a few weeks ago someone hit my van it
was parked outside my house a girl came
whizzing down the road on her bike and
straight into the rear light on the
driver's side causing damage to the
paintwork and putting dents above it as
well
thankfully the girl was okay but whilst
going through the arduous process of
getting it fixed and getting it paid for
I thought to myself if this was to
happen again it would be really nice to
have some evidence of the incident maybe
I should look into getting a dash cam
now it's definitely impractical to film
all angles of the van at all times but
it'll be really nice to have a dash cam
record a potential incident I a pretty
extensive list of specifications that I
wanted from a dash cam including GPS
dual cameras someone covered from the
front and the back as well as a parking
mode so that I'm covered when I'm not in
the van after doing a lot of research I
reached out to nextbase and they very
kindly sent me their 622 GW model as
well as a few awesome extras that I
can't wait to show you the 622gw is a 4K
dash cam that's packed with Innovative
practical and useful features for
keeping you safe while driving but
before we get into the features let's go
through the dash cam what you get in the
box and what I'll be featuring in this
video
so let's get stuck into the dash cam and
when you open the box you'll find a very
nice looking camera with a matte gray
plastic finish
it has a large Ultra wide 140 degree
lens with an aperture of f 1.3 and a
built-in polarizing filter
with the logo on is just a bit of card
covering where the windscreen Mount will
sit and below that is a speaker
on the side next to the lens is the
power button at the top and below that
is the MicroSD card slot
on the back is a nice big three inch
touchscreen the red button below is the
protect button which when pressed
immediately protects the current file so
it can't be lost
either side of the protect button and
microphones and on the left of the
screen are two LEDs which show when the
dash cam is charging or recording
on the other side is the rear camera
input
on the top is a USB mini B port and on
the bottom is a reset button and a light
sensor
so that's the dash cam itself but what
else comes in the Box
well there's a window sticker a quick
start guide and a help card
then there's the magnetic click and go
windscreen Mount which has a power input
and a removable base with a 3M sticky
pad on the bottom
up next is a short USB a to mini B cable
for charging the camera prior to use as
there's a small battery in the dash cam
to allow the parking mode to activate
when the vehicle isn't on and then
there's the four meter long 12 volt to
usb mini B cable which Powers the dash
cam from the vehicle whilst it's running
there's also a spare bass and 3M sticky
pad in case you want to use a dash cam
between two vehicles and lastly a
spudger to help with cable tidying
that'll come in use later
so let's get this dash cam up and
running
I'll start by inserting a Micro SD card
and then I can remove the insert on the
front to reveal the magnet and
connectors for attaching the click and
go windscreen mount it finds its way in
very easily and is a really strong hold
in fact it was actually quite difficult
to pull it out again
foreign
first thing is to charge the dash cam
for at least two hours before first use
I've already done this so I'm all ready
to go although it has a built-in battery
I'm plugging it in by the USB mini B
port on the top as I understand it this
USB port is for main charging and
connecting to a computer and the port on
the windscreen Mount is for powering the
dash cam by the vehicle the dash cam
immediately starts out with the next
base logo and we can begin the setup
choose your language location speed
units time and date and then it's time
to link the dash cam to your phone if
you wish to
as you can see from the screen it has
Amazon's Alexa built in and an emergency
SOS feature which supports you and your
family if you have an accident but can't
call for help but I'll go into that in
more detail later so keep watching
you're able to view your dash cam videos
quickly edit and crop them and
automatically sync them to your phone in
the event of a collision as well as
utilizing Alexa and the emergency SOS
mode
you can also upload the files to the
nextbase cloud free for all series 2
dash cam users and your files are stored
for 30 days
after a couple of minutes of initial
setup I can now live view the dash cam
through my phone pretty cool
in addition to the main dash cam nexbase
also provided two rear-facing cameras to
try out
the first is this Nifty cabin View
Camera
simply plug it into the port on the side
of the dash cam and you confirm all the
goings on in the cab as you drive
perfect for taxis and ride share drivers
but also an awesome easy way to capture
your next road trip
the only thing to bear in mind is that
as the port is on the right of the dash
cam if you're looking at the touchscreen
then if you have the dash cam installed
behind the rear view mirror the cabin
view may get blocked that said a bit of
careful repositioning of the camera on
the windscreen should take care of that
the next option and the one which suits
my own needs perfectly is the wired rear
view camera ideal for protecting the end
of the vehicle you don't often look at
it's a small unobtrusive camera with 140
degree Ultra wide viewing angle that
films in full HD it features a really
practical magnetic Mount onto its base
which again utilizes a 3M sticky pad and
swivels to nearly any angle perfect for
all kinds of car setups
it comes with a six meter cable for
connecting the front dash cam with the
back of the vehicle
as you'll have noticed I have a van and
it has rear band doors so stick in the
dash cam to one of the rear windows
wouldn't be very practical as the wire
would get pulled a lot when the doors
open
this wouldn't be a problem for standard
boots or trunks for my viewers from
across the pond so I've decided to stick
the rear view camera on the top corner
of my floating table unit so we can see
out of one of the windows onto the road
at all times and if you're interested in
how I made anything you've seen in the
van be sure to check out the rest of my
channel where I've got the full van
build as well as tons of other content
about Vans and conversions
nextbase also have a third Innovative
rear camera option which given the door
situation just mentioned wouldn't be as
suitable for me a rear view camera
almost identical to the cabin View
Camera this instead has a 30 degree
telephoto lens which views directly from
the cab out the back window
a perfectly simple solution for anyone
wanting to avoid dealing with extra
wires
those are all the options for an xbase
dash cam setup so let's get installing
the cameras in the van
the first step is to clean the glass and
then think about where the dash cam is
to go
you may have noticed I've removed the
rear view mirror and this is just so I
can film the dash cam installed a bit
better
I want the dash cam to be fairly Central
but low enough to be within the region
that the windscreen wipers reach on the
glass so the visibility isn't obscured
on rainy days
after finalizing the location I can
remove the 3M sticker cover and firmly
place it on the windscreen applying a
bit of pressure so it sticks well
I can then attach the dash cam to the
click and go Mount and plug it in and we
have a functioning dash cam
one of the really cool features of the
dash cam which can now be sorted is
reducing glare on the camera as I
mentioned earlier this dash cam has a
built-in polarizing filter on the front
of the lens which when turned completely
eliminates any glare or Reflections on
the windscreen amazing
power will be coming from the 12 volt
Port which on my van is between the
front seats near the floor I'm going to
Route the cable around the windscreen
and down the door frame on the passenger
side so as to avoid the driver's pedals
the first step is to get the cable up
into the headliner
I removed the sun visor as pushing the
cable above its mounting points will
help stop the wire falling from the
headliner
I then pass the wire along into the door
frame panels like this are generally
just firmly clipped in and Come Away
with a tug but if you're not sure go
gentle or ask someone who knows what
they're doing
the door frame trim already has wires
running underneath it so I tried my best
to get this while running along with
them
working my way down I tucked the wire
away wherever I could until I reached
the start of the floor I could then tuck
the wire behind the carpet in the
footwell working my way around until I
made it to the 12 volt port
once plugged in any excess wire can be
tucked into the trim for a really neat
look
I replaced the main door trim and that's
the wire for the main dash cam dealt
with
now to set up the rear dash cam
I started once again by removing the sun
visor and feeding the wire above it
I then remove the door frame trim and
replace the sun visor to keep the wire
where I wanted it
I then fed the wire down towards the
floor and this time remove the panels at
the bottom of the door frame and fed
them under there I could then work them
back further under the carpet by the
driver's seat before replacing all the
trim
into the back of the van I popped up the
side door frame trim just enough to
wiggle the wire underneath and got the
wire into my wheel Arch storage box
I could then feed the wire up to my
floating table unit to the top shelf and
then along to the back door once there I
could connect the rear camera and think
about positioning
with the highly adaptable magnetic Mount
I settled on a position that I can see
out of the small rear window nicely
whilst hiding the wire behind the table
I should point out that the camera is
actually upside down here and that's
just because I have an unusual setup in
my van
it'll be easy to mount it up the correct
way in a car and that's just a testament
to the flexibility of the design
once stuck on I went back and hit the
rest of the wire behind the table unit
and in the storage chest
like the main dash cam the rear camera
has a really nice design and it's also
very discreet tucked away in the corner
of the table unit
so that's the cameras installed and I'm
ready to hit record
so let's now have a look at the
all-important video quality
the options for the 622gwr 4K at 30
frames per second
2K at 60 frames per second
2K of 30 frames per second
1080p at 120 frames a second
1080p at 60 frames per second
or 1080p and 30 frames per second
it's a lot to choose from but I suspect
I'll stick with the 4K as you get that
bit of extra resolution or 1080p at 60
frames per second to capture more detail
in the video by slowing it down
and filming an incident in super slow
motion 120 frames per second could be
very useful
say I'm very impressed with the quality
of all the footage and this footage
seems to have a certain Clarity and
sharpness to it making number plates and
signs very clear
the image stabilization option is really
good and does a great job of stabilizing
the footage it's worth noting that when
stabilization is on 2K video at 60
frames per second and 1080p video 120
frames per second will no longer be an
option and the stabilization will only
work on the main dash cam and not any
real ones
and lastly here's footage in 4k at night
and footage from the rear view camera a
day
and a night if like me you're interested
in what other features there are and
what all the settings do keep watching
as I'll explain all because so far I've
only shown the tip of the iceberg
by pressing the Cog you're taken to the
menu and we'll start by diving into the
video settings and the first option is
to adjust the resolution and frame rate
you film in
you can then adjust your exposure to
suit your recording environment and
choose how long you want your video
clips to be
if I choose one minute then the
recording of my 15-minute card Journey
will be recorded as 15 one minute clips
that way files can easily be overwritten
by the camera when the memory card is
full next is audio and you can choose
whether to record audio with the
built-in microphone from inside the
vehicle whilst the dash camera cords
moving on to the next screen you can set
whether you want time speed GPS or dash
cam model stamps to appear on your
videos all really useful data to have
recorded
the Dual file setting creates two clips
one large and one small which can be
easier for transferring files around
whilst retaining the higher quality file
for when you need it
you can also film time lapses with the
camera this is not recommended for
normal driving conditions however it can
be a really fun way to record part of
your car Journey
you can input your number plate to show
on the video too
and adjust the g sensor sensitivity I.E
how much force is needed before the dash
cam registers an incident
extreme weather mode is an interesting
feature which quote is able to more
accurately record in foggy and Misty
conditions I haven't tested this yet but
I'm Keen to when the British weather
inevitably presents an opportunity
next you can set a screen saver and I
quite like the option of having the
current speed showing though just
setting it to on will turn the screen
off after 30 seconds
you have the option to turn alert sounds
on and off
as well as adjusting how many Clips are
stored turning on minimum keeps just
four unprotected one minute video clips
at any one time
parking mode is a really interesting
feature and one that was high on my list
with it on the dash cam enters standby
mode when the vehicle is parked relying
on its built-in battery but if movement
is detected the camera records 45
seconds of protective video If no
further movement is detected the camera
returns to standby mode and it's really
effective here's me triggering the
parking mode whilst washing the van the
other day
foreign
on the next screen you can adjust the
language of the camera to one of a
number of options select or change your
location select your time zone and
change the time and date it's worth
noting here that the built-in GPS
automatically picks up the date and time
for you
next is the speed units device sounds
screen dimming
and auto power off which when turned on
keeps the camera recording for 30
seconds if the unit loses power
on the final screen you'll find the
option to keep user settings or not
after an update the system info
how to format the SD card
and how to revert to default settings
phew that was a lot but we're not done
just yet
driver assistance on the main menu and
you'll have the option of setting up
emergency SOS a reversing camera and
what three words
emergency SOS is done through the app
and essentially automatically connects
you to the nearest Ambulance Service in
the event of an accident how according
to nextbase if your dash cam detects a
crash the app monitors key sensors and
starts a countdown on your phone if it's
a false alarm you can stop the countdown
but if you're unable to stop it say
you're unconscious then emergency
services are automatically alerted and
can give your medical details as well if
you opt in for this there are a number
of safeguards in place to stop
inadvertently calling the emergency
services and it's a pretty cool feature
which could save lives
back with the settings and the reversing
camera option simply flips the image of
a plugged in rear view camera so you can
use it while reversing and what three
words enables you to instantly pinpoint
your exact location to share with others
another brilliant safety feature the
final menu option is connected apps and
having already connected the nextbase
app it's time to set up Alexa having
Alexa built in is a really great feature
but you can use the command functions
whilst keeping your hands firmly on the
Wheel
to set this up you'll need the Alexa app
but first open up the nextbase app and
select setup now follow the pages and
you'll be taken to the Alexa app where
you can log in with your Amazon account
select your settings and before long
you'll have Alexa talking back to you
Alexa
what's the weather doing today
back on the home screen you've got a
number of symbols showing what settings
you've got switched on at a glance
including GPS Bluetooth Wi-Fi and audio
so what are the other options and
accessories available for an xbase dash
cam well first off there's a neat little
carry case ideal for protecting the dash
cam if you use it between different
vehicles
and then there's the hard wiring kit
which enables you to power the dash cam
from the vehicle battery freeing up your
12 volt port in the process this isn't
something I'm going to be doing as the
functionalities of the dash cam couple
with the brilliant parking mode are
ideal for my purposes
so that's a rundown of the next Bay
622gw and accessories
I've been so impressed with it and
although there's a pretty huge dash cam
Market out there in all of my research
I've not seen any others which take as
many boxes and provide as much
functionality as this one particularly
with the additions of Alexa and the
emergency SOS mode it really is
jam-packed with features to keep the
family and cars safe and I'm super
excited to use it more when we're out
and about to record our adventures in
the van
finally you may be wondering how much
this dash cam will set you back well the
622gw retails at 269 pounds at the time
of recording and whilst that's on the
higher side you are getting a premium
dash cam with a ton of features but if
that's too much nextbase have a wide
range of other dash cams with their
standard model starting at just 60
pounds
if you're interested in finding out more
about nextbase dash cams check out the
link in the description and if you've
got any questions about the dash cam or
my fan build drop them below and I'll do
my best to answer them
thanks for watching
foreign