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Time of India
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Time of India
Pioneer VREC-H520DC dashcam review: As good a package as it promises to be?
Dashcams have gone from being a nice-to-have accessory to an essential part of any car owner's wishlist, especially in traffic-struck metro cities. Why? Well, because it helps in many ways - from recording evidence in case of an accident or simply capturing unexpected moments on the road, a reliable dashcam can make a big difference. But with so many options out there, most of them feeling either clunky or overpromised, standing out and keeping things simple is not an easy task. That's where the Pioneer VREC-H520DC comes in. We've been using this dashcam for a while now, and here's what we think of it. Build quality & design First impressions matter, and Pioneer gets it right. The VREC-H520DC feels like a proper, premium product. It's compact and sleek. There's nothing flashy and it has a well-finished matte body that fits in cleanly into the car's cabin without being intrusive. The front camera is lightweight but sturdy. It also includes a 360° rotatable mount that makes positioning easier. The rear camera is equally compact and discreet. It has a cylindrical design and fits cleanly on the rear windshield. Wiring is neat and long enough to easily route through A-pillars and roof liners. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Do you have a mouse? Desert Order Undo Installation Installation was straightforward. The camera boots up instantly once connected to the 12V socket. The included adhesives hold both units firmly in place. The mount feels secure even in extreme heat, something that's often overlooked in extreme Indian weather conditions. The rear camera connects to the main unit via a long cable that also handles power and video feed. It's plug and play, and there are clear markings for all ports. User interface & connectivity The 3-inch IPS screen is crisp and easy to navigate. The menu layout is intuitive, and the physical buttons are tactile, not flimsy or loose. Wi-Fi connectivity is built-in, allowing pairing with Pioneer's ZenVue app. The app lets you preview live video, download footage, and tweak settings - all without needing to remove the SD card. Speaking of storage, the dashcam supports SD cards up to 512GB. We've been using a 128GB card, which comfortably records around 8-10 hours of driving footage from both cameras - more than enough for most daily needs. Of course, if you need more, you've got room to upgrade. Loop recording ensures you never run out of space, and the camera automatically overwrites old footage (except saved events). There's also GPS logging, which helps track routes and speed - useful in case of disputes or insurance claims. Kia Carens Clavis first drive review: Game-Changer for electric MPVs? | TOI Auto Video Quality Now, to what matters most: the footage. The front camera records at 2K QHD (2560 x 1440) resolution, using a Sony STARVIS 2 IMX675 sensor. Daytime footage is detailed, with sharp number plates, good dynamic range, and minimal motion blur. The night video quality is actually pretty good too. In our Maruti Suzuki Jimny, the fog lamps are quite bright and shine directly on the number plates of vehicles ahead, which makes it hard for the camera to clearly capture them due to overexposure. Still, the dashcam does a solid job and manages to keep things clear most of the time. The rear camera, which records at Full HD, is more than enough for capturing tailgaters or bumps. It's not as sharp as the front, but again, Pioneer's sensor quality makes sure that footage is clean and usable. HDR helps significantly in balancing bright and dark zones, especially when moving in and out of tunnels or under direct sunlight. Another thing that stood out to us was the wide-angle coverage. With a 140-degree field of view, it captures a broad section of the road ahead - more than enough for everyday driving and offering solid situational awareness. ADAS and other features The built-in ADAS includes lane departure warning, forward collision alert, and start alert (when the vehicle in front moves). These are audio alerts and work reasonably well, although they might feel unnecessary at times in bumper-to-bumper traffic. If you opt for the hardwiring kit (which, unfortunately isn't included in the box), the parking surveillance mode is activated. It basically starts recording if it detects motion or an impact when the car is off. This adds a strong layer of security when parked in unfamiliar areas. Verdict At an MRP of Rs 18,499, the Pioneer VREC-H520DC isn't the cheapest dash cam around. But what you get justifies the price: fantastic video quality, dependable hardware, dual-channel recording, and peace-of-mind features like ADAS, GPS, Wi-Fi, and parking mode. For those who spend a lot of time behind the wheel or simply want a premium, long-term solution for on-road safety, the VREC-H520DC ticks almost all the boxes. Discover everything about the automotive world at Times of India .
Hindustan Times
06-07-2025
- Automotive
- Hindustan Times
Pioneer VREC-H520DC dashcam review: A worthy investment or just an expensive toy?
The Pioneer VREC-H520DC dashcam gets a clear HD display to preview recordings. Check Offers A recent survey of 3,000 car owners across Delhi NCR, Mumbai, and Bangalore found that nearly 48 per cent consider front and rear dashcams the most important feature new cars should come equipped with, ranked even above six airbags or Bharat NCAP ratings. The shift is tied to growing concerns about road rage, accidents, and insurance disputes, situations where video evidence can make a real difference. To address this growing interest, Pioneer introduced a range of dashcams in India in 2024, with prices starting at ₹ 5,399 and topping out at ₹ 23,499. One of the higher-end models in this lineup is the Pioneer VREC-H520DC, a dual-channel setup officially priced at ₹ 18,499. It offers features like a 2K QHD, 5 MP front camera with Sony's Starvis 2 sensor, a 1080p rear camera, GPS tracking, Wi-Fi connectivity and parking surveillance. On paper, it sounds well-equipped, but how does it perform in real-world conditions? Here's what we found. Pioneer VREC-H520DC: Design and build Inside the box, the H520DC includes the front and rear cameras, a micro-USB cable to connect them, a USB-C power cable, a 12V adapter, and two electrostatic mounting sheets. While installation is fairly straightforward, it's a bit disappointing that cable management clips aren't included, considering the price. The main unit resembles a compact digital camera and feels solidly built, while the rear unit is smaller and easier to hide, but doesn't match the front in terms of material quality. A 3-inch screen on the back of the front camera is bright and usable in all lighting. The front lens offers a 143-degree field of view and uses the Sony IMX675 Starvis 2 sensor. There are six buttons in total: four below the screen for navigation, and two on the side for power and switching channels. The Pioneer VREC-H520DC supports microSD cards of upto 512 gb. The front camera mount is adjustable in both rotation and tilt, but the rear mount only allows tilt adjustment once fixed in place. Fortunately, the electrostatic sheets can be repositioned easily for minor alignment corrections. Pioneer VREC-H520DC: App and user experience The camera pairs with Pioneer's 'ZenVue' app, available on Android and iOS. Once connected via Wi-Fi, users can view footage, switch channels, and transfer files. While pairing was seamless with Android during testing, we did face connection issues with an iOS device. The app itself is minimal and easy to navigate, but we did encounter a bug early on. After a firmware update, the on-screen text on the camera disappeared, and the menus were still functional but completely blank. A factory reset fixed the issue, but it's worth noting for users who may not be familiar with the settings layout. We were only able to fix the glitch because we had luckily remembered where the reset option was in the menu. After setup, the interface is generally straightforward, both on the app and the camera. Features like loop recording, parking mode (which requires a separate hardwire kit), and emergency event recording are available. ADAS alerts are also included. There's an option to turn off the sound alerts or entirely disable the feature if it becomes a distraction. Pioneer VREC-H520DC: Performance and video quality Like many dashcams, the unit warms up slightly in use due to its bright display and Wi-Fi chip, but not to an alarming level. Daytime video quality is quite sharp, and license plates are clearly visible from about two car lengths. Night performance is decent, too, with the Sony sensor doing a good job in low-light traffic. However, smaller plates on two-wheelers or autorickshaws can still be hard to read, especially in motion. The 1080p rear camera is sufficient for basic rear coverage during the day, though it doesn't hold up well in low light to be able to recognise plates while on the move. Still, thanks to the wide-angle lenses, coverage is broad enough to capture most relevant activity around the vehicle. The rear unit is small and easy to conceal. Motion sensing for automatic emergency recordings works reliably, and the sensitivity can be adjusted to suit different driving conditions. GPS data, including location and speed, is consistently recorded in the video files, which can be useful for insurance claims or reviewing incidents. Additionally, there is also a hotkey to start and stop recording the audio in case of emergencies. One of the four navigation buttons is mapped to the mute/unmute switch, which can prove useful when someone comes up to your window to have a chat. Whether it is a road rage scenario or a cop situation, you can always be rolling the tapes. Furthermore, the screen turns off the display, which makes it non-obnoxious is such situations. As for ADAS alerts, they didn't have much practical impact on typical city traffic. The only frequent alert was a vague 'front vehicle motion detected' message accompanied by a chime. Since looking at the camera while driving isn't feasible, these alerts don't add much to the experience and may be better left disabled. The image quality of the Pioneer VREC-H520DC is decent to serve the purpose which it is built for. Pioneer VREC-H520DC: Verdict The Pioneer VREC-H520DC delivers on its core purpose, which is capturing clear, reliable footage during both day and night. Its dual-channel setup, intuitive interface, and dependable build give it an edge over generic budget models. However, it's not without flaws, software bugs, limited ADAS utility and a few missing installation aids slightly undercut the experience. While the official ₹ 18,499 price tag is not very affordable, it can be considered for the price at which it is available on e-commerce platforms around the ₹ 13,000 mark. It is a capable option for users mainly interested in good-quality dashcam footage and basic parking surveillance. However, if your main goal is to add meaningful ADAS functions to an older vehicle, this model might fall short of expectations. Overall, the H520DC is a solid offering, being good at its primary function of recording accidental events and proof-keeping. First Published Date: 05 Jul 2025, 08:44 AM IST
