Every so often, a new product emerges on the market, promising something brand new and introducing innovation to its industry. This is exactly what Navman claims with its MiVue True 4K Pro Surround dashcam.
So, why do you need a dashcam, and what makes this Navman different?
Table of contents
- Why do you need a dashcam?
- Features
- Specifications and price
- Using the Navman MiVue True 4K Pro Surround dashcam
- Who is it for?
Why do you need a dashcam?
When an accident occurs, people quickly gravitate to “my truth”, which most often sways to their advantage. A dashcam will record a video of an event, normally triggered by a detected G-force. Think of a bump in the road or another car hitting your car. Video evidence from a recording is difficult to dispute. A dashcam can also capture events, such as when two fighter jets flew over my car at a low level during my travels last year. If not for the dashcam, I would have had no evidence to show to my friends.
Some dashcams also offer a parking mode, which records incidents when you are away from your car and the engine is off.
Dashcams can come in one, two, or three-camera models. The primary camera is positioned to face forward, capturing events directly in front of the car. An additional rear camera captures events behind, and now we are seeing cameras capturing inside the car to record occupant activity. An interior camera is a popular feature among Uber drivers.
Dashcams also capture GPS data, recording speed and location, as well as a G-sensor, which records the size of impacts.
Some dashcam models have a screen on the forward-facing units, and some do not. Video images are copied from the dashcam by either a connected smartphone app or by removing the SD card and copying the data.
For those with older cars, some dashcams provide alerts for school zones, speed cameras, and notify you if you exceed the speed limit.
Navman MiVue True 4K Pro Surround features
The MiVue True 4K Pro Surround dashcam is a three-camera safety device that records incidents and provides alerts.
This MiVue comes with a 4K front camera, a 2.7-inch screen, two 2K rear and interior cameras, an eight-metre rear camera connection cable, a 128GB microSD card, and a three-meter cigarette lighter plug and power cord. 3M sticker pads come included for installing the cameras on the windows.
The high-resolution video tags your speed and location, which helps give a full story of the recorded events.
Beyond continuous or event recording, the MiVue also provides safety alerts, including lane departure, collision alerts, speed cameras, school zones, and warnings for exceeding the speed limit. Voice commands can also be switched on for hands-free operation.
If you want the camera to record parking incidents when you are away from the car, you will need to purchase the optional SmartBox (RRP $59), which allows you to hardwire the dashcam to your car’s electrical system.
Navman MiVue True 4K Pro Surround specifications and price
| Wireless | Wi-Fi 6 2.4 & 5GHz network bands |
| Screen | 2.7-inch IPS screen |
| Dimensions | 6 x 10 x 4 cm (front) Weight 130 grams |
| Field of view | 120° (Front) / 170° (Interior) / 135° (Rear) |
| Memory | 128GB included Supports up to 256GB microSD card |
| Price (RRP) | $529 |
| Website | Navman Australia |
| Warranty | 2 years |
Using the Navman MiVue True 4K Pro Surround dashcam
Installing the Navman MiVue True 4K Pro Surround dashcam is straightforward if you are handy. If not, or if you don’t have a half-day to spare, seek the help of a professional.
Using the optional SmartBox, I used two fuse taps to obtain power from my fuse box, then tucked all the cabling behind the car’s roof and panel lining. Once powered, the dashcam operates with default settings, with any customisations made on the dashcam’s small screen and buttons.
I must be honest and tell you I installed this camera in my wife’s brand-new car, and she has not been the happiest about the addition. She found the front screen with live view distracting, the verbal alerts mimicked those already coming from the car, and she felt that the rear camera obstructed her view of the rear window.
Let’s address each of these concerns. The screen can be changed to display alerts only, e.g. speed warnings, or can be set to turn off after 10 seconds for each event. Note that the screen cannot be turned off completely, and I would like to see this feature added as a software upgrade.
New cars come with all the safety features, such as speed camera alerts and blind spot warnings. If you have a car with this functionality, it’s best to mute the dashcam alerts. However, if you have an older car, the Navman brings these safety features into your driving world, which not only keep you safer but may also save you a speeding ticket.
Before we turned the alerts off, we noticed that in some locations the alert kept repeating for 30 seconds. This was annoying but could be easily fixed in Navman’s monthly camera update.
The rear camera is visible in our rear vision mirror, and I understand my wife’s concern, but after a few weeks of driving, it no longer becomes noticeable. Our car is a hatchback, and this means the cable constantly moves each time we open the rear door. I have no idea if this will cause an issue in the long term, but after speaking with Navman, they recommend installing the camera on the window, so this is unavoidable.
Having a third camera is not a new concept, and competitors have had a third camera mounted at the front to monitor passengers. Navman’s idea to mount a camera at the rear, which allows side vision recordings, is a winner.
I was sceptical when looking at the tiny image on the dashcam, but as soon as I downloaded the video to my PC, I became a convert. At least in our car, you can see out the side windows clearly and get a view of events that were previously impossible. This view can show side impacts and possibly forward-facing blind spots. In parking mode, this camera captures anyone peering into a side window.
However, removing footage from the camera was not straightforward. I found the Wi-Fi connectivity to be a pain, as Wi-Fi needed to be turned on in the dashcam menu every time. Then I had to change the Wi-Fi connection on my phone to the dashcam’s SSID, and finally swipe down to force a connection.
I found the process fiddly and it did not work every time, as my phone kept wanting to connect to my home network. Once you are connected, the app is limited to live viewing, file download and software updates. If you want to make any changes to the settings, you need to rely on the dashcam’s tiny screen and buttons. Once you select a video file and download it, the transfer is very slow. To overcome this, remove the microSD card and plug it into your computer.
Once you have the file on your computer, the Navman PC app does not support this model, so sorting files is a manual process. I can only presume that for this premium model, Navman will have a PC program available soon. The quality of the video files is excellent, and you will have no issues proving your version of the truth in the event of an incident.
The parking mode works well, and it was amusing to watch footage of shoppers passing our car. Fortunately, we did not need the footage for a parking impact or attempted entry.
Who is the Navman MiVu True 4K Pro Surround dash cam for?
You buy a Dashcam to be able to prove your version of events in the case of an incident. The Navman MiVue True 4K Pro Surround does an excellent job in both image quality and side vision perspectives. Dashcams traditionally only recorded forward-facing vision, while some also recorded the rear. Now, you can also record the side and interior.
If you have an older car without safety alerts, then this dashcam will help keep you safe.
My takeaway was that Navman needs to improve some of the usability features of this product, but there’s nothing that cannot be addressed with a software update.
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