- Nextbase iQ subscription
Unlock your car’s smart potential with a Nextbase iQ subscription, available on iOS and Android (minimum system requirements Android 8 or iOS 13). The Nextbase iQ product has a sim card built-in and while a subscription is not needed it is beneficial to access all the features, including Live View, Smart Sense Parking, Witness Mode, Cloud Storage and more. - 1K recording
iQ takes image quality to a new level with 1K recording, also known as 1080p HD. Record the road ahead at 30 frames per second, capturing license plates and road signs. An inbuilt infrared cabin captures events inside the vehicle too. - Live view
See what your car sees with the always-on camera. Set custom alerts and check your car’s feed to show the inside and outside of your vehicle, when at work, sitting at home, or halfway around the world, the iQ has you covered. Intervene with voice or an alarm, so you’re always in control. - SmartSense parking
Your iQ detects threats using Spatial Awareness and custom-trained AI to monitor movement around your vehicle, including potential break ins, a car backing up too close, or people loitering around your car. Intervene from anywhere with voice or an alarm. - Witness mode
Simply say, “Hey dashcam, start Witness Mode” anytime you feel on edge, in a road rage incident, or if you’re pulled over. Your iQ will lock onto the incident and share live footage with a trusted contact so they can step in and help. - Emergency SOS response
Get instant life-saving help. If you, or whoever is driving are unresponsive after an accident, your iQ will share location and key medical details with emergency 911 personnel. - Roadwatch AI
Go back and see the evidence with Roadwatch AI adding crucial context to any recording. It will show the approximate speed and distance of vehicles around you in recordings, while also classifying pedestrians, cyclists, vehicles and more to track their movements as you watch. - Setup
Install your Nextbase iQ in just minutes. Our user-friendly guide walks you through the setup process with easy-to-follow instructions and tips to get you on the road in no time at all. - Sleek design
Your iQ is built around your convenience and safety, blending in with your car so you don’t even notice it. Smart Voice Control means you can do everything hands free. - Always-on 4G connection
Access your data anytime, anywhere. Our secure encryption keeps all your data safe. Your iQ uses an always-on 4G connection to make your files accessible, no matter where you are.
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Nextbase – iQ 1K Smart Dash Cam with 4G/LTE and GPS – Black
$240.00 Save:$134.00(36%)
Available in stock
Description
Additional information
| Weight | 0.71 lbs |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 6.89 × 3.15 × 1.77 in |
| Screen Included | No |
| Product Depth | 6.89 inches |
| Product Height | 1.77 inches |
| Product Width | 3.15 inches |
| App Compatible | Yes |
| Mount Included | Yes |
| Camera Mounting Location | Windshield |
| Camera Power Source | Vehicle battery |
| Integrated Microphone | Yes |
| Manufacturer's Warranty - Parts | 1 year |
| Night Vision | Yes |
| Recording Feature | Yes |
| Compatibility | Fits all vehicles with supplied universal power supply, OBD Power Supply/Hardwire Power Cable |
| Field of View | 140 degrees |
| Product Weight | 0.71 pounds |
| Operating System Compatibility | Apple iOS |
| Wi-Fi Built-in | Yes |
| G-Sensor | Yes |
| Number Of Auxiliary Inputs | 0 |
| Color | Black |
| Model Number | NBIQ1KUS |
| Recording Resolution | 1080p |
| Product Name | iQ 1K Smart Dash Cam with 4G/LTE and GPS |
| Number of USB Port(s) | 0 |
| Loop-Cycle Recording | Yes |
| Color Category | Black |
| Manufacturer's Warranty - Labor | 1 year |
| Brand | Nextbase |
| Automatic Incident Detection | Yes |
| Mount Type | Adhesive |
| Expandable Memory Compatibility | microSD |
| Frame Rate | 30 frames per second |
| GPS Enabled | Yes |
| UPC | 5060910803219 |
Reviews (33)
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mrjlwilliams –
I’m surprised that they are not more cameras like this on the market, because it’s a double threat for security.
The hardware on this device is top notch, and feels very premium. The build quality is very good overall, and it looks sleek too.
Using this type of thing in my car took me a second, but you’ll get used up it quickly. I’m the end, it’s just a dash cam and that’s the most important thing.
Video quality is very good, day out night doesn’t matter. It’s clear in nearly all situations, and will be easy to see when offloaded to your computer. Speaking of transferring, it’s easy as well.
The things I think some might have an issue with is set up, or if they are not technically inclined it could be a little frustrating. But most will make it through, and can set this system up in their vehicles.
The next thing is the voice commands, it takes a little time to use them. Because I forgot they were an option to be honest.
Price is another factor, some might not want to spend this amount.
Overall, it’s solid with just a few things I am not to fond of.
CatCity –
The Nextbase IQ is a very promising camera with an incomplete app. The camera will likely be very special, but it still needs some development in the apps current iteration.
It’s very important to make sure you have the most recent firmware installed. My camera was practically unusable until I found and installed up to date firmware. In my case, the firmware was so out of date that it couldn’t be updated through the app – requiring me to put it on the SD card and install it by rebooting the camera.
I’ll start with the bad, as a lot of this will likely get cleaned up by the app developers:
For starters, the IQ requires a subscription to use virtually any functionality of the app. The packaging makes no mention of a subscription, and the user manual is written for the UK. The user manual says the top subscription (Protect Plus) is 9.99 Pound Sterling, which converts to around $12 USD. Instead, Nextbase wants to charge U.S. residents $19.99 for the same subscription. To make matters worse, you can’t even view the camera without a subscription, which makes installing it very difficult. However, when you are first setting the camera up, it will give you a camera display in the app, but I wasn’t ready to mount my camera at the time. I mistakenly thought I would have this option again, I didn’t. The app just says “subscribe for these great features.”
There is a substantial lag time when viewing 4G footage, well up to 20-30 seconds. This caused a lot of confusion when I was installing the camera. I know this is not the intention of the Dashcam, and it will likely get fixed, but this is how it operates in its current state.
The setup was also difficult, I struggled greatly to get my phone to read the QR code that is displayed on the Nextbase cam when you first start it up. The issue here is that the Nextbase display is so glossy that it created a mirror effect on my iPhone 15 Pro and took me several minutes to get my phone to recognize that it was a QR Code.
As far as the app goes, you need to make sure you have the NextBase IQ App, not the normal NextBase app. This was a big issue for me, because I’m moving from one NextBase camera to another, and intuitively thought these cameras would share the same app – they don’t.
I also don’t fully understand what the different light modes mean with the camera. For example, my camera had the red ring lit up one night, which I believe means its loop recording in low light. I woke up the next morning and the camera beeped non-stop for around 1 minute and kept flashing red, then blue. I haven’t had this happen since I updated the firmware.
Finally, the good!
First off, this camera connects with an OBD power connector. This is the rectangular pin connector that all cars have on them, usually on the driver’s side. It allows the camera to access the car’s battery whenever needed, and because it’s plugged up to the battery, the camera can provide an alert if your car battery is low (let’s say you leave your door open or a light on). It’s a really smart design. The wire is also very long, as I went up my driver’s door, behind my dash where it meets the windshield, up my passenger door, through the ceiling lining, and down behind my rearview mirror, and still had close to a 1 foot of extra cord – in a Subaru Ascent.
I also love that this camera doesn’t have a full display like my previous Nextbase. I had to turn my last display off because I was constantly looking at it, which meant I had a giant turned off display mounted to my windshield. Instead, this camera is much sleeker because of its display-less design. The camera also has cabin view built in, so you get a 2 for 1.
Events go straight to the cloud. This means, if your camera detects a parking event (somebody near your parked car), a crash, or another event, the footage will be automatically uploaded to the cloud for you to view. Normal driving history must be retrieved using the “library” tab inside the app.
The camera has a lot of promise with cutting edge app features, such as Witness mode, which will allow you to rope in one of your emergency contacts to a situation where you want an observer – road rage driver, traffic stop, etc. Currently, the 4G lag is pretty intense (around 20-30 seconds), but I imagine this will be improved as the app develops.
Overall, the camera has a ton of promise, and will likely be the go-to camera once the app gets some tweaks. I love the design, I love the look, the lights are pleasing, the speaker sounds great, you can even change the angle of the antennas. It’s a very well thought out device, and I’m really enjoying it so far.
RalphHenry –
This unit has technology far advanced from my other dashcams. I have used several brands including an earlier Nextbase unit. Nextbase units do have a higher quality construction, so a tip of the cap to the engineers for their use of excellent materials as well as their functional design features.
The innovation in this unit is extensive. Your initial step is to install the Nextbase IQ app. I did view the video that is linked when you scan a QR code that is included inside the box. Although this install video did say Nextbase IQ app, I installed the Nextbase Connect app instead. The old app does not work with this smart dashcam, so be sure you use the Nextbase IQ app as the video says – my bad. Actually, I did call Nextbase support and in 10 seconds the technician resolved my issue – great support. I simply uninstalled the old app and installed the correct one, just a few seconds. The setup was super easy. There are several subscription levels to select with different levels of functionality. There is a trial period for free, you can also select a free subscription level but I’d recommend one of the pay levels to get access to many very powerful and very useful functions.
Installation was simple. This device has its own sim card as well as a 64 GB micro SD card. The app will walk you through the easy setup. Nextbase included a wired connector to install into your OBDII port under your dash to obtain power. They also included three different fused connectors if you prefer to hard wire the system into your vehicle’s fuse box. I chose the OBDII connector, which is the most simple way. A tip I will give is to go buy a splitter for the OBDII port; this will give you a port to connect the dashcam power and will also allow the dealership to still have an open port for their diagnostic testing if needed. Each install will be unique as to attaching the dashcam to your windshield. The unit uses a 3M adhesive which is super strong – the dashcam won’t fall off as sometimes happens with suction mounts; so smart design point from the Nextbase engineers. I’ve attached a photo of where I decided was the ideal spot for my Toyota Highlander. In my case There was very little restriction of my road-view as it was placed next to and behind the rear view mirror on the passenger side of the vehicle (see my photo).
When you first drive you will see status codes displayed on the small circular screen of the dashcam. If you see a nice red dot, you are recording and all is well.This type of dashcam does not have a screen to view the front or back facing camera images. This is not a problem since you can use your cell phone to display the live stream for both cameras inside the app when you want to. There is a short delay. My previous dashcams had a viewable screen but I never watched the screen while driving of course. This system gives you the ability to view the live stream in the car if you like but more important, when you are away from the vehicle you can ‘wake’ the system up (magic) and view the front and rear facing cameras live while the vehicle is parked somewhere. Giant tip of the cap to the engineers, what a great feature. The images from my 1K version is very sharp. I did remove the micro SD card and watched the MP4 files play perfectly on my laptop.
This dashcam can follow voice commands, has night vision and a great 140 degree field of view. There are many advanced features this device is capable of. One such feature is “Witness Mode”. You can simply say “Start Witness Mode” and the device will record everything and also live stream it to a contact you name when you set this feature up – this is truly a smart and innovative safety feature. One other feature I’ll mention is that the smarts inside this device can be used to measure the speed and location of several vehicles in case you need that info to protect you if there is an accident – amazing. The dashcam can update its firmware over the online connection via 4G. Depending on your choice of monthly plan some features are not available. I do recommend you check the plans and features all out, and then decide on the right protection and information you desire. The plan levels are very well thought out, another tip of the cap to the Nextbase designers.
I plan to add the rearview camera which connects into a port on this unit to supply power. You will need to run the cable. Now you would have ‘over’ 360 degrees of view relative to your car at any time which can be viewed from anywhere via your cell phone. I can attest to the fact that Nextbase has an excellent customer support structure. I highly recommend this state of the art, innovative, high quality and very smart dashcam.
MemphisTechieRN –
I recently acquired the Nextbase – iQ 1K Smart Dash Cam and I am blown away by its exceptional features.
The packaging of the dash cam is sleek and modern, and the product comes with all the necessary accessories. As soon as I opened the box, I could tell that this was a high-quality product. The dash cam was neatly packed in a foam casing, which ensured that it was protected during transport. The unboxing experience was smooth and hassle-free.
The Nextbase – iQ 1K Smart Dash Cam boasts an impressive resolution of 1080p, which results in crisp and clear footage. The wide-angle lens ensures that the camera captures a broad picture, and the image stabilization feature ensures that there is no blur in the footage. I was able to view the footage on my phone or any device with ease, and it was very clear and crisp.
I was initially uneasy about installing the dash cam, as I am not very comfortable messing with my car. However, I must say that the installation process was a breeze. The dash cam comes with a mounting kit, which makes it easy to attach to the windshield. The kit included a suction cup mount, which was easy to install and secure. The mounting process was so smooth that I was able to accomplish it in under 15 minutes.
The Nextbase – iQ 1K Smart Dash Cam is straightforward to operate. It has a user-friendly interface, which makes it easy to use even for people without technical knowledge. The dash cam is equipped with a voice control feature, which makes it easy to operate while driving. The buttons are responsive and intuitive, and I was able to navigate through the menus with ease.
The Nextbase – iQ 1K Smart Dash Cam comes with an app that can be downloaded on any smartphone. The app is free to download (but with a sub) and is very easy to set up. The app allows you to view the footage, as well as adjust the settings of the dash cam. The app also has a feature that allows you to download the footage onto your phone, which is very useful when you want to share the footage with others.
In conclusion, I can confidently say that the Nextbase – iQ 1K Smart Dash Cam is an excellent investment. It is packed with features that make it easy to use, and the footage quality is fantastic. The dash cam is also easy to mount, and the included app is very useful. I highly recommend the Nextbase – iQ 1K Smart Dash Cam to anyone looking for a reliable and high-quality dash cam.
DuelSales –
So glad I have this in my kid’s car. I can remotely monitor a few important things: Who’s in the car, how fast the car is moving, where is the car, and also is anyone I don’t know around or near the car!
SwigglesMilam –
Nextbase iQ 1K dash cam is promoted as the world’s first truly smart and fully connected 4G Dash Cam. Designed to secure your vehicle 24/7, the camera is marketed in three varieties, the iQ 1K which has a front and cabin camera designed with a 1080p resolution, an iQ 2K which has a front and cabin camera with a resolution of 1440p, and an iQ 4K whose front camera is 4K and cabin camera has been designed with a 1440p resolution. All three versions of the dash camera are designed to work with rear cameras which are sold separately and that are all 1440p. This review was written after installing and using the Nextbase iQ 1K dash cam.
Nextbase iQ works with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. It was designed to interact with iPhone, iPad and Android and works through an app loaded on any of these devices. Named by TIME magazine as one of the best inventions of 2022, the Nextbase iQ has a built-in 32 GB U3 microSD card and a 4G sim card that are pre-installed. These cards can store information for up to two weeks with a subscription, but then should be reformatted to continue use. There are three levels of the subscription, and the two paid plans are a requirement for accessing the smart features of the dash camera. The basic subscription, the “Solo” plan allows use of the iQ app, has voice control, and provides real time text notifications. The “Protect” plan requires a $9.99 a month or $99.99 annual fee and includes 4G data, use of the iQ app, voice control, real-time image notifications, live views, smart sense parking, has a witness mode, roadwatch ai, guardian mode, remote alarm, and 30 days of cloud storage. The “Protect Plus” plan has a fee of $19.99 a month or $199.99 annually and includes everything in the “Protect” plan plus it also includes the ability to have multiple users, an emergency SOS, automatic incident back-up, real time notifications and it has an extended warranty. Neither the Roadwatch AI nor Guardian Mode are available yet. The product comes with a 1-year warranty, and I could not find out on the website what the extended warranty included that is part of the “Protection Plus” plan.
It was quite easy to install the dashcam. For the 24/7 smart cam to be able to work properly, it needs to be plugged into the vehicle’s OBD connection or into the fuse box. The cables to do either is provided in the package. If you prefer not to use the OBD connection, red cables have been provided that plug into the fuse box. After the app has been downloaded to your mobile device, the cables need to be plugged into the iQ camera. When the vehicle’s ignition is turned on, the camera will immediately start to install the updated firmware, etc. through the app. Using Bluetooth and Wi-Fi the camera can connect instantly.
This device has several particularly key features with the subscription plans. The Witness Mode can be activated through the Voice Command by saying, Hey iQ, start Witness Mode. The camera will then capture video and send it to emergency contacts that have been entered by the user into the app. The Emergency SOS can also be life saving as it will notify emergency contacts if the iQ detects a crash and it will send the location of the crash, the driver’s identity, and medication information to emergency personnel. When the device is fully operational and on a paid subscription plan it will see everything within an approximate 75 percent range around the front, even when the car is parked, and it will record events. An additional rear camera is needed to see 360 degrees around the car. With just the front facing Smart iQ camera it will let you know if there is an event near your car without having a rear camera installed, even when the vehicle is in parked status.
I would recommend this to someone that travels and drives frequently for business. Parking your car in various places has become more dangerous in the past couple of years. With the full subscription plan, you can watch your vehicle from anywhere 24/7. The Witness feature and Emergency SOS are both excellent features that anyone could use. I think the subscription of almost $200 a year is a little pricey and I personally need to use it more to see if I can justify that type of expense. The company does give a three-month trial which does help the user see the Nextbase iQ’s full potential.
WestinR –
Easy to set-up with a QR code on the device that points you to the correct app (different than the previous Nextbase app). Really like being able to remotely monitor my car and family while driving. Notifications have been spot-on so far. Subscription costs feel about right.
Crasher –
The Nextbase iQ smart dash cam offers all the standard benefits you can expect to see from your modern day dash cams along with some added security benefits. On the higher end of the price point it begs the question “Is this really worth it?”
Out of the box you get quite a bit of gear and hardware to set up the dash cam the way you want. I was actually pleasantly surprised by the different amount of hardware given to you which allows you some flexibility on how you want to run your set up. For example, you get the get main unit along with double sided mounting tape, the main 16 pin OBD II power cable, the provided SD card and about 3 different power cables to run directly to a dedicated fuse block. Whats a OBD II power cable? You car guys know what that is but for those that don’t the OBD II connector, connects directly to your vehicles diagnostic port. This is the port that goes directly to your cars computer and location is going to very from vehicle to vehicle, so you may need to do a little digging to find the location. But with that being said most cars older than 1998 may not have this port, and Nextbase was smart enough to understand this and provided a variety of different fused cable wires that allow you to run directly to your vehicles fuse block. The only added thing you have to do is simply mount the ground cable directly to a good ground. Anyways i don’t want to get deep in to the install as Nextbase does provide a installation video through their provided QR code walking you through this step by step. Don’t worry it truly is not complicated at all. Diving right in to the features and quality of the video taken you will find some similarities to other dash cams and some added features that may help get you out of a bind. Video quality is superb during the day time and decent during night driving. During day time drive video quality is smooth with not stuttering and all footage is capatured in HD quality. Night time is good as well as the oncoming vehicle lights and street lights provided ample lighting however being parked in a low lit area the camera may struggle a bit. Parked outside my house the forward facing camera pretty much was useless as it struggled to pick up footage however the camera facing the Cab offered ample IR lighting and visibility was well enough to make things out. I will upload some photos to show this. The dash cam does also provided an additional port for you to run another rear facing camera, which you can purchase directly from Nextbase. This is for those of you looking to get some close up shots of whats going on behind the vehicle. The cam does detect battery voltage and will go in to sleep mode when it detects anything less than vehicle charging voltage. When in sleep mode it will monitor things based on your settings and send you push notifications should it detect something. In moments of detection the camera wakes up and the ring around the base will start to flash red and begin recording. Live recordings can be pulled up directly through the app regardless of your location however there are a few things to keep in mind. The vehicle is able to do this by using 4G/LTE so if the vehicle is in the mountains or any area where you struggle to get cell service, then you will struggle to pull the live video feed up and may not be able to pull it up all until signal strength gets better. Recordings are saved to the SD card so even if you can’t pull live footage all events will still be saved. You have your standard impact settings which you can set how sensitive you want the camera to be when it detects impact, which once detected it will lock the footage and save it. Now there are some features that set this device apart and make it worth the price point. For starters you change modes all via voice commands which will allow your camera to adjust to a given situation. For example you say “hey dash cam, privacy mode on.” The camera will flash blue as it receives your command then it will proceed to turn of the camera facing the passenger compartment allowing you some privacy. It will at the same time shut of audio recording so that your conversations can remain personal. One cool feature that i really like is witness mode. You can wake the camera up and tell it to go in to witness mode which at that point it will send a message to whoever you put in as a contact and will give them a link to the camera. At this point the 3rd party that you designated as a witness can see and hear everything that is going on live and be there with you to witness and help out by contacting authorities should anything seem off. This is great for people who have young drivers who may be getting pulled over or maybe got in to a fender bender at night. Through witness mode you can also pull GPS coordinates to know where your party is at as well. The unit does provide a EMS mode which when it detects a impact that may have resulted in bodily injuries it will automatically contact 911 or your local emergency services and allow a ping to be sent with your current GPS location. The dashcam has built in lcd screen which will pop up a icon showing a SOS icon and letting you know emergency services are being contacted for you. Where this unit really shined for me through its live second by second gps location, mph tracking and G-Sensor reading. Why i like this feature so much is cause when drive my vehicle it tends to stand out and grab the attention of local law enforcement. There have been times i feel i could of won court cases with some added information proving my point. Well this unit does just that. Let’s say you get pulled over for speeding in a school zone when you know for a fact you were not. You can pull up the camera footage of said area you broke the limit and track you live speed with a gps map showing you step by step your movements along with speed which all sync up with camera recording. This means you can now physically show your speed and location along with camera footage all backing up your claims if you were wrongfully accused. And the fact that this unit hooks directly up to your vehicles diagnostic port means it is tapping in to hopefully the vehicles computer pulling live accurate data which will lend even more credibility to your claims, should you find yourself being wrongly accused. The accuracy of recording mph along with actual mph is dead on with a 2 +/- mph discrepancy from what i can see.
Overall this unit is a solid buy and well worth the price given what it is you are trying to use this for. If i had a 1990 toyota tercel that had 20 different colors of paint and 3 different tire sizes then i would would pass on this unit. However if you take pride in your vehicle and are looking for added eyes to a watch on your vehicle? Then Yes. Are you looking for some added evidence to take to court to help you win speeding cases? Yes, buy it. Have young drivers your worried about? Absolutely buy it. And if you are a uber driver, tow truck driver or any driver that deals directly with the public, then this a 100% must buy. With the roadwatch A.I. and guardian feature about to come out, this makes the unit even more desirable should it function the way its supposed to. One thing to mention that i forgot to add is the services are free however in order to truly benefit from the full features they do kind of force you in to a subscription plan with the lowest being $9.99 and the next tier being $19.99 in order to use the EMS feature. Still with that being said this is a very solid buy and well worth every penny.
APFLORES413 –
I recently purchased a new car and wanted a dash camera immediately for it. I have used Nextbase in the past on an older vehicle now gone, and was very impressed with their product. So, I wanted to again return to Nextbase for my new car.
Firstly, I am thoroughly impressed with the design of this camera. It is oddly shaped as it hangs like a grapevine instead of sideways. It is very unique which I like. It connects directly to cloud system, where I receive direct communication to my phone app if anything were out of normal 24/7. As it hangs down, it doesn’t get in the way of my field of view as the camera it’s nicely in the palm of my hand. Set up was simple using the instructions, it was more of where is my OBD port (found it!) and where do I install this to utilize the most of this camera.
Image quality is truly amazing. The detail of the screen is very clear and crisp with the 3840×2160 resolution. The field of view covers 140 degrees in front of my vehicle, plenty enough coverage for anything head on and to the sides. The 4k recording is very clear and I am able to make out the license plates in front of me as well as street signs from a distance. All of that is recorded onto the microSD 64gb storage card inside as well as the cloud. The recordings are available to see in the app or if you want, can eject the microSD card and insert that in your computer. Otherwise, if you don’t the camera will just record over older files.
Live view mode allows me to see and hear what is going on inside my vehicle when I am not there, and you can speak through the camera inside. There is a feature should there be an Emergency SOS where EMS can be contacted if an accident occurred and the driver (most likely me) is unresponsive. Thankfully I have not needed to use this. Witness mode would be able to live stream what is going on inside the vehicle and outside for added protection. This can be accessed by staying “hey dashcam, start Witness Mode”, and my voice is understood even when there is a lot of sound inside (music, people). The app is simple to set up and I love having the control in my phone wherever I go. Now all of that requires the subscription with Nextbase which I feel is worth it, especially for the investment you have in your vehicle.
The only con I have about this is that there isn’t a rear camera. The cabin view does allow me to see through the rear view, but I would have liked to have a rear camera just in case an accident occurs in that part of the vehicle.
Overall, I really love this dash camera as now I am at peace with knowing that I have continual protection and coverage with amazing detail.
Section8ght –
I was able to get my hands on the Nextbase iQ 1k dashcam, and it is truly a marvelous innovation in terms of dash cams. I want to love it full heartedly but am stumbling my way to truly gravitating full in on the iQ. It is a subscription-based monitoring setup for premium features starting at $10 monthly for the “Protect” plan and up to $20 for the “Protect Plus” highest plan. You can pay annually $100 – $200 respectively and there is a free trial to test drive the dash cam. And of course, the dashcam can be used independent of any subscription as just a typical dashcam with footage available physically by SD card. Time will tell if or which plan I decide to go in on.
First off, the package comes with a variety of power options for installation, including fuse tap adapters and an OBD power cable. This flexibility ensures that you can install the dashcam according to your vehicle’s configuration and your preferences whether you want permanent direct power or the ability to easily remove the dashcam totally if need be. It’s great to have multiple options that make the installation process smooth and hassle-free. The overall installation itself is very straightforward, just download the app, stick the dashcam on your windshield, and follow along with the instructions. I opted for the fuse tap for a permanent install because I have an earlier model Nextbase dashcam in one vehicle that has worked wonderfully for me. Plus, all the necessary hardware is provided to make a simple and clean installation for even the novice diy’er.
The iQ 1k dashcam’s dual-camera system is impressive. The 1080p front camera provides clear and detailed footage of the road ahead. It’s perfect for capturing incidents, accidents, or just the scenic beauty of your drives. The secondary integrated 1080p cabin camera is a valuable addition, especially for rideshare drivers or anyone who wants to record events inside the vehicle. The dual-camera setup covers all angles and provides comprehensive coverage. There is the option to add a rear-view camera if you want total coverage. The integrated microphones on the dashcam are high quality as they pick up every sound, even from outside the vehicle. I was truly impressed with the combination of video and audio quality of this 1080p dashcam. All footage recorded from the iQ dashcam is recorded directly to an included 64gb microSD card and is organized in a library via the iQ app for easy viewing, also can be saved via cloud storage if you opt for one of the subscription plans. All of the footage is accessible 24/7 from anywhere as long as the iQ dashcam is connected to power and has the always 4G connection. That is the one thing that is pushing me towards the “Protect” plan. It allows me to view and connect to the dashcam virtually anywhere, and even speak through the speaker inside the vehicle.
The integration of Roadwatch AI for all road telemetry and car info along with voice control is an innovative feature. I have yet to be able to test this feature because it says coming soon on my iQ app along with the Guardian Mode. From what I can tell, it’s like having a co-pilot with a radar and cockpit system controls with you on every journey. Roadwatch AI offers valuable information about your surroundings, including the speed, and distance of other vehicles. It provides important telemetry data that can be useful for analyzing your driving and ensuring safety on the road, and great for documenting incidents for insurance purposes.
One of the most meaningful features of the iQ 1k dashcam is its “witness mode” with voice control. In this mode, you can simply give a voice command to your iQ cam to start witness mode to live-stream incidents or emergencies to an emergency contact that you designate via the Nextbase app. When activated, the iQ cam sends a link for your emergency contact to join in on a live stream to view the incident. This is huge for drivers who need immediate assistance and ensuring help is on the way when you need it the most. It adds an extra layer of security, especially in unexpected or stressful situations. This is also great for rideshare drivers that need a extra set of eyes to protect themselves from liability or even the unfortunate attacks from some
The fact that the dashcam is always connected via 4G for 24/7 monitoring via the iQ Nextbase app is a huge advantage. It means you can check the status of your vehicle and dashcam in real-time, no matter where you are. Whether you’re concerned about your car’s security, want to access recorded footage remotely, or just keep tabs on your vehicle, this connectivity is a massive plus. There are times when it is a little buggy and does not connect on first go. There is also quite a bit of lag in the video, but you will only know that if you are talking to someone or viewing the footage within eyesight. It is still a great feature to have to give that extra peace of mind when your vehicle is parked in an offsite parking lot that you are not familiar with or does not provide adequate security.
In summary, the Nextbase iQ 1k dashcam is an innovative, feature packed choice for anyone who values road safety, convenience, and constant monitoring of their vehicle. The various power options for installation, dual-camera setup, Roadwatch AI, “witness mode,” and 24/7 connectivity via the iQ Nextbase app make it an excellent investment for both personal and professional use.
Ohanaman –
THE BREAKDOWN:
This Nextbase iQ 1K Smart Dash Cam with 4G/LTE and GPS is next generation technology. I own a couple of dash cams and this one is well made and technologically advanced.
The fist thing you do is download the app, just like almost everything you buy these days. Make sure you download the Nextbase IQ app not the Nextbase connect. There is an available video to watch when you scan the QR code that walks you through installation.
To start with there are three levels of subscription and if you want the smart features that come with this next gen dash cam you will have to pay for them. The first one is the free one which is called the “Solo” plan which allows you to use the iQ app voice control and text notifications. The next plan is the “Protect” plan that is $99 a year or $9.99 a month and it included iQ app, 4G data, voice control and real time notifications, live views, smart sense parking, witness mode, roadwatch ai, guardian mode, remote alarm, and 30 days of cloud storage. The “Protect Plus” plan has a free of $199.99 annually or $19.99 a month. The “Protect Plus” includes everything in the “Protect” plan plus the ability to have multiple users, emergency “SOS” and an extended warranty. This product does have a one-year manufactures warranty.
Installation was very easy, especially after watching the installation video. For this camera to work you will need to either hook it up to the vehicles fuse box or the OBD connector. Whichever one you choose will have the cables to do so included in the box. Once you get the power hooked up the camera will turn on and start downloading updates.
This camera has several great features with the subscription plan like witness mode. Witness mode can be activated by saying hey iQ start witness mode. The camera will capture the video and send it to emergency contacts that have been entered in the app. This camera records in 1080p and the road ahead at 30 frames per second. You have a live view so you can always see what your camera sees. It has smart sense parking that detects spatial awareness.
Overall, the features are wonderful, but there are still some things the app needs to develop. I think this is the perfect device for my child who just started driving.
PRO’s:
– Easy setup
– 1080p recording
– SmartSense Parking
– Live connection
– RoadWatch Ai
CON’s:
– To unlock all the great features, you have to pay a yearly fee or monthly fee
SUMMARY:
Overall, this product worked as intended, and I would recommend this to a friend if they were in the market for an item like this.
jpatterson34 –
The Nextbase iQ 1K Smart Dash Cam with 4G/LTE and GPS is a game-changer in the world of automotive safety, combining cutting-edge features with unparalleled convenience. From its crystal-clear video quality to the expansive 140-degree field of view, this dash cam stands out as a top-notch device for capturing every moment on the road.
One of the standout features of the iQ 1K is its impressive video clarity. The dash cam records in stunning 1K resolution (1080p HD), ensuring that every detail is captured with remarkable precision. Whether it’s license plate numbers, road signs, or critical incidents, the clarity of the footage provides invaluable evidence in case of accidents or disputes.
The 140-degree field of view is a significant advantage, as it captures a wide perspective of the road ahead. This wide-angle lens ensures that not only the immediate front but also the peripheral surroundings are well-documented. It’s a crucial feature for comprehensive coverage and enhances overall situational awareness.
The always-on camera feature is a game-changer for users seeking continuous monitoring. The iQ 1K’s ability to operate 24/7 means that it captures incidents even when the vehicle is parked. This is especially useful for monitoring potential break-ins, hit-and-runs, or any other events that may occur when the car is unattended. The seamless transition between driving and parking mode ensures that you are always protected.
The integration of 4G/LTE and GPS adds an extra layer of functionality. With 4G connectivity, the dash cam enables real-time video streaming and remote access, allowing you to check in on your vehicle from anywhere using the companion app. The GPS feature provides accurate location data, enhancing the reliability of captured footage.
Installation is a breeze with the Nextbase iQ 1K, thanks to its user-friendly design and comprehensive accessories. The sleek and compact form factor ensures that the dash cam doesn’t obstruct the driver’s view, maintaining a clean and minimalist aesthetic inside the vehicle.
The Nextbase iQ product has a sim card built-in and while a subscription is not needed it is beneficial to access all the features, including Live View, Smart Sense Parking, Witness Mode, Cloud Storage and more. The subscription is $19.99 a month.
In conclusion, the Nextbase iQ 1K Smart Dash Cam is a standout performer in the market, offering unparalleled video quality, a wide field of view, and the convenience of an always-on camera. The integration of 4G/LTE and GPS further elevates its capabilities, making it a must-have for those prioritizing safety and peace of mind on the road.
Frank Omelu –
Having spent a substantial amount of time with the Nextbase iQ 1K Smart Dash Cam, I can confidently say it stands out as a paragon of dashcam technology. Its ease of setup and a wealth of intelligent features make it a top-tier choice for anyone serious about car security and surveillance.
Setup: A Breeze to Begin
Setting up the Nextbase iQ was a seamless experience. With a user-friendly guide that provided clear instructions and tips, I had the dash cam running in minutes. This simplicity is a testament to the thought put into the product’s user interface and installation process.
Nextbase iQ Subscription: Unleashing Full Potential
Opting for the Nextbase iQ subscription unlocked many features for my dashcam, enhancing its capabilities manifold. Live View, Smart Sense Parking, Witness Mode, and Cloud Storage are just a few of the standout services. With an embedded SIM card, accessing these features was convenient and beneficial.
4K Recording: Unmatched Quality
The 4K recording quality of the Nextbase iQ is stellar. Capturing even the minutest details on the road, the footage is crystal clear, ensuring no detail goes unnoticed. The infrared cabin feature adds an extra recording layer, capturing the vehicle’s interior events.
Live View: Your Eyes Everywhere
With the always-on Live View feature, I could see my car’s surroundings at any time, from anywhere. Whether at work, home, or traveling, the ability to intervene with a voice command or alarm provided peace of mind and a sense of constant control over my vehicle’s safety.
SmartSense Parking: AI-Enhanced Protection
The SmartSense Parking feature uses AI to detect and alert me to any potential threats around my vehicle. The spatial awareness and AI training have been instrumental in preventing break-ins and other incidents, reassuring me that my car is well-protected.
Witness Mode: Your Trustworthy Companion
The Witness Mode has been beneficial. With a simple voice command, the dash cam enters a mode that captures and locks onto incidents, which it can then share with a trusted contact. This feature gave me an extra sense of security during tense situations on the road.
Emergency SOS Response: Safety Above All
The Emergency SOS response has been a standout feature. Knowing that the dashcam can provide crucial information to emergency services in the event of an accident is incredibly reassuring, especially when the driver might be incapacitated.
Roadwatch AI: Smart Contextual Awareness
Roadwatch AI adds a crucial context to recorded footage, displaying the speed and distance of surrounding vehicles and identifying pedestrians and cyclists. This context is invaluable when reviewing incidents and providing clear evidence when needed.
Design: Elegance Meets Function
The sleek design of the Nextbase iQ Dash Cam has allowed it to blend into my car’s interior seamlessly. The device is unobtrusive, and with Smart Voice Control, everything can be managed hands-free, which is a boon for safety and convenience.
Always-On 4G Connection: Access Without Limits
Lastly, the always-on 4G connection ensures I can access my data anytime and anywhere. I have confidence in the secure encryption that protects my privacy while offering the convenience of remote access to the dashcam’s capabilities.
Final Thoughts
The Nextbase iQ 1K Smart Dash Cam is an investment in safety and security. Its high-quality recording, smart features, and user-friendly design make it an indispensable tool for modern driving. Whether it is daily commuting or long road trips, the Nextbase iQ provides a safeguard that is both reliable and advanced, ensuring that every journey is monitored with the highest level of detail and care.
Bryan –
Dash cams are one of those products that everyone should have in their vehicle, regardless of year and make. Insurance companies should offer customers a discount or free dash cam because, ultimately, having one makes accidents or theft much easier to manage. For now, we must choose among the plethora of dash cams available to see what works best for us.
If there was one dash cam that I’ve been eyeing for the last year, it’s been Nextbase’s iQ. This cam separates itself from others in a list of ways. Most importantly, the “LIVE VIEW” allows you to see what your cam catches, wherever you may be. At work and get a notification of an incident? You can immediately get a look at what is currently going on. This is awesome, compared to having to finish your shift, walk out to your car, find someone who had hit you and taken off, and then connect your phone to your cam and scroll through the incidents. That’s the #1 feature many of us have wanted in a dashcam. Nextbase promises this will be easy.
Other features include “SmartSense Parking,” which detects threats or movement around your vehicle, including potential break-ins. You can even speak through the speaker as a thief searches your car. I’m unsure if this would scare them away, but it will show them you’re watching and the cops are on the way.
“Witness Mode” is a nice feature too. If you get hit, for example, and the offending driver speeds off, you can say, “Hey, dashcam, start witness mode,” it’ll lock into the footage of the hit and share that footage with someone from your contact list. That sounds great and easy, like “Hey Google” or “Hey Siri,” but we use those commands daily. I don remember, “Hey, dashcam, start witness mode.” I wish these commands could be modified or changed to a more straightforward “record” or “witness mode.” It’s different than we will be using this a lot, and in the heat of the moment, I’d rather it be an easy feature to access.
Another feature I won’t mention is “Emergency SOS response,” which is self-explanatory and a great thing to have. “Roadwatch AI” shows the approximate speeds of other vehicles and your vehicle during an incident.
Having all these promised features is excellent, but many of them are tied with another subscription. Aren’t we tired of having yet another monthly or yearly fee? Nextbase offers two tiers: $9.99 per month or $99.99 a year. The other is $19.99 per month or $199.99 a year. This is on top of what is considered a very expensive dashcam! This one (the 1K version) is $500! And do you want the rear cam to connect to it? Another $200! That’s $700 for a complete system and another $200 if you wish to use the Protect Plus features. The price should be lowered for it to be a product that many users purchase. These cams are forgotten when we don’t need them, which is the goal, right? We don’t want to use them. And to have to pay almost $1000 for a 1K cam and a 2K rear cam is outrageous.
Yes, you get access to a 4G data plan, but I have a smartwatch, and those plans are always under $10 a month. If you want to charge that, fine. But when companies lock many features in a tier system for no apparent reason, that rubs me the wrong way. On top of that, we are promised some features to be “coming soon.” That’s another peeve of mine. Why not release the product when everything is made available? Speaking of that, I had to pre-order the rear cam, which came out well after the initial cam did. Why not have them released simultaneously, so those of us who got the dashcam don’t have to wait a few weeks to install it professionally? Or do I have to schedule two separate installs?
Set up wasn’t as straightforward as I would have liked either. I had issues connecting to the cam initially. And the different tiers and what features were included versus what was under the subscription can be confusing. I hope that these will get firmware updates for the software and connection side of things, because as of now, it is a bit spotty. I do give them the benefit of the doubt however, as it is a brand new product (although they have had a while to test things out before release).
I digress. The ideas and promised features of this cam are great. I hope these features become the standard of all dashcams from here on out. However, I also hope that other companies look at the asking price of these cams and rethink their strategy. With the price of these iQs, I can’t recommend it (especially if you own a fleet of vehicles). I expect these to have heavy sales in the future, and these may be worth the price and subscription.
Daddio –
Initial Impressions:
My initial impressions were quite positive. The physical design of the dash-cam aesthetically and functionally are more premium compared to your typical dash-cams. It’s loaded with advanced features that levels up your vehicle’s capability’s and overall safety.
Features:
This dash cam comes with a host of impressive features. It boasts a recording resolution of 1920×1080 at 30fps and a wide 140-degree field of view. It’s equipped with Wi-Fi, 4G, and GPS capabilities, making it highly connected. The memory can be expanded using microSD and microSDHC cards, and it comes with an adhesive mount for easy installation.
Other noteworthy features include a built-in microphone, night vision, and various app-related functionalities such as Smart Sense Parking, Witness Mode, Live View mode, Event notification, Driving/Security Mode, Emergency SOS, and Roadwatch AI for tracking other vehicles and pedestrians.
Features / Listed version:
• Recording resolution 1920×1080 at 30fps.
• 140 degrees field of view
• Wifi / 4G / Gps enabled
• Memory – microSD, microSDHC
• Adhesive mount
• Built in microphone
• Night Vision
Some app related features that stood out for me:
• Smart Sense Parking using G-sensor and radar / Automatic incident detector
• Witness Mode – Voice activated recording and uploads it to the cloud.
• Live View mode
• Event notification
• Driving/Security Mode – Automatically detects and switches between parking & driving mode.
• Emergency SOS
• Roadwatch AI – Tracks other cars, people, bikes, etc around you.
Pros:
• Dual view for the main cam on the dash. Front and back facing cameras.
• Rear camera at the back is a smaller size.
• Great to have SD card and cloud storage options.
• Auto sensing feature is great. I don’t want to have to be thinking about what to do with the device. I would like to just leave it alone.
• Voice activated is useful.
• Good field of view. Enough to see the whole car.
• Good video quality. For this iQ 1K version – FrontCam:1080 CabinCam:1080 RearCam:1440 which is plenty for most use cases.
• Lots of advance features (but I just want it to record any potential accidents or theft)
• Hardware feels pretty solid. 4 out of 5.
• Adhesive seems strong, doesn’t feel like it’s going anywhere. Curious how it holds up over time during the heat of summer.
• Comes with 32gb micro SD, 4g Sim Card, car cables, etc. Essentially everything you need to run the system.
• Live view with 4g. Probably the biggest draw for me is the live view of your vehicle, which is not very common with most dash cams.
Cons:
• Slightly bigger than I expected. But still a small-ish footprint. (could be a pro in having a visible security camera for deterrence)
• The dash cam could possibly obstruct your car sensors, so be mindful where you place it.
• Some advanced features require a subscription. But you can use it, (basic) without the extra subscription. There are different subscription options to choose from.
• It’s only 1k resolution. The lowest in this lineup.
• You need the phone to be able to see the camera. If you bump or move it, you can’t see your framing without the phone streaming the camera’s view. For this size, I wish it had a tiny screen for better accessibility.
• Substantial lag time for live view (but it’s sort of expected)
• Windshield only mounting option. I wish there’s more flexibility in mounting options, even on the dashboard itself.
Wish-list:
• A smaller footprint would be appreciated.
• Higher resolution for base models (at least 2k resolution)
• Reduced the lag time for live view.
• Useful no subscription option, as many people already have multiple subscription services.
Things I Have Questions About:
• The long-term impact on the vehicle’s battery while the device is connected.
• The dash cam’s night performance, especially in terms of reading license plates.
• The durability of the adhesive mount in hot summer conditions.
General Thoughts:
• For clarity, make sure to download the “NextBase IQ App” and not the regular “NextBase app” to make sure it works.
• It has so many advanced features on the app, but a simpler, security-focused function is all I really need. Keep it simple.
• Not the simplest thing to set up, but very much worth the time. You can also just get it professionally installed.
•
Conclusion:
The Nextbase iQ 1k Smart Dash Cam is an excellent tool that instantly upgrades your car’s ability and security. It offers a whole lot of advanced features, although some areas could use some more polishing. This is probably the smartest and the most feature packed dash cam I have ever used.
Clover80 –
It’s suppose to be the first of its kind. And it kinda holds up. I’ll go through the good and the bad.
The good:
I was really impressed with the packaging and the fact that it contained everything I needed to install the camera as well as to route the power cable under all the trim. I’ve never done this before. Following the simple and complete directions from the iQ app, with no other tools than what was provided I was able to get the camera mounted, wire tucked away behind the trim, and the app setup and running in 20 mins. Initially, I was a bit concerned about the size of the camera and the base but the camera articulates from the base and thus can be mounted mostly behind my rear view mirror. So many functionalities you can manually adjust… it’s really kinda crazy. Also, I found the voice command feature to be surprisingly convenient.
The bad:
It’s subscription based through the app. And without the subscription it’s basically useless and there is really nothing you can do with it. So if you don’t mind this and are willing to fork out a monthly fee for it then by all means this thing is a gem. If you’re on a budget then this might not be the dash cam for you.
Debbi –
You’ll need to download the app first as it will walk you through installing the unit. Next find the ODB plug for your car. I have a Honda CRV, checked the owner’s manual for ODB connector and connectors, found nothing. Searched the internet and found a video that was helpful and eventually found this port stuffed under the bottom of the dash on the driver’s side. Plugged in the Nextbase unit. Then it asks if you want to use the rear-view camera. Of course, I do! It too requires a cable. I was unable to locate the appropriate cable so it was either missing from the box or is an additional purchase. Then you will scan the QR code that displays on the unit. I thought I had removed all the packaging, but I had not. Much easier to scan when all the wrapping is removed! Next the app will update the unit’s firmware. This took some time and the Nextbase had to be vertical in order to complete the process. I had 4 or 5 failed attempts until I held the phone in one hand next to the Nextbase and held the Nextbase in the other hand in a vertical position. The app will then help you position the camera on your windshield. Next you will get to create an account on the app. Advance warning, you will need a form of payment. Yep, that’s right you get to sign up for a subscription plan that is $9.95 a month for basic service or $19.95 a month for Plus service. The basic service includes real-time notifications, witness mode (immediate recording and real time sharing to emergency contacts), Roadwatch AI (identifies hazards), Live View (use app to see inside the car), remote warning (use app to trigger warning to intruder) and cloud storage. The Plus option includes the ability to look at the history of “Live View”. The Plus option also includes automated incident backup, Emergency SOS and an extended warranty. A trial subscription is available for three months, but you will have to provide a form of payment.
Overall, the installation took me 1.5 hours. The Nextbase is a good size and for me I feel it interferes with my viewing range while driving. It is placed on the left side of the rear view mirror, not below the rear view mirror in my car. The power cord hangs down from the unit which I find to be distracting and also an interference with the view while driving. I am not a fan of subscription services. While some of the features sound nice, “look inside the car at anytime” the subscription rates seem high to me.
yogidang –
The quick review is, this is the best darn dash cam I ever had, ever came across and it makes my friends jealous. I have dash cams on every one of my cars and usually I do a lot of research before I make a purchase decision. So far I was happy with every one of my cameras in each of my cars. They do what I expect, record videos as I drive and be a witness to anything that might occur. I usually don’t go for all the bells and whistles. This Nextbase IQ changed all of this. They made a dash cam that was so easy to install by yourself and all the features are so straightforward, it is a pleasure to use.
Unboxing the camera, you have the unit itself and tons of different cables for different uses. But you really only need one cable and that is the odb cable. The camera is a bit on the larger size and weighty, but you can tell this is one well made camera and will probably last years to come. Scan the QR code and it will link you to a video for installation. And again, the installation was a breeze. I downloaded the app, make sure you download the Nextbase IQ app and not the regular Nextbase app, that app is for all their other dash cams. The app will guide you through the setup and literally took me 5 minutes and most that time was downloading the firmware.
My other dash cams is a chore to see the videos stored on it. I won’t bore you with what I have to do to get it connected to my phone or I have to remove the sd card to view on my computer. With the IQ, open the app and all the recordings are right there. You can also download any clips to your phone. There is a live view option to see real time what’s happening around your vehicle. With all these catalytic converter theft, this feature is a must. Also, if motion is detected, there is a big red circular light that emits from the base of the camera and I hope that this will help with deterring anyone. Camera resolution is very good as well, I couldn’t be any happier. For me, this dash cam is on the pricier side and I am usually the guy that goes for a more budget friendly option. But with all the theft and accidents happening on our road, this dash cam will easily pay for itself preventing one event. It is worth the asking price and I would give it 6 stars if I could.
joshspfld –
I really wanted to like this device. It has a ton of promise. A dash cam with built in 4G/LTE coverage and smart features. However, after trying it for a few weeks, I am just disappointed with it. I do believe that pending future updates to firmware and the app, it could be a really great product.
Install
Installing this was easier than I thought it might be. It can plug into your car’s OBD port, so you don’t have to run wires (though it comes with them too). Once it’s connected, you can easily tuck the wires into the trim on the car’s A-pillar to have a clean look. Mounting it feels like a very permanent decision–so be sure where you want it.
Setup
I downloaded the app and had some troubles right away. The QR code on the device used for setup is very small. My iPhone 15 camera couldn’t focus on it at a size that allowed it to register. I ended up taking a picture with another device, then enlarging it to allow the phone to scan it. It’d be great to have an alternative authentication code.
The App experience
The app itself feels like it tries to hard to be simple. This device doesn’t really teach you how to use it. I don’t like excessive in-app, first-use tutorials, but it’d be helpful to walk users through how to make the most of their investment.
The app also lacks a good search. For example, there is no way to filter down to view videos on a specific date or time range. Instead, you have to scroll through all the videos it captures. Adding a search would make this MUCH more practical and usable.
I also get lots of notifications from the app, many of which are incorrect. For instance, if I come to a prolonged stop–like at a train, it will think the car is parked. It will then register movements as a parking event and push a notification. It would be better to realize when the car is off and then set the parking events.
There are more performance related issues that are just annoying. It will randomly start flashing a red recording indicator while driving. This is a red flashing light on your forward facing windshield. In many states, this is against the law. The dash cam is thinking that the device is parked, in which case it makes sense, but it should never operate while the vehicle is in motion.
Subscription required
Though you can use this without a subscription, I don’t see any usefulness without it. The app continuously pushes you toward it. So I signed up. When I did, it allowed me to access more features, but they all felt like they weren’t ready for primetime.
My hope is that this all gets better. With some firmware, settings customization, and a better app experience, this COULD be a great product. But for now–as of November 2023, it’s not ready.
Maddie –
This looked complicated when looking at the wires but it was surprisingly simple to connect. This can connect into the OBD or into the fuse box. I used the OBD power to connect it. It wasn’t intimidating as I thought it would be and the instructions were simple to follow in the app. It comes with everything to get this on the vehicle and working quickly. First thing is to be sure you are using the correct app. One of the boxes has a QR code that will download the Nextbase IQ app, which is the correct one. I messed up and tried to use the Nextbase app I had previously. The app guides you through each step. While installing this, you also need to scan a QR code from the dashcam to the app but that took a few tries to get it scanned. And it won’t work until this scan goes through. Then I updated the firmware. That is important.
I was surprised that this camera doesn’t offer a small screen to watch what is happening. But maybe that’s a good thing as it’s less distracting when driving. It’s definitely worth it though to have access the the imagines 24/7 on the app. This is a big upgrade from the previous one I had with the screen but no app access. This camera faces the front and inside of the vehicle. The rear camera can be purchased separately and I plan to do but want to wait a couple weeks to be sure this continues working great.
Once installed and working, the video is clear and captures a large area. The camera works really well. There are a lot of great features that come along with this, such as witness mode, emergency sos, roadwatch. The downside is the best features have subscription cost attached to them. You can choose to pay monthly or yearly. This is a disappointment because the cost of this is already pretty high for the camera so these added the subscription fees is a sad surprise.
jago –
The Nextbase iQ 1K Smart Dash camera is a device I really want to love, but I cannot at this point in time. First off, it’s a very neat and modern looking dash camera and has many features that would make you jump at the chance to take advantage of them. However, the best features of the camera are not yet available and just say “coming soon” in the app. It’s very hard to recommend someone to spend this much money on a product that is not yet fully operational with the ‘hopes’ of the main features being implemented after purchase. I don’t have any doubts that at least some of the features will be rolled out, but I can’t guarantee that they will. Things I do love, are the 4G connectivity that I can view the live feed when I feel like it, pending of course the 4G connection has a signal. This will depend on where you live. I am not sure if there was a coverage map anywhere, but I think it uses AT&T’s network since my phone seems to not connect in some of the same areas. Establishing the initial connection to the camera via 4G can be slow at times as well and so fare I have only had a few times where I could not connect at all. Getting live push notifications to your phone when there is movement around your car is pretty neat as well. You can also sound a little alarm that will emit from the speaker, but it won’t scare anyone away and it is not that loud. I can barely hear it outside my 2019 Ridgeline. Video clarity on the 1080p front camera is great and I have no issues with that although the 140-degree angle is not as good as some other camera’s out there, and the interior camera works well also with good clarity. Mounting the camera was a bit of a hassle for me, there is no screen to screen to view what the camera sees as you mount the camera, so you have to use a level or eyeball it. It helps to have another person assisting you with getting it mounted straight. Also, the camera lens is not adjustable, the entire assembly will only move forward and back on the mount and there is no side or rotation adjustment available. The camera can be removed by sliding up on the mount and that will allow you to work on the camera if you need to or if you wanted to add the rear camera (not included, may not be available yet either as of the time of this review). Removing the power plug requires you to use a pry tool to pull it up, I used the included wire tucking tool and that allowed me to pry it up to remove it. Speaking of included items, Nextbase includes just about every power option that you could need. I have the OBD power plug in my truck so I used that, but you can use a fuse plug and other options for pre-1996 cars. You may not get the “always on” feature to connect to your camera (live view, notifications, etc.) if the fuse does not provide power all the time though.
The app (ver 1.5.1) needs a lot of work still. The default time on the app is set three hours ahead of me when I set it for Los Angeles time. The time on each video event is correct, so it is just the app that won’t update. Guardian mode and Roadwatch A.I. are still coming soon. I was given a trial period to test things out and I hope those features are released before my trial is up. I don’t see myself paying $20 a month for the service to take advantage of those unless they are fully functional. The $9.99 a month plan gives you many of the features except the ability to look back at live view history, won’t automate the Incident back up, emergency SOS, no extended warranty, but everything else is included. If you pay yearly, you can get a 20% discount. I also noticed that the preview pictures of the footage is a little slow to show up so you are stuck with a grayed out box where a preview of the image should be. I did have the opportunity to contact customer service for these issues, they were kind, but not very helpful and were just able to tell me that those features missing are in the works and the other issues will be worked on by the developers. I really want to like the Nestbase iQ camera and app, but at this time I cannot recommend anyone purchase this unless they are ok with missing features and bugs
SnowNinja –
After being able to use the Nextbase iQ 1K Smart Dash Cam, I only wish I had it two weeks earlier. Unfortunately, I had in incident with a wild animal on the highway which prompted me to get it. That being said, I love this dash cam and what it can do. It can bring you piece of mind when dealing with all kinds of incidents that you may face on the road.
Just a warning, the setup will take a little bit of time. The accompanying app will help guide you through the process, but you may need some help if you want it to look nice. You have a couple of different options to power the dash cam. One option is through the ODB II connection on the car. This is a port that is usually located underneath the dashboard on the left side of the steering wheel. The cord that comes with the system is long enough to reach it, but if you want it out of the way, you may have to route the cord up into the ceiling upholstery and down along other trim. Otherwise, you can run a cord to the fuse box to power the dash cam. If you don’t want to do this work, you may want to get a professional installer to do it for you.
This dash cam is also made to go into the car and be mounted to the windshield. It is not made to be taken down or moved from car to car. You decide where it is going to be placed. The dash cam has adhesive to put it in place. With the design and complexity of some of today’s car’s rear view mirrors, you may need to offset the dashcam a bit. You just want to make sure it doesn’t create a nuisance which could affect your vision while driving.
There are also a few options to choose from to get the most out of your dashcam. The more features you want, the more it will cost. There is a free basic service where you can connect to the app, use voice control, and get real-time imaging. To really get the most out of the system, you really need to go to one of the paid options. With the full plan, you can get live view, smart sense parking, witness mode, roadwatch AI, cloud storage for incidents, emergency SOS, and more. Therefore, I would recommend getting the paid extras.
With all of this out of the way, the real question is how well it works. The camera is a 1K video camera operating at 30 frames per second. With that from rate, the video is smooth and is not jumpy or jittery. The video is good. When mixed with the subscription, the dash cam will give approximate speed and distance of your vehicle and the vehicles around you. It can track pedestrians, cyclists, cars and more as you drive. It can even alert you to potential dangers before you see them. It can become an extra set of eyes for you. The video can be clear enough to read license plates, but you still must be relatively close to the target vehicle. I could read license plates at a farther distance than the camera could. But if you are within a few car lengths of the other car, it should pick it up. The field of view is good as well. The specs claim the field of view is 140 degrees. I would agree that this seems about right from what I can tell.
Night vision with the camera is adequate. While I am confident it would have picked up the animal in the road on the camera, I am not sure it would have alerted me to it before I could see it. My critique of night vision is it works, but your vision is still better.
In the end, I really like the NextBase iQ 1K Smart Dash Cam. There are so many features put into this dash cam that make it amazing. The biggest drawbacks I have for it are that it does take a bit of work to get installed in the vehicle to make it look good. I assume people don’t want cords hanging around and to get it to look good, you will need a professional to install it or be good with tools yourself. The other issue I have is you likely will need to use the paid subscription to get the most out of your dash cam. But if you are willing to do all of this, this is truly an incredible device. I recommend this dash cam to anyone wanting a high tech dash cam that can do it all.
BernardSC –
This review may make me “unpopular” but it is how I see it with the product that I have in my hands. This is a “DO NOT BUY” if you ask me. Period! I loathe this item at this point! I have wasted so much time, effort, energy and irritation over the past 3 weeks and all for nothing, because it STILL doesn’t work right! The pictures attached are all I see whenever I want to use the camera’s features, even after tech support has been involved, Multiple Times. Let me be Really Clear Here. I REALLY, REALLY WANTED THIS TO WORK! Hence all my time and effort with tech support and troubleshooting! I am on the road and on Client Properties a ton and I have a lot of money in tooling and gear in my vehicle that I would have liked to keep an extra eye on with the use of this device. It is just, simply, incomplete and not fully working. The app is missing features advertised and I can NEVER connect to “live view.” Not even “reliably connect”….it’s “Never Successfully Connect” as it stands currently. However the alerts do come through immediately when it senses a jolt to the vehicle or motion (sometimes) also not reliable or predictable. I am not going into the “features” because you can read that in the product description and I cannot use most of them due to the unreliable cellular response from the device. More importantly, things like cellular connection, failed promises and lack of integrity by the company are what NEEDS to be highlighted and passed along.
This is the worst piece of tech that I have used in years…and 1,000,000% the worst tech I have used this year! No Doubt! In the process of testing and reviewing I use a lot of tech so I do not say that lightly! Knowing what I know now I would ABSOLUTELY have avoided becoming involved with NEXTBASE and this item! That said this is not recommended and incredibly way too expensive for unreliable tech with no track record…even if it did work, it is still too pricey for what they “promise” it will do. I own a Construction Business and as a Contractor I have other units on my vehicles and equipment that provide me with GPS Speed/Location Tracking, Video etc. that are attached to a cellular network that sends me notifications when “rules” or “geo fences” are broken. I tell you that because I am NOT UNFAMILIAR with this kind of equipment and I pay for and use this kind of stuff monthly and daily, respectively. My monthly bill for COMMERCIAL SERVICE on a similar unit is way less money than the subscription fee with NEXTBASE. This NEXTBASE unit, truth be told, in my experience has no benefits over a standard dash cam with no subscription and SD card storage because the features they promise and would set it apart from a normal dash cam DO NOT WORK! It is not a smart buy and 100% not a smart camera! With my multiple contacts with tech support I have come to the realization that this was a UK based product originally and just now was released to the US market and for use on the US cellular service provider framework. From what I have experienced, gathered and concluded I do not think this was tested to work properly on US Cellular Services (T Mobile) before the decision was made to start selling it to the US consumer market. Kind of a “Lets sell them and see what happens. We will deal with the issues/fallout as OUR CUSTOMERS Complain about them and bring them to our attention.” Rather than doing their due diligence before putting the product on shelves with an incredibly “Premium” pricing structure.
Personally, I would NEVER AGAIN order an item or own something produced or sold by NEXTBASE. It has been the worst item I have tested and reviewed all year, all while being VERY PRICEY and having a High Monthly Subscription Rate attached to it. I am this upset with the item and app performance and it was provided to me for review and testing….IF MY OWN CASH was tied up in this Item AND Subscription then I would have flown through the roof about a dozen times at this point….after 3 weeks of “use.” Why is “use” in parentheses? Well, mainly because it cannot be “used” as it is advertised or intended because it DOESN’T WORK Right on the Cellular Network! Failed attempt at connecting after failed attempt and then some more failed attempts. I literally let the NEXTBASE camera record its own failings by holding my phone up to it while the app shows failure after failure. All of this while driving down the street in a GREAT TMobile area and sitting 18 inches away from the camera and still cannot get it to connect to live view!!!
This is a nice item in package, in build feel and in concept BUT IT DOES NOT WORK as it is supposed to! I have been in all different (T Mobile) Cellular Coverage areas and I have been on the phone and email with NEXTBASE tech support literally since I took it out of the box! Keep in mind that the camera has had “full” cellular signal in every instance of failure so “being in a bad cellular area” is no excuse! The whole point of paying such an INCREDIBLE PREMIUM and having something like this is to use the features that are advertised, of which, 2 of them users DON’T EVEN HAVE ACCESS TO in the app yet!!!! I will personally Never Ever give my hard earned money to this company for either more items or for the subscription! The product is disjointed with the app and the advertised features. Furthermore, the company made PROMISES to testers that THEY DID NOT HONOR and that speaks VOLUMES to me as a Consumer in regard to THEIR INTEGRITY…or lack thereof! I have updated new firmware to the device “that should fix the problem” (released because of me and my complaints about the performance of the camera) and have had multiple chats with tech support and so forth and at the end of the day, I can tell you that I feel like I own a REALLY, REEEEALLY EXPENSIVE PAPERWEIGHT!
Despite the 2 features advertised as PART of the camera system that DON’T work and are not even released yet (Guardian Mode and Roadwatch A.I.) as part of the live app controls. The ABSOLUTE WORST FAIL is the “LIVE VIEW” that CONNECTS ALMOST NEVER!!! When it does actually connect it is BADLY LAGGED, in my experience, in upwards of 40 seconds….sometime well over 90 seconds. More often than not, when I get lucky it will connect & it’ll play a clip of around 2 seconds, over and over, of something that happened over a minute to a minute and a half prior and then it will drop the connections after repeating that playback a few times. I have multiple screenshots and videos of the camera just loading and loading and loading….. but nothing ever happens. It just tries to load over and over and then never connects. Even worse is that when the unit is in “Parking mode” I cannot “wake” the unit with the app like it is supposed to do. I get a message that says “iQ unavailable. We were unable to connect to your iQ at the moment. This could be because your camera doesn’t have any signal or it is powered off. Please check iQ is powered, has signal and then try again.” That is ridiculous! I have it wired via the OBD2 port and I have no issue waking up other devices used in this same vehicle and connected in the same exact way when this one is not plugged in. This occurs no matter my location, I have been all over the place in different “T-Mobile” Service areas and have NEVER EVER, EVER been able to successfully “Wake iQ.” Why does this “feature” even exist in the app if I cannot ever get it to “wake up” the device?! If it did work it would be a SUPER useful feature so I could check on the vehicle and it’s contents throughout the day and night to keep an eye on things. But it doesn’t work…..
Keep in mind I have experienced all of this while on the highest subscription level!!!! $20 a month after the 90 day trial that is included and I get to experience all the FAILURES AND FRUSTRATIONS mentioned above. There is another subscription that is $10 a month but it doesn’t include “Emergency SOS,” a feature that notifies emergency services in the event of a collision. So to be saved, it is “pay to play” or “pay to survive” basically. Not a cool move to make people who paid a premium for the item, pay for THAT “service” option. That should be included as standard! If I owned the company I would want to keep all my paying customers healthy and happy. Not that I would trust that the service would actually work if I needed it considering how the rest of services don’t work as advertised/promised. In addition, the cheaper subscription also leaves out “Live View Look Back,” the ability to look back at your live view history, “Automated Backup” In the event of a collision the files are saved in the cloud, and the “Extended Warranty,” which it does not specify in the app how long the “extended warranty” is on the premium membership level.
The company’s billing system doesn’t even work right with its own app! So if you are given a credit or you buy the subscription and then change your mind on what level you want and cancel….nothing updates on the app FOR YOU….but supposedly, customer service can “see” it on their end and once the trial expires the system will load the “next in line” subscription….and THEN you might be able to see it in the app. Absolutely Ridiculous how DISJOINTED this company and its supporting tech and app are! Nothing works with anything else side by side…it’s all over the place.
I could keep going and give more examples of what is wrong with this camera and so forth but I think anyone reading gets the point by now. Overall I feel it is a terrible idea to get involved with NEXTBASE especially if real, hard earned money is on the line!
Now, IF this worked and IF all of the advertised features were ACTUALLY available to use in the app and the monthly base subscription allowed access to LIVE SAVING FEATURES then this would be an absolute winner and game changer. But unfortunately those are all wishes and none of that is true. I cannot in good Conscience recommend this unit or THIS COMPANY! ABSOLUTE FAIL!
mmodler –
The Nextbase iQ Dash Cam is pretty rad. It is packed with a ton of bells and whistles. It has a premium feel with materials that make the unit feel sturdy. I am really having a hard time rating this dash cam because it did not meet my expectations.
Let’s expand on what I liked about the Nextbase IQ before I get into what I didn’t like. The Nextbase iQ feels like a premium product. It has a nice sturdy structure that makes it seem like it will outlast whatever car you have it in. It comes with an OBDII power plug so it can draw power from your car when it is not on. This is used for the away features that will record and send you alerts if an incident has occurred. It was super easy to install in my car as it came with all the necessary equipment needed. Once you are signed into the app, you can configure your device and see a preview of what your dash cam sees. For those concerned with the power draw I mentioned before, the iQ will cease to power on once the car’s battery reached a preset charge level. The best part of all of this is the fact that it has the 4G/LTE features so you can connect anywhere to your car. Living in an area that can be unsavory at times, this has come in handy.
Okay, so what I don’t like about the iQ. Your iQ may behave COMPLETELY different than mine. My Nextbase iQ would not produce the QR code that was needed for setup. It would just sit on the spinning arrows. I left it plugged in for 20 minutes to see if maybe it was doing an update. After I power cycled the device it did the same thing. I let it sit in my car overnight thinking that maybe then it would finish whatever update it needed to do. I didn’t think about how that would drain my car’s battery so that was a silly mistake on my part. I gave up and went to Nextbase’s site for troubleshooting tips which there weren’t any for my particular issue. I left it unplugged for a couple of days and tried again. Then it worked like nothing was ever wrong. I have never had an issue since. There is a 5-10 second delay when previewing what is happening in your car. That was kind of annoying at times to deal with, but in normal use that shouldn’t be an issue.
Would I recommend this to a friend of colleague? Perhaps. I think the Nextbase iQ shakes up the dash cam industry by connecting it to a cellular network. The subscription comes with a cost and some folks may not be up to paying for that service. For someone like myself who has to street park often, it works well. I wish I could give it a 3.5/5 instead of the 4 I am giving it because of the setup issues, expense of the subscription service, and the lag that probably only annoys me.
EthanH –
Nextbase is a UK based company that’s been making dash cams for a while. While I’ve had two of their other ones in the past, this is the first truly expensive/”smart” cams I’ve gotten my hands on.
Out of the box you get the dash cam, a micro USB to OBD power cable, and a fuse kit to connect it a secondary way. For this review I’ve gone with the OBD method since it requires less work, and also, I’m not that adept at working with wires and my car.
The OBD is the little port that’s usually underneath the instrument panel on the driver’s side. I will say that plugging it in was somewhat cumbersome, but trying to unplug is was a contortionist act.
Before even plugging in the dash cam, you will want to download the Nextbase iQ app on your smartphone. If you don’t own a smartphone in 2023, then this dashcam probably isn’t the way to go.
Once plugged in to the OBD port, and the car has been started the dash cam will power up automatically. You’ll be prompted to scan the QR code that appears on the dash cam. For me, this was a frustrating experience as I would line up my phone about a foot from the QR code and pull back, then push forward, trying to find that sweet spot. After about a total of 2 hours trying it 15 minutes at a time, if finally scanned it and I could proceed with the pairing.
This is a large dash cam. The camera housing itself isn’t too big, but the base is quite large. You can remove the side antennas, and flip them the other way if it obstructs your view. I have said this before, and I will say it again… I HATE using 3M tape on your interior windshield… In my experience, getting the dash cam off is quite annoying and frustrating. I don’t know why more companies don’t include the suction base.
It’s called the iQ because it’s a smart dash cam, and I will say that some of the features are nice. Some of features will require a subscription (This is a downer for such an expensive dash cam). I’m all for companies making money, but when you spend over $500 on a tech device, include all the features… don’t nickel and dime your customers.
The dash cam records footage using a forward facing camera as well as a cabin camera. This offers a lot of footage in the event of an accident. It’s also quite useful if someone breaks into your car and you can use the live footage in the app.
Some of the better features are smart sense parking. You’re just as concerned for your car parked outside as you are when driving, so having this feature notify you when there’s activity around your car gives you great peace of mind.
Live view is the other great feature. Using your app you can see what’s happening around your car. You can also trigger an alarm that’s built in.
A lot of the other features are locked behind a subscription plan.
Let’s talk about the footage. For so much money you figure this would be more than 1080p… but here we are in 2023 talking about a 1080p camera. Most phones for the same price have at least a 2K or 4K camera, so this is a minus for me.
Regardless, the footage was pretty good. I wouldn’t say great. Some of the test footage I captured couldn’t relay the tag of a car that was about 15 feet in front of me. Night time footage wasn’t too bad either. If you don’t want to see the footage through the app, you can simply remove the micro SD card and inert it into your pc/mac.
All in all, it’s overpriced for what you get/what it does, and to add insult, it doesn’t even come with a rear cam, that’s a separate purchase. So as I mentioned before, the cost of fully protecting yourself with total coverage and a monthly subscription becomes quite expensive. I think there are better options out there that are cheaper as well.
Samson –
I was excited to get my hands on this to explore the features and get it installed in my new car. Ever since I was in an accident a few years ago (not my fault) and had to deal with an insurance company I have been throwing around the idea of getting a dash cam just in case it ever happened again, and I’m glad I finally did it! My biggest worry was installing this so that I didn’t have cords running everywhere. I’m happy to report that installation went better than I thought! I located my cars OBD connection and laid out where I would put the cord before I got started to make sure I would have enough cord, and ensure I would have exposed cord running throughout my car. I highly suggest you do this prior to setting everything up so that you know where you’ll have to tuck and hide the cable. Once it was installed setup went simple, you do have to have a subscription with this, but I suppose I’m used to that and expected it for something that’s cloud-based. So for me it’s not a problem and a welcome peace of mind to have this in case I ever find myself in a situation where I have to defend myself to someone else. Worth it!
GameOverSuckas –
I have had a few different dash cams prior to getting this Nextbase 1K Smart Dash Cam. None with the features and capabilities that this has though. What initially drew me towards getting this model was the feature of having a in cabin view camera as well. We bought a brand new vehicle and the kids wanted to drive it. They have had some mishaps in their own vehicles and I wasn’t about to let it happen in this one so I wanted the reassurance of knowing whats going on both inside and outside while anyone was behind the wheel.
This camera did that and a lot more! It has automatic incident detection. It’s also GPS enabled so I know where it is. This has built in WIFI, and infrared night vision. One thing it doesn’t have that I would’ve liked is a built in screen to see what is being recorded. But on the other hand this thing has what’s called “witness mode” where you can verbally tell it to start witness mode and it records audio and video in instances when you get pulled over and you want to be sure the police officer handles themselves properly or if you feel unsafe in your surroundings where someone is approaching you or your car. One of the best options in my opinion.
It has spacial awareness radar differentiating when someone is just walking by your car in comparison to someone trying to get into your car and sending you alerts accordingly. It has Emergency SOS mode. They also have a rear view camera to add that’s an optional purchase.
Would highly recommend
JoelDesselles –
When I say, “hey IQ start witness mode nothing happens.
mikeheel –
The Nextbase iQ is a high quality piece of equipment. It works well and is fairly easy to install.
This is a large dash cam. Since it says to not mount it on the passenger-side windshield, the angle of your windshield will make a significant impact on whether the dashcam can be positioned in a way that doesn’t obstruct your vision. For example, if you drive a Wrangler, Bronco, or other vehicle with a short, vertical windshield, you may have an issue being able to safely place this dash cam.
It has two cameras. The front-facing camera captures images ahead of your vehicle. The rear-facing camera captures images within your vehicle. There are certainly good uses for this dual feature. I think particularly of a child’s car or a vehicle for hire. For the record, the rear-facing camera also can capture other incidents outside the vehicle.
The power cable is thicker than I would have expected. That’s fine if you drive an older car, but some newer cars may not have a great option for trying to fit this around the windshield trim.
Despite those little gripes, the device itself is quite solid. My bigger complaint is that it is virtually useless without a subscription. There are two subscription options. The base “Protect” suscription plan costs $9.99/mo, while the upgraded “Protect Plus” plan costs $19.99/mo. The extra $10/mo gets you a few added features such as:
Live View Look Back
Automated Incident Backup
Emergency SOS
Extended Warranty
I think most people would be content with the base Protect plan. Unfortunately, using it without a subscription of any sort doesn’t appear truly viable. At a base level, if you don’t want to pay the monthly subscription, there are options that cost substantially less. The Nextbase iQ is a very nice device, but to justify the cost, you need to be wiling to continue paying for a subscription.
NickAtWTF –
Nextbase’s Iq 1K Smart Dash Cam is a decent camera, the recording quality on it is roughly what you’d expect from something pulling from your car’s battery then transmitting that video on a livestream via a 4G/LTE cell network…. but you can only find that out if you agree to a monthly subscription more expensive than what you’re paying to stream your favorite music or shows. While Nextbase offers a free “Solo” subscription on their website, it’s inaccessible from their app.
This trend for “subscription services” that basically amount to overcharging for data transfer and storage in the cloud is ridiculous and Nextbase would be better served by actually delivering a good customer experience instead and, oh, I dunno, including a removable SD card on the device.
The Nextbase iQ 1K has a built-in SD storage so video can presumably be stored until uploaded to the cloud in a location with limited cell service, but not one you can access directly, meaning that the software is fully able to obfuscate any recordings behind a paywall (and they do!)
In that light, the customer experience while installing is atrocious. When you first open the box, you’re greeted by two QR codes. One gets you to the app, the other to an install video. The QR code on the outside of the box leads to marketing materials that indicate you can install the device in “minutes”. I’m sure that’s true if you have exactly the right kind of car… it was most assuredly not true in mine.
The app is fine and also includes the install video, but you’re greeted first by a large, yellow QR code telling you to watch it first along with a huge assortment of crazy fusebox cables and connectors, so it takes you to the help website with little context as to what you’re supposed to do next. So, picture this: you’re wanting to install a smart camera in your car that’s connected and you are pulled in by the marketing material that *shows exactly zero cords*. I mean it. Go check out the website – there’s no cords in any of the shots of the device. So you snag this… and then you open up a huge box full of cords plus the device.
“Oh well,” you say to yourself, “I don’t need all those features and I’m willing to charge it on my own.”
You dig into the help page a bit after checking the device for a charging port: “Does my camera need a constant supply of power? Nextbase Dash Cams are not designed to record using their internal battery power, they rely on a supply of power (via a cable) when in use. This power supply can be provided by the 12V cable (provided with the Dash Cam) or by a Hardwire Kit (sold separately)”
Oooohkay. So that means I have no route away from clunky cables that have to be shoved (by someone who doesn’t do this) underneath the panels somehow using the included wedge they give you in the box.
Forgoing that for the moment, you opt to get the camera just running to see if you can.
If you live somewhere rural, or with limited cell connectivity, the setup process for you is not going to work, so I’d suggest going somewhere more centralized with good cell coverage for your setup. The setup process is pretty clunky with a “setup video” that talks about how to mount the camera. Here’s the deal: the ODB port in my 2017 car is inside the fuse box. The fuse box cover will not close with the Nextbase connector installed in the ODB port… which means if I want a permanent install, I have to figure out which combination of fuses and connectors (provided in the box) will work for my car or pay for another kit to get the 12v permanent connection PLUS professional install.
Ignoring the fact that I now have a crazy curl of cable that will not close up back into the box and are either draping across me or the steering wheel while the ODB box cover hangs open, I continue the setup to discover that there’s an on-device QR code that must be scanned by my phone while my car is running and to do this I have to have daylight or use the flash on my camera while trying to get a good shot of this 1.5cm x 1.5cm QR code as my phone pops between macro mode and normal mode meaning the QR code jumps out of frame every few seconds.
I finally snag the photo and then can position my camera, which promptly freezes because my neighborhood cell connectivity is relatively low… so I get it “mostly” pointed in the right direction and hope for the best. The angle of view is fine and can be adjusted relatively easily up and down, but not left to right, so if you have to mount off-center, you’d better hope your car’s gadgets are amenable to your placement.
Next, the app guides you to create an account and then set up a subscription which, as I mentioned, is more expensive than you pay for most of your streaming services. If you opt out “skip for now”, your camera provides NO DATA. NONE. You cannot see a live view, you cannot see history, nothing. There is nothing the app allows you to do besides establish a subscription. After you set up a subscription, you can discover the other options to do things like live view, video history, and other settings like bluetooth connectivity and whatever else, but most of those options are hidden behind the paywall.
For the purposes of my review, I set up the 3 month trial to test it out… and it worked generally as expected… but here’s where I would expect a Smart dash cam to perform better. I moved my car from the driveway into the garage. It recorded a “parking” event… but not really. It recorded me returning to my car to check if the camera had recorded a thing. In the history logs, the video shows up as a parking event, even though the footage was of me returning to the car and opening the door to disconnect the device. Also: because the device was in the garage, there was no location data (no GPS signal inside a garage), but the app didn’t indicate the last known location or anything else like that on the clip. The camera seemed to ignore my walking up to and around the car and I couldn’t nudge my car enough to generate an “impact” event for this review.
In any case, unless you’re versed in car tech installation or willing to expend additional funds to get the help to do it right, I’d skip this particular Nextbase dash cam in favor of one that you can charge, one that you can access the data to without a very expensive subscription, and one that you can install without having to route cables and re-wire your car’s electrical system.
Scott –
Just as described, waiting for road iq. Says coming soon.
cw77 –
The first thing to be aware of is this camera does NOT connect to your normal USB or 12v car outlets – you either connect it to your car’s OBD port, or hardwire it to your fuse box.
The second thing you need to know is that the iQ requires a monthly subscription if you want to take advantage of most features. Without a subscription, you can only get Voice Commands and text-only (no image) notifications on your phone app. Their $10/month Protect plan gives you access to most of the advanced features, so this is probably what most users would choose. To be honest, if you’re not going to pony up for one of their monthly plans, then I’d recommend you look at a different dashcam, as you’d be overpaying for features that you won’t be using.
You should also know that when you’re going through the setup wizard, and it gets to the part where it shows you a live view of the camera so you can position it on your windshield, there was a significant delay which made it a challenge to place the camera. Also, if you go past the live view setup step, thinking you can restart it later, you can’t. Unless of course you’ve paid for the subscription, which enables live view, but there will still be the delay.
There’s a bit of a delay when trying to access the recording library from your phone, but nothing major, and it’s actually improved with the updates that have been pushed out so far. Once you get a clip opened up, the app has a section that will show you the GPS location of where the clip was recorded, along with the current & max speeds. GPS location is also displayed for any SmartSense Parking events that have been recorded.
Voice Commands (which are thankfully not a paid feature) are occasionally handy and can be used to do things like start/stop Witness mode, start/stop audio recording, start/stop all recording, start/stop Privacy mode (which turns on/off the audio recording and cabin camera), and protect a section of footage so that it doesn’t automatically get overwritten.
Some advertised features, such as Guardian Mode and Roadwatch A.I. aren’t available yet. I haven’t had this type of experience with Nextbase before, but it wouldn’t be the first time a company has advertised a cool feature and then didn’t deliver until WELL after (if ever) you’d already made the purchase. So, if these two features are what really caught your eye, I’d keep in mind that they aren’t currently available. I’ve had the iQ for about 6 weeks & they’re still not available yet. The only info I could find on their website is that those features are “coming soon”.
If you’re just looking for basic video recording to help back you up if you’re in a minor accident, there are cheaper options that will suffice. If you frequently leave your car in remote parking areas, or want a little peace of mind when your new driver hits the road alone, the iQ is the ticket.
Thickatarian –
This was my first purchase with the brand and I plan on equipping all of my cars with this product.