Customers highly value the SC 400D Dual-View Smart Dash Cam for its exceptional video quality, user-friendly interface, and convenient features such as voice control and Alexa integration. While some users have experienced challenges with the app and connectivity, many appreciate the peace of mind that comes with having a reliable dash cam with a rear-view camera. Overall, customers are pleased with the product's performance and find it to be a worthwhile investment.
This summary was generated by AI based on customer reviews.
The vast majority of our reviews come from verified purchases. Reviews from customers may include My Best Buy members, employees, and Tech Insider Network members (as tagged). Select reviewers may receive discounted products, promotional considerations or entries into drawings for honest, helpful reviews.
Page 1 Showing 1-20 of 301 reviews
Pros mentioned:
Camera quality
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Cobra SDC 400 Dash Cam is a “Keeper”
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Posted . Owned for 1 month when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
The Cobra SDC 400 Dash Cam is a very workable, helpful device after the end user understands the functions and limitations. One of the ports (the rear camera port) failed on the first unit I purchased. It just suddenly stopped working. So customer support from Cobra suggested that I attempt to plug in the cable from the rear camera into the inside (cabin) camera port, and — voila! — I could see images from the rear camera. So, nothing wrong with the camera; instead, the dash cam unit itself had become defective. So, I chi it acted Best Buy, the the tech people were very helpful. I had to purchase a second Cobra dash cam, but I was able to return the original defective unit and received a refund. The rrr ET placement has been working well, but an amber horizontal line is at the bottom of the display screen. I’ve contacted cobra customer support, and I sent photo of the unit, but no response yet. Beware that while the Best Buy tech folks did a great job installing the unit, they hardwired the unit into the fuse panel. The way it was wired makes it necessary for the engine to be running constantly in order for the dash com to be on. If I let my AutoStop feature be enabled on my engine (fuel consumption feature to increase mileage), when the engine stops running, the dash cam shuts off. So, now I manually disable the AutoStop feature so the engine is always running, and, therefore, the dash cam is always on while I’m driving. The downloads to my laptop computer are very good, with good audio, excellent video resolution, and location data, tine/date stamp, and mph. I download every few weeks, and more often if I want to save an incident. Downside is that I would need to order an extra power source if I want the dash cam to remain on while my SUV is parked. Although Alexa compatible, you don’t need Akexa to issue voice commands to the unit. I say, “Screen off,” and the screen goes off while still recording. I say, “Take photo,” and it permanently saves photos from front, rear, and cabin cameras. (I do this when I have concerns that the driver behind me is playing with his/her phone abs nay accidentally rear-end my vehicle.) So, overall not perfect, but once you get used to its features and limitations, it’s a good, solid, 3-camera dash system. (BTW, it comes with front and rear cameras, but I had to purchase the cabin camera separately. It just plugs right in, and the dash cam records all 3 cameras simultaneously.)
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Camera quality, Ease of use, Installation
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Great dash cam, highly recommend!
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Posted . Owned for 2 weeks when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I really loved this camera. We've been in the market for a while for a dash cam since we have young kids and do a lot of driving. We feel so much safer now knowing we have the cobra. It was so easy to use and install and I am usually not good at installing things. The picture quality is fantastic and it's so convenient to be able to see the images on your phone.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Camera quality, Ease of use
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Excellent product, easy set up
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Posted . Owned for 2 weeks when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Excellent product, easy setup! As a mom of 3, I am always taking steps to ensure the safety and well-being of my family. To that end, I've been looking for a Dash Cam for several months now and decided on this one by Cobra. Set up was super easy and the video quality is great. The hardest part was figuring out what to do with the wires but I ended up tucking them into the nooks and crannies of the minivan and voila! Love the voice controls -- looking forward to exploring all the additional features. Happy with this product and the peace of mind it provides!
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Camera quality, Ease of use
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Alexa enabled 4K HD Dash Cam - Cobra SC400D
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Posted . Owned for 3 weeks when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Just installed the Cobra- SC400D dual-view smart dash cam. Install was super easy even for those of us who are technologically challenged. It is Alexa enabled and responds to basic voice commands so you can be safe and focus on your driving. Features continuous loop recording and deletes your oldest videos to make space for new recordings. You can easily save your video clips in your favorites by using the "Lock Video" voice command. This particular model includes a rear view accessory camera so you are covered both front and back in case of an accident or emergency. Front camera is definitely 4K HD quality video. So not only are you protected in case of an accident but you are able to record beautiful landscape images on those family road trips. Highly recommend!
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Camera quality, Ease of use
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Easy to use
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Posted . Owned for 2 weeks when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I had an old dash cam in my car and decided to upgrade. Didn’t realize how much better this camera would be. It’s easy to install with quick startup instructions. Picture quality is much better than my old camera. You don’t know how much better a dash cam can be until you invest in a Cobra. Highly recommend
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Gps, Resolution
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Cobras Best Sc400d
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Posted . Owned for less than 1 week when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Amazing camera with 4k, gps, Alexa and all your adjustments to your liking…. I bought two of them and if the come out with one for motorcycles I’ll buy that one too
I would recommend this to a friend
Brand response from Cedar Electronics Team
Posted .
Thank you so much for the great review!!
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Great Camera!
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Posted .
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I have bought 2 of these cameras for both of my cars. They work great and are easy to install. My only heads up info. to share is if your car has a humidity issue that traps moisture inside, resolve that problem before you install the camera! Prolonged humidity will ruin the camera, I found this out the hard way...but,I still replaced it with a new one of the same model.
I would recommend this to a friend
Brand response from Cedar Electronics Team
Posted .
Thank you for your positive review. We appreciate you choosing Cobra. Should you require assistance or have any questions about your camera, please do not hesitate to contact us at 800-543-1608.
Pros mentioned:
Camera quality
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Best car cam
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Posted . Owned for 4 months when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
The best camera to capture anything front and back with audio included. Crisp images and audio! You would definitely NOT be disappointed!
I would recommend this to a friend
Brand response from Cedar Electronics Team
Posted .
Thank you so much for the amazing review!
Pros mentioned:
Camera quality, Ease of use, Resolution
Cons mentioned:
App
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Everything Needed for Front & Rear Dash Recording
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Recently my family was rear ended by a young kid who fell asleep behind the wheel of his parents minivan. Thankfully he admitted fault and nobody was gravely injured, but as I spent weeks waiting for the insurance company to pay for repairs - I realized that it would be wise to install a dash cam in my wife’s SUV. Because we were rear ended, I wanted to make sure that video would be recorded of both the front and rear of her car. Thankfully, Cobra has done a nice job at providing everything that is required for simple and easy recording of both the front and back of the vehicle.
Upon opening the box, the main unit seemed rather large. I felt as though I was mounting a full sized point-and-shoot digital camera (which I suppose it is). But, after comparing the unit with the Nextbase 522GW dash cam that has been in my car for over a year - the size is actually comparable. ***See included pictures for a size comparison***
One negative is the mount which is difficult to position as it is only able to pivot up & down. Mounting Tape is used instead of a suction cup - which is a much more permanent fixture. It’s nice that the dash cam never falls down, but initial installation will never be perfect as you have to just press on the tape and hope for the best. The box does come with 1 extra piece of mounting tape for both the front and rear cameras, but the tape is not easy to remove. I would strongly suggest that they update the mount to one that can pivot left / right/ up / down on a ball joint.
The 3 inch screen is nice, but is not big enough to truly see both the rear camera & front camera simultaneously. The user interface is simple and easy to navigate - and every setting I want was quickly accessible. Thankfully, you are able to turn off the COBRA watermark and choose what information is displayed on the screen. My wife and I find the screen rather distracting at night time, so we appreciate that the screen can be programmed to dim after 60 seconds.
The cords that come included have plenty of length even for full sized trucks and SUVs. I was able to install the cords along the trim of our Nissan Armada without any additional tools. Thankfully, the power plug has a USB-A port so we are still able to plug in the charging cable for my wife’s phone.
The Drive Smarter Mobile App leaves A LOT to be desired, but as this dash cam is in my wife’s car, she has no desire to mess with any of the app functionality. Luckily we can just set it and forget it. Having Alexa in the car is surprisingly convenient, but in the short time I have used the dash cam - Alexa isn’t very reliable. I imagine that Alexa would be much more effective if the Mobile App is manually opened every time that we get into the car.
The main unit does a good job of recognizing a set of core vocal commands, but I don’t like the word choice required for some features. For example, instead of being able to say, “Take a picture”, the user is required to say “Take photo.” The command is simple enough, but when an emergency arises the word I will blurt out is “picture” not “photo”. And, unlike other units, you cannot simply tap on the screen to save a picture. You have to tap on the screen to wake up the unit, then select the photo button.
The 4k resolution is only 30 frames per second, but with such a high resolution you are able to grab crystal clear screenshots by simply pausing the video at any point. 4K Resolution is a much larger file size, so it is something to keep in mind as you select how long each video is before a new video begins. I also don’t believe that the rear camera is 4K - although the manufacturer’s website does not seem to specify the resolution.
Note: The package does not come with a camera that records the interior of the car. A 3rd camera can be purchased for this purpose, but I do not suggest recording the inside of your car. Apparently insurance companies are rather quick to add partial blame to any driver who appears to be distracted in ANY way. If you are using the radio, talking to the passenger, interacting with kids in the back seat, happen to be holding your phone, etc - the insurance company will attempt to put you at fault.
Overall, we are both satisfied with the cameras and the features that are offered. The mobile app may not be perfect, but it offers a great deal of safety features that many will find useful. And for those who want more simplicity, the camera records in a loop and saves video files separately for the front & rear camera. Files are clearly labeled and easy to access. I would happily recommend this Cobra dash cam to anyone who is comfortable with a permanent Dash Cam Installation. If you travel, or change cars often - you will want to choose an option with a suction cup mount.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Ease of use
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Cobra SC400
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Posted . Owned for 3 weeks when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Good investment! Still learning how to use. Better
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Camera quality
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Great value for the money!
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Posted . Owned for 6 months when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
The front and back camera are great. The day after installing we witnessed a crash behind us and this saved the victim as the other driver was trying to lie their way out.
I would recommend this to a friend
Brand response from Cedar Electronics Team
Posted .
We are so happy to hear that the SC 400D was helpful in this situation. Thank you so much for the amazing review!
Pros mentioned:
Ease of use
Rated 2 out of 5 stars
Its okay
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Posted . Owned for 1 month when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Easy to install and use. Although the holder for the camera is on the side and after 1 week the camera started to slant due to uneven weight. I was surprised no one else mentioned this in the reviews.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend
Brand response from Cedar Electronics Team
Posted .
This doesn't seem correct. We would like to obtain more details to assist you better. Please reach out to us at 800-543-1608. Thank you.
Cons mentioned:
App, Reliability
Rated 1 out of 5 stars
Disliked dashcam
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Posted . Owned for 1.5 years when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Stopped working after 2 years. The app sucks and is slow. Takes time to link camera to phone.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend
Brand response from Cedar Electronics Team
Posted .
We are sorry to hear you had an issue with your SC400D. If it is not turning on, we recommend trying a new power cord. For other issues, try updating the firmware and/or replacing the SD card. If that does not resolve it, give us a call for further assistance at 800-543-1608. Thanks!
Rated 1 out of 5 stars
Garbage dash cam
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Posted . Owned for 2 months when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Bought this camera 3.5 months ago, a week ago I got a message to update the firmware (V 1.30) and now I have a pixelated screen. I highly suggest for you not to but this dash camera. Manufacturer isn’t of any help either, good luck.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend
Brand response from Cedar Electronics Team
Posted .
We appreciate your valuable feedback. To assist you better, we would like to gather more information about the issue you are experiencing. Firmware updates are designed to improve the overall performance of the dash camera and should not affect the display. We have not received prior reports of this issue. Please contact us at 800-543-1608, and we will be happy to help. Thank you!
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Some protection
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Posted . Owned for 3 weeks when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Works great except the cord for the back camera isn’t working! Going to get that figured out with total tech though!
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Camera quality, Gps, Installation
Cons mentioned:
Mounting
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Great quality and easy to use dashcam!
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Great dash cam, easy to use and install. Comes well packaged and its very compact. They also include a large cable to mount the rear camera. Quality on both is great, it records on 4k 30 fps.
Install was easy for me, I have installed another dash cam on another car, just needed a plastic wedge to pry open some of the weather proofing in my car to route the rear camera cable hidden from view. If you don’t have experience, I would recommend looking out for some local car radio installers, they can install it for you for a good price.
The camera itself comes with GPS attachment, which in turn is the part that fixes up to your windshield (they include double sided industrial grade tape and an extra one for both the cameras). This is one of my cons, while fixing it to the glass this way is sturdy enough, is kind of semi-permanent. I wish they included suction cups style ones, and I haven’t seen any of those accessories in their website, I hope they come up with some.
The cameras are powered via a cigarette lighter plug (if you get the permanent hardwire kit, you can also use other features of the camera, like parking mode, hit detection while parked etc., since they need constant power).
Once you plug everything and power on the camera, it takes you thru a setup, and one point it will tell you enable the “smart features” you need to download their Drive smarter app on your phone (you can skip this step, however I highly recommend it as it offers many great features). Once you download the app and launch it, you register it with your info and then it connects your phone to the camera (the camera basically creates a Wi-Fi access point, to which your phone connects). From there, the first thing it told me is that there was a firmware update for the camera, which I did. Once finished and a reboot later, it connected again and I was able to setup many other things, like Amazon Alexa integration.
You can change tons of camera settings from your phone (you can change them in the camera itself using its touchscreen, but I found that doing so on the phone was easier). The video is quality is great and audio too. In low light conditions it records with great quality too. I was surprised the camera has lane shift assist, near collision detection too. Although I would not trust much on these, as the camera is mounted inside your car (generally, new cars with these driver assists have their cameras or sensors outside).
You can also view your videos and photos taken by the camera via the app, no need to remove the SD card and connect it to a computer. Great feature. Lastly, it includes a GPS, so it can record your location, speed etc.
I highly recommend this camera, especially these days, with some many people trying to pull insurance scams and many people without insurance, you will have proof for anything on the road
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Camera quality, Gps, Resolution
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Great Camera, Poor App Execution
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
--- SETUP ---
The setup of the camera can be quick or lengthy, depending on how you want to take care of your wires. The camera comes with a cigarette lighter charger with the cable protruding from it and a USB to allow you to connect your phone or other USB powered device. The rear view camera is a separate camera that can optionally be installed and that connects directly to the front camera.
--- FEATURES ---
4K recording, front and rear facing camera, 64 gig micro-SD card included, GPS, Alexa compatible, internal WiFi, touchscreen, and wireless transfer of videos or pictures to your phone.
--- EXPECTATIONS and PERFORMANCE ---
I’ve had a total of 4 dash cams and this one is by far the most superior. For starters, it includes everything you need to be up and running in no time. More specifically, you don’t need to buy a separate micro SD card, as a 64g one is included. By connecting the Drive Smarter app, you can be guided for the installation. I did all the steps up until I had the option to connect it to Alexa. I tried about 5 times and even though the Alexa app would recognize it, when trying to pair up, it failed every single time, so I wasn’t able to test the Alexa functionality. Regardless, I was able to use it without it.
The Drive Smarter app leaves a lot to be desired. I have Norton mobile protection on my phone. Upon trying to use the app, I kept getting constant warnings that the websites the Drive Smarter app was using were unsafe and Norton insisted on me leaving that app quickly. As a result, I didn’t use the app’s GPS functionality. Even when I turned off my Norton protection, I didn’t like that I couldn’t use the Drive Smarter GPS map in landscape mode. It only allowed me to view the map while the phone was vertical. Ultimately, I used waze for navigation but I allowed the camera to record everything.
I installed the rear camera to face the back of my vehicle. I can now clearly see how close a car gets to me and gives me a more clear idea of what’s behind me vs. my own vehicle's rear view camera that activates when I put it in reverse. I wish there was a way to only show the rear view camera with just a push of your finger, but that wasn’t possible.
One thing that I appreciate from both cameras is that they are installed with an ultra sticky pad vs. a suction cup. My previous dash cams have all used suction cups and they will eventually fall off with heat. These sticky pads have strong adhesive. Hence, it makes them more stable and will stay on your windshield until you remove them. That being said, you are committing to the location that you install it on, but you have an additional adhesive pad per camera included.
Lastly, you can transfer files to your phone by using the Drive Smarter app. It will connect wirelessly to the camera and you can see what’s been recorded and save the file to your phone. Three times, though, the app did freeze on me and I couldn’t get the camera to go back to recording mode without having to turn it off and on. The camera itself is great, but most of the bugs I encountered stemmed from using the app in some sort of way. I am glad that the app is optional and not essential to the experience.
--- APPROVAL ---
With 4K resolution it’s much easier to record and read license plates in vehicles even at night. If you want a quality dash cam, this is the way to go.
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 1 out of 5 stars
Don’t waste your time
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Posted . Owned for 8 months when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Thing is junk screen flashes the app is slow whole set up is just Trash will be returning. Always been told cobra was the best but I guess not. It literally stays in the window 24/7 and the screen is glitching and picture quality is from the 1800s
No, I would not recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Camera quality
Cons mentioned:
App, Mounting
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Device good, app useless
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Posted . Owned for 3 weeks when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I bought this device about a month ago and then added the optional cabin camera. After a month including a road trip, here are my thoughts:
Pros:
1) Images. The images are fantastic from all cameras.
2) Storage. Buy the largest possible card. I did, and after a multi-day road trip, the card was only half-full.
Cons.
1) The app. Utterly useless. The camera somehow wants a dedicated wifi connection that you can find right away, and then your phone logs into the camera as a hotspot. Huh? Plus the app refuses to operate unless you give permission to transmit location data all the time, not just when using the app. I gave up and deleted the app. I just use local storage. The app needs to be completely redesigned to use a Bluetooth connection with your phone.
2) Mounting. The front camera is designed to mount on the windshield, but it made more sense for me to mount it to my dash. As a result, my images record upside down. I wish that the camera could adjust. Same for the rear camera. The range of adjustment on the rear camera is such that it points to the sky too much on my rear glass if I mount the expected way. It works much better flipped over, but then the images record upside down.
Overall, the image quality is so good that I'm content to have upside down images on local storage only. But there's a lot of room for improvement here.
I would recommend this to a friend
Brand response from Cedar Electronics Team
Posted .
Thank you for your review and for choosing Cobra! Please make sure you are using the latest version of the Drive Smarter app and that your camera has the latest firmware installed. The camera is designed for easy installation, and we recommend following the mounting instructions outlined in the owner's manual. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us at 800-543-1608. We're happy to help!
Pros mentioned:
Camera quality, Gps
Cons mentioned:
App
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Invest in the 4K future with voice and warnings
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Clear pictures are what you’re buying with a Dashcam. The 4K picture quality lets you see license plates which might otherwise be a blur. It also provide clear, lush landscapes for those postcard moments which appear when you’re driving.
On top of great picture quality, this kit includes a rear facing camera and a touchscreen for controlling it all. If you’re hands aren’t free for touching the screen (since you’re driving), your voice can be used instead. The dashcam is even integrated with Amazon’s Alexa to control your phone (and potentially your car radio) as well.
The dashcam will also speak to you when needed. The over the speed limit alerts can be useful, especially if you’re OK with speeding (but not too much). You can set an alert at 5, 10, 15, or 20 miles over the speed limit. The GPS built into the camera ties into it’s onboard database of speed limits. The camera is also regularly updated from it companion app so you’ll be warned about red light cameras, speed cameras, and other attempts to make us all more responsible drivers.
At the end of the day, it’s still a dashcam. That means it’s meant to capture footage that you may need if you’re even in an accident or similar disputed situation. This is where it falls down a bit. The app is great for updating the camera to ensure it’s useful to you. It’s not great at connecting to get footage off. While there’s a mode in the app which lets you playback some video with a map of the location, it doesn’t properly read the GPS data. It only shows your vehicle in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean (0,0 LatLong). Synchronizing the video to your phone is also a touted feature of the app. This, too, did not work without great difficulty. The video was still available on the card and could easily be viewed and retrieved with a PC or connected to a card reader on a phone. While this is not ideal, it will provide whatever proof is needed if/when it is needed.
Hopefully, over time the app will get better and more reliable. In the mean time, you can rest easy knowing that the images you need are present and reliable. You can be confident that your investment in the camera will be worth it in the long run.