Customer Ratings & Reviews

I’ve put off getting a dashcam because of their large size. I really don’t want to see the camera or have it obstruct any of my view while driving. After installing the Piqo dashcam, I was able to hide it behind my rearview mirror (see pics). Doing so resulted in some compromises. The button on the device, opposite the camera, is blocked a little by the rearview mirror, but I’m still able to push it if needed. Also, the plastic shroud in the center top of my windshield is in the field of view of the camera, resulting in the top right portion of the recording blocked. However, the camera was still able to record oncoming traffic from the right side (see pic). Now that the camera was set up properly, which was pretty easy to do, I continued with pairing it to the Piqo app on my device. I have an Android phone and was successful following the instructions on how to pair the device for the first time as well as updating it to the latest firmware. After using the Piqo dashcam for about a week, here are my thoughts on this product. Pros: Very good video quality. The 2K image is clear during the day and at night. The camera can capture the license plate of a car 10 to 15 feet ahead of you in both day and night settings (see pics). As mentioned earlier, the device itself is not too big. If properly mounted, it can stay mostly hidden from view. The package includes a 32 GB micro SD card to allow you to begin recording immediately after setting up. It has the ability to continuously record video when the car is parked. You’ll need to run the included USB C cable and car adapter to the car’s auxiliary power outlet (aka cigarette lighter) that maintains power when the car is turned off. If this is not an option, Nextbase sells two other power adapters that can plug into your car’s fuse box or OBD2 port, both which are usually found under or near the dash. These alternative connections run continuous power even after the car is turned off. The dashcam has a g-force sensor that automatically detects when your car experiences a hard bump, turn, or crash. If triggered, the dashcam automatically protects the current video being recorded so it does not get written over by future recordings. I found that it is usually triggered if I hit a sizable pothole or when I’m turning into a driveway that has some uneven concrete. I believe you can adjust the sensitivity setting in the app. The Piqo dashcam can respond to basic voice commands, like asking it to protect the current video being recorded. I found this feature works well and is consistent. It almost replaces the need to physically touch the button on the camera. This is something I appreciate since my button is mostly hidden behind my rearview mirror. Cons: When connected and near the Piqo dashcam, it can take anywhere from 30 seconds to a minute to establish a connection for viewing and downloading videos. Sometimes it fails to connect, but it always works on the second attempt seconds later. To download a recorded video from the dashcam to your phone, it can take around 3 minutes to download a 1 minute video clip. So, the app isn’t ideal for downloading multiple videos at once. To do that, it is easier to remove the SD card from the dashcam and connect it to a computer. The SD card slot is physically located on the side of the dashcam, so it is easy to access and remove. The device comes with limited instructions. Many of the features are described within the app, but not with much detail. For example, it took me awhile to figure out how to upload videos to the Nextbase Cloud system for safekeeping. First, cloud storage is only available with subscription. However, the device does come with a free 30 day trial. Even after signing up, I still didn’t have a clue on how to use the cloud storage option. I had to look online and found instructions from Nextbase’s UK website. To upload a clip to their cloud system, you’ll need to download the clip to your phone first, then choose the Share option, enter your email address, and press the Upload button (see picture). Uploading takes just as long, if not longer to upload the clip to their server. Once completed, Nextbase sends you a link to your video. You can use the link to access the video outside of the app; and it can also be shared with others if needed. The Geofence alert system is a nice feature in theory, but from what I can tell, it’s not that useful if your phone is not in the car and connected to the Piqo dashcam. From what I can understand from the instructions, the dashcam recognizes if your vehicle has moved from a designated location of your choosing. However, because the Piqo does not have its own wireless network connection, it cannot send you alerts informing you that your car has moved. Instead, it saves and protects the footage from being erased, so you can retrieve it at a later time. Again, I may be misunderstanding how this feature works, but the instructions and descriptions in the app are limited. Overall: The Piqo is a relatively affordable 2K dashcam. It’s always better to capture video in higher quality, which makes this dashcam very competitive. If your main concern is capturing video and are not too concerned with the other features within the app, this dashcam will not disappoint. I found some features useful and others not so much. Plus, the subscription feature is totally optional. I’m perfectly happy using this dashcam without a subscription. I still get access to all the recordings and can review and download the ones I want to my phone anytime.

For those want to provide their driving experience more security without much effort, the Nextbase Piqo 2K Dash Camera is a good choice. For daily commuters, road trippers, and rideshare drivers equally, this camera combines excellent performance with ease thanks to its small size and quality 2K resolution. Drivers who wish a camera that won't block their view or draw notice will find great benefit from the Piqo 2K's simple, understated appearance. The Piqo uses far less windshield real estate than more weighty dash cameras. It also feels strongly constructed using sturdy materials that resist regular use and sunlight. Its mount is among the most handy aspects as it makes removal and attaching simple. It just clicks in place; you won't have to battle complicated installation techniques or wires. This simplicity of setup comes especially handy if you intend to regularly move the camera between vehicles and also comes with a spare mount. The 2K resolution offers shockingly clear footage and is the main attraction of the camera. Even at great speeds, license plates, road signs, and other elements are easily seen. Often a weakness of many dash cameras, the improved clarity is evident during the day and at night. Knowing that the camera records clean footage in low-light environments gives great comfort. One small negative, though, is that the 2K resolution uses extra storage space even if it catches outstanding detail. If you intend to save longer footage, you will want to buy in a larger-capacity microSD card; if you only need recent recordings, you can just set the camera to override old clips. The Nextbase Piqo performs quickly to power on and start recording. The camera picks activity as soon as the car starts, so you never have to worry about missing the first moments of your drive. Good coverage is also given by the wide-angle lens, which catches a broad perspective of the road and the surrounds. Parking situations also benefit much from the motion-detection ability of the camera, it detects motion or a collision when the car is off if you wire it for continuous power it will instantly begin to record, therefore providing you with defense against hit-and-run or other events occurring away from the car. This Piqo 2K includes built-in audio recording. Although in dash cameras audio quality is not as important as video quality, it is a good feature. For further background during events, the microphone catches up talks within the car as well as outside noises. Common with dash cameras to prevent overheating problems, the Piqo lacks an internal battery. Rather, it depends mostly on the rather constant power source of the car. If power be abruptly lost, the camera does support a function to prevent any data loss during unplanned situations. The Piqo 2K boasts among other things built-in Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS. This lets the Nextbase App provide simple access, editing, and sharing of video. Managing your recordings and changing settings on the move is easy with the app since it is itself simple and understandable. Your car is watched with Smart Parking and immediately notes any knocks or bumps while you're away. Guardian Mode Lite provides more control and peace of mind by allowing you establish restrictions for everyone borrowing your car. Another clever addition is the voice-activated Witness Mode Lite, which, when linked to Bluetooth, immediately notifies an emergency contact should an event occur. Under an emergency, this might literally save lives. Advantages: Quality of high-resolution 2K video Compact, understated style with simple mounting Dependable parking mode and motion detection Simple, quick app-based file transfers Good night vision performance. Cons: • Greater video resolution consumes more storage. App could make more use of customizing choices. There is no built-in battery so depends on car power. A great option for a variety of drivers, the Nextbase Piqo 2K Dash Camera strikes a mix between ease and high-quality video capturing. Though it lacks certain sophisticated tools, this is a trustworthy choice that executes the basics really brilliantly. If you're in the market for a mid-range dash cam that doesn't sacrifice clarity, its simple setup, excellent video quality, and dependability recording make it worth thinking about. If your main concerns are storage and personalization, you could wish to go for alternative choices nonetheless, the Piqo 2K is a wise investment for daily use and consistent protection on the road.

One of the more important add-ons someone can get for their car is a dash cam. I’m a big proponent of dash cams and think that everyone should have one. It gives a lot of peace of mind when driving. The problem I think most people have is integrating them into their cars. Installation and preparation of the camera can be burdensome. Fortunately, this particular dash cam is the answer to that problem. The Piqo 2K Dash Camera is a great travel companion. It’s easy to use and very affordable. Here are some things I really like about it. First, it comes with a microSD card. The camera can accept up to 256GB SD card. I can never seem to find an SD card when I need one, which is why I’m glad that a 32GB one is included. Next, it comes with all the tools needed for a successful installation. One of the big issues I have with dash cams is running the power cable. The Piqo comes with a 13-foot USB-C cable and a car power adapter. If you place the dash camera behind your rearview mirror, which is where the installation guide suggests, you should have plenty of cables available to route around your windshield. A fitting tool is included so that you can properly manage the cable and tuck it into the car’s frame. Once the camera is physically installed, you can make sure that all your settings are set just the way you want using the mobile app on your phone. Now, here is where I found a little bit of an issue with the system. Any time you want to access the camera, the app has to establish a WiFi connection between your phone and the camera. While you typically wouldn’t be accessing data on the camera while you are driving, this poses a problem for me since I use a device that has wireless CarPlay functionality when I’m driving. Since you can only be connected to one WiFi network at a time, this is a bit of an issue for anyone who wants to use a device that requires a WiFi connection. I also think that some of the features’ names are a bit confusing. For example, the Smart Parking feature is designed to record events when there are hits or knocks on your car. While I love that this feature exists, I thought ‘Smart Parking’ would somehow provide assistance while I was in the process of parking. I did find the recording functionality to be superb. It is very sensitive and actually recorded some actions when I was setting up the camera. I guess I bumped it a couple of times, and the camera interpreted that as an event it needed to record. I thought the quality of the video was excellent, and it was easy to tell what the events were from the thumbnails in the video library. I love the Live View mode, but again, I wish the connection could be made without establishing a WiFi network between the camera and the phone. This is a very robust dash camera system for the investment you make. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to anyone and I would get it again.

Great Doesn’t require a subscription Subscription option isn’t pushed Compact design Easy to adjust mount Records speed, G-Force, and GPS Location in video Includes SD Card in the bundle Offers multiple options to power Smart Parking can monitor your car while parked Includes 2 mounting bases Included power port adapter has 2 USB-C connections Not so great Grainy video with compression artifacts even in bright light Poor dynamic range Smart parking is useless when dark No interior or rear camera option No polarized lens allows dash reflections and glare License plates only readable stationary in bright daylight App has connection stability issues ESOS has trouble activating Dashcam kept chiming while driving, even more after ESOS error Live view for setup won’t rotate to portrait Video thumbnails take a long time to load in app Videos take a long time to download in app (4 minutes) Dashcam often disconnects after viewing or downloading a clip Dashcam orientation is easily accidentally altered by putting up sunshade Clips are broken up into equal length videos instead of by event or timeline Events cannot be viewed in a single clip Trimming videos in app can be tedious as you cannot zoom in on timeline Thumbnail view of clips only has option for small thumbnails SD card needs to be regularly formatted, or it becomes full of protected clips The Piqo 2K is targeted as a budget option to their premier IQ series of Dashcams. The only subscription offer is an ESOS service, which is not required for any core features of the dashcam. It is powered by USB-C using an included power port charger that includes 2 ports so that you can charge your phone at the same time. There are options for hardwired and ODBII power, either of which would be needed if you wish to use the Smart Parking feature which monitors your vehicle while parked recording events. Setup 6/10 Installation instructions are in the app. After power on and pairing you can view a live preview of the dashcam to verify you have it adjusted properly. Strangely, the app only allows showing the video in portrait mode at the top of your phone leaving you with a small preview. After the basic setup the app leaves you on the main screen to explore features. Here you can activate the ESOS feature. On my current unit I am having issues with ESOS not fully activating. Video Performance 4/10 While the sensor is 2K which the video often feels lower. If it is overcast or a dark day, then video quality drops sharply. First, the sensor seems to have a very limited dynamic range. At night, license plates are just blown out rectangles of bright light. You could lower the exposure to help it read the license plate. However, the rest of the image becomes barely visible and very dark making the rest of the image useless. This issue is made worse by the fact that the sensor only supports 30fps at 2K. License plates, unless stationary, are likely going to be unreadable. The one exception was sitting still in the daytime. This issue is more pronounced with what seems to be heavy compression, over sharpening, or a sensor that is over driven. Even during overcast days video has a significant amount of noise. You won’t see it on the phone but if you extract the video and zoom in on a larger screen you can see it. As the evening progresses into night vehicles sometimes look as though they are painted into the video. This poor low light performance also effects the Smart Parking performance. In decent lighting it can capture some detail, but the lack of IR means that if you park your car in a place that isn’t lit then all you will capture is a video of black. With most vandals and thieves preferring to do things in the dark it means you likely won’t catch anything. The lens also has no polarizing filter which results in reduced video quality due to glare from lights as well as dash reflections on your windshield. Even with help from support we could not improve the video any further. Overall, the video quality is usable for traffic events so long as you aren’t worried about catching license plates, but it feels like a budget oriented 2K sensor. App Performance 3/10 While image performance can be attributed to this being a budget dashcam, the app performance should still be decent. The app is workable but feels unpolished. While using the app for setup was good, besides the lack of a landscape option, daily usage was a bit less refined. To start, when you connect the dashcam it takes quite a while to go through the process. First it connects via Bluetooth and then takes you through connecting via Wi-Fi. Once it is connected via Wi-Fi it syncs the clips to view on your phone. However, each time it syncs it must refresh the thumbnails, even for videos it has already generated a thumbnail for before and this process is slow. If you leave the screen, it refreshes the thumbnails again. This means that any time you go to the preview screen you mostly see black squares. If you tap on a thumbnail it brings up the preview video reasonably fast. You can view the video in portrait with the speed or your location on the map, or you can view landscape for a larger video. Viewing a video usually works, but sometimes it will just disconnect when you back out of one video to view another. Downloading videos is where things become less stable. To start, downloading a single video which is roughly 200MB takes 4 minutes consistently. If you needed 2 video clips, it would take roughly 1 minute to start each download and 4 minutes to download. This means 2 clips would take roughly 10 minutes to download. To make matters worse, after downloading video and before staring a second download, the dashcam would randomly disconnect. Working with support we were unable to get the video to download any faster. In testing, this appear to be a delay within the app as sharing the same 200MB video within the app to any app on the phone was similarly slow. Once the video was exported out of the Nextbase app, transfers using the same phone over Wi-Fi was fast, so it appears there is something causing video transfers within the app to be unusually long. You could remove the SD card and download via a computer fast, but then you also lose all the helpful telemetry. Beside the general slowness of the app and random disconnects, there is also the challenge of finding the video you are looking for. Video clips are displayed as small thumbnails only. Many of them you will just see the same road repeatedly. If a larger landmark, such as a large building, isn’t showing in the thumbnail it can take a fair bit of time and guesswork to find the clip you want. While there are technical limitations as to why clips are broken up, the app should be able to display a stitched chronological view making it easier to browse. Many modern cameras today show a timeline view of clips with markers and thumbnails of events making it easy to see the order. Furthermore, they allow rapid scrubbing through the videos to quickly find the section you are looking for. It Nextbase would use this method it would make scrubbing through dashcam videos far more intuitive. Smart Features 4/10 The Nextbase app only supports one Piqo for a single user on a single device. If family members share the car, only the one who set up the camera can view it. If you have more than one Piqo you will need more than one smartphone to access each Piqo. This feels like a missed opportunity. Nextbase could allow family sharing and when a family member took a vehicle the Piqo in that car would know via Bluetooth a valid driver was in the car and be able to mark those clips differently. Pairing that with Guardian Mode, it would have been great if parents could set limitations. Then when a teenage child uses the vehicle, their phone would pair with the dashcam as well, but they couldn’t make changes. This same app could alert the parents if the child was speeding, leaving their allowed area, or if they had been in an accident without any manual work. This would also be helpful for Witness Mode so that when a different family member takes the vehicle the features would still work. However, in my case, Witness Mode wouldn’t work. While my vehicle is an older sports car, its nowhere near as loud as some vehicles but Witness Mode would never activate. It never seemed to hear my voice. It might be unique to my situation, but it also could be because the microphone quality isn’t very good. Reviewing clips, general speech wasn’t very clear so unless you have a very quiet vehicle this feature might not work for you. Final Thoughts While it is nice that Nextbase is trying to make a more budget oriented dashcam that offers some of the features of more premium ones, it feels like at this point there is still a lot of refinement that needs to be done. Hopefully Nextbase will continue to improve the operation of the dashcam as it could be a decent budget dashcam. Unfortunately, I can only comment on how well it does currently and not any future promises or expectations. Unless Nextbase refines the app and firmware further, you are likely better served by other dashcams in their lineup.

This is overall a great dash cam for my needs. It has great video quality, is easy to operate and the app works pretty well. The only negative I could find was that placement is somewhat difficult if you have a large rear view mirror setup. Pros: Looks nice Easy to use Easy to set up Good video quality (2k) Lots of built in safety features Cons: Subscription required for advanced safety features Hard to position for some cars Setup: Ensure you have the correct app as the company has multiple apps. You are going to want the app named “Nextbase” and not the ones labeled MyNextbase Connect or Nextbase iQ as those are used for other dash cams in their lineup. After pairing it and using live feed to see if the placement is good, simply clean the windshield with the included wet and dry clothes and place it with the adhesive pad. The only issue I had is that my car has a large base for its rear view mirror which holds electronics for various driving features. Because of this, it is not easy to place the device behind the mirror as recommended and I had to place it lower and to the side more (while still covered by the mirror to not obstruct visibility). A minor gripe but the cable is on the right side for routing into the car molding, this would be better on the left side for positioning. I assume this is because the company is based in the UK and the passenger side is on the left where that cable positioning would make sense. Use: It works great and seamlessly after setting it up. You should have no interaction unless you want the camera to write to protect an incident which is done by pressing the only button on the device. Otherwise, the app is well thought out with info on connection, witness mode (more on that later), Emergency SOS, library, downloads (and cloud), and various settings. When you want to get a live connection, it will establish a Wi-Fi connection with the device for file transfer. Ensure you are out of live connection and settings before driving though as those connections will stop recording. Safety features: I will annotate with * if the mentioned feature requires a subscription. When parked, the device can record when bumps are detected. You can control stamps on your video to display GPS location, speed, your license plate, and more. There are geofence and speed limits you can set which will send you a notification enabled. *Emergency SOS will send alerts to emergency responders in the event of an accident, it isn’t very expensive and adds peace of mind. Witness mode lite will send a notification if you say the trigger words letting them know your location and also write protecting the file. *Witness Protection (not lite) adds more abilities such as cloud storage of the file.

True to the description, this Nextbase Piqo camera is small and compact. It measures approximately 3 inches x 2 inches. The small size minimizes the hazard of the dash camera obstructing the driver’s view. The box includes a 32 GB microSD card with adapter and everything that is needed to attach the camera to the windshield. The camera supports up to a 256 GB microSD. The camera uses loop recording and records over the pictures once the SD card is full. Several types of occurrences are saved and not overwritten. Pictures can be saved on demand by pressing the front “Protect” button. I wasn’t sure I had the correct app because it was titled Nextbase UK and the camera voice has a British accent. Further investigation showed that it is a UK product - and not quite ready for release in the US. Even though the app said to turn on the ignition, I tried to do the setup on auxiliary vehicle power because it was cold outside and the car was in the garage, but I couldn’t get the camera to respond. I think I know why it’s configured that way. A radar detector that I own could be set up on vehicle auxiliary power, but it quickly drained my car battery. So it was inconvenient but necessary. After idling the car for 10 minutes while the camera connected and the firmware updated and installed, I got it almost set up. It took another 10 minutes with the car running to finish the setup because I had trouble figuring out where to put the camera and how to run the cord. Then another 5 minutes or so to position the camera after I verified the placement location. From start to finish the Piqo set up took a bit of time and probably a gallon of gas. The wiring from the camera to the 12-volt power outlet is something I hate on all car cameras. I wish there was a way the cameras could be battery powered and/or mounted on the dash. The Piqo camera cord is plenty long enough to go along the windshield and down and around the dash. It comes with a tool to insert the cord along the windshield and headliner. But this is where the app, the printed instructions and the installation video need improvement. They are all designed for cars with the steering wheel on the right side. The instructions say it’s very important to keep the cord away from the driver's side and to install the camera on the passenger side. But the app shows the cord going left from the rear view mirror and the installation video shows the camera being installed behind the left side of the mirror. That would be the driver’s side in the US. I contacted Nextbase because I was confused and they did confirm that the cabling should run to the right and not left as in the app. However the installation video they sent me was for a car with the steering wheel on the right side. They didn’t seem to understand the need to modify the instructions for countries where the steering wheel is on the left side of the car. If I had followed the app diagram the cord would’ve gone around the steering wheel, which would’ve been a hazard. The app includes a Witness Mode and the owner’s manual that Nextbase sent me shows a Guardian Mode - although I don't see it in the app. Witness Mode is where the driver can document road rage and other incidents. If the driver feels threatened, they can voice activate Witness Mode, which captures 15 minutes of video that is preserved and not overwritten. An email and text message are sent to the people who were previously entered as emergency contacts. To use the Guardian Mode feature, geofence perimeters and speed thresholds are defined in the app. If another driver (child or mechanic) goes out of the defined perimeter or exceeds the speed threshold, the event is recorded and an alert is sent to the owner’s phone. Another available feature is Smart Parking, which requires a quick connect cable to hardwire the camera to the fuse box. When enabled, Smart Parking will record hits and knocks while parked. For $50 a year, Nextbase will extend the warranty to 3 years, provide 6 months of cloud storage and include an Emergency SOS service. The camera has G-sensors and when a high G-force impact is detected, the camera starts a 120 second countdown that can be stopped in the app or by pressing the button on the Piqo. If the countdown reaches zero, emergency services are dispatched. Hopefully the sensors are set at the correct level. I had something similar with another company and it called 911 every time I went over a big bump or hit a pothole. A lot of people’s time could be wasted on a false alarm. I don’t have my phone accessible when I’m driving so I wouldn't be able to stop the countdown in the app. Hopefully the camera makes a sound that tells me it’s in countdown mode so I know to push the button if emergency personnel don’t need to be dispatched. Once an app, instructions, and videos are made for countries where the driver sits on the left side of the car, this will be a good product. Until then, installation can be confusing until you realize that the camera is made in the UK, where people drive on a different side of the road. The camera is a good basic camera. The small size allows it to be mostly hidden behind the rear view mirror, but it’s not invisible to the driver. The bottom 1.5 inches of the camera needs to be below the mirror so that the protect button is accessible and the LED light ring is visible. It does have some unique features that could make it stand out from the competition.

This has been an excellent method for upgrading to the Wired Nextbase Auto CAM. You can see street signs, license plates, people, and objects clearly at any speed, including on highways, because to its 2K detail records. Features include better audio, reduced windshield area, a wide-angle view, a easy access memory card slot, and cloud storage for video saves. You can even choose between two different file sizes. The improvements are clear and nice. If I had this unit instead of an older wired cam when I was in a minor car accident two years ago, the quality and width would have cleared me of fault. It's too bad that wide angle wasn't prioritized when I needed it, so I'm glad this feature exists. The unit is wirelessly connected to a phone, and it can only be set up by using a phone. There are no clear instructions or computer manuals or specialized software support for this newer model. The unit doesn't seem to come with a battery, so it turns off when the car is turned off unless you connect it to the car's power system or use an extra USB 3 portable battery bank. I have been unable to fully investigate the product as thoroughly as I would like too due to time constraints and accessories. I have yet to fully master the voice command technology, and I am unable to locate a concise online manual to explore the features. The product is centralized around a mobile phone, which means that I must investigate the features by potentially contacting customer service to determine the extent of the power this Nextbase has. Additionally, it is claimed to be backward compatible with the wired model, but I do not anticipate this happening in the near future. However, the technology is a significant advancement, and the quality and mobile interface are exceptional, even on an Android mobile phone service. It is unobtrusive, affordable, and boasts superior technology. Additionally, its growth features are very appealing.

My experience with the Piqo 2k didn't start off that well. Upon unboxing I found there was no was no instructions in the box. Thats fine I guess as we're moving to an age where we are trying to reduce waste. Unfortunately though the only instructions on how to use the camera were found in short videos that made it seem way easier to setup than it was. For instance, the instructional video say to search the Play store for "Nextbase App", install it and follow the instructions. The problem with that is there is four nextbase apps (all for different dash cams) and the one recommended wasn't for this camera. So after failing with the first app, I found the correct app and the instructions went well enough. Installing the camera in the vehicle is simply enough. Clean your windshield where you're going to be placing it, stick it on, and run a cable to power it. I personally haven't installed the cable as prescribed (routing it through the trim of my car) because with the positioning of my 12v port would have a wire running across my dash. Instead of I got a shorter cable and just ran it directly down to it. It is nice they include an extremely long USB-C cable and the 12v USB-C adapter. The next problem I ran into was the app. Its simply not reliable. Whenever I try to view the videos from my phone, it has to connect directly via wifi (which takes time), and then it will slowly stream the list of videos over. For whatever reason anytime I tried to do this I would just get grey boxes for thumbnails, and trying to view one of those videos resulted in a crash. The software has some nice features to it. You can set the video quality to record (I recommend the 1440p as it gives the needed clarity for license plates), although its only 30fps. There is an option in there to change the stamps it places on the video, you can change detection mode (so if someone bumps into your vehicle it will start recording), whether it records audio, etc. All nice things to have, its just a shame that the viewer for the footage doesn't work right or well. There are some additional features included with this camera as well. The first is Witness mode Lite. This allows you to setup on the camera (through your phone) someone to call when you need an audio witness to something that is happening. There is a voice command you can issue and it will call them. There is also an Emergency SOS feature that is behind a subscription. The camera will detect if you're in a crash and call emergency services (again, via your phone). I personally didn't test these out. Primarily because I found them redundant to smart phone features already. If I need a witness I can just tell my phone "Call X person" and it will, hands free. Same with emergency services, I can manually call them or my vehicle will alert them in the event I'm in an accident. Now I understand some people may not have vehicles that do that, but I don't really find value in a subscription for the off chance you're unable to say "Hey Siri, call 911". The video quality of the dash camera is ok. I removed the included mircoSD card that was provided with the camera and plugged it into my laptop to check. The quality of the video was ok, a little noisy but not terrible. But this brought to my attention another issue, the camera was always recording. I had a full mircoSD card after just 1 day, and most of the footage was my car sitting my driveway not doing anything. The entire time the camera was plugged in, it was recording for some reason. So in order to remedy that I simply unplug it when I park. A little annoying but not anything I can't work around.

As someone who has been a victim of road rage multiple times and watches way too many crash videos on YouTube, a dash cam is a must for me. In the short time that I’ve had it, the Piqo 2k has been a reliable sidekick, constantly recording my drives and ready to save and share critical footage if need be. Nextbase includes everything you need to get started in the box. Insert the included 32 gb SD card, mount the camera, hide your cable in the A pillar trim, plug it in, and you’re good to go. Every time you turn your vehicle on or off, the camera follows suit. Despite not having a screen, the camera will give you audio and visual confirmation when powering on, off, protecting a video, etc via dings and LED lights facing the vehicle’s cabin. If you need to download footage off of the SD card, you can connect to the Piqo 2k via WiFi through the Nextbase app. Just know this isn’t a particularly fast process. You can also easily remove the SD card from the camera and plug it into a computer or tablet using the appropriate adapter. The 1440p footage is very clear, as is the recorded audio. Good enough to make out license plates, see faces, and hear what vehicle occupants or nearby pedestrians are saying with a window rolled down. This is all I really need from a dash camera. The Piqo 2k has more functionality, but it feels redundant and unnecessary to me. In addition to the physical button on the device, it can react to voice commands. The camera has guardian mode, witness mode, can send for emergency services in the event of a crash, and can record parking incidents. To record while parked you need to purchase a separate power cable. Cha ching. Emergency calling requires a paid monthly or yearly subscription. Cha ching. As an IOS user, both my phone and watch can detect a crash and call for help, for free. The functionality of witness mode and guardian mode can be accomplished with a phone call or Find My Friends. That’s my two cents.

I’ve owned a Nextbase dashcam before and I was always impressed with the camera quality and durability. But after 3 years, it finally kicked the bucket and just wouldn’t turn on. To sum up this camera, you get a high quality camera with lots of features - behind pay walls - and a much easier way to access your videos. Included in the small packaging is the camera itself, a long USB-C cable, a car charger, an extra sticky pad (to install on the windshield), and a plastic device (I don’t know what it’s called) to help shove the wires inside your car panels to hide the wires. The first thing you need to do is download the app. The quickest way to find it is to scan the QR code in the packaging. Even though you can probably just jump straight to attaching the dashcam in your car, I suggest going through the app. Because the first thing you’ll need to do is to connect it to your phone and download a firmware update. I did this in my house before installing it in my car - but it really doesn’t matter, so long as your car is on when you do it if you do this in your car. Unlike most dashcams I’ve seen, there’s no suction cup. It’s an adhesive pad. This had my worried only because I’ve seen heat take off my suction cup. It happened infrequently, but my concern is if it gets too hot and the adhesive pad comes off, I’ll have to use another adhesive pad (vs. just putting the suction cup back on the windshield). But I can’t speak to whether that would happen, I haven’t had it long enough and it’s been cold. The installation of the adhesive pad is simple, you simply clean the windshield, and then use the alcohol pad. Obviously you’ll want to know where you want to put it. In my car, I have to put it almost in front of the passenger side of the windshield. That’s because of the black “bumps” that exist to help with glare in all windshields. I was too afraid to try and stick it to that portion of my windshield for fear it wouldn’t stick well. I like the design of the camera, it looks fine, but it’s tall. Unlike my last dashcam which was horizontal I could get the lens right in front of the windshield for the best view. This one sticks down from where it’s mounted meaning the lens is further away from the windshield. This is only a problem insomuch as when I look through the camera feed, I can see the edge of the plastic on the inside of my car’s windshield. My preference would be to see only the outside of the car, but it’s not that big of a deal, the image quality is still great. It takes a little bit of time to hide the wires, but in my Honda Pilot that wasn’t that difficult. Once it’s connected to your phone’s app, your phone will notify you when your car is on and it’s connected (at least on my Pixel). It beeps pretty loud when it turns on so you know it’s on. From there you just drive. When you want to access the footage you open up the app. Now you can only access the footage when the dashcam is on and your phone is nearby. It connects via WiFi and you can look at the footage and download it directly to your phone. This is so much more convenient than taking out an SD card and plugging it into your computer. The video quality is 2K which is pretty sharp, but more importantly allows you to zoom in. But I mentioned earlier, this dashcam has some extra features. But they’re behind paywalls. You can set up Emergency SOS so that it will contact emergency services automatically if you ever get into an accident. There’s also a witness mode whereby you can contact a trusted contact if you get pulled over, or are in a road rage incident. Luckily it’s voice activated so long as you say the magic words. Me personally, I’m not going to pay for yet another subscription to have this in my car, but I can certainly see the benefit of these features to some. It can also start recording if your car is hit while parked (i.e. in situations where you aren’t in the car) but this requires it to be hard wired - some optional accessory I know little about. One other thing to keep in mind is that this camera tracks a lot of data. It can record your GPS, speed and time, and audio. This is great when you need to prove something, but as an attorney, it makes me worried in terms of being able to track your driving habit. It goes both ways. Of course you can turn some or all of these features off. But again, I like having these options available and the flexibility for some people to turn things on and off. I personally just like having the video recording, but I could see parents wanting all the features on to track their kid’s driving for example. CONCLUSION In some, this is a great quality camera that’s easy to use. Accessing the footage through the app and the video quality is all you need. It tracks a lot of data and has lots of extra safety features for those that need it. Its only drawback is the design, I would have preferred a horizontal design that would allow the lens to be closer to the windshield. As it stands, at least in my car, it’s definitely in the passenger’s field of vision.

I have always been hesitant about dash cams thinking it’s too hard to set up and that it would require a professional or something but recently after being told about a friend who was ON PURPOSE backed into to fake a claim I decided to finally try it out. I am so happy I did! Here is a newbies thoughts on Nextbase piqo 2K: First off. The APP Nextbase APP: it makes the setup very easy. It will walk you through all the steps. I ended up plugging it in first inside my home (you don’t need to do this) and updated the firmware but then realized I could have done everything inside my vehicle as it is fast and easy. So you go through the easy steps and bam you are done. The only issue was I could not see a live cam during set up but then when I went to history EVERYTHING including the time inside my home was recorded and sooooo clear! The Camera: omg it’s peace of mind! When I get in the car I hear a little beep that lets you know it is active. Then you see the breathing red circle illuminating slightly that also means it’s recording. While in the car you can check the video and it IS incredibly clear! You can also set up an email or up to 5 that a video can be sent to in case you need something saved and I believe all you have to say is a quick command like “nexy, witness mode”. I have not tried that but have memorized it at least. For me I’m happy for the basics so no information on other features like parking awareness or the emergency SOS as those features I will try in the future. I recommend this so much in this world of road rage and fake claims.

I own a few Nextbase dashcams for my vehicles and have been pleased with the brand. I have tried to get a dashcam in my wife’s car, but did not want anything noticeable on her windshield. The Nextbase Piqo 2K dashcam seemed to be small enough to be not noticeable yet packed with tech to give me piece-of-mind. Installation Normally the setup is pretty straight forward, however I had some hiccups during the installation. I was able to find the dashcam to connect to my phone, but the actual connection and firmware update took a long time with multiple firmware update failures (see photo). After the initial hiccups, the rest of the setup and app use went smoothly. Size/Quality Since my wife did not want a dashcam to be noticeable and I wanted a good quality dashcam with high resolution images, this dashcam seemed to fit our requirements well. The dashcam was small enough to sit in from the of rearview mirror and barely was noticeable (see photo). The small size is amazing since Nextbase was able to cram so much tech into this small device. I plan on purchasing a car adapter to provide continuous monitoring when the car is turned off, but this will need to purchased separately. The picture quality was not as good as my 4K dashcam, but I did not notice the difference until I compared the images side-by-side. Conclusion – If you are looking for a dashcam to help protect your family, but want a budget friendly option with high quality video, this is the dashcam to get.

I was attracted to the new Nextbase Piqo 2k dash camera because of the features and benefits it offered at a reasonable price. I had no experience with installing dash cams but the way the Nextbase Piqo was packaged it provided all of the necessary equipment and instructions needed to get it up and running in less than an hour. I made sure to download the application the company has for android and IOS based smartphones so I could decide which phone would be paired to it. I had contacted the customer support team because of some issues I was having due to the wifi in my vehicle and was told that you can only pair the camera to one phone. I took the necessary steps and deleted the data I had downloaded on one of my phones and was able to connect to the camera without having connection issues. Once that I was able to operate the dash camera and was pleased to enjoy all of the features it had to offer with live view, the library of recorded trips, and other special modes. I liked that I was able to remove the SD card and view the images on my laptop. The recordings are short clips that will display your GPS coordinates along with your speed as it changes while moving in the vehicle. It also has the date and time stamps so that you can use the videos as proof if you are involved in an accident or are a witness to one. I like that it offered a connection so that your recordings can be sent to a few special contacts that you designate in the application. After using the Nextbase Piqo 2k dash camera for a week I realized that it was a safety feature I had been missing out on. I like that it records my trips while moving in crowded, busy traffic but also films while I am not in my vehicle and inside a store in case something happens to my vehicle I have some video proof as well. I have been pleased with the high-quality of the images and the workmanship that has been put into the making of the dash camera. I feel a little safer now that I have the handy dash camera to record my driving and help keep me informed.

I’ve used three different Nextbase cams in the past and this is my 2nd favorite. TL;DR for those just wanting the good/bad and lots of words to follow. Good: Size Cord Length USB-C on both ends Extra USB-C port on 12V adapter Extra snap on / pull off window mount Voice Controls Image / Video clarity Bad: No screen Have to memorize commands to save / protect videos Firmware update issues Live View Meh: App Setup was a no-brainer and it even included a spudger to pull back / pop off some plastic within the car to hide the cord. Once the glass was cleaned and then cleaned again with their wipes, it positioned without issue and held thanks to some good 3M-looking tape. USB-C cable end-to-end made pulling the cable easy and they even give you an extra port on the 12V connector so you can plug something else in - nice! On turn on & pairing, you need to follow the instructions. At first, I was using my other Nextbase App but it didn’t find the camera. The website didn’t help much so I had to search the Play Store to find another Nextbase app and when the camera was set to pairing mode, was picked right up by the App. Then, the firmware upgrade failures started. It took 3-4 times to successfully update and haven’t seen an update since (not that I expected to). The app has some documentation so you can use the wake word to “protect’ the video in the event you wanted to save it; the same goes for a single press of the button facing the cabin. When using the App for Live View - you have to have your WiFi enabled - as it’ll fail without it. When I leave home, my WiFi automatically shuts off - and yours may too. If you try to look at the live view without WiFi, the connection fails - but doesn’t tell you it failed, it drops you back to the main page. When it does connect, the color LED changes on the dash cam and you see the image. At the time of this writing, live view only works in vertical mode and takes up a small part of the screen - unable to go landscape. I hope this is fixed in firmware/app updates in the future. Not having a screen, to me, is rough. In the past, dash cams have indicated they were recording (blinking light) but the video was frozen - and I found out that there was no video on the cards. I hope this isn’t going to be a problem here - but only time will tell. 2k 30FPs is pretty good when you’re standing still, but a lower FPS makes for less clarity on objects passing by - like license plates and signs. I had no issues with stopped vehicles and their plates or road signs. When pausing motion video to get those details, it was tough - almost impossible. I didn’t experiment with dropping to 1080p and 60FPS as that’d double the frame rate but also reduce clarity. I have a photo in the review of a car directly in front of me. While the plate is obscured for the review, trust me that I can read it clearly. Another is a sign off to the left and you can’t make out what it says - that was while moving. Just an FYI. Overall not a bad dashcam - recommended!

The Nextbase piqo is an incredibly small, unobtrusive front-facing dashcam with 2K recording. It really excels thanks to the Nextbase app that enables voice activation "Hey Nexy" for urgent safety recording and the annual ESOS plan is a bargain for the features (notifies emergency services in an accident, extends warranty to 3 years, cloud based recordings). -= In the Box =- - Nextbase piqo with mount - very long USB C to USB C cable (with right angle connector for Piqo) - 12V dual USB C car charger - spare mounting clip - 2 x protected by Nextbase stickers - wipes to clean windshield - spudger tool to help hide USB cables - 32GB micro SD card (required) and a standard SD adapter -= First Impressions =- The Nextbase piqo is tiny, but feels solid. There's no passenger facing camera, but it does have a large front facing button that has an LED ring. The microSD is on the left, the USB C is on the right. -= Setup =- There's a QR code in the box to ensure you download the right Nextbase app. I recommend using the QR code and not just searching the AppStore, just so you get the right Nextbase app. Download the app BEFORE you install the piqo in your car, as it walks through pairing steps and installation. Registration is required to use the app. Pairing was easy via Bluetooth, there was a firmware update when I first started the setup but it was very fast - like wow fast. Installation took of the camera itself takes all of a minute - I recommend having the piqo camera on live view. I installed mine just to the right of my mirror. The slower part of installation is (if you're like me) trying to hide the USB C cable and finding the right spudging path for the cable. You should use the right angle USB C cable pointing up, so you can go above your windshield, just give yourself enough give so you can remove the piqo (the mount slides on/off - a spare mount is included, if you plan to use the piqo on multiple cars, don't spudge the cable). Also, another tip, install with the mounting tab facing down (lower right hand side so you can slide the piqo on/off easily). -= What's Good =- I think the piqo is near perfect. I've used multiple dashcams and for simple safety, piece of mind, and smarts - as well as the size - the piqo is incredble. It pairs very fast after starting your car, about 10 seconds. Video quality is crystal clear (2K, 1440 at 30fps) and you can adjust the recordig to 1080p 60fps if you want to capture more images. Videos are time stamped with GPS coordinates, time, and speed - you can also enter your license plate in the app so video will be time stamped with your license plate. Video transfers pretty fast (the piqo creates an adhoc WiFi network for transfering video). The companion Nextbase app (I tested on iOS) is very intuitive, well designed, and so far has been trouble free. I would really encourage plaing with the app, there's lots of features in there including a smart parking feature that will record if you car is hit in a carpark (although this requires a professional install for continuous power. -= What's Not So Good =- Like all dashcams, if you have a long video, you are better inserting the microSD card in a computer for the fastest downloads. This is not something unique to piqo just a friendly reminder. I found WiFi connection to the piqo was faster when I was not in WiFi range of my home, but I think that's iOS biasing towards the strongest signal. The industry really needs a better solution for AdHoc WiFi networks. And a word of warning, if you hold the front button for 10 seconds you can erase all data and settings - kind of wish that reset option was hidden under the mount. -= Final Thoughts =- I genuinely love the piqo. It's a great small dashcam and I love how it looks in my car. When everyone sells subscription services, the Nextbase Piqo is one of the best value offerings on the market that actually offers genuine benefits.

I'm now on my 5th dashcam. Several of my previous dashcams went with the car when it was sold. In any case my first dashcam had a 640x320 sensor (it was impossible to read license plates on the video), but that was over 15 years ago. Oh, my how the quality of cameras has changed. About 8 years ago I had a Nextbase front/rear camera. So I'm familiar with the brand. My current/last dashcam (not a Nextbase) still operated, but it stopped writing (reliably) to its SD card. I was anxious to see what Nextbase's new "piqo" product offered. The biggest hassle of installing a dashcam is getting cables installed and hidden. I certainly wish auto manufactures would put a USB power output adjacent to the Mirror, it would simplify so much. First I installed the Nextbase app on my iPhone. Then I installed the 32Gb micro SD card in the "piqo" (it supports up to a 256Gb micro SD card). Before moving to my car I connected the 'piqo's" USB cable to a USB power source. The 'pico' initially uses BT for the initial connection then uses a private WiFi network to display LiveView video to your phone. Here you want to have your phone in landscape orientation. Set up went smoothly, you need to accept the BT code displayed before moving on. The video "piqo" captures has a 145 degree field of view. So I removed the old cable and installed the "piqo's" cable with the crevice tool provided. The cable has about 2' of additional unused length (tucked behind the dash with twist tie). I plugged the camera into a power brick so that I could use LiveView to tell where the camera was pointing when I mounted it. The included wet and dry swabs ensure it's done cleanly. By using LiveView I could make sure that the "piqo" had a clear view out the front window, without viewing the electronics dome behind my "smart mirror". I then removed the red protective cover over the adhesive that holds the camera to the electronics dome. The camera is very light and small (no rear display), with a single button on the back (displays red, blue, amber and green). The dashcam has a clip that allows it to be quickly removed. The dashcam offers either 1K (1080p) or 2K (1440p) resolution. I captured both, and either looked very good. But the 2K output allowed me to zoom in and see the detail of license plates much further ahead. It also looked better at dusk/night. Night view is captured in high res B/W but it requires very little light. But it takes up nearly twice the space. So if you want to keep larger quantities of video the 1k output might suffice. For now I left it 2k. The library feature shows you a single frame about once a minute. It optionally shows your speed with the time stamp. You can use their app to download videos from the dashcam to your phone, or you can remove the SD card and view it on your computer. On my phone it looked great, but once I moved the video to my computer's larger screen the true quality became much more apparent. Fine details, absent any motion trails, were viewable in each frame. Quite remarkable vs what I'm accustomed to. Most excellent quality. A couple of other features are available. Emergency SOS, where if you're in an accident the "piqo" can send for emergency services (via your paired cell phone) including GPS based location. Witness Mode Light, where via a voice command you can send audio/video to up to 4 different registered numbers or lock a video file so that it can't be deleted. Smart Parking ("piqo" must have 24/7 power) to notify you if the vehicle is hit or moves when it's parked. And Guardian Mode Lite, where the unit can notify you if the car exceeds set speed limits or drives outside a predefined geofence definition (GPS). Related to these are Incident saving, where based on motion detection video footage is marked as significant (easy to find after an accident). With a Nextbase Protect subscription up to 180 days of cloud storage can be stored, and Emergency SOS is enabled. Overall I'm quite impressed by the quality of the video captured. I don't plan to use the smart parking or the emergency SOS (as my phone has a similar functionality. The witness mode is interesting but I can't see using it very often. If I ever lent my car to a friend, the Guardian mode might be useful, but I've not done this for many years. I doubt I'll ever upload video to their server. But the basic functionality of the LiveView is very well executed. The Library functionality allows you to move throughout history reasonably well. With a 256Gb SD card it still might be cumbersome. I think I'd like to have dated "trips" (On/Off) at a higher level. Something other dashcams offered, but it's not that big of deal, as I so rarely review past information. Having a minute by minute indicator is sufficient.

The Nextbase Piqo 2k is a dash camera designed for the average car driver. The Nextbase brand is known for easy usability of their dash cameras along with their convenient no-nonsense features and dependability when you need the camera the most. A small but might package, everything you need comes in a small and simple box. Packaged with a 32gb micro-SD card, everything you need is in this small package including your Piqo 2k camera, USB-C to USB-C cable, cigarette outlet (with 2 USB-C charging ports), plastic fitting tool, extra (replacement) window mount, cleaning wipes, micro-SD to SD card adapter, and easy to scan QR code to get you started. Installation of the Piqo was simple; however, I have experience with installing multiple dashcams. Once you install the app, step by step mounting directions are provided to get you to the finish line. My steps included the following: 1. Choose the spot where I wanted to mount my camera. I always prefer the passenger side so it’s not in my field of view while driving. 2. Cleaned the area where I choose to mount the camera with the included wet and dry wipes. 3. Removed the film and secured the mount/camera on to my windshield. I take my time during this part to make sure the mount is leveled with my SUV’s headliner. 4.Continued following the Nextbase app directions. The app will have you put it in search mode, hold the single rear button for 5 seconds until it flashes blue. Make sure you don't hold it down for 10 seconds or it will reset. I reset it by accident, but it took less than half a minute to get back on track. The app then connects via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi to connect to your phone (in my case iPhone) and update. If you don’t have an account with Nextbase already, the app will have you make one. In my case, I already have an account so as soon as the app updated my camera, I was live. Nextbase made it easy as I had to make no adjustments to the app or settings as everything was preset. The only change I had to make was pointing the camera in the exact location I wanted to get a level full point of view outside of my car which I did by clicking live view on the main screen of the app. Now each time I get in my car, the Piqo handles the rest. It beeps when I start and turn off my car to let me know it's ready or resting. I feel confident it is working without the need of checking the app each time. When I do need to access the app, I have a variety of included features including access my camera’s local storage and library of recordings, changing driver safety features including witness mode, emergency SOS, guardian mode, and a variety of other settings and features. Note, to change any features, settings, or to access the camera you need to connect with it via it's onboard Bluetooth and Wi-Fi systems. Meaning you need to be in the car or very close to the car in order to get access. The video quality is good for your driving needs, the 2K quality is helpful for when you need to catch a license plate number or the color, make, model of a car you need data on. It's small but it packs what you need and when you need it. The camera has a 145 degree field of view and actually sees wider than my physical windshield. Piqo offers so many features including, Emergency SOS to call for help and use it's on-board GPS system to send help your way, voice control so you can shout out voice commands such as "Hey Dashcam, Start Witness Mode" so you can notify your preselected contacts with your voice and secure footage. Smart Parking which auto records if your vehicle is hit when you're not around with a prompted alert when you get back in your car and you didn't know you were hit. Guardian mode alerts you if you exceed a speed limit or go out of a geofenced area. There is a lot of software packed in this little guy! The GPS data pairs with video footage so you know exactly where you were and at what time. Having a dashcam just makes sense to have with all of the safety features. Nextbase is here for us to make things safer and protect you when drivers are most vulnerable. Look no further if you need a reliable and easy to use dash cam.

After some time reviewing what I expected to be a fairly easy to use dash camera. I was left feeling a bit like this product could use some improvement. Upon unboxing, it is simple enough to setup. It comes with everything you could want to mount to your windshield, route the cables down, to plug and play. It's strange that there are two Nextbase apps but the one for this Piqo has a great user interface. That's where functionality wise, I started to notice that it took a few attempts to find in order to connect via it's wifi feature. It is painful wanting to get into the camera via the main access (phone) that is most commonly used. No one wants to have to remove the included micro SD card and connect to your computer in order to backup your footage. Having easy access via your phone is how it should be, so I hope that they have a few updates in the pipeline to fix connectivity. When connected, the safety features alone give me a piece of mind when my family is out on the road. Daytime and nighttime recorded footage is great. Easy to identify objects down the road and license plates are visible enough. 2k video recording has its plus.

Installed nicely with very easy to follow app instructions. Unfortunately, when I sent an email to the “contact us” place regarding the drain on the battery while the vehicle was parked and unused, I was told “no worries- it automatically disconnects to prevent this. Then proceeded to notice the battery was dead and had to get somebody out to jump it. I then disconnected from the port but the device would not reconnect without going through the whole process again, defeating the purpose of an easily usable product for me.

I used an older, larger dash cam in my car for years. It had a nice compact display, captured all your footage to an SD Card and you could see it in fast real time on the display at all times just by glancing in its direction. After 7+ years of faithful service, it finally stopped working so I figured I would get another but maybe go for something a bit smaller and less obtrusive along with newer features and abilities so I selected the Nextbase Piqo. It arrived in a very compact and small box which makes sense considering its touted form factor. Inside, you have the unit itself, a very generous length USB-C to USB-C cable, a cigarette light adapter, a micro SD card and a few other items. It seems to have ok build quality, but for the price I was honestly expecting a bit more. To use it in any real, meaningful capacity, the NextBase app is required. You are given a QR code to download it. The app must be fairly new as it had no reviews at the time of this review creation. You then insert the provided micro SD card which appears to be ~32GB and will most likely fill up pretty quickly but it makes for a nice starter card. After download, basic account setup gets you going, plug in your Piqo and you will need to enable Bluetooth on your phone to pair it properly and once paired a firmware download is required. For myself, it was 28.2. During installation the led ring will turn yellow. After update, you are ready to continue. To actually connect to your phone, it uses wifi not bluetooth during use for streaming. Everytime you try to go "live" it will ask to create a local wifi network between your Piqo and phone. This means any other existing wifi network you're connected to will be disconnected and it must be connected to your phone which will then resort back to 5G/LTE for data. From here, you go through the basic setup steps to get it up and running and this is where all types of problems began. When given power, it powers on. When power is cut, it powers off. It has no rechargeable battery and must be powered all the time. During setup, it wouldn't even provide with a live display to properly align and mount test before actually installing it on my car to mount. It routinely lost its wifi signal (red ring) and I had to keep reconnecting. When connected, it did not provide a picture 90% of the time (1 out of 10 times I actually got a picture) When it actually established a connection with picture, the 1440p signal was not good and very laggy. I'm used to my old dashcam where it was all integrated together and the picture was instantaneous and fluid. Looking at my phone, I would turn the dashcam, and a second later it would jump to whatever I was now looking at. Even during my limited usage with it, the unit got warm pretty quick. I am hoping there is another firmware/software update, because the intermittent connection on my iPhone with IOS 18 was pretty bad. I wish the mounting mechanism had a quick disconnect ability to pop it off and on quickly when out of the car for security/safety reasons. My old dashcam I just lifted and pulled up and it popped right off to not give an easy target for thieves. Lastly, some of the app functionality requires a subscription and payment method. This isn't a deal breaker, but must be noted. I do not think the iPhone as a display is going to work for me for monitoring nor am I a fan of the lack of a battery, lack of a quick disconnect and slow/laggy wifi picture requirements. Right now, it seems best served as a very basic dashcam blindly recording to the micro sd card and popping it out after finished. I think I am going to go back to a proper all in one unit with more functionality in the actual dashcam itself and less reliance on a smartphone.