Anybody with a heated screen and a dashcam that can 'see' through it?

[Paul F]

So I bought a Nextbase 622GW dashcam in March and the GPS aspect of it has never worked - so no location or speed recording, just the images.

After a session with technical support on the Nextbase website I was provided with a replacement GPS powered mount, but that made no difference, and Halfords (where I bought it from) let me have a third one, but that didnt work either. I have just come off the phone with the repair centre in Caerphilly and the conclusion is that the heating element in the screen is blocking the GPS signal. I asked why the heating element doesnt block the GPS to my phone, my iPad or my SatNav but apparently those GPS signals arrive via 4G and the dashcam one doesnt!

It is a shame Nextbase dont tell customers this before they spend what is now £239 on a dash cam with only half the effective functionality they claim.

Has anybody else got a heated screen with a dashcam that can 'see' through it?

 

[busbuddy]

I've got a 122 that is fine with the ford ka heated screen

 

[Paul F]

Oh right...I am told that car manufacturers leave a gap in the heating element for a SatNav or dashcam to be located. Have you put yours near a space in the heater element like that or is it just located where it works best?

I can't see any gaps in my heater element, it just seems to be all over the whole screen.

 

[Broko]

Have you tried it in another vehicle. You need a bit of a slope to see the satellites.

 

[Paul F]

Have you tried it in another vehicle. You need a bit of a slope to see the satellites.

No, I havent yet but I will do. I just need to find another power lead as it is hard wired into the MH. I must have a suitable lead somewhere in the dozens of boxes of leads I have acquired over the years!

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[Guigsy]

The screens with the hairline heating elements, and the screens with the IR reflective particles (the screens reflect tins of purple or green in strong sunlight) will bounce pretty much all GPS signals.

Part of the GPS transmission is a continuous loop that takes a few minutes that provides the locations of all the satellites, called the almanac. Your phone can get a quick fix by downloading that data in a fraction of a second. But GPS devices without a data connection have to do it the hard way, so a cold start fix will take a couple of minutes. Or never if the signal is too broken. If it's only been off for a few days, it can warm start. But longer outages, or if the battery dies, means starting again.

Once a device has a complete almanac and fix, it doesn't need a very strong signal to keep position. But it'll be getting most of of the signal through the side windows. Your phone will do ok, sitting on side dash. But your camera is probably ceiling mounted where it's got even less of a chance.

 

[Paul F]

The screens with the hairline heating elements, and the screens with the IR reflective particles (the screens reflect tins of purple or green in strong sunlight) will bounce pretty much all GPS signals.

Part of the GPS transmission is a continuous loop that takes a few minutes that provides the locations of all the satellites, called the almanac. Your phone can get a quick fix by downloading that data in a fraction of a second. But GPS devices without a data connection have to do it the hard way, so a cold start fix will take a couple of minutes. Or never if the signal is too broken. If it's only been off for a few days, it can warm start. But longer outages, or if the battery dies, means starting again.

Once a device has a complete almanac and fix, it doesn't need a very strong signal to keep position. But it'll be getting most of of the signal through the side windows. Your phone will do ok, sitting on side dash. But your camera is probably ceiling mounted where it's got even less of a chance.

Thank you. I never realised GPS was so complex, although I suppose it must be really!

A useful feature would be for the dashcam to connect to my phone and use the data from there when it cannot get the information itself. Any dashcam manufacturers reading please take note.

The dashcam is mounted at the bottom of the screen on top of the dash, rather than ceiling mounted, but everything you are saying still makes sense.

 

[Coolcats]

So I bought a Nextbase 622GW dashcam in March and the GPS aspect of it has never worked - so no location or speed recording, just the images.

After a session with technical support on the Nextbase website I was provided with a replacement GPS powered mount, but that made no difference, and Halfords (where I bought it from) let me have a third one, but that didnt work either. I have just come off the phone with the repair centre in Caerphilly and the conclusion is that the heating element in the screen is blocking the GPS signal. I asked why the heating element doesnt block the GPS to my phone, my iPad or my SatNav but apparently those GPS signals arrive via 4G and the dashcam one doesnt!

It is a shame Nextbase dont tell customers this before they spend what is now £239 on a dash cam with only half the effective functionality they claim.

Has anybody else got a heated screen with a dashcam that can 'see' through it?

I ave a next base and a heated front screen on my VW no issues, it also has the rear camera and no issues with that either

 

[Broko]

I ave a next base and a heated front screen on my VW no issues, it also has the rear camera and no issues with that either

I think the heated screen is a bit of a red herring. Looking at your van in your avatar it probably just can't see the satellite's. Either the slope or sun shade or both.

 

[Paul F]

I think the heated screen is a bit of a red herring. Looking at your van in your avatar it probably just can't see the satellite's. Either the slope or sun shade or both.

Could be...although plenty of trucks and buses have dashcams with similar screens. I assume they have GPS functionality too, but maybe not

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[Broko]

Could be...although plenty of trucks and buses have dashcams with similar screens. I assume they have GPS functionality too, but maybe not

They may have a GPS extension cable to the roof tho.

 

[Coolcats]

I think the heated screen is a bit of a red herring. Looking at your van in your avatar it probably just can't see the satellite's. Either the slope or sun shade or both.

That's the Fiat Ducato and does not have a heated screen
This is a T6

 

[Broko]

That's the Fiat Ducato and does not have a heated screen
This is a T6

View attachment 819727

Sorry coolcats meant op

 

[Coolcats]

Sorry coolcats meant op

That's OK no problem

 

[Paul F]

They may have a GPS extension cable to the roof tho.

Possibly...I asked Nextbase if they offer a remote aerial option but no joy with that either.

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[EML]

What Guigsy said. The fix is to mount by a clear bit of the windscreen, which you don't have, or to use an external antenna. I don't think the Nextbase has an external antenna option.

If it not's already obvious, the guy who said "those GPS signals arrive via 4G and the dashcam one doesnt" is wrong. The mobile network does send the A-GPS data to your phone, so it doesn't have to wait to do a cold start, but that's the only difference. All 'normal' GPS devices have to do a cold start (which means collecting the A-GPS data for themselves, direct from the satellites).

 

[rod_vw]

I've got an old(ish) Mio Mivue on the dash of a VW T6 with a heated screen which works OK. It's actually quietly dying due to heat from the sun, the touch screen is failing but the GPS still works well.

I also have a Bluetooth Satellite receiver which is clipped in the side of the fibreglass high roof. I use this to connect to a laptop for the old MS Autoroute app. I can monitor the serial satellite data coming from that receiver via an app on my smart phone. This only ever fails when the Bluetooth signal becomes corrupted by many others around it.

 

[HKF]

We have a TomTom Go 620 and it works fine with our heated screen

 

[rosalan]

Thank you for your information, as a direct result of your information we have decided never to own a Morello. Such a loss to our dreams.

 

[Paul F]

Thank you for your information, as a direct result of your information we have decided never to own a Morello. Such a loss to our dreams.

Personally, I have just decided never to own another Nextbase dashcam. We all make our own choices!

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[DuxDeluxe]

My next base on the Volvo works fine through the heated screen with very precise GPS positioning

 

[Paul F]

My next base on the Volvo works fine through the heated screen with very precise GPS positioning

Thanks for the info....could you let me know which model Nextbase is it please?

 

[DuxDeluxe]

Thanks for the info....could you let me know which model Nextbase is it please?

322gw. Good bit of kit

 

[Paul F]

Have you tried it in another vehicle. You need a bit of a slope to see the satellites.

Tried it in the car today and it didnt work there either. Quick call to Nextbase confirms it is the rain sensor blocking it this time. I held it in front of me in the middle of the garden and it gets a GPS fix, so my conclusion is simply that is not a very good bit of kit!

Any other recommendations of other makes and models would be welcomed!

 

[The Wino]

We use a cheapo chinese sat nav and have a heated screen on our transit no problems

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[Guigsy]

My dashcam has GPS. But the only thing it's useful for is setting the timestamp.

 

[Paul F]

We use a cheapo chinese sat nav and have a heated screen on our transit no problems

My Sat Nav is working fine so I dont need to replace that, just want to get the dashcam working really.

 

[Paul F]

My dashcam has GPS. But the only thing it's useful for is setting the timestamp.

I assumed all GPS enabled dashcams would track location and speed, but maybe not!

 

[The Wino]

My Sat Nav is working fine so I dont need to replace that, just want to get the dashcam working really.

Surely it's the gps part of the dash cam that's likely to be affected by the screen? In effect it's doing the same thing as the satnav

 

[Guigsy]

I assumed all GPS enabled dashcams would track location and speed, but maybe not!

It does. But isn't the point that I capture video of someone else doing something stupid? It won't know their speed.