Review: Alfawise LS02 Dual Dash Cam

It's been 3 years since my last review of a dash cam.
There's been very little innovation since and few models have caught my interest until this Alfawise LS02 Dual Dash Cam with WiFi and touch screen.






My CDV300X has been in service since 2017. It was far from perfect but, for me, had qualities outweighing it weaknesses, like its very convenient plug-in design.

The ideal dash cam should also record what happens behind the driver. I tried a dual camera before but didn't like running several wires around.

The Alfawise LS02 has everything in one box: 2 Full HD cameras, a GPS and a touch screen.

The original model is AZDome BT07 (also as BlackView Z360 for the Chinese market). AZDome has a long experience in car cameras.

Connectivity

The device has an AV-IN connector, a micro-SD card slot (accepting 128GB),  and 2 USB ports.

The main connector is a micro-USB for power and data transfer (the screen will show an option to switch to Mass Storage mode when connected to a computer).

The second one is a type-C dedicated to the GPS module. It can also power up the camera but I could not get any data in or out of this port.

Since the camera can be detached from the windscreen, transferring files via the USB connector is the easiest and fastest method for retrieving the videos.

Installation

Removing the base of my old dash cam turned out easier than expected once i figured out the best tool: an old credit card, the thinner kind coming with SIM cards, to saw off the sticky pad.

I started by fitting the cable first so I could use the camera display to adjust the best position on the windscreen.

The cigarette lighter plug at the end of the 3.5 meter cable includes an illuminated USB charger. Nice touch.

A space of a few centimetres should be kept on right so the camera can slide out of its base for removal. Same thing for the top where the angled Micro-USB connector plugs in.

My previous camera was very easy to detach and I like that the LS02 kept that feature as I collect regularly the near-misses and other death-trap stunts from the local crazies! (one day, I'll compile them)

The camera remains very discrete from outside except for the CE logo that could be easily covered with a black tape.

Usage:

The 3" WVGA touch screen makes the device very simple to use. No guess work here, everything is clearly labelled and easy to reach. 

Like any good car DVR, it will start recording automatically on start (btw, it is necessary to stop the recording to access the setting), and there are dedicated icons to write-protect the current video, stop the recording, mute the microphone, and take a snapshot.

Playing back videos is another area where this screen contributes to the user experience. My only problem is the absence of volume control. This is the first firmware LS0220190724-V.1.0, so maybe there will be some improvement in the future versions. I guess the places to watch for that will be AZDome support site or their forum.

GPS: 

At cold start, the GPS will get its first 6 satellite under 25 seconds so it should always be operational by the time you leave the driveway.

The GPS module generates a faint noise which is captured in the recording (see the video further down).

Wi-Fi and mobile app

Wi-Fi can be turned on via the touch screen menu or by a short press on the power button for less than 3 seconds (longer will actually turn off the device).

The mobile app "AZDome" will control every parameter of the camera and can stream videos for viewing.
It also has an option to download the videos to the phone, but transferring such large files through a 2.4GHz Wi-Fi connection is not practical: it takes between 3 and 5 minutes to download a typical 3 minutes segment (225MB). And that's for only one side.

A basic home page is also served via http://192.168.1.254 allowing file transfer operations without the mobile app, but the interest is limited for the same reason as above.

PC GPS Player

Gearbest has a page to the "Alfawise LS02 Car DVR Firmware Pack.exe" but don't bother downloading it for the following reasons:

1: It's not a firmware.
2: It contains an outdated, buggy version of the GPS player which takes you thousand kilometres away from your actual location on the map. No very useful.

Instead, turn to the AZDome forum for a working version.

AZDOME GPS Player 20190910 is found on the first page, but there's also another, near the end of that thread: Car DV Player 2.104, which has a basic interface but a convenient improvement: when one file is loaded, the corresponding file from the opposite camera gets loaded along.

The player works fine but needs improvements, like a way to load several files at once in the interface (currently you need to load each file one by one) or at least chain-load the files from a same trip.

Video quality:

The resolution on both cameras is "only" 1920*1080 at "only" 30fps and the resolution button in the settings does not allow any change. Maybe the Novatek 96660 chipset cannot go beyond that resolution with 2 cameras.

The "road side" cam gives a good picture quality night and day, and license plates you are readable from the videos despite the lack of a higher frame rate.

The "passenger cam" has similar qualities but lacks some LED lights. You can see the occupants quite well with a bit of city light, but on a trip to the pitch-dark countryside, so is the interior view. Not a big deal for me but I can imagine this point being important for taxi drivers.

Conclusion:

The Alfawise LS02 is one of the most complete dual dash-cam below 100€.
The video quality for both sides is good, even if only 1080x768, and some IR led would have been nice to help see inside the car at night.
The touch screen offers an unmatched ease of use, the GPS is fast and Wi-Fi works flawlessly.
It's not too bulky and does not stand out too much behind the windscreen.
Last but not least: it's detachable, so you can bring it home to transfer the files.



👍👍👍
- Very easy to use (touch screen)
- GPS accurate and fast

- Good streaming via Wi-Fi

- Nice 3" IPS display
- Detachable from base
- Stable software in general
- Dual camera

👎👎👎
- Buggy PC software provided by Alfawise
- Resolution limited to 1024x768@30fps
- No night vision for in-car view
- Faint but noticeable pulsating noise when GPS is plugged
- No volume control during playback on device.

Summary:
Brand: Alfawise
Model: LS02
Type: Car DVR with GPS and Night Vision
Chipset Name: Novatek 96660
Image sensor: 1/2.8" SONY STARVIS IMX307 CMOS
Features: Full HD,HD,Wireless
Functions: G-sensor,GPS, Loop-cycle Recording,WDR,WiFi
RAM (memory): DDR3 2GB

Screen: 3" IPS Touch Screen , 800 x 480 (WVGA)
Battery Type: Electrical Double-Layer Capacitor

Decode Format: H.264
Video format: MP4
Video Resolution: 1080FHD (1920 x 1080) @ 30fps
WIFI: Yes, Image Transmission,Settings,Sync and Sharing Albums
Loop-cycle Recording : Yes, 1min,3min,5min
Motion Detection Distance: 3m
Night Vision Distance: 3 - 50M
GPS: Yes
G-sensor: Yes
HDMI Output: No
WDR: Yes
Interface Type: GPS Antenna Port,Micro USB,TF Card Slot
Product weight: 210g
Product size (L x W x H): 11.80 x 6.00 x 3.20 cm / 4.65 x 2.36 x 1.26 inches