Nextbase - 2K iQ Smart Dash Cam – 4G/LTE and GPS, AI, Live View App, Smart Parking & SOS - Black

I would not recommend this camera. After a year and a half, it broke, and now I have to pay $19.99 a month for an extended warranty. The customer service for this product has been frustrating; they make you jump through hoops and waste your time. They keep sending constant downloads for troubleshooting, but nothing seems to work. Customer service insists on going through troubleshooting steps with you, even though you're paying for an extended warranty. They claim it's a simple update, but it's not. I have two cameras: the 1K version and the 2K version. I repeat: don’t get the 2K version! It will break, and Nextbase will not cover it at all, even if you are paying the $19.99 monthly subscription.

Let me save you a lot of time. At the time of testing this extremely pricey dash cam. You will need a subscription to use most of the features that this dash camera provides. There is a $10 and $20 plan. There is also a free trial period for I believe 3 months for both plans. And 2 functions: Gaurdian Mode and Roadwatch A.I. are not operable yet. The rear window cam is another $200. So, if the initial price is in your budget, and monthly payments to remotely see your car anytime similar to a door bell security cam, and T-Mobile works well in your area. Read on. Let me start off with Nextbase is one of the better if not best brands in the dash cam market. I have a couple of their non-iQ cams and after a year plus, they still work and video quality is among the best. The new iQ series is very much in the running for whatever dash cam of the year awards there might be. However, despite including a OBD port and fuse tap in the box for easy hardwire installs. This new cam is not perfect...yet. Install: It may vary greatly with the phone you choose to install the cam with. I used a pixel 8 pro. Download the iQ Nextbase app. Once you plug into the OBD port the camera comes to life. Follow the prompts in the app and scan the QR code shown on the cams tiny screen. My first problem. For some reason the app chose to use my 5x zoom for this. Tried many ways to switch cam and zoom, but eventually got into the rear seat of my crew cab truck just to be able to scan the QR code on the cam. OK, got past that hurdle of pairing cam and app. Then to use live view to connect cam to window. Which BTW, if you have a large plastic shroud around your rearview mirror, most newer vehicles do. This camera being so large will sit much to the left or right of the mirror or be in line of sight under the mirror just to be able to get a clear view down your hood. Next issue. I am not in the best T-Mobile network area (full bars 5G Verizon signal). There was 30+ seconds of delay between what I saw on phone and what the cam was showing. Impossible to line up camera view...called tech support...which seems to be in the UK (5 hour time difference). Tried a few of their suggestions, not much improvement. Eventually had to pull up close to house and between wifi and 2 bar 4G got enough signal to mount dash cam in a proper orientation. Once finished, tucked all the wires for clean install. Its up and running lets go for a drive. Video Quality: I have the 2k video cam and there is a 1k and 4k variant. This is where Nextbase shines. They have excellent video quality, day or night. The cam sees everything pretty well ahead and sort of to the sides. Very similar to what many doorbell cams see, but on the road and moving 70mph. The in cab view is also very decent and easily usable day or night. My hiccup here would be that for the price, plus monthly subscription, why is the back camera another $200 add on? The rear window cam may not be completely needed for some vehicles. Yet the most driven vehicles in the USA are 4 door SUV's and trucks. BIG vehicles where a extra camera mounted as far to the rear is best and should be included at this price tag. Come on Nextbase, $240 a year in subscriptions and we can't have all the cameras for this purchase price? Using the app and notifications: The app is pretty straight forward and looks good. But new wrinkle. Without the paid subscription. The app is useless because ALL the features are behind the pay wall. You can not look at any footage. Notifications sent to phone bring you to the app where you can not see what the alert was for or video it may have taken. The default view for me is a foggy/opaque overlay with google maps below (pic) or the subscribe menu to pay for a sub. So if you are like me and don't mind not having all the bells and whistles on your security cam to just have footage stored on SD card. The iQ won't even give you that through the app. To see footage you will need to pull the SD card and view on a PC. BUT, if you pay monthly. You do get access to Live View and other footage in 1 minute clips, Many Many Many 1 minute clips. I'm sure this is to cut down on data traffic, and my spotty T-Mobile 4g is very slow where I am testing causing 20 second or more wait times in app. Even paying for a sub does not help me much from home. And 2 of the features are still locked out, Gaurdian Mode and Roadwatch A.I. Not sure if this device will get them or how soon. TBD Overall: I have to say that once through the technical install hurdles, which many may not experience. And if you can afford to spend this much for vehicle security. The potential that this camera offers for video security on your vehicle is pretty good, but not perfect. Nextbase has a good product to tweak. Not sure why they didn't use a 360 camera for this application. Driver door and passenger door are potential blind spots. And because there is not tilt or turn to the camera mount (which is fairly large BTW and may attract unwanted attention). You might not see interactions with the police/roadrager if you have a traffic stop. You can at least hear it if you turn audio on. Even though it may seem to be a somewhat negative review. I am happy to be able to test this product out. It is likely too expensive for the majority of the population who would happily buy other excellent Nextbase cams for accident coverage. And I strongly believe everyone needs at least a basic dashcam because everyone lies in an accident. I think the subscription model, a very high price and missing features are mostly why I can't recommend this to a friend. But like many things. Sales and promos, remove a few restrictions on the app and future updates and this will be what many of us will buy if not already preinstalled like Tesla has done.

The Nextbase iQ 2K smart dash cam is the start of a new era. Dash cams are immensely useful in providing video evidence for insurance claims or to just play back interesting moments from your drive. Some will even keep recording after the car has shut off which essentially turns it into a security camera while you’re parked. Which brings us to the Nextbase iQ series of smart dash cams. It’s full of innovative features like live video streaming, live GPS monitoring, proximity monitoring, cloud stored footage, “Witness Mode”, “Guardian Mode”, and a few others that bring them a big step forward into the automobile security and surveillance category. The cloud save feature alone covers a huge weak spot in terms of dash cam security. My old dash cam system records for 12 hours after I park, which makes it a handy surveillance camera if something happens around my car. However, if someone were to break into my car and steal the dash cam itself, well then I’m up the creek without a paddle. The iQ solves that problem by automatically backing up footage in the cloud, so not only can you see the event of when your car was stolen, but presumably the footage after if it hasn’t been shut off. You can also live stream the footage from all of the cameras which is really neat, though there’s a solid 5 seconds of delay to contend with. The lag might not matter much in the practical day to day operations of the camera, but I can see it being annoying if I had to try to converse with someone in the car over the app. Which encapsulates a lot of what the experience with the iQ 2K is like right now. There’s a lot of genuinely neat and useful smart features promised, but they either lack polish or are not available yet. For example, there’s a proximity mode that supposedly analyzes activity around your car and sends you notifications if something suspicious might be happening. However, I’ve tried to set it off personally and have never gotten a notification. Maybe I needed to shake the car, but it certainly didn’t respond to any kind of visual threats. If that’s what it’s looking for. I honestly don’t know how it’s supposed to work, but the concept is cool. I’ve also found that a bunch of times I could not get the camera to wake up from the app. You need to wake it up to get the current location and review recent footage, but it doesn’t always work when the car is parked and off. The “Witness mode” feature is one of the most compelling in that you give it a voice activated command and it’ll automatically dial up 2 designated emergency contacts and play a live feed of what’s happening for them to witness. I absolutely love this concept and it’s one of the most compelling features the iQ has. I also have not been able to get it to activate yet, but that might be a setup issue. I’d like to report on the Guardian mode and Roadwatch A.I. but they’re currently unavailable for now. There’s also supposed to be a way to do 2 way communications through the app to the dash cam speaker, but that feature is also unavailable for now. Keep in mind, this is the first gen of smart dash cams, so there’s going to be some bumps along the way and firmware updates can fix a lot of issues. The critical part is how quickly Nextbase gets everything working and ready. There’s a price to be paid for being an early adopter, both figuratively and financially. This is not a cheap unit. I get that it’s new, it has a great camera, is well built, and comes with a nicely appointed installation kit, but it’s a hefty price tag for something that needs a monthly subscription for the smart features to work. Without either of the available 4G LTE subscription plans, the iQ is essentially just a basic dash cam and there’s much cheaper options if you’re going to do that. No, if you’re getting the iQ you’re subscribing and hopefully by then all of the bugs and planned features will be working smoothly. I can see a future where they subsidize these cameras with an annual plan (a la cellphones). And despite all of the early adopter flaws, I’m absolutely excited by this thing. Not just by what it is, but the example of how it’s reimagining what dash cams can do. Who needs a car alarm when you have actual high def footage with sound, GPS location, and time stamps? If you don’t mind the price tag and the frustrations of being an early tech adopter, I think you’ll love what this camera will eventually do. The live feed, cloud storage, and GPS tracking are reasons enough to get it now, but you’ll have to be patient for the other features to start working. PROS - Relatively easy installation - Install kit is nicely equipped (every add a fuse!) - Excellent picture quality - IR in-cabin camera for good night vision - Excellent microphone pick up - Well built - Wide field of view - Promising smart features - Not just a dash cam, but a security system - Like having a Nest cam for your car - Footage saved on mini SD and backed up in the cloud - App has battery saver feature - App controlled alarm CONS - 5 seconds of delay on live stream - Sometimes dash cam will not wake up remotely and am unable to check on it - Cannot change recording segment length - App needs more development - Some smart features are not ready at all or not working properly - Expensive hardware - Subscription needed for smart features - Relatively large camera system to mount - No rear camera included - Can only angle camera up and down, cannot rotate angle of camera sideways - Time stamp on stored footage title is off by hours, but correct on live feed

Let me begin by giving a some information on the hardware. I love the look of the device. It’s very modern, sleek, not too big, not too heavy. It attaches to your windshield via 3M tape. I would rather have a suction cup but so far so good. I love the way the blue light shines. It gives futuristic vibes. I’m sure those who don’t normally ride in the car with you will ask what is this thing? So I’m sure attention will be drawn to it. I have it connected to the obd power supply which is conveniently located in my vehicle. Cables are also supplied to have this hardwired to the car. Installation wasn’t an issue for me but find a way to run the cables so they are hidden was a challenge in my vehicle. Maybe others won’t experience this. The video is great. Not full 4k but to me 2k is good enough for this. Very clear and crisp video. Unlike traditional dash cams, there is no screen on the unit so everything is seen through your phone. It takes getting used to as I’m am used to seeing everything right there on the dash cam. Wide viewing angles. Much wider than the other dash cam I own. Because of this placement shouldn’t be a problem. It comes with a 32 sd card but you can upgrade that with any micro sd card to have more storage. You can also purchase a rear camera for even more viewing options. Also, to see the stream from the dash cam you will need to download Nextbase’s iQ app and set up an account. Yes to view the video you need their app. In the app you’re able to access all kinds of neat features. Features like event notifications, cloud storage, remote connect live view (for when you’re not in your car and you want to view the stream), etc. The big downfall to all of this is that you must sign up for a subscription to access these features. There is a free subscription but it is very limited. You’re able to view the camera and receive alerts on the free plan. The other plans allow more features at a fee of $9.99 a month or $19.99 per month. When viewing the live stream there is a delay. Too long for my liking. It may be about 6 seconds the last time I timed it. With the way technology is nowadays no one likes to wait even if it’s a few seconds. Especially if you’re paying for it via subscription. But the purpose is not just for live stream but to have video of the vehicle and its surroundings so I can live with the delay. I feel like this can be a great device but honestly the subscription is a turn off for me. And you need to the subscription to justify the price of the device because otherwise you’re not using it to its fullest extent. You are allowed a 3 month free trial before deciding to take the dive with the monthly subscription. I’m sure Nextbase will listen to their customers and change a few things that we don’t like. But it has great potential and I look forward to what’s in store with updates. If you don’t mind paying the subscription after the 3 month free trial then I believe this won’t be a bad purchase. Nextbase is known for its dashcams and it will get better with time and updates.

This is a really nice dash camera/vehicle security system. But it better be for the price and the cost of the subscription. In the box you get the camera, a connection cable with OBD2 adaptor pre-connected, several different fuse connection adapters, a tool to help stuff the cable into trim, some decals saying “Protected by NextBase” and a card with a QR code/website URL to take you to the installation instructional video. Setup was fairly easy once I got to the instructions. First, you need to download the app and open it up. Then, connect the cable to the OBD2 port, turn the car on and connect the camera to the cable. Then follow the instructions on the app to finish the setup, including installing updates and starting your subscription. The camera uses 4g to connect to the internet. Your subscription basically pays for that connection functionality. NextBase does give you a 3-month trial to start. The actual camera unit is quite large compared to other dashcams I’ve used. It has a front facing camera and a cabin facing camera. You can add an additional rear facing camera if you want one for an additional $199 (at the time of this review). The camera unit consists of 2 parts connected by a hinge. The base connects to the window and houses the connection electronics and ring status LED. There are two antennas connected to it. Then there is the camera section with a lens on each side and a small status LCD. Unfortunately, there is no user manual in the box. It’s all online. Figuring out all the functions would be a lot easier with a nice, compact instruction manual you can keep in the glovebox. I did find one on the site after some searching. There is no link on the product page that I could find. I had to go to the support section of the site. There are quite a few light flashing status patterns on this dashcam. There are also a ton of icons that can be displayed on the little LCD screen. Figuring out what each means will take me a while. When you open the app, it brings you to the live view page. As you might expect, this is where you can activate the cameras to see live views. You can also see where your car is on a map. The History tab lets you access all the video files. Each video file is 30 seconds long. It keeps separate lists of your events (parking or impact), your library and your downloaded videos. Impact events can include an accident, opening the car door, hitting a pothole or bump in the street. The camera also detects and records motion around the vehicle. When it detects motion, lights flash very noticeably as not only status information but also to serve as a warning that something is noticing people walking by. There are only a few negatives. As mentioned earlier, the camera is quite large and noticeable in the windshield. Another concern is the use of 4G. Eventually this technology will be discontinued (like 3G last year). I’ve read this could be as soon as 2030. I couldn’t tell if there is a battery in this dashcam or not. If there is, will the battery die before the end of 4G and make this useless? I could not find any information about replacing a battery. The app can be a little slow sometimes as it waits for the camera. And finally, the lack of a physical manual is a little disappointing. Conclusion: This thing makes my other dashcams feel like toys. It feels very sturdy, has features I’ve never seen on other dashcam systems and so far, it has worked really well. However, this thing is not inexpensive. Especially considering the subscription. If you have an older car and just want something to record while you are driving, this is not for you. If you are looking for something that is more of a 24-hour security or evidence recording system for an expensive vehicle and cost is no object, this might be for you.