Customer Ratings & Reviews

The Thinkware Q200 is a very good dashcam kit that will suit most users. First off, the kit includes everything you need for installation. It was packaged well and neat and arrived safely. The quality of the camera and cables are excellent and you can tell are well designed and made. Before installation, decide whether you are going to do it yourself or have it installed. The basic camera itself is a pretty easy self install. But if you are looking for the backup camera and especially the full time monitoring, I think most users will opt to have this installed by a trained technician, as it requires a hookup to your battery/fusebox. If you are going to do the full install on your own, I suggest starting early and giving yourself a full day. You do not want to rush this install. I suggest laying everything out first and making sure all wires are located in the right spots. Don’t mount your dash cam until you have it exactly where you want it. The adhesive is strong! I am going to say install took me about 4-5 hours as I took my time and made sure every cable was perfect. Once hooked up, operation of the cameras was smooth and all worked well in my truck. The cams are easy to operate and the picture quality is very good. The nighttime quality I rank as decent. Any camera has a hard time in dim lighting conditions. This one is no different but overall the picture is good. The picture is clear and most things can be made out pretty clearly. This is a good camera system for the average user and will fit most needs. I would recommend this system. Just take your time and have patience and read the manual carefully. It is worth a good install. Thinkware did a very good job with the Q200 package.

TL;DR: 1. SETUP: It is not as intuitive as it should be 2. USE: There are a lot of settings you can change to customize once you download the app, but there could be more 3. USABILITY: It wasn’t as seamless as it should have been. It disconnected from the app multiple times, but still recorded everything as expected, although it didn’t inspire confidence 4. OVERALL: For a DashCam, you can set it and pretty much forget it, especially since Thinkware is a reliable company. It is a premium looking device. Thinkware Connected should be offered and included, as well as a quick start guide. Some sort of screen on the device would make it more useful, instead of a set of 2 lights, as well as a backup battery. I have personally used a few different DashCams, as well as a couple GoPro’s (which I would not recommend as a DashCam replacement). I have been using a competitor’s DashCam almost exclusively for around 5 years. It was a good model and has aged over time, which is why I was excited to try Thinkware’s new road warrior. My initial thoughts including the packaging wasn’t very inspiring or colorful. It didn’t feel premium, which is fine, as I most likely will recycle it pretty quickly (and its outer packing definitely felt that it should). Inside the packaging was similar and displayed the front facing camera. Below that, everything else, including the rear camera were in individual plastic bags (some zippered, some folded) and mostly had plastic covered wire ties. There were 3 QR codes on a small pamphlet to find additional information, as well as some warranty information. Disappointedly, there wasn’t a quick start guide. I took everything out of the box before installing in my car. I figured out where I wanted everything to go and examined both cameras. There is a 32GB MicroSD Card preinstalled in the main unit. I decided not to hardwire or use the OBDII cables, but instead to use the 12V cigarette lighter adapter, as I was planning on using the second row charger in my car, but the cable was about 6” too short for that. I eventually got everything sorted (the included trim tool was a lifesaver! Thank you!). Installation embarrassingly took me longer than it should have (a neighbor stopped by to ask what I was doing ;) ), but overall really shouldn’t take very long; maybe 5 - 30 minutes depending on on your confidence and ability. Once everything is installed how you like, you will want to make sure you download the app. I have the latest iPhone, an iPhone 15 Pro and downloaded the app to it. It was easy to connect my phone with the Q200. In the app, there is a main page with 3 tabs on the bottom. The first tab is where you can connect the Q200 to your device, as well as see a live view from one of the cameras at a time, edit the DashCam settings and see it’s information, including the firmware settings. The third tab is where you can update your settings and safety cameras (i.e. red light and photo radar cameras). The middle tab is only readable when your camera is connected to the app - and isn’t the fastest, but it reasonable. When you’re ready to hit the road, you don’t need to connect the app to the Q200. The Q200 will say, “Please have a safe drive today” and will tell you when it’s disconnected. I didn’t see a setting to edit and/or turn off those sounds, but that probably will come in a future Firmware Update. Once I realized you don’t need to connect the app, I was able to see my drive in short videos and incidents along the way (in the second tab). The cameras worked well. The front one is noticeably clearer and excellent (since using, I’ve only used it during the day with sun, some rain and some overcast. I haven’t used it in really inclement weather yet, nor have I used it at night). While setting up, I could feel it was getting warm on my lap (it was about 55 F out and overcast), which may be of concern in the warmer months, but it’s has thermal regulation, so I’m not really concerned. Overall, I would like it to include more. It would be nice to have Thinkware Connected offered and/or included. I would like some sort of screen or easy to use controls. I would like not permanent option, so I could use it in other vehicle more easily, a non-proprietary charging cable (USB-C), GPS built in (instead of external) and a battery backup (as added protection if something did go wrong). I like it, as it functions nicely, but feel there should be more to it. There isn’t a lot of difference between my 5+ year old DashCam and the Q200 - the front camera is significantly better, but the overall convenience is lacking (removable, instead of permanent install, no backup battery, no emergency camera use function if needed once outside the vehicle). It is a nice DashCam system and should work well going into the future, but isn’t all that much different from the higher end versions from a few years ago.

I’ve had dashcam’s of some sort installed in our vehicles for many years. Mostly they’ve been basic front facing cameras. The are a good safety net as video doesn’t lie, and I like to post the best of the worst drivers to youtube. The negatives of my existing camera are: Front only, no gps speed, recorded audio not great, and it loses clock time and I have to connect to it with app to reset occasionally. The ThinkWare Q200 package appeared on paper to be a worthy upgrade. Contents: The package came with everything you need to install, including auto trim removal tools and a ready to go 32gb micro SD card. Might be the first device ever to actually include a SD card!! Thanks ThinkWare. There’s a hardwire cable, an accessory power jack cable, front cam, rear cam, cable clips, extra double side tape and GPS antenna puck. Everything you need in one box. Installation: Nothing about installing any aftermarket vehicle electronics is ‘easy’, to do properly. You need to think about keeping all your wiring away from airbags, free from chafing, etc. In simplest form, you mount the cam and gps puck to the windshield and power it with the accessory outlet cable. I opted for powering with the OBD power cable and I don't like visible wires hanging around, so I took the time to route the wiring behind the trim as to not interfere or be a safety hazard. The wire for the rear cam ran above the headliner near the doors. One thing I’m not thrilled about is the ThinkWare is powered by something other than USB. Every other dash cam I’ve had was micro USB powered. I could have avoided running the power cable if they used USB like most others do, as I already have USB hardwired near my rear view mirror. In any case I still had to tear things apart to run the rear camera cable, so it’s not a deal breaker. There is no print manual included, but you can grab it from the Thinkware website. I do caution you. If you hardware the Q200, DO NOT wrap the power cable leads around a fuse and plug the fuse back in as shown in the manual. Buy a proper fuse tap cable and use it or find someone else to install it for you. Configuration: Powering up the Q200 the first time and connecting to the android app on my phone was a little bit of a hassle. I did manage to get it to work but had problems with it connecting and disconnecting before I was able to actually get in to change the settings. Eventually it did finally work, however an easier option seems to be installing the software on a PC and plugging in the micro SD and using the PC app to change the settings you want. On that note, there are many settings available to customize the Q200 as you want except, I didn’t see a way to change the recording ‘blocks’. This seems to be set at each recording is 1 minute with no way to change. Maybe there is a reason for the short time frames, but I’m used to longer clips with the other cameras. I tried changing the winter months battery saver setting in the phone app but was unable to click any of the month boxes. When I used the PC app with the SD card plugged in, I was able to make the changes. Viewing/Grabbing video clips off the SD is also pretty simple using the PC Viewer app. Everything is there on 1 screen, front and rear cam, video clip, speed, map of location, and a G meter graph. Video quality: The Q200 specs out as a 2k camera up front and 1080p in the rear. I’ve been running the Q200 alongside my $50, 5 year old 1080p camera. I’ll let you judge from the attached screenshots,, but overall I think the Q200 is a little worse quality than my old camera. This was my biggest letdown from the ThinkWare Q200. (And yes, I did remove the lens protective film). If I use the zoom feature in the PC Viewer app, I’m still able to read license plates at about the same distance, but the overall quality looks worse IMHO. If you look at the attached photos you can see the electrical wires on the right side of the road in my old camera, in the Q200 you can’t even see them. The image in general has less contrast and looks more ‘grainy’. My 5 year old camera is physically smaller also, but the Q200 is still small enough and shaped to easily hide behind your rearview mirror as to not obstruct your view. I haven’t tested the driver safety features of the Q200, they require the Q200 to be positioned and aligned in the center of the windshield and I didn’t want to remove my existing camera until I was able to compare the two. Final thoughts: Overall everything you get with the Q200 in one box offers a ‘fair’ value, 3.5 of 5 stars. If the video quality were better I’d say it was a good to great value. Maybe it’s something that can be fixed in firmware with better image processing? The fact that the Q200 has more features (2 cams, speed, working clock, g sensor, better audio, good PC software, driver safety features) than my old setup, still makes the Q200 a keeper.

I have been wanting to upgrade to a 2k dashcam from 1080p for a while, and finally did when the Q200 hit the market, along with a 1080p rear dash cam. I have had a few other dash cams before, one with a built-in WiFi like this one so I do have something that I can compare it with. Let's go over the features and impressions of the dash cam: INSTALLATION: - Installation was quite easy, especially if you have the ODBC power adapter cable (sold separately sadly) but it is quite worth it, especially if you want to have the option of parking mode enabled. Other wise, install is still easy, you can use a 12v adapter that is provided with an extremely long USB cable to route through the car. The provided tool they give you to help guide the wire into your headliner and trim is great and makes install a breeze. The instructions are clear and I love how the app has a guided line on the live view to help you perfectly align the dash cam. QUALITY - The camera quality is exceptionally good for the front view because of the 2k quality and also the enablement of super night mode helps in dark areas at night. Absolutely no issues reading license plates from afar. The rear camera is in 1080p sadly, but still provides good quality footage. - The quality of the product itself is also quite good. I actually do really like the simplistic design of the front camera, no need to be distracted with a LCD screen, not an absurd amount of buttons to press. APP: This is where I need to knock a star off sadly. I was hoping the app would work very well, and honestly, for the most part, it does, but it is quite buggy with the Wi-Fi connection. Sometimes the camera will just randomly disconnect after connecting, the download speed of files is a little slow, about 1mb/s.... it takes a good while to load the video files, take a good while to connect. The interface is a little confusing when you are trying to download events, also annoying how you have to download the front and rear files separate, it won't just automatically download both, you have to manually choose both. Settings on the camera are confusing and the app leaves little to be desired in terms of explaining to you what every option means... PARKING MODE: Another reason I had to knock a star off. It is fine for impact detection, but the motion detection feature, holy moly does it not work well. I set it to the lowest setting of motion detection, parked in the GARAGE and some how it decided to record 25 events overnight, with literally nothing happening in all of them. Pretty buggy, not impressed at all with that, almost invalidates parking mode. Maybe it needs a firmware update in the future to address that issue but the motion detection quite frankly sucks and will eat your entire memory card in an hour. And then when you get in the car, your camera will yell at you over and over "INSUFFICNENT MEMORY FOR MOTION RECORDING" until you turn the car on. Overall, its a good entry level starter front/rear dashcam combo. It is better than most on the market in this price range and despite its flaws, delivers good quality imagery and gives me peace of mind when I drive.

I've had prior experience with Thinkware; I owned what I believe was their first model with front/rear coverage. I owned that vehicle for 10 years, and the dashcam had rock solid performance throughout it's life. Sold the vehicle with the dashcam intact (good selling point) and since I know the person, it's still kicking! In my wife's vehicle, I've gone through 3 other brands of cam and experienced overheating, frozen screens, & one that completely conked out after a month. So I had no reservation about installing this Q200 in my current vehicle. If you want to take full advantage of all the dashcam's features, you really need to do a hardwiring. This can be a little tedious, finding the right fuses, the right size fuse adapter, routing the wiring, etc. But it's the only way you'll get full protection in parking mode. Sure, the dashcam offers a level of protection while you're in the vehicle, but hardwiring protects your vehicle while you're out of it. I received this unit with the optional OBD connector that greatly simplifies the installation. Simply plug it in to your car's OBD port below the dash, plug in your cam, and you've got 24 hour power. No need to identify a power source or probe your vehicle's electrical system. I strongly suggest picking up this optional adapter, especially if you're a novice at electrical. I plugged it in, and the LED came on immediately showing I had a power source. Plug & play at it's best. The other thing I wanted to highlight about the Q200 is its small size, not taking up a lot of windshield real estate. However, if you look at it closely from either the top or bottom, you can see the aluminum cooling fins. It's pretty hefty given its size, it's obvious that Thinkware gave attention to cooling. I've had a cam that would overheat, especially after sitting in the sun on a hot day. Yes, this is the first dashcam I've had that does without a screen, but do you really need one when you have the app? Honestly, the only reason I've ever used the screen while I'm in the car is to change a setting. This is an entry level model, if you need more, by all means upgrade. For me, this cam does everything I need it to do. My car is a recent model with lane departure, forward collision, etc, so I don't need an add-on with duplicate warnings. Setup and pairing bluetooth & Wifi were relatively easy, I've had a few hiccups with other brands, obviously Thinkware gave this some thought and I appreciate that. Reviewing clips I found quality to be above average, especially on night time clips. All in all, for an entry level entry, this is a great piece of equipment, has all the features I need, and given their track record with me, should operate trouble free for some time to come.

I was able to install this camera and less than 10 minutes. At first, I put it too high on the windshield and it covered my rearview mirror sensor. So my rearview thought it was dark and tinted all of the mirrors. So I had to reposition it a little lower. The cord was able to be tucked into the roof and side door trim. There is a lot of excess wiring left after plugging in to the bottom. I do like how small and petite this camera is however I miss having a small screen to view with the camera is seeing at any point in time however you can use your app for that. It’s just one extra step. The motion sensor is set halfway so most bumps into the car will trigger the camera and it will start recording. I like that the camera speaks as to what it is doing. Simply open the door and the camera says have a safe drive. Which I think is cool. I haven’t hooked up the back camera or sensor yet and I don’t think I will because I have everything I need attached to the windshield. But if you want a 360 view of what’s going on with your car when it’s parked, I do suggest installing everything.

For the price this dash cam is the best bang for your buck! You’re getting 2K resolution in the front and 1080 P resolution in the back with GPS information on the footage, what more can you ask for it also comes with the hard wiring kit which makes it easy to enable parking mode!

So far it has been great. It has a little voice that tells me when it launches itself into regular recording vs parking. It tells me how many parking events occurred so that if I need to I can connect to the cam and pull those. While it doesn't include a screen to view the footage, it makes it quite easy to remove the included MicroSD card OR use the phone app. I noticed a few reviews complain about connecting via wifi...I have not ran into this issue but can offer some advice: Make sure your phone isn't trying to connect to another wifi at the time (like wireless carplay/android auto) AND make sure to give your camera ample time to turn on the wifi (it will tell you when to connect).

So I was at Best Buy today for a speaker install that turned into a dash cam learning session. The audio install guys at the Janesville store hooked me up with a slick dash cam for $200, it even surveils movement around your car when you are away, so flipping cool! I plan on putting this in my jeep, truck and RV, so if you worry about a loved one driving alone this awesome cam is just like being there. 1440 resolution and all app driven so set up is a breeze, this would be a nice birthday or Christmas present for any driver you love or care about, I bought it for my granddaughter, peace of mind for $200, priceless if ever needed.

Camera has been great, I’ve had it for almost three months. The video is super clear, app is easy to navigate as well. I love that it records while parked. Geek squad was amazing, such friendly and helpful men that went above and beyond!

Video quality is good, it captures movement when car is parked. Quick connection guide is wrong, you have to connect with Bluetooth first then WiFi. This is annoying because I expect manufacturers to have their stuff together. The only annoyance is when you get in the vehicle and shut the door it senses the door being closed as an incident and starts recording if you don’t start the vehicle before shutting the door. Overall we are very pleased with the system.

The included hardwire kit should have fuse taps included. Or better yet, make it a standard box that just includes the main parts and then sell a choice of separate accessory box that is either the cigarette lighter plug, the hardwire kit, or the OBD2 plug. The OBD2 is the easiest and most convenient but costs $42.99. There is no doubt an insane markup on that. So far, the camera does what I need with good video quality on the front and rear. I'm happy with the wifi accessibility too, which is a huge upgrade from my last dashcam from a decade ago. I expected the build quality of dashcams would have improved by now, but it still feels like a cheap piece of plastic.

Great product. Works as advertised. The install was easy, parking mode works great as well. You have to hardwire it or get the additional adapter to use parking mode though. I did self install with the additional adapter. It took me all of 30 minutes to get it set-up and run the wires for the front and rear camera.

Great feathers and easy to use. Love the mobile app that comes with the unit.

Got this on a really good black friday deal for my wifes car. Its a pretty solid and good dash cam. I would recommend it. The only complaints i have about it is the roads where i live arent the best with alot of pot holes and railroad tracks. This is no fault to the dash cam but this dash cam is super sensative. Even with the settings turned down. It beeps everytime we hit even a small pot hole. I also wish that the gps module was build into the camera to eliminate mounting more things on the windshield.

I've used Thinkware on multiple occassions. The build quality is great, easy to install and very good recording quality. This model was no different. I am able to see front and back in great detail. Also I appreciate how this can record even when the car ignition is off and parked (when connected to battery), but you do have to enable it in the settings. Getting a dash cam is a must and this is highly recommeneded.

Quality of the videos the cameras takes are good. I can clearly see what goes on in them. I’ve never had to use them but if I ever do, it’ll be easy to get a hold of them. The app that works with the camera is pretty slow. Also if you switch to “live mode” the camera stops recording which I think is inconvenient. You also have to remember to disconnect from “live mode” or, once again, the camera will not record. I think all dash cameras are overpriced for what they are so if you’re considering this one, try to catch it on sale or open box.

Had it installed at Best Buy and everything was done swiftly within the hour. Agent was very thorough with instructions in how to handle the app. Regarding the camera itself, it definitely covers almost everything expected. Great looking quality. My only complaint is I wish it would load quicker when trying to cycle through recordings. I understand that's possible with camera that have monthly subscriptions which I'm avoiding since I already pay monthly for my in-home cameras. Other than that, it works and records great.

Easy to install and setup. Small design so it hides behind the rear view mirror nicely.

I had researched quite a few dash cams and ended up talking with the gentlemen who installs dash cams. He had no vested interest in his recommendation as he only installed these systems. He strongly recommended this product over all of the brands I had considered.