70mai A500S-1 Pro Plus: problems, parts and running costs

Checked: 2026-10-17

Summary

The A500S-1 Pro Plus is a budget 1944P dash cam (Sony IMX335, 140° F1.8 lens) whose usual troubles are heat-related shutdowns from its lithium-polymer battery, parking mode that does not engage or needs a separately sold hardwire kit, and firmware updates that have bricked some units. Running costs are limited to a high-endurance microSD card plus the optional hardwire kit and rear camera. At the $69.99 official-store price (Oct 2023) it is an easy first dash cam; past about $100 established alternatives are the better bet.

Common problems and fixes

Overheat shutdowns in parked cars — owners in India report the unit shutting itself down above roughly 45 °C ambient; it uses a 500 mAh lithium-polymer battery, not a supercapacitor, and 70mai’s own parking guide advises heat-shield film and avoiding direct sun when parked. Fix: park in shade and use the heat-shield film; the 12-month warranty applies only through the official store. [1][2][3][12]
Parking mode does not engage — an r/Dashcam owner reports the camera sometimes stays in normal recording mode instead of parking mode and drains the battery; the official FAQ also covers G-sensor threshold issues. Fix: check the hardwire-kit wiring, since parking surveillance only works with the separately sold 70mai hardwire kit. [4][5][2]
Firmware updates bricking units — a DashCamTalk thread documents units shutting down and becoming non-functional after a latest-firmware update, with confusion between Chinese and international firmware versions; one owner found unsecured telnet and FTP accessible on the latest firmware. Fix: reflash the firmware matching your region; whether the bricking issue is resolved is undocumented. [6][7]
Time resets on every boot — a documented FAQ item; the clock recalibrates after every power cycle and must be set again. [5]
Missing GPS data in downloaded videos — a documented FAQ item: GPS data can be missing from real-time or recorded and downloaded videos. [5]
ADAS calibration failures — common enough for an official FAQ entry; an experienced owner rated the lane-departure and forward-collision alerts at about 80% accuracy. [5][8]
Automatic restarts — the official FAQ attributes this to an unstable power supply or a problematic microSD card; the standard advice is a high-endurance card and stable power. [5]
Weak rear camera and finicky app Wi-Fi — the optional RC06 rear is a 1080p Galaxycore GC2053, a clear step down from the front image, and the app requires joining the camera’s own Wi-Fi hotspot, which some phones handle less smoothly. [11][8]

Parts and consumables

Heat-shield film — recommended by 70mai’s parking guide to protect the unit in hot weather. [2]

Yearly running cost

Not enough data. No US prices for these accessories were verified in the checked sources. [2][1]

When it is a good buy

Store prices: the 70mai official store sold the A500S at $69.99 with the GPS module (Seattle Times review, Oct 2023), and an aggregator snapshot listed offers at $71.99 and $89.99 (Autologr, Jul 2025). Up to about $80 it is strong value for a first dash cam; from $81 to $100 it is still reasonable, but price the hardwire kit and rear camera first; above $100 it is hard to recommend, since Viofo and BlackVue alternatives offer supercapacitor designs, buffered parking mode and deeper test histories. [9][10][1]

[1]