Is the Vantrue N2 Dashcam a good buy for Uber drivers?

Hey, everyone, today Jon from The Rideshare Guy will be taking a look at the Vantrue N2 Dual Lens Dashcam. Before we get started, let me first say that Vantrue did not pay us for this review, but they did send us three of these dash cams for free. The Rideshare Guy is also part of the Amazon Affiliates Program which means that while all the prices stay the same, we do collect a small commission when people click our links to Amazon.

Take a look at Jon’s review of this Dashcam, then read the video transcript below.

The Vantrue N2 is a very small dashcam

The first thing you’ll notice about the Vantrue N2 is how small it is. This thing is very tiny.

In the box, you’ll also find a user manual, a charging cable, a USB data transfer cable, and a suction cup mount for attaching the camera to your windshield. The device itself feels very sturdy, and it has a nice soft touch coating, giving it the feel of a much more expensive device. On the side, you’ll find a micro SD card slot, a USB data transfer port, and an AVL port.

The Vantrue N2 takes micro SD cards up to 64 gigabytes which should give you over four hours of recording time. The unit does not come with a micro SD card though. You will have to buy one separately in order to use the device. I think this is actually a good thing. Micro SD cards vary wildly in quality, and since dash cams are constantly overwriting old footage on the card, some of the cheap ones can become corrupted and unusable in a matter of months.

I’d recommend picking up one from a well-known manufacturer like Sandisk or Samsung. It’s also important to take the card out and reformat it every month or two to extend its lifespan. This is the fourth dash cam I’ve had a chance to review, and of the four, this one is by far the easiest to install.

As with most dash cams, you’ll need to purchase some command strip hooks or electrical tape to hide the cable around the perimeter of your windshield. But attaching the camera itself is super simple. Just put it on the windshield and turn the lever to secure the suction cup. When you plug it in or turn the car on, it starts working immediately. No other setup is required.

A few distinguishing features of the N2

One awesome feature of the Vantrue N2 is the ease with which you can remove it from your car. Because the power cable actually plugs into the mount rather than the camera itself, it’s super easy to slide the camera off the mount if you don’t want to leave it in your car. One not so awesome feature of the Vantrue is the included power cable.

It only leaves you with one extra USB port. So if you’ve only got one 12 volt accessory outlet that could be an issue. Fortunately, the dash cam can be powered via a generic USB instead. This means you can pick up a long mini B USB cable, and power it with one of these and still have some USB ports left over.

The Vantrue N2 has two cameras, one for the road and one for the inside of your car. This makes it an especially good choice for ride share drivers. The interior camera can be adjusted up and down independently of the front camera by rotating the side portion of the dash cam. The most important part of any dash cam is the quality of the footage. So let’s take a look.

How do the 2 cameras perform?

During the day both cameras perform quite well. The viewing angle is very wide, and the camera manages to compensate for the fisheye effect. So the images show a lot without looking distorted. The interior footage and exterior footage are recorded into separate files, so you won’t need editing software if you only want to show one of the two angles. Both cameras also record their own audio track, and the microphone does a pretty decent job. So you should be able to understand anything that’s being said inside the car.

In terms of resolution, both the cameras are pretty comparable to others in this price range. The exterior camera records 1440 x 1080, and the interior camera records in 1280 x 720. The only major downside to this unit is its night vision capabilities. The front camera does a fair job enough to show what happened in the event of a collision. Oncoming headlights tend to glare, although this is typical of most dash cams.

The interior camera, however, doesn’t really pick up much of anything. There are no infrared lights to illuminate the inside of your car, and the Vantrue’s image processor doesn’t do much in the way of night vision. If there’s an incident about to happen in your back seat, your best bet is to flip on your interior lights, and then the camera will be able to pick up what’s going on. But in the dark it’s not going to help much. It will still be recording audio though. So that’s something to keep in mind.

A good camera, but like others it doesn’t have great nighttime capabilities

All in all, this is a pretty good dash cam. I have yet to review a dash cam that was able to really record good footage at night time. So I wasn’t really surprised by how this one performed. If something is about to go down in your car, you’re probably going to want to pull over and flip the cabin lights on regardless.

After adding a micro SD card, a 12 volt to USB adapter and a long mini USB cable, this unit is near the high end of its price point. But you’ll be hard pressed to find a dash cam that’s easier to use or easier to take in and out of car. Its compact size and simple set up process, make the Vantrue N2 a great choice for ride share drivers looking for the added security and peace of mind that can only come from having a good dash cam.

Although the Vantrue N2 typically retails for around $170, you can pick up the Vantrue N2 on Amazon by entering the coupon code TRSGUYN2 at checkout. I’ll put that code in the description as well. Hit the link above to check it out. This is a limited time offer. So use it while you can. We’re also giving away three Vantrue N2s over on the blog. It’s super easy to enter. Head over to the blog for more details.

Thanks to Vantrue for sponsoring this giveaway and thanks to you for watching. Smash that subscribe button for more ride share news and reviews. And as always, drive safe.