Glad you asked! Please check out our BlackVue dashcam buyer's guide to see at a glance how all the newest models compare.

Yes! There are two ways that you can connect to your BlackVue with your smartphone: direct connection or over-the-cloud. We've written a blog post explaining the two methods, please click here to learn about the two ways to connect wirelessly to your BlackVue dashcam.

The default password to connect to the DR500, DR550, DR600, DR650GW, DR650S, or DR750LW is simply: blackvue. It's a good idea to change the default password so no one else can access your Dashcam videos or settings.

The default password to connect to the newer DR590W, DR750S or DR900S models is unique for each individual camera, and the unique password can be found on the serial number label that is located on the camera body itself, or on a label inside the retail packaging.

Easy fix: you can use the BlackVue Windows or Mac viewer software to set a new WiFi password. To do this, remove the memory card from the camera and insert it into your computer. On the memory card, inside the "BlackVue" folder, look inside the "Application" folder. Go in to either the "Viewer for Windows" or "Viewer for Mac" folder, depending on your type of computer. Run the application, and click the "gear" icon at the top right to access the settings/config file. You can set a new WiFi password here.

If you don't have the Application folder on your memory card, you can download the free BlackVue Viewer application for PC or Mac here: BlackVue downloads.

There are several different ways to use a BlackVue dashcam in a personal or fleet vehicle. We've actually created an infographic and written a blog post to illustrate the 5 different methods to install a BlackVue dashcam, click here to see more.

For detailed information specifically on hardwiring a BlackVue dashcam and Power Magic Pro, please see our how-to guides How To Install a BlackVue Dashcam and Power Magic Pro.

Not to worry! All the BlackVue memory cards shipped with cameras are empty, this is normal. The first time the BlackVue dashcam is powered on, it initializes the memory card. This will occur after reformatting the card, or inserting a brand new card into the BlackVue.

Yes. To easily and quickly perform an in-dashcam format, with the DR590W/600/650/750/900 powered on, simply hold down the WiFi button for approximately 5 seconds. A beep will be heard from the BlackVue, and then a message "Press WiFi button for 5 seconds to format SD card". You'll then hold the WiFi button down for 5 more seconds, and then you will hear another been and "Formatting the SD Card...". After a few moments, another message will be heard indicating the BlackVue is rebooting. Once the unit reboots, it will resume normal operations. It's still a good idea to perform a full format of the memory card periodically (click here for the full-format procedure), especially if you begin having performance issues with the dashcam.

In most cases this issue may be resolved by performing an in-dashcam format as described in Question 4 above (restart the unit, then hold down the WiFi button for approx. 5 seconds until you hear a beep, follow instructions). If the message persists, we recommend using a computer (PC or Mac) to do a full format of the SD card as described in this procedure. The cause of needing to format the micro SD card occasionally is explained further on that page.

If you still hear "Please check SD card" message after formatting the memory card inside the camera, or if your computer tells you the memory card is write-protected when you attempt the format there, your card may be defective. SD cards are considered a "wear item" (like brake pads on your car), believe it or now, therefore SD cards do "wear out" over time and eventually require replacement. How long your memory card lasts depends on how often it is in use; you may have a memory card last several years or perhaps only 6 months, each situation is unique.

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Yep! A dashcam of this caliber is a pretty high-tech piece of equipment. When you think about it from an engineering perspective, capturing high quality full HD or 4K video takes a large amount of computer processing power. Until a few years ago, any camcorder recording in full HD at 30 frames per second would have been at least 5 times the size of these cameras. Add in all of the other bells and whistles (WiFi, GPS tracking, G-sensors, and more), and put them in a tiny package, and heat is the by-product of all that data processing that is going on. But not to worry. Earlier dashcam models from BlackVue did suffer some heat-related problems, but their engineering team took on those issues head first and resolved them before putting out the DR500 and DR550 (and subsequently the DR600, DR650, DR590/590W, DR750S and eventually the DR900S series). That's the beauty of the iterative design process! The case of the Dashcam itself is actually used as a heat-sink (notice the nice vents you see along the top and bottom of these models), so that's why you may notice it is warm or hot to the touch. Don't worry, this is normal, and your BlackVue is operating as designed.

The BlackVue published temperature range is either -4° to 140° F (-20° to 60° C) or -4° to 158° F (-20° to 70° C), depending on the model. Check your user manual for your particular model's operating temperature. Those are operating temperatures, so most likely the camera will be fine even above and below that range when turned off (such as overnight or parked during the day).

There are several reasons this may happen:

• Ensure the BlackVue WiFi hotspot has been turned on (press the WiFi button on the side of the Dashcam), and that the WiFi light has changed from blinking to solid.
• One common problem is that your phone/tablet/laptop is already connected to another WiFi network, such as your home or work hotspot. You may need to have your device temporarily disconnect or "forget" your known network in order to then connect to the BlackVue dashcam WiFi. It may also help to connect to the BlackVue hotspot directly from your device's WiFi settings menu, then returning to the BlackVue app and proceeding as usual.
• In rare cases when this is not the problem but the app still won't connect, we've had customers who uninstalled the app, and then download the latest version from the Play or App store in order to restore their ability to connect with their BlackVue.
• It may also help to power cycle (reboot) the BlackVue prior to attempting to connect via WiFi.

This was an extremely rare issue we saw that was easily resolved by cycling power to the unit. To do this, find a safe place to park your vehicle, disconnect the power cord from the camera body, wait 30 seconds, and plug the power cord back in. Alternatively, you may press and hold the WiFi button on the side of the dashcam for 7 seconds, which will reboot the device.

This is normal. The frame rate output over WiFi is reduced somewhat from the full HD for several reasons. For one, this is done in order to work with a variety of phone types, not all of which are able to render HD video at full frame rate. Another reason is that while the BlackVue is streaming the stored video to your phone, it's also still recording video at the same time. Rather than compromise the recording quality of the current video by the demands of also transmitting/displaying full HD video, the transmitted video is just sent out at slightly lower quality. Full resolution is always still available of course by copying the video to your computer.

We've found it can take anywhere from 12-24 hours for the GPS time signal and time zone settings to sync up after changing the time zone setting. Just make sure your time zone is set correctly, then drive like usual and it should eventually display correctly on the live view and recorded videos.

First of all, don't do anything except concentrate on driving! As long as you take action relatively soon (within a few hours to be safe), your video will be safe from being overwritten while you find a safe place to pull over, or until you reach your destination. Then, when you are safely off the road, you have two options: 1) use the smartphone app to copy the video to your cell phone, or 2) take the microSD card to a computer where the video can be copied over directly.

If you want to use the app to copy the video to your phone for backup purposes, connect to the BlackVue via WiFi, then simply locate the video in the list, and long-press on the video. A menu will pop up after a few seconds, then you can select "Copy to internal storage" or if your phone has a removable memory card you can also select "Copy to external storage". Once the video is on your phone (transfer can take anywhere from 30 seconds to a minute), you may upload the video directly to YouTube!

Please see the following image for correct cable insertion locations. Please note incorrect connection can cause damage to the dashcam unit that is not covered by warranty!

We're not sure what causes this occasional glitch but in almost every case this is resolved by power cycling the BlackVue.

The default settings are pretty spot-on for most situations and users. However, if you are using a Power Magic Pro to keep your BlackVue on when your vehicle is parked (a.k.a. "Parking Mode"), we recommend reducing the motion detection setting significantly; motion detection is very sensitive and may be activated by even trees swaying in a slight breeze. A setting of less than 2 will help prevent excessive recordings in Parking Mode.

Here's what you need to do to set the BlackVue memory card up so that it's readable by your Mac computer. Please bear in mind this procedure involves formatting the memory card (you will lose any recordings currently on the card), so be sure to download anything important via the smartphone app (or Windows computer) if need be, prior to following these steps:

1. On your Mac, connect the SD card
2. Open Mac HD on your desktop (Finder > Preferences > Sidebar > check Hard disks)
3. Open Applications
4. Open Utilities
5. Open Disk Utility
6. On the left you should see the SD card listed. It should show the card size with a second indented line beneath it that shows the volume of the drive.
7. Click "Erase" at the top of the screen.
8. Select MS DOS(FAT) File System for the volume format option.
9. Change the name of the drive if desired, BlackVue etc.
10. Click "Erase" at the bottom of the screen. You will get a warning and will need to click "Erase" again. The drive will be formatted as FAT32 when completed.

Now you can put the card back in the BlackVue, it will re-initialize and start recording like usual. From this point on, when you put the BlackVue memory card back in your Mac, it will be recognized and you can view the recordings or run the BlackVue viewer software without issue.

We find this is most often caused by the cable between the front and rear cameras not being fully seated, at either the front or rear camera. After turning off / unplugging the power cord to the front camera, be sure to fully seat the front to rear video cable; you should feel distinct "clicks" as the cable seats in to place on both ends. Even if you feel one "click" as you insert the cable, keep pushing as it may need to seat even further (you may even feel a second "click" as the cable goes all the way in).

Yes, please see our BlackVue, Thinkware, Garmin, and other brands of user manuals in PDF format here dashcam user manuals (click here).