Customer Ratings & Reviews

I’ve gone through 4 other dash cams in the last week try to find one that would suit my needs. This one is 2k so it’s going to use up memory cards a lot faster, but the image is very sharp and detailed. The app is a little buggy but it works ok for playback on your phone. This dash cam has a reset button on the bottom, which I used to reset unit. Some dash cams have no reset button. Word of caution you must use a high speed V30 card because of the 2k image. Slower cards will not work. See photo. Image is very large on the screen, which is very nice! Hoping to keep this one - see photos.

I've had this and the optional rear cam set up in 18 tts for a couple weeks. Like the title states if you know what to expect when you get into it then this is a great option in my opinion. I did a ton of research and watched many video comparisons and after coming to reality with what can truly be captured by any of these units I settled on this for a few reasons. 4k is fairly useless until the processors used can actually capture license plates. Only in certain lighting can this or any style capture the writing on a license plate. The built in battery is enough for my daily commute and parking at work only needing to capture one event if/ when it happens and the g sensor is decent. The video playback is above par for both front and rear but the rear does suffer in my vehicle at night. My one complaint is for some reason the rear output via the overlay is mirrored but when i tap it to open the full screen view it corrects itself and the actual video playback from the card is correct. So not a huge issue. I waited a couple weeks to write this to make sure everything would hold up and so far I'm happy enough to recommend.

I have been researching on a quality dash cam for weeks now. I was set on getting a Thinkware Q800 PRO and when I went to buy it I saw the Nextbase line of cameras. I was intrigued by the features and after I left BestBuy I did some research on Nextbase. I finally decided to buy it and give it a try...here’s how it went. The application is one of my favorite parts of the camera user experience. You do a firmware update over the app as soon as you get. On the application you can configure camera settings, anything from managing storage and changing settings can be handled on both the camera and application. It hasn’t gotten past 105 degrees since I bought the camera and it gets very hot. We’ll have to see what happens at our higher 115 degree days. I also get a very shaky image because the mount has a space and it doesn’t sit fully flush to the windshield so any vibrations from the car idling cause a vary shaky image. My main gripe is that I’ve seen plenty of videos of the Q800 Pro from Thinkware where it can easily capture better license plate details while vehicles are moving at high speeds. The camera also gets a bad glare from the sun, noted that it does have a polarizing lens and it helps but again, the Thinkware videos I’ve seen don’t seem to have this issue. The glare doesn’t affect the bottom portion where the cars are seen driving but it’s still annoying. Night time videos are clear, but again I can’t capture too many license plate details. I haven’t use the Alexa feature, I think it’s gimmicky and prefer Google, lol. The SOS feature is something I think is very smart but again I haven’t used it, thankfully! Overall the image quality is good, the application is great and I think that saves this camera. I am going to pick up the Q800 PRO and see which I like best.

Setup, installation and user interface are a breeze to navigate. Absolutely recommend. 1440p resolution at 30fps Parking mode to record while vehicle is unattended. Issues: time and date kept resetting on its own, but was fixed after a few attempts of recalibrating.

Love the quality of recording, setting up the dashcam was easy and touchscreen is very responsive. Only thing I hated is built-in battery power doesn’t last long (recommend wired power kit) and syncing to smartphone (iPhone) takes long and saving videos to download to smartphone is difficult at times. Hope updates fix the problem soon. But I would recommend this brand over the others.

I have had this camera for about a year now. At first i was overwhelmed with the setup part. You have to download the app and link it to your phone. This enhanced the features. It has emergency icons on it. If an accident occurs it can send the videos to local authority lawyers emergency contacts whoever you choose. This particular model also connects to rear view cameras. I unfortunately don't have rear view cameras but i wish i did. Deleting the videos to save space can be tedious sometimes... But its a small price to pay to have a piece of mind. I have it right behind my rear view mirror mounted on the windshield. I keep it connected to stay charged all the time. It can easily be removed from the mount for reviewing videos. It records sound and image... Very clear image. Impressive quality for how small it is. I keep the lens clean and the windshield clean for best results. I have caught people running red lights swerving in the road and we have even played it back to settle arguments. Lol. Its definitely the best witness you will have. Its peripheral vision is really good. It says under the product details the distance in peripheral vision i cant remember exactly but it captures more than enough while driving. It also has a setting where you can record after you set your car in park as well. Just keep in mind it will fill the card up faster. All in all i love it. I would buy another. I'm thinking about getting my dad 1 as well. Only thing i recommend is buying the highest gb sd card you can find. It is alexa capable and you can take it with you in any vehicle as long as you have a mount that's easy to move from car to car.

As of mid 2019, the Nextbase 522GW is the only Dash Cam that has Alexa voice recognition built in - which is why this device is priced higher than many other models. The feature works quite well, but if you have no desire to use Alexa in your car, then you can save money by selecting a different dash cam (Such as the Nextbase 322GW). Be aware that Alexa is NOT able to record traffic photos or video. In order to ensure video is captured and saved, users still have to manually hit the button on the bottom of the physical camera - which moves the file into a saved folder. But, having Alexa in the car is very convenient as it can be used to play music, check weather, add items to a calendar, and even add items to a grocery list. Alexa is just a touch slower than the response time on an Amazon device (such as the Dot, Echo Dot, or Show), but it is a feature that I believe most people will find useful. Besides having Alexa, the 522GW has nearly every other feature that can be found in a dash cam. The only exception is a backwards facing camera that would film the inside of the car - and this can be purchased as an accessory that clicks into the side of the dash cam. Here are the reasons why I ranked the 522GW as 4 stars instead of 5: - If you wear polarized sunglasses then you cannot see the dash cam screen. - The Alexa feature cannot be used to record video or pictures. This is a HUGE fail. Being able to simply say “Alexa, Record that!” would have been very convenient and an important reason to have voice recognition on a dash cam. - Upon starting the car, it takes a full minute before the Amazon Alexa feature is usable. This means you have to wait to start your music by voice command - which is rather annoying. Luckily, the unit does play a chime to let the driver know when Alexa is enabled - WIth this dash cam, Alexa does not appear to be able to play from or control Spotify. - The parking mode is too sensitive (even when the g-force sensor is set to low). It saved a video every time I got into my car which filled up my memory card with videos that I did not need. - Using the phone App to view the camera life or to download files takes quite a long time. It works better to simply remove the memory card from the dash cam and plug it directly into a computer. - The camera uses a mini USB cable instead of the more popular Micro USB, or USB-C. Luckily, the cable is included and there is not often a need to remove the camera from the vehicle. - The camera puts a “Nextbase” tag at the bottom of the video & pictures. This mode cannot be turned off - however the watermark can be manually cropped out of each video without losing any important visuals. - The Physical Camera is designed for use in Europe (where the drivers side is on the opposite side as in the United States). This means that the attachment that records the inside of the car is on the right side of the Dash Cam. If users want to record video of their car’s cabin, they will need to place the dash cam on the passenger side of the car (so that the rear-view mirror does not block the camera). When mounted on the passenger’s side of the car, video does not have the driver within full view. The other option would be to mount the camera right in front of the driver - but, this would block the driver’s field of view - which is dangerous. - The package does not come with any cable mounts. Cable mounts may not be required, but as they are so incredibly inexpensive - it would have been nice to have a couple included to help with routing the cord out of view. - The package does NOT come with any memory card and they physical device does not have any internal memory. - The set-up instructions do not include any mention of how to use the suction mount. ****I recommend viewing the full User Manual online at the following web address**** https://cdn.nextbase.com/nextbase-en-gb/2019/03/NBDVR522GW-User-Manual_R3.pdf Overall, Nextbase has been very thoughtful in designing the camera to work well and to be user friendly. It does come with a polarized lense that does an excellent job reducing windshield glare. Simply twist the ring around the lense until the glare of the dashboard can no longer be seen on the screen. Personally, I greatly appreciate that snapping pictures is as simple as just tapping on the middle of the touch-screen. If the screen saver is on, you will need to tap twice. The first tap will turn the screen on, then you can tap to take a still photo. With Nextbase, Photos are saved to their own folder - separately from saved videos and a 3rd folder which saves the videos that are recorded over in a loop as the memory card reaches capacity. Both video and still photos have excellent clarity which allows users to easily read license plates on the cars in view. And, because the images are high definition, users can zoom in pretty closely once the file is on a computer. Another brilliant design feature is that the camera does not need to be plugged in using the power cord. The 12-24V power cable plugs into the mounting base which then holds the camera securely using a magnetic connection. This means that users can simply pull the camera off of the mount without having to actually unplug it. This ensures that the power cable is undisturbed and continues to be hidden away. What might be most impressive (after Alexa functionality) is the SOS Feature (which actually is free to use). The 522GW allows you to fill out a quick emergency profile which is emailed to the user’s emergency contact & insurance company if it senses that there has been an accident. The email includes GPS coordinates so that the vehicle can be located if the driver is unresponsive. The 522GW is easily the best Dash Cam that I have experienced, and for those who want Alexa functionality in their car - I absolutely recommend it. Other Tips: 1) Video Length: By default the camera records in 1 minute increments. This can be adjusted to 1, 2, or 3 minute videos. 2) By default the camera is saving duplicate videos - one high quality and another low quality. This is to help reduce file transfer times when moving videos onto a phone or computer. I suggest turning this feature off to maximize the number of high quality videos that can be saved on the memory card.

Aside from a few quarks, this is a near perfect dash cam with all the bells and whistles. Unboxing: The unit comes with a lot of goodies but lacks a Micro SD card, so you will need to get that separate. Keep in mind this thing records non-stop at 1440p, so I highly recommend getting a “high endurance” U3 rated memory card, one that is designed for speed and constant use. Other than that, it comes with the unit, a mini type B USB cable (not micro and not C), auto power cable, adhesive doc, suction cup mount, cable wedge thingie and manual. I was very surprised it came with mini USB and not micro USB or USB C. This is now the only device I have that uses mini USB. Luckily, I do not plan to unplug it often so it is not a huge deal, just surprising. Set up: First, it states you must charge it for two hours prior to use. After that, you should download the app, pair it with your phone and then decide how you want to mount it. As stated, it comes with the windshield adhesive mount and a suction cup mount. I went with the adhesive mount placing it near my rearview mirror. The power cable has more than enough slack to route it up through your car’s trim, under the steering wheel area and into the power socket. The software setup is a little weird… As stated, you should download the app, when setting it up you can tell it is a company from a different county as there are many little details such as “town” instead of city you will notice in the prompts. It is not a huge deal, but you should look out to make sure everything is properly set up for your geographic area. Use: This thing is a powerhouse! The touch screen is pretty clear if you need it. While driving the only thing you might need it for is to take a quick photo with a tap in the middle of the screen. There is a button on the bottom center of the screen which will “protect” the latest video in the event of an incident so you can download it later. When I stopped my car, I opened the app and it offered to offload my 3 “protected” videos that I saved to test. With my limited use I could be wrong, but it appears if you offload to the app onto your phone, a 30 second movie will be around 10mb in side. If you upload the full 3mb video (you can set them to 1, 2 or 3 minutes), it will be around 600 mb. It seems the smaller 30 second ones are at a lower resolution when downloaded. Again, I might be wrong but so far as I can tell, if you want the full 1440P version, you might need to take the memory card out and put it in your computer. What I found really cool is the SOS feature. If the device detects an accident, it will look for an acknowledgement from you on your phone, if it goes unanswered, it will report the incident to local emergency services along with your latitude and longitude. I clearly have not had a chance to test it since I haven’t had an accident, but it provides great peace of mind. I believe the device comes with 12 months free then pay after that. Alexa integration is built in. There is no navigation, but you can link it up for normal Alexa use such as timers, weather, music, audible, etc. Useful but not the most important thing. GPS is built into the device, I am not sure how much it pulls from GPS itself and how much it pulls from the phone as it looks like my phone is using GPS more since I synced up the device, individual experiences might vary. Also cool is the lens polarization. When setting it up, if you see any glare from the windshield, rotate the lens and it will polarize it to reduce the issue. A simple but extremely useful feature. I recommend you go into the menu and turn on “auto power off” as it will run off battery until drained if you do not. To go with this there is a parking feature which will detect and report parking incidents while you are away, I cannot vouch for the effectiveness of this as no issues happened during my use. Cons: As stated, I was a little annoyed with the setup as there are a lot of little issues with regions. The device should probably come with a micro SD card, at least in small capacity to get users started. Overall, the device has more pros than cons, so it is easy to forgive. Summary: A great device that provides piece of mind. It is worth the money to protect you from insurance issues and provide an extra layer of emergency protection. Setup is not hard but ensure you pay attention to the options and make sure you register for SOS. Also, buy a good micro SD card to go with it!

I think that a good dash camera is a necessity for the piece of mind. My wife was a victim of hit and run once and the person responsible for it was never found. When selecting a dash cam - few main features matters the most. Video quality - to be honest this Next Base camera has one of the best in class! Very clear image, I'm able to freeze frame and look up the license plates of the cars in front of me no problem, 2560x1440 resolution is a nice compromise between file size and picture quality. Night time recordings are good as well. Camera does come with integrated polarization filter which can be adjusted (turned) to cut the glare off. Parking mode recording (in case your car gets hit while parked outside) - this model does have this capability, however it relies on it's small 320mAh Li-Pol battery for the parking mode operation. There is no buffering (it takes camera about 2.5 seconds to wake up after shock sensor is triggered and start recording) so your best bet is to see whoever hit your car drive away, you won't be able to see the impact. Phone connection - NextBase app has a pretty poor reviews in the app store, but my experience was pretty good - I did not have any connection issues. Drawback that I've noticed is that camera requires phone to connect to it's own WiFi, camera does not seem to be able just to connect to my car's WiFi HotSpot for updates and cloud uploads, therefore WiFi connectivity is limited to the times your phone is not engaged in CarPlay and NextBase app is running in the background. Mounting and accessories - camera comes with adhesive GPS mount (GPS receiver is integrated into the mount, not into the camera itself), cigarette lighter power cord, one spare adhesive pad and a plastic trim tool. Hardwire kit (2 wire only, no ignition sensing wire) is available separately. In addition - there are 3 ways to add a rear facing camera as a module! Either mounted on the back window or telephoto camera mounted directly to dash cam facing the back or even a passenger view camera module! Overall - it's a great camera with modern features, I did not use Alexa that much - but if you are Alexa fan - it would work great! It has emergency call feature as well (in case if shock sensors detect a hard impact and I assume camera still has power and did not fly away, plus NextBase app is running in the background) - camera would prompt you to initiate an emergency call and give you 120 seconds to cancel. One major drawback for me is that camera has internal Lithium-polymer battery which is sensitive to heat and I live in Texas. So I would need to remove the camera if parked in the sun. User manual says that 113F is the maximum operating temperature and we can easily exceed that in Texas heat.

Got 3 of these for my car and both my daughters who are new drivers. Too many dishonest crazy drivers not to have one.

Worked for 2 days then had to format my SD card, by the 5th day the screen was bright white. Best Buy installed my dashcam as well, problem with that is they didn’t return any of of packaging that came with it so I no longer can return it . Absolutely wasted over $300 in total with installation and cabin view camera. How can I return something when you’re employee threw away the original packaging?? What good is the receipt now .

Everyone has their own reasons to own a dashcam but mine is to simply hold people accountable to their actions. So what is important to me is a high enough definition camera that can read license plates. This camera does that and more. Pros: • Solidly built • Solid mount options • Wifi transfer files to your phone • Robust phone app and desktop app • High viewing angle of the high resolution screen Cons: • Transfer speeds of vids to your phone can be slow (around 5 mins for 1 min vid) • Expensive (but worth it) The kit comes with everything you need to install and tuck your wires in for a clean install. You do need to purchase a memory card. The windshield mount can either be 3M taped or suction cupped. The suction cup isn’t just the run of the mill type. It’s a very well thought out and hasn’t budged even with 100 degree temps. Once mounted, the camera is actually magnetically attached. Nice touch there! Initial setup is painless but the firmware update did take over 20 mins. Daytime vids are clear and can easily read license plates. The built in polarizing filter is a nice touch to help with the glare. Nighttime vids are surprisingly high quality but you won’t be able to read license plates due to over exposure from your headlights. I leave my on 1080p even though it can go up to 1440p. File sizes to transfer at the largest resolution can be daunting. A bonus feature is the parking mode. This will record videos if it detects motion or feels a bump. My only gripe with the parking mode is that it doesn’t record before the “incident” but only after. My ring doorbell does a better job at this as I feel the moment before a motion or bump is critical footage. Video transfer is via its own wifi signal. This is a feature that I was looking for because my prior dashcam didn’t have wifi so I had to take the memory card out and view the vids on my laptop. This nextbase dashcam will allow you to view your vids straight to your phone. The phone app is so robust that it overlays speed, a map of your path and g forces during your video clip. All very handy for insurance claims! The computer app is even more robust and allows you to upload to their cloud for free. I’m impressed that it’s a free cloud service! In summary, I do highly recommend this dashcam to anyone looking to help keep honest people honest. This may be the best dash cam out there for the money.

The Nextbase 522GW dashcam demonstrates good quality and good performance. It is not a new model, having been introduced in 2019. A high quality dashcam video can be of extraordinary importance by documenting precisely what occurred in a traffic accident or incident, and the video quality of the Nextbase 522GW is excellent. The Nextbase 522GW comes with a 12’ power cord with cigarette lighter / accessory power port plug (an accessory hardwired installation kit is optional), a ”Click & Go PRO GPS Mount” windshield mount with a 3M adhesive pad and a second, spare 3M adhesive mounting pad, a USB cable for downloading videos from the dashcam to a PC and a plastic trim tool for prying the vehicle’s interior trim to conceal the power cable. The 522GW contains a Lithium Polymer rechargeable battery which requires charging. The 522GW does not come standard with a Micro SD card, which is required for operation, nor does it come with the hardwired power installation kit. The 522GW requires a UHS-1 Class 10 or U3 (U3 required if optional rear camera is utilized), SDHC or SDXC Micro SD card of up to 128 GB capacity. Nextbase recommends using Nextbase memory cards for best performance, as well as formatting them on a regular, albeit frequent basis. I obtained a 64 GB Nextbase U3 card for use in the Nextbase 522GW. The 522GW has a single, front camera, but it is capable of two channel recording with an optional rear camera accessory. The Nextbase 522GW has a maximum resolution of 2560x1440 (QHD) at 30 fps. The 522GW can also record at 1080 at 60 fps and 1080 at 30 fps. With an optional rear camera, the rear camera can record at 720 at 30 fps when the front camera is recording at either 1440 at 30fps or 1080 at 60 fps. If the front camera resolution is set down to 1080 at 30 fps the rear camera can also record at 1080 at 30 fps. The video recording format is .MP4. The camera sensor is 5.14 megapixels and the lens has an f 1.3 aperture and 140° field of view, and is equipped with a rotating, polarized filter. The 522GW also has a microphone and will record audio unless switched off (in the Settings Menu). The Nextbase 522GW has an integral 3.0” HD, 960x480, IPS Touchscreen LCD display. The display may be switched off (to prevent driver distraction), or set to Screen Dimming mode for night operation. This large and clear touchscreen display is genuinely excellent. All setup and operational functions are easily controlled using the large touchscreen display to access the menus. Additionally, the MyNextbase Connect app (Android or iOS) provides an extremely convenient means of controlling the 522GW, including real-time configuration and a great deal more! I found it easiest to set up the new Nextbase 522GW using the MyNextbase Connect app, which also downloaded and installed a firmware update on the dashcam, and performed an initial format of the MicroSD card. Thanks to the touchscreen controls and smartphone app controls there are only a few physical, switches on the of the 522GW, comprised of a Power Switch, a Reset Button and a Video File Protection (lock) Button. Since the screen is large, and the menu layouts and even the font size are well designed and implemented, the Nextbase 522GW is the easiest dashcam to manage and operate on the physical device, in my experience. However, it is just as easily and quickly configured and managed with the MyNextbase Connect app. Locked videos are preserved and protected from overwriting during the continuous loop recording which allows almost indefinite use of the Micro SD card with new videos overwriting the oldest video files once the memory card capacity has been reached. (The available hours of recording capacity is governed by the size/capacity of the Micro SD card coupled with the selected video resolution, wherein higher-resolution video files occupy more storage space and decrease the number of files which may occupy the memory card prior to being overwritten with newer recordings). Nextbase represents that a 64 GB card, like I am using, will store 5.43 hours of 1440 30 fps video. By default, the 522GW creates and stores two copies of each video segment. Both a high-resolution file and a low-resolution file will be stored, with the low-resolution file intended for easy and fast mobile downloading and editing. This feature may be deselected in the menus, allowing more high-resolution files to remain on the memory card for a longer duration. GPS functionality is integral to the 522GW. GPS data is embedded with the video files to display route graphics and vehicle speed on linked Google Maps or Open Street Maps within the MyNextbase Player PC application and MyNextbase Connect smartphone app. Videos can be edited, annotated, titled, combined and shared with these easy to use, powerful apps. Several instances of the MyNextbase Player app remained resident in PC memory, even after the application has been closed which required use of Windows Task Manager to close each memory resident process. The 522GW has an accelerometer (referred to in the manual as a G-Sensor) which has three sensitivity level settings. In Driving Mode, a collision impact should result in locking the current video file for preservation. Intelligent Parking Mode is supported when the Nextbase 522GW dashcam is installed with the optional Hardwire kit. Parking Mode is supposed to activate 30 second protected recordings (according to the PDF manual) or 1-2 minute protected recordings (according to the MyNextbase Connect app) when the ignition power is off and the G-Sensor detects motion. I have not yet experimented with and evaluated the Parking Modes of the dashcam. Physical installation of the Nextbase 522GW dashcam was relatively quick and easy. The supplied Click & Go PRO GPS Mount is affixed to the windshield with a 3M adhesive pad. A spare 3M adhesive pad is included for use in a second vehicle, or for replacement of the original adhesive. The Power Supply Cord, (cigarette lighter or optional Hardwire Kit), plugs into the Click & Go PRO GPS Mount, and not into the mini USB port on the dashcam. There are electrical contacts embedded in the mount, which mate with contacts on the front of the dashcam (which has a cardboard, non-tethered dust cover). Evidently GPS components ( GPS antenna and/or GPS chip), are resident in the windshield mount, as the dashcam’s GPS function is not active unless attached to the windshield mount. The physical connection is accomplished with a very powerful magnetic mating that actually presents strong resistance when you endeavor to detach the dashcam from the mount. Configuration of the 522GW dashcam is simple and straightforward. The menus are clear and logical, and afford good flexibility in the setup configuration. Operation of the 522GW dashcam is extremely simple, as well. The dashcam boots up when vehicle power is supplied, and immediately begins recording. Using the touchscreen menus is convenient and easy. Recording must first be stopped to access the settings menus. While driving and recording, touching the center of the touchscreen captures a still photograph (.jpg file) at the same resolution as the video setting. This is the simplest and most convenient means of snapping photographs with dashcams. The video quality produced by the Nextbase 522GW is excellent. I experimented with various recording settings and compared the videos. I found the 1080p at 60 fps recordings to be very clear, but the superior 1440p at 30 fps resolution was noticeably better. Among the easy to see differences in videos are the clarity and readability of license plates of vehicles in front of your vehicle. Even the clarity of road signs is greatly improved at higher resolutions. In addition to the outstanding touchscreen access to dashcam settings and video viewing, the MyNextbase Connected smartphone app is extremely useful for those purposes. Setting up the app for use involves pairing the smartphone with the dashcam via Bluetooth. However, for the more bandwidth intensive utilization of live camera viewing as well as viewing or downloading video files, the app switches to a Wi-Fi connection between the phone and the dashcam. I did not experience any impediments viewing or downloading the much larger, high resolution .mp4 video files, and I elected to dispense with recording “Dual Files” which creates an additional low resolution version of each recording, thereby consuming more storage space on the memory card resulting in older files being overwritten by the new recordings much sooner. The MyNextbase Connected app includes video editing functionality, but I found that to be more convenient when using the MyNextbase Player PC app (Windows). Downloading video files from the dashcam to the PC with the supplied USB cable was fast, and performing editing on the laptop and saving and sharing the edited videos was also easy. It took many attempts and far too much time and effort to finally get Alexa and the 522GW paired and interoperating. Nextbase telephone support was unreachable after holding a full 60 minutes in the telephone queue. I also have experienced a failure of the MyNextbase Connected app to establish a connection with the dashcam just a couple of hours after it was operating perfectly well. This issue was finally resolved when I re-paired the dashcam to my smartphone. Overall, I find the Nextbase 522GW to be an excellent 1440p / QHD dashcam, with a very good set of features and solid performance. The most important attributes for any dashcam is good, clear, high-quality video coupled with reliable performance and ease of use. The Nextbase 522GW certainly meets all expectations, and the critically important video quality and clarity also meet expectations. I’m certainly pleased to have the Nextbase 522GW mounted on my windshield!

Bought this product because I usually spend my time driving across the country and needed a camera to protect myself while on the road. I have had these product for several months and I do not recommend these product. It has to many errors in the software applications and it becomes very hard to use. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t . Too expensive to have this issues. touch screen will stop working and downloading clips will freeze and not upload. Bestbuy has to review the quality assurance of this product and company because it obviously doesn’t work properly.

I’ve owned many dashcams over the years, and the 522GW is my first from NextBase. The design of this camera is elegant with its sleek matte black plastic exterior with brushed nickel accents that’s all curves and smooth edges. While compact, the camera is hefty for its size, weighing about 4.5 oz. I like that the magnetic mount is integrated into the front face, rather than on top, and the magnetic hold is strong and firm. This durable mount also features pass-through power from the GPS portion adhered to your windshield, so you don’t need to plug any wires directly into the camera. This makes it really easy to mount/dismount the camera when needed. This camera has no internal memory, and NextBase recommends using their U3 microSD (up to 128GB) to guarantee compatibility. The 522GW features a 3-inch diagonal LCD, 2K max video resolution (1440p @ 30 FPS), Emergency SOS, and built-in Alexa. Just note that Emergency SOS requires a monthly subscription, but is free for the first year, and only works when used with the GPS and if paired with a smartphone over Bluetooth. Use of Alexa also requires a paired phone and linking of your Amazon account in the NextBase app. There is a mini-HDMI out port on the right-hand-side that can be used to attach a secondary camera, like a rear/reverse camera or cabin facing camera, sold separately. Before first use, you’ll need to charge the unit indoors for a couple hours using the included miniUSB cable. During initial setup, make sure the camera is attached to the GPS module, and you’ve connected the power directly to the GPS rather than to the camera body, otherwise you will not be able to setup Emergency SOS. You’ll also need the My NextBase and Alexa apps installed on your smartphone to enable all features. After pairing with my phone, the camera detected and downloaded a firmware update over a WiFi connection, though if it doesn’t do this automatically, you can connect the camera to a computer and complete firmware updates manually. Attaching the adhesive mount on my windshield was straightforward, though once placed, the 3M sticker is difficult to remove and re-use. You do have some amount of freedom after placement to adjust the camera’s position since the mount has a rotating ball-joint. If you want to move the mount or use the dashcam in another car, an extra 3M sticker and backing plate is included in the box. A trim tool is also provided, so you can run the power cable to the accessory power port and hide it underneath the trim for a clean, wire-free look. There are only 2 buttons on the camera: the power button and a “protect recording” button. The rest of the features are accessed via the touch-screen with taps and swipes, like on a smartphone, and the interface is fairly intuitive. If your car’s accessory port only receives power when the car is running, the dashcam will automatically power up and start recording when the car is started and shuts off after a short delay when the engine is switched off. You can set the camera to continue to record events while parked by enabling “Parking Mode.” When a bump to the vehicle is detected, the camera records a 30-second protected video, followed by an unlocked video until 30 seconds after physical motion is no longer detected. However, this runs off the camera’s internal battery which doesn’t last very long, about 1 day standby or 15-20 minutes of recording time on a full charge. If you want to use Parking Mode regularly, I recommend using a hardwire kit for permanent power. At the highest resolution, the image quality during the day is clear and crisp, and you’ll be able to make out the license plate numbers of cars within one to two car lengths from you. There’s a built-in polarization filter that helps cut down on sun glare, but you’ll need to manually rotate and set its orientation as needed for best performance. Nighttime video is decent when driving in cities and well-developed areas with street lights, but somewhat dark if there isn’t a lot of ambient light around. At any time during recording, you can take a still photo snapshot by tapping the screen. If you don’t want the live view constantly on the screen, you can toggle on the screen saver (black screen) or have it display your travel speed after a 30 second timeout. This is different from the “screen dimming” option which uses ambient lighting to brighten or dim the LCD for best viewing. With the built-in image stabilization, the videos play back smoothly without capturing all the bumps and shakes from uneven roads. The lens has a 140° wide-angle and automatic image correction squares off the corners rather than displaying the curvature of the lens. With the resolution set to 1080p 60 FPS, the video quality is a bit smoother when travelling at high speeds, but I found that the image loses some of the fine details versus 2K. Audio quality overall is clear, and the microphone picks up sound from inside the car well without capturing a lot of road noise. The length of the video clips can be set to 1, 2, or 3 minutes. G-sensor sensitivity can be set to high, medium, low, or off to set how strong of an impact or bump is necessary to trigger automatic protection of a video file. Otherwise, you can press the button just below the LCD to manually protect the current video recording, or ask Alexa to do so via voice command. When the SD card is full, the camera will automatically loop and record over the oldest video clip, however, protected videos are not overwritten and must be manually deleted periodically. By default, the camera captures duplicate video files in both high and low resolution, so you can view and download the lo-res files more quickly over WiFi connections. With a 64 GB card, I can record about 300 minutes of footage using dual recording (front camera only). You can disable this mode so that it records the hi-res video only and capture more overall footage, however, you will lose the ability to watch and download video footage on the camera over WiFi. There are several ways to retrieve the videos and images. You can download/view the lo-res copies on your smartphone via WiFi, connect the dashcam to a computer and transfer files using the USB cable (very slow), or remove the SD card and use a card reader. If you use the auto-sync feature in the smartphone app, the camera will automatically transfer any protected files to your phone over a WiFi connection. The lo-res 3-minute videos are about 50 MB large and when downloaded over Wi-Fi takes about 30 seconds per video (~2 MB/s). A full resolution 3-minunte 2K video file is around 650 MB and the fastest transfer option is to retrieve them using an SD card reader. You can optionally include date/time, speed, GPS, and license plate stamps in your video, however, telemetry data from the GPS is always embedded in the file. When viewing videos in the app, this information allows you to view a map of the trip or the raw telemetry data: speed, direction of travel, and GPS coordinates. Overall, the 522GW is one of the most fully featured dash cameras I have used. It captures clear, smooth, and distortion-free video with a wide-angled field of view at a high resolution along with audio and telemetry data so you can have all this information on-hand if needed. It can also automatically call emergency responders in case of an accident if you are unresponsive for two minutes following a detected crash. As a nice bonus, the camera is Alexa-enabled so you can ask the AI assistant questions, start streaming music or podcasts, and issue voice commands for hands-free control of the camera’s features.

I have wanted a dash cam for many years now, but never pulled the trigger on one. After all this time shopping around for one I knew I had a few things on my wish list. I was not familiar with Nextbase as a brand prior to encountering this camera, but quickly studied up on what they offer and was intrigued by them. I knew all along I really wanted something that works without fuss and would be as easy as possible to setup and use. Thankfully I can say that the Nextbase 522GW is very nice. I like the way it looks; it has a large easy to see and use 3” touchscreen that works well even in high brightness and has a simple interface with only 2 physical buttons, one for quickly saving a video clip if something happens that doesn’t trigger the camera automatically, and one for power. It does power on automatically when connected to a source in your vehicle that is powered by the ignition and is very fast. It’s always recording within 3 seconds of starting my vehicle. It will trigger an event and save the recording if it detects impacts or even if your vehicle has any sudden changes in pitch or angle. I have had it trigger a saved video by going hard around corners for example. Speaking of the video, it is very high quality. I have been easily able to make out license plate numbers on vehicles in front of me and clearly see obstacles on the road. Night vision seems to be decent as well although my experience with that so far is more limited. You do need a high-quality high-speed micro-SD card for everything to work as intended. Nextbase recommends their own branded cards which is not surprising, and I do have a 64GB card from them. At 1440P 30FPS I can record almost 8 hours on that 64GB card before things start getting overwritten. I did add a rearview camera to it which is one of my favorite features. It was simply a matter of getting one and plugging it into the dedicated port on the side of the dash cam and it immediately worked. Adding that rear view cam changes the video settings to 1080P 30FPS on both cameras and drops total recording time to a little over 4 hours on my 64GB card since there are two video feeds at once. For road trips I might have to consider a larger SD card but for my personal normal use that 4 hours will suffice. Another favorite feature of this camera is the mount. The mount is attached with the included 3M tape to the windshield, and you plug your power source into the mount itself. It attaches to the camera with a strong magnetic connection that doubles as the power passthrough to the camera. This makes it extremely simple to remove the camera to check video recordings or even move it to a second car if you purchase another mount separately. I recommend using the app to set it up as you get a more fully featured experience that way. The app allows you to pull up recordings through your phone instead of on the camera itself and gives you a way to save recordings to your phone without having to take the SD card to a computer. It is also the pathway to getting Alexa working on the dash cam which will work in your car so long as the cam is connected to your phone via Bluetooth. I am very pleased with the quality and overall ease of use of this dash cam. My only real complaint would be that the app can be slow and slightly difficult to use but otherwise I am very satisfied with this device and happy to finally have the peace of mind it brings my to my daily commute.

Used for less than a month and started having issues with the screen and the device constantly freezing. Contacted NextBase and was ultimately told to contact BestBuy who just gave me the run around. Now I have an expensive paperweight.

The dash cam fell off from my windshield while I’m driving. Not very happy about it. I don’t know what to do about it. It’s sitting on my dashboard

A dash cam is needed for 1 of two reasons: 1) You want to protect yourself against others 2) You want to have fun showing off your drives. Nextbase designed their camera to address both of those needs. For the safety conscious among us, Nextbase included a high resolution camera which records up to 1440p. The image is sharpest in daylight., but you can still pick out the details at night. The camera comes with a built-in polarizing filter. During the initial setup, you’re encouraged to turn the polarizing filter so it filters out most glare. For maximum safety, You can record the entire journey in real time. Files are broken up into one minute or three minute segments to ensure reasonable file size if/when you need to download. If fun is more your game, NextBase includes a time-lapse mode which will record your entire journey, then make it available to you or your passengers so you can see the entire journey in a fraction of the time. Even in the time-lapse recording mode, the image remains sharp when it’s paused. That is only as good as its ability to pull content from it. Nextbase equips it’s cameras with Wi-Fi connectivity as well as an SDXC memory slot. The card can quickly be pulled from the camera when needed and put into a computer for sharing with friends or the insurance company. Controlling the camera from the app can be challenging. The Wi-Fi connection is fairly slow. Copying a file from the camera ran at 3Mbps. By comparison, cupping that same file using an SD card reader ran at 90Mbps. Copying files in the field is useful if you need to immediately file an insurance or police report. At the speed it runs, it’s not practical for general use. Nextbase also includes S.O.S. mode on the camera. In theory, this will call pre-determined contacts (including 911), if the vehicle is involved in an accident. The camera can determine this based on its G sensors. The downside of enabling this is you must give the app location permission all the time, Including when it is running in the background. This will draw down your battery over time. This must be weighed against the safety advantage. All camera functions can be configured from your connected device/phone. This includes setting resolution, recording type, and other useful reporting points. The touchscreen interface on the back of the camera is relatively large and very responsive. This was much easier-to-use than the buttons on my other car’s camera which requires selecting each item using a combination of keys on the bottom. While I didn’t get a chance to try it, the camera comes with a connector to be used with a rear facing camera or a rear window mounted camera. The rear facing camera can record interactions within the passenger area, which is useful to those who drive for a living. I like this camera a lot, but have to take a star off for the slow connection.

The Nextbase-522GW Dash Cam is a very nice dashcam. The camera quality is great producing very sharp and clear images day or night. I also found that I liked the app although I did have some trouble setting up Alexa. I think the idea of putting Alexa on the dashcam is a great idea. I can use Alexa to open my garage door so this will be very handy for me. I use a magnetic holder on a windshield mount which works fine with my other dashcam. However, with this one, I am going to have to get one with a bendable neck to get it out of the camera's view. On the bottom of the touchscreen which worked well for me, it has your direction coordinates your speed the time in military time and the date. I think it is very cool to have that information displayed down there although it is a little small for my eyes. I have another dash cam that has a rear camera which is on my back window but I am already thinking of getting a rear camera for this Nextbase-522GW and moving my old one to my wife's car because I like the Nextbase so much. I think I may go ahead and permanently mount it directly on my windshield and run the wire under my truck's plastic molding as they suggest when I install my new stereo system. If you are thinking about getting a dashcam I am not sure if you could do much better than a Nextbase and while I find the 2560x1440 resolution of the 522GW is good enough for me they do have a 4k model and 1080p models. You can add a cabin and or a rear camera to the 522GW and the 4k model as well so you can have it all covered if you like. I chose the 2560x1440 model because I figured that would be a high enough resolution and save space. However, you can always use a larger Micro sd card if you want but I also have 2560x1440 monitors to watch the videos on so that is something to consider as well. Whichever Nextbase model you choose I believe you will be happy with it. I know I am impressed by mine!