Pioneer VREC-H320SC dashcam review: A watchguard for your car. Should you buy it?


In a country where roads are highly congested and traffic conditions are dynamic, a dashcam is exactly what you need to act as the digital watchguard for your car. The dashcam acts as an extra eye for digital surveillance on the roads. Think of a situation, when your car is scratched by a passing motorcycle from the wrong side and you have no proof to give to the traffic police or insurance company. Also, in a scenario, where you have the car and found that there has been damage to it. However, you don't know who did it and how it was done. This is where a dashcam can be useful. In such situations, footage captured by a dashcam is highly useful.
In the last few years, keeping pace with passenger vehicle sales demands for key accessories such as dashcams have increased significantly. In order to cater to this demand, there are tons of different dashcam models being launched in the market, with different features at different price ranges.
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We got our hands on the Pioneer VREC-H320SC dashcam and here is our review of it.
Pioneer VREC-H320SC dashcam: Design and installation
The Pioneer VREC-H320SC dashcam comes with a sturdy build quality and a look that replicates the styling of a compact digital camera. It gets a rounded finish and leathery texture that offers good grip and a premium look. On top of it, there is a charging port and a port to connect a rear camera as well. Also, the device comes with a 360-degree rotating mount, which allows easy adjustability to the user.


On one side, there is a push button to start the device, while on the other side, the microSD card slot is located. It has a tiny reset button as well at the bottom. A key USP of the Pioneer VREC-H320SC dashcam is the 3.0-inch LCD display with touch functionality. The touchscreen allows the user to browse, view and manage the recordings. directly from the device. The charging cable of the device is long enough to wire it through the A-pillar to the centre console.
Installation of the dashcam is easy and can be done by the user himself or herself. It comes as a plug-and-play device. All you need to do is to take the cover off the gumming pad and stick it to the right location. Connect the device with the long power cable that comes with the device and adjust the camera lens to ensure it covers the desired area in front of the vehicle.


Pioneer VREC-H320SC dashcam: Application interface and usability
The Pioneer VREC-H320SC dashcam comes paired with a dedicated application. We used the application's iOS version. Christened Pioneer ZenVue, the mobile application requires to be paired with the dashcam after the device is installed on the vehicle. The application shows the live feed being recorded by the dashcam, stored in small clips. Also, the user can capture photos using the application's dedicated button, which acts like the remote for the dashcam.
Pairing the application with the dashcam is easy but one needs a bit of time. The application stores the recorded video clips and captured photos on its own server and not on the local device (In this case, the user's mobile phone). If the user requires to keep certain clips or photos on his mobile phone, he or she needs to download them from the application's server and this can be performed only if the dashcam remains on and connected to the app, which means you can't do this with the car's power turned off.
Pioneer VREC-H320SC dashcam: Performance
When it comes to performance, the Pioneer VREC-H320SC dashcam performed pretty well in both daylight and night. At 1080p full HD, the video quality of the clips captured appears pretty good, showing the detailed surroundings of the vehicle. The photos captured too come with high quality. Also, the constant recording ensures the surrounding surveillance remains continuous while the dashcam is on. Another advantage of this dashcam is that it captures the sound as well along with the video, which makes it more effective, especially in case of legal proof submission.
We have not tested the parking mode of the Pioneer VREC-H320SC dashcam. However, Pioneer claims the VREC-H320SC dashcam can capture video of the surroundings when the vehicle is parked, which enhances its safety further. For this, the dashcam needs to be connected directly to the battery onboard the vehicle. Also, Pioneer claims that in case the car meets an accident, the video locks itself to capture the moment, which eventually helps the owner of the driver with proof of the mishap. The shock level at which the device starts this function can be adjusted from the application's settings.


However, while testing the dashcam's performance in different situations, we found that the surround sound and 1,080p full HD resolution video were fine, but when we tried to fetch a number plate detail of a quickly passing vehicle from the video or photo captured, it was really difficult to read the number, especially if it was about 10 metres away. I tried to capture the details of the number plates of some passing vehicles, but unless the vehicle is really close like only a few feet away, it is impossible to figure out the number from the registration plate. This is certainly a thumbs-down point for a dashcam that costs ₹11,399.
Another thumbs-down point for the dashcam was the lag between the real-time and footage it is showing on the application. While I was testing the lag between the real-time movement and the feed on the application, there was around 2-3 seconds lag.


Pioneer VREC-H320SC dashcam: Verdict
The Pioneer VREC-H320SC dashcam comes as a handy device for car owners who seek a dashcam to enhance the safety of the vehicle. The price seems on the higher side than many other dashcams available in the market offering similar performance. The performance of the dashcam is good, but at this cost, it should have been better. The application interface is pretty simple. A local device storage functionality for the clips without the dashcam's connectivity when needed could make the device more user-friendly.