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Vantrue N5S Dash Cam

Vantrue N5S Dash Cam

By Vantrue · Dash Cams · Audio & Electronics

  • 2.7K resolution
  • 1TB microSD Card support
  • 5GHz Wi-Fi
  • 4-Channel coverage

Price not listed

New
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Used, refurbished, open-box

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Problems, parts and running costs

Summary

A four-channel dash camera split across two units — front road plus cabin in the windshield unit, rear road plus cabin in the rear-window unit — for drivers who want passenger and side-window evidence, including rideshare work. Check the real cost before buying: the camera ships without a memory card, and parking surveillance needs a hardwire kit plus a continuous power source.

Strengths

  • True four-view recording in two compact units, including two interior lenses with IR for passenger evidence.
  • Front and rear both use IMX675 sensors, so the rear camera is not a token low-spec unit.
  • Buffered parking capture with adjustable G-sensor, useful when power and sensitivity are set correctly.
  • One owner’s two-month test reported solid build, a secure sliding GPS mount and useful supplied clips and long wires.

Weaknesses

  • No 4K or 60 fps front capture; night plate readability is only fair to weak depending on conditions.
  • The large front unit and thick wires are hard to route and can block part of the windshield view.
  • The card is not included, four streams fill storage quickly, and the manual calls for monthly reformatting.
  • Parking surveillance needs continuous power and a hardwire kit, which can drain a parked car if unrestricted.
  • No touchscreen; app telemetry overlays and wireless CarPlay/Android Auto conflicts are reported annoyances.

Verified specifications

Channelsfour simultaneous streams at 30 fps — front road 2592×1944 (1944p), front cabin 1920×1080, rear cabin 1920×1080, rear road 2560×1440 (2.5K/QHD). No 4K or 60 fps front capture.
Sensorsfour Sony STARVIS 2 (independent testing identifies front and rear road as IMX675, both cabin lenses as IMX662); IR LEDs on both interior cameras with automatic monochrome IR switching.
Lens158° front, 165° rear, 160° each cabin; f/1.8 on all four.
Screen3.19-inch IPS non-touch display with physical buttons.
Connectivity2.4 and 5 GHz Wi-Fi to the free Vantrue app; GPS through the supplied GPS mount; microphone, speaker and voice commands.
PowerDC 5 V/3 A, 10 W rated; supercapacitor rather than a recording battery, so the camera must stay externally powered to record.
StoragemicroSD 32 GB–1 TB, U3 or faster; card not included. Codec is not unambiguously specified, so verify on the specific firmware and file.
Parking modesfour strategies — buffered motion with about 10 s pre-event, collision-triggered recording, low-bit-rate continuous, and low-frame-rate (1, 5, 10 and 15 fps). All need continuous external power.
In the boxfront dual-lens unit, rear dual-lens unit, adhesive GPS mount/base, 11.5 ft vehicle charger, 20 ft rear interconnect cable, 3.3 ft USB data cable, two electrostatic windshield sheets, clips, trim tool, cleaning cloth, extra sticker and guide.
Not includedmicroSD card, CPL filter, VP03 hardwire kit, remote controller and LTE module.
Voice commandsEnglish, Japanese, Russian, Chinese and French.
Warranty12 months standard, 18 months total after free registration.
Full research notes and sources

Image quality and night plates

Independent tests disagree on night footage. Digital Camera World found good daylight dynamic range and main-camera night quality on its unit, while Tom’s Guide found approaching plates at speed hard to read, grainy edges and weaker nighttime color saturation. Dashboard Camera Reviews rated front and rear night image only fair, with plates washed out by headlights. The practical takeaway: STARVIS 2 branding does not guarantee legible plates in every night incident, and conditions matter.

Installation and blind spots

The front unit is large and its wires thick, so routing behind weather strips can leave small bulges. The forward lens should sit in the swept area of the wipers while the cabin lens must not be blocked by the rearview mirror. Two rear lenses share one mount, and cabin views outside the vehicle are limited by roof pillars, headrests and window tint, so this is not true 360-degree exterior coverage. One two-month owner test found the rear unit lacked downward aiming range for some horizontal headliner mounts, though a conventional angled rear-window mount worked.

Running costs and storage

No mandatory cloud subscription is needed for local loop recording; the camera writes to a purchased microSD card and the nearby Wi-Fi app is free. A basic example: N5S $299.99 plus an Office Depot Samsung PRO Endurance 256GB card at $39.99 equals $339.98 before taxes, assuming the card works reliably after testing. Add a VP03 hardwire kit at $19.99 for parked powered surveillance and the total is $359.97 before installation and tax. These are one-time purchases, not annual fees.

Storage needs care: the manual calls for formatting before first use and at least monthly, and four simultaneous streams overwrite small cards quickly. A specialist estimates roughly 40 hours on 1 TB, but bitrate and firmware can change retention.

Power draw is modest: the 10 W rating works out to 29.2 kWh/year at 8 hours/day or 87.6 kWh/year continuous. At an illustrative $0.20/kWh that is $5.84 or $17.52 per year. For a parked vehicle the real constraint is battery state and cutoff, not grid cost.

Optional LTE remote access costs more: the module is $149.99, and data runs $9.99 per 2 GB/30 days, or $119.88 for twelve 30-day packages. The included 300 MB is a limited trial, not a perpetual allowance, and heavy use can exhaust 2 GB in one to two days.

Parts and consumables: Vantrue’s US store lists microSD cards at $69.99 for 128 GB, $109.99 for 256 GB and $169.99 for 512 GB. The VP03 hardwire kit is $19.99 at Best Buy and $24.99 at a dashcam specialist. A 40 mm CPL filter is $19.99, but its compatibility list omits the N5S, so confirm fit before ordering. The wireless remote controller is $19.99. Additional GPS mounts are about $21.99, and an original car charger is $18.99. None of these are scheduled consumables.

US seller snapshots checked November 1, 2026: Vantrue’s page showed $379.99 sale and $459.99 regular, with the captured variant selector also showing Sold Out/Notify Me, so verify stock and base-vs-bundle; Best Buy showed $349.99 on a promotion ending November 2; BlackboxMyCar listed the exact N5S at $299.99 (from $399.99); FFB Tech showed $319.99 through its authorized-dealer page. That is a checked $299.99–$379.99 range at supported retailers, not a proven historic average. Vantrue’s October 25, 2026 press release announced $293.99 for November 11–21, 2026, a future dated offer not available on November 1. Full accessory kits ran $564.99 for VP03+512GB+CPL+remote and $649.99, then $708.99, for LTE+VP03+512GB+CPL. Editorial thresholds: excellent at $280 or less, good at $281–$310, acceptable at $311–$350, weak above $350 unless the second cabin view and warranty matter greatly.

Warranty and support

The official manual gives a 12-month warranty, extended to 18 months total after free product registration. Vantrue’s public policy confirms the +6-month registration extension, an original-order-date start, and that a replaced device inherits only the remaining original term rather than restarting. Claims from authorized third-party dealers are eligible for tech support, but refunds and exchanges are generally handled by that dealer; unauthorized-dealer purchases are excluded. Keep the invoice, serial, registration screenshot and a short video of any fault; email support@vantrue.net, which the guide says responds within 24 hours. Verify the installed version before updating and retest after. Returns are advertised at 30 days on the direct product page, but dealer rules may differ.

Which model this is

This page covers the Vantrue Nexus 5S (N5S), a four-channel system in two units with front road, front cabin, rear road and rear cabin lenses. It is not the older N5, which has lower-spec rear imaging, and not the N4S, which has three channels. Competitors mentioned for comparison: the Vantrue N4S at $199.99 during a November 1–10 promotional period (three channels, one cabin camera), the VIOFO A229 Pro Duo at $259.99 (4K front plus 2K rear, no interior view) and the Vantrue N4 Pro S at $359.99 (or $279.99 during a November 11–21 sale), with 4K front capture but no second cabin perspective.

Sources

Manufacturer:

Independent reviews:

Owner reports:

Parts and stores:

Buying guides for this category

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