling was another issue. My heart sank when I saw the 5m long usb cable for the read camera but fortunately it could be omitted in my setup, thought the provided front/rear splitter cable was fatter, more rigid and difficult to route. The long lead for the back facing camera has a right angle plug for bringing the cable from the top, which won't be great if you are mounting the rear camera at the bottom of the screen. The splitter cable, on the other hand, is a straight out plug which made mounting the camera by the rear view mirror very awkward - I eventually bought a 10cm USB lead and cut the plug up to recreate a right angle plug, similar to the one on the long lead. Finally, the plug on the splitter cable that goes into the dash-cam is much larger than its power lead counterpart and required the camera to be repositioned again to allow for the extra height - a real pain. Providing more flexible plug/socket options for the rear camera would be nice.

Power is provided via the cigarette lighter socket and can also be provided by an (optional) hard-wire kit. I used a spare BlackVue PMP kit I have which provides a suitable power socket for the cigarette lighter plug and hides all the wiring in the fusebox. After routing the power cable and using the few window clips to hold it in place it was time to setup the camera itself. In the end, what should have been about a simple, hour long installation took slightly over four.

The unit has four main button on the side plus an "event" button and a power button. When power is provided the screen lights up and shows the main view with a picture in picture for the rear camera. Other than as a menu navigation screen and to confirm the thing is working I see little benefit in this, it is far too small to really view the content, particularly when it is stuck to the screen, I far prefer the WiFi to phone approach or viewing the SD content on a computer.

Navman provide an origami-like instruction pamphlet which, when unfolded, provides a multitude of pieces of dubious benefit information on how to install the unit and navigate the menu system - almost 50% of the single sheet is given over to "small print" - warranty, precautions, etc. My problem with the instructions is that a number of the menu items are, while strictly accurate, completely meaningless

e.g.

* "Auto Entry: Sets the mode (Low, Medium, High or Manual) for the system to enter Parking mode automatically" - but what does that actually mean, since elsewhere it says "When the Parking mode detection is enabled, the system will enter Parking mode when you: Disconnect the device's power (when the vehicle engine is stopped or the power cable is disconnected) or when the car stops moving for about 5 minutes."

* "Detection: When enabled, the dash cam will automatically start recording when it detects movements or if an event happens in Parking mode". - detects movements? What movements and how does it detect them? I presume it means movements in the field of view being observed but I can't be sure.

* "Motion Detection: The options are Low, Medium and High" - is this motion calculated by positional changes in the GPS signal, who knows?

* "Storage Allocation: The system provides 3 default memory configurations to store the videos (including continuous recordings and event recordings) and photos. Select the proper configuration based on your usage." - proper configuration?!?! How the heck would I know how much space I'll use for what media types - just delete the oldest and leave the "events"! Note: changing this setting wipes the microSD card (can't think why that is necessary!) so make sure to backup important content before messing with this.

The "keyboard" for entering the Text stamp (to be added to the recording) is particularly poor - there is no auto scroll, so to get from A to 9 requires about 35 button presses! Fortunately, it is not something required to be used regularly.

Eventually I did manage to get the thing configured to set the time from the satellites, turn the screen off after ten seconds, use 1 minute file lengths and hoped for the best. I'm a software developer by trade and I can see this being something I have to come back to regularly to tweak over time, but the UI experience leaves a lot to be desired for the average user. Basically, this thing requires a lot of trial and error to get the settings right; fortunately, it is a set and forget type device.

One final note of the "manual": I found the following entries from the small print particularly amusing...

"Keep your device away from [...] extreme temperatures. Avoid exposing your device to direct sunlight [...] for extended periods of time. Do not drop your device or subject it to severe shock. To discourage theft, do not leave the device and accessories in plain view in an unattended vehicle. Overheating may damage the device. Customer will not place, secure, or use, or permit any other person to place, secure, or use, the Licensed Product or any device associated with the Licensed Product, in a manner that limits any user or operator's view"

It's in a car... in Australia! Hot conditions and potentially significant shocks are par for the course. Also, are they trying to say you should hide the dash-cam when you leave the car? - that's going to pretty much stuff up its ability to record in parking mode. As for the last one... it is almost impossible to stick this thing to the screen where it won't interfere with the view, due to the size of the sucker cup and bracket! Talk about passing the buck...

So, onto actually using the MiVue. I initially set the camera to show the speed and clock (HUD mode), however I found this far too bright at night, being just by the rear view mirror. Another more critical criticism of this mode is that, when the unit switches into Parking mode at night, the screen stupidly stays on and shows the current field of view that is being recorded on both cameras. Apart from brightly advertising to everyone nearby that you have a dash-cam, it also betrays the fact that it is actually recording - I'm sure there will be plenty of idiots who will happily "perform" in such circumstances, vehicle damage being an optional extra! We eventually opted for the 10 second auto-off which turns on the screen for just 10 seconds when it switches between modes to confirm the operation (since we cannot see the operating LED from the driving seat).

The forward, daytime image quality is quite satisfactory, though I intend to mount my BlackVue along-side in order to be able to perform a proper comparison. I feel I need to play more with the various camera settings to get a satisfactory night-time image though - on the default settings it looked as if I were driving with the road lit by a couple of torches or candles and the rear images were very dark.

When driving, it is possible to press the "Event" button to mark the current recording as one to keep (and not overwrite) - the screen illuminates briefly and a tone sounds to confirm the operation. I liked the fact that only a light press was required, not a heavy push which could move the camera. The audio recording (if enabled) is adequate but does not cope with music well which distorts quite badly and can make hearing other sounds difficult.

I dislike the way the SD card data is organised. Four main folders are created - Video, Pictures, Emergency and Parked - in which each contains an F and an R (front and rear) folder. Recordings are stored in datetime named files by folder, according to camera and recording mode, with some additional data being stored with the front camera videos. While this may seem organised it makes viewing the data a pain if you don't use Navman's downloadable viewing software, you have to switch between folders to find corresponding files - a real pain if you are trying to find a set of corresponding files to provide to (say) the Police or insurance company. Navigation (positional) data is stored in either the video files themselves or the associated data file but has to be exported using the Navman software, a bit of a nuisance - I prefer the data stored as a separate file, directly uploadable to (say) Google maps.

I won't say too much about the viewing software - it is adequate to the task of viewing the recorded files but has a number of gimmicky features (in my opinion) and some stupid design aspects. Files are recorded using a standard mp4 format so can actually be viewed on any device that can read the microSD card and view mp4 files. I would like to have the ability to view/copy the files wirelessly but I guess that would be pushing the budget price ($269) a little too far.

At the end of the day, once the device is fitted, it does the job - which is to provide video evidence in the event of it being necessary. With a battery backup device you can even discover who is doing what around your car when parked - this can be both bump and visual activity triggered - though again it will take some time to correctly configure the various obscurely labelled settings to the desired result.

If you want a basic, functional front/rear dash-cam without breaking the bank, this could be for you. Once you get past the quirky interface and some of the stupid features (and installation issues) it should be adequate for helping record those memorable moments on the road and could get you out of a mess with the insurance company and/or Police. If you want wireless connectivity and a more concealed design, you may have to look elsewhere.

4 stars for the basic unit itself, minus one for the quirky interface and poor mounting/cabling choices and minus another for the stupid SD card formatting options.

[Edit: According to the official (USB-IF) specification the maximum length of a cable between USB 2.0 devices (Full Speed or Hi-Speed) is 5 meters. This does suggest that the device is pushing the USB limit to the edge, perhaps a shorter USB cable would alleviate the numerous problems with the rear camera disconnecting as reported by other users (I don't know for sure but the evidence suggests this).]

Great when it works...which went from rarely to never – The dash cam is great when it works. From the day I bought it I've had issues with the rear camera disconnecting. Navman is aware of this issue however continue to sell the faulty product, they even specifically provide a 'possible fix' for the problem with a software update on their website, however this update didn't solve the problem. Have… Read more

called Navman who advised I return it to the retailer for repairs. I then had to return my device to JbHifi who sent it to an authorised repairer, this didn't fix the problem so then it was sent off again. The second time it still didnt fix the problem with the rear camera working intermittently. Went to return it to JbHifi a third time and they said because the item was over a year old now they couldn't replace or repair it and I'd have to go through Navman direct. To make matters worse the dash cam now won't turn on at all so ever the front camera doesn't work....except for when it sporadically decides to turn on mid drive one a week.

Hate It! – We had the camera professionally installed. Not long after we had the message: Rear Camera is disconnected. We changed the SD card 3 times. Reset the dash cam and it worked for a while. Then rear camera has been disconnected AGAIN! Call the help line, it's a known fault, send through the trouble shooting tips. Did that, tried the firmware update,… Read more

now we cannot use the camera at all as it doesn't go past the warning screen.

Call Navman again, oh isn't that a fun task! Repeat yourself 5 times, they don't listen, I asked 6 times to speak to a supervisor, finally get through only to have to repeat myself yet again!

Cant tell you what the camera is really like as it has never worked properly since we got it. Now waiting to get it looked at by Navman... Would I buy one of these again - oh Hell No!

I like the system very much but I have a couple of questions – I have 2 questions. 1) It takes too long to turn off after I turn off the car but if I set the LCD screen standby too low it is turning off every few seconds. 2) When turn off the car (esp at night) a picture comes on with a camera icon and does not turn off. The only way to stop that is to turn off safety cam manually. So I am disabling one… Read more

of the features that I wanted. I do not want the screen on for extended periods after I have turned off the car (esp at night when it looks so obvious). How can I fix these problems. You need a much better user manual for those of us who are not technophiles.

Good, not great, and the camera image should be better for the price – I just bought the Navman DDR MiVue 800 as I needed a rear view camera that worked independently and not connected to the reverse gear. I was using a Gater HDVR400L Dash Cam which had worked and had an excellent picture. The Navman was easy to install and the instruction are very easy to follow. The in-camera menu is good and I found it easy to… Read more

set-up the unit. Thank goodness I was able to turn off the annoying "turn on your lights" and other messages.

My initial disappointments are: 1: The quality of the dash/rear camera image as it is not as good in colour as the Gator. The Navman image appears to be "washed out" and lacks colour density and I have tried to improve the image via the camera menu, but with no success.

I have not played back any recorded footage.

2: I don't know how accurate the speed measuring unit is supposed to be, but it has been a few ks slower then the indicated vehicle speed, when even travelling at a constant speed.

If nothing improves over the next week - and other disappointments turn up - I shall t return it to JB's, and reinstall the Gator

March 11th 2019 Update: Different speed readings

This is a follow-up on my previous review.

Over the last few days I have found that the speed indicated on the MiVUE800 is always 4ks slower then the actual vehicle speedo reading.

Is this normal and what is the legal use if used as evidence in a vehicle accident? - hmmmmmm

Operating Instructions – Just purchased a car with this in it but cannot find any operating instructions that are large enough to read. All i keep getting is a PDF that is so small you can't read it. Any suggestions. Geoff Show details

Brilliant product – I Had the dashcam professionally installed. The Quality of playback is so clear and very easy to use. Everything working well. A very satisfied customer. I Would highly recommend this product to anyone that wants peace of mind whilst driving your car and when leaving it parked in a carpark.  Show reply

Rear camera not working – Bought a mivue 800 dual camera, previously owned a 600 series. Came home installed the front camera and Plugged the cable in for the rear camera and you guessed it NOTHING. Tried several things to no avail. The rear Camera just does not work. Navman how do I fix it or how do I return it for a refund. I believe this may be a common problem with some of these dash cams. Looking forward to hearing from you.

Still having problems – Bought 2 units. Updated firmware. Worked faultlessly for a short time. Now we are both bombarded with the very irritating "switch on your lights" message, when they are all ready on, and the rear camera continually disconnects. We had always bought cheap cameras in the past, and decided rather than keep replacing them to pay considerably more and… Read more

get more reliable units from a brand with a track record. The cheap units weren't half as irritating.

Pleasantly surprised – Bought the unit on impulse a few weeks ago. Then went home and read the reviews. Uh-oh I think. Went to the Navman 800 site and (1) downloaded the patch and (2) read their other suggestions i.e high quality SD cards etc. Works like a charm. Only thing, there are never enough adhesive cable clips. Had to go to Bunnings for more. For the price you… Read more ·  4

think Navman could throw in 10-15 of these. Just saying is all.

Rob Murray

November 17th 2019 Update: Still working great after a year.

I have a MiVue 800 dual -

The product has worked great since installation - Dec 2018. However my rear window tinting is deteriorating - not Navman's fault obviously. I need to replace the adhesive pad that sticks the rear camera etc to the rear window. Can anyone (Navman?) lease advise how I can get a new adhesive pad.

BTW - Camera still working fabulously well.

regards

Doesn't pickup rear camera – Bought 4 dashcam as Xmas presents. Installed the first one this morning and doesn't pickup rear camera. Double checked my connections and all was installed correctly. No rear camera. Let's see what the other 3 cameras do. Not to impressed so far, and I hate it when it doesn't do what it's meant too. Now an EDIT. Its hot Xmas day… Read more

today.

Car must have got over 50-60degree inside.

Unit has completely switched off. Doesn't power up.

Only getting worse.

Is it worth installing in the other 3 cars.

Garbage and terrible customer support – Purchased the mivue800, worked for a short period of time, before it froze, when through the online fix, still didn't work. Have been in contact with navman, in the end the solution is to return it to them, an absolute pain, as it seems to be an issue with the product. Also participated in their cash back promo, apparently my application for the… Read more

cash back went via the North Pole, so it didn't make it in time, even though I had emailed them well within the promo period, with the online form.

Anyway terrible product, and dishonest customer service.

So far So good – Hi, we have had our myvue 800 almost a year, only using the front camera so can’t comment on rear camera problems. As some background, this was the third unit of this kind we bought (not Navman ) and returned, nuff said! Our only problem we have encountered is that “ a start recording message “ comes and goes on the screen but the recording led… Read more ·  1

remains illuminated. I have yet to check the sd card for recording but all appears ok, the sd card is a Toshiba which I assume is suitable. I have today purchased a myvue780 so my fingers are crossed for no problems having read the reviews.

Regards,

Myles Leniston.

I will be returning my Navman dual camera kit tomorrow!!! – I have had a gutful of the cable dropping from the rear camera. It's been returned to Harvey Norman once - I actually have better things to do!!! You would think they would make cameras with screw in connections for moving vehicles. The actual image quality is great. However, I love out west and with speed limits of 100 - 110klms/hr, pulling… Read more

over every 5 minutes to re-connect the rear camera is not an option. Thus it is going back and I better get refunded for the extra insurance I purchased.

Setting off car alarm – My camera was pretty easy to set up and hide away the cords. Recording quality footage is really good! It’s clear and easy to access the videos/photos. I have mounted my dash cam on my window near my review mirror, however lately it has been falling off. This is a big problem for me as it will set off my car alarms. I had woken up twice… Read more ·  3

throughout the night as I heard my car alarm going off to realise my dash cam has fallen off the window. This is occurred too many times to the point that I have decided to turn my Navman dash cam off and pack it away.

I had phoned Navman to see if there is an option to stop it from setting off my car alarms but the lady did not talk about this issue she just told me the camera mount is faulty and she will send me a new one as my camera is still in warranty.

Why would the camera falling off my window set my car alarms off? How can I stop that from happening again?

Constant rear cam disconnect and format sd card issues – Previously had mivue 660 what had a tonne of features and worked perfectly well with my SanDisk SD card. Wanted dual cam so went with mivue800 and used with sd card used with previous cam. Only recently started getting rear cam disconnected, and now constantly getting format sd card! How bloody annoying. Worst part is that I spent 2hrs… Read more

running all the cables throughout the car and its all hidden.

After reading all the reviews it seems this unit is just filled with issues, firmware updates not fixithe issues.

Will be ripping it all out and taking it back to jbhifi for a refund!

MIVUE 800 dual camera – I have never had a quality dash cam before , and bought the miVUE 800 Dual camera, and so i can say i still haven't a quality camera , like others on this forum ,a voice keeps reminding me to turn on the lights , then the rear camera disconnects .we have just a long drive up north and had a slight accident with trailer wheel falling off , and guess what , the camera didn't record a thing , so JB HI FI here i come .