In this LANMODO night vision car camera review, we’ll discuss the camera’s design and specs, as well as results from our road test and the camera’s ease of setup and use.
Infrared Night Vision Camera
LANMODO Night Vision Dash Cam
The LANMODO car camera comes equipped with night vision to help users drive more safely at night or when visibility is compromised, such as during a rainstorm or in foggy weather. It’s also marketed as a tool to give you a defensive advantage in bad traffic, especially at night. In our road tests we found the screen to be large, crisp, and clear. Setup takes a few minutes, but it’s easy to use once installed. Not having video recording capability is a huge miss, especially at this price point. However, the camera does a great job at improving visibility at night and during bad weather. If you find yourself frequently driving in less-than-ideal situations the LANMODO is a good pickup.Check PricePros
- Great picture quality and 1080 resolution
- Large and clear screen
- Easy to use once installed. Turns on / off with your car automatically.
- Great night vision visibility, even with low light.
Cons
- Cannot record video or take photographs
- Fixed focal length, so you cannot zoom in or out
- Expensive
- No smart phone control
Dash Cam Specs
The LANMODO Vast night vision camera has the following specifications:
- 8.2” wide IPS screen
- 1080p resolution
- 36° HD angle
- Up to 984 ft (300 m) visibility
LANMODO Car Camera Design
The LANMODO camera is set up like most digital cameras, with a lens on one side (the one that faces outward from your dash or windshield) and the screen on the other side (the one that faces you).
Screen
The LANMODO camera screen is made with seven-element glass and an infrared optical filter. It can be used in almost any vehicle with a functioning cigarette lighter or OBD (on-board diagnostics), which is how it gets power.
Active Infrared Illumination
By using an active infrared system (rather than a passive one), the LANMODO night vision dash cam is able to provide users with a full-color image of the road conditions in front of them—even at night.
This is better than many built-in systems that only project images as black and white.
Essentially, the system functions using low-light imaging technology.
That means that it needs at least a little light to work—whether it’s moonlight, light from street lamps, etc. It also means that it won’t work well (if at all) when it’s completely dark outside.
Picture Quality
I was pretty impressed with the picture on the screen—at 1080p resolution, it offers a much crisper image than a lot of night vision systems, most of which only hit a resolution of 480p.
Designed with 36° high-definition angle vision, the LANMODO car cam gives a broader view of the road than I expected. The camera is also designed to help users see farther than they can with the naked eye—up to 300 m (or 984 ft).
It’s farther than even a vehicle’s high beams will show you, since they only reach up to 80 m (on average).
However, the manufacturer warns that the LANMODO night vision system does have its limits. For example, when visibility due to fog is 10 m or less, the camera will not work the way it’s intended to.
Potability
Finally, the manufacturer claims it can become portable as long as you have a 12V battery to charge it. Hunters, boaters, and others might find it useful in certain situations.
Limitations
Oh, one more note: Unlike some car cameras, the LANMODO night vision dash camera does not take still photos or record videos. It is merely meant to function in the moment as a safe driving assistant.
In addition, the camera has a fixed focal length. As a result, you cannot zoom in or zoom out. I found the zoom to be a little more zoomed-in than I would have personally like, but I think it’s something that’s fairly easy to get used to also.
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Night Vision Camera Buttons and Controls
- Signal switch button – this button allows you to switch the video source from the front camera to the rear camera (if installed)
- Menu – opens up the menu options allowing you to adjust screen brightness and change language
- Screen rotation – allows you to rotate the view of the screen in 90° increments
- Power button – turns the camera on / off
- Scroll up – scrolls up on the menu
- Scroll down – scrolls down on the menu
- Vision switch button – allows you to change from full color to black and white
Accessories
The LANMODO dash cam comes with several accessories.
These accessories include:
- Cigarette lighter plug-in
- Non-slip mat
- OBD (on-board diagnostics) adapter
- Suction cup
- Input cable
- Screwdriver
Using the LANMODO Camera
Once you set up the LANMODO night vision dash camera, using it is fairly simple.
Setup
There are two basic ways to set up the LANMODO car camera with night vision:
- You can place it on the dash cradled by the non-slip mat.
- You can affix it to the windshield using the suction cup accessory.
When you first unbox the LANMODO night vision dash cam, you connect it with the mount.
If you’re mounting the camera on the dashboard, you insert it into the non-slip mat, place it on the dash, and connect it to power using the provided input cable.
Mounting Options
If you’ve decided to mount the car camera on your windshield, you simply attach it using the provided suction cup. Then, you connect it to power using the provided cable.
Both options are perfectly fine, but the one disadvantage to mounting it to the windshield is that the cord will be hanging down in some way. You’ll either need to secure it along the frame of the windshield somehow or allow it to hang straight down somewhat in your vision (even if just the periphery).
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Mounting with the non-slip mat
Putting the camera within the non-slip mat is certainly the easiest mounting option, as it just sits on your dash board. However, this did not work in our car.
The car we tested in is a small 2-door sports car. There isn’t much room on the dash and the angle forced the camera’s view to be too far up.
Mounting to the windshield
Since we couldn’t use the non-slip mat we mounted to the windshield using the suction cup. We experienced a little bit of a struggle getting the screw and plastic washer together, but did eventually get it sorted.
Once the suction cup is screwed to the camera it’s easy to move around. Having it placed higher on the windshield affords the best view of the road, in our opinion.
Power Options
In vehicles with 12V of power, the LANMODO dash camera system can be connected to the OBD or cigarette lighter. You will need to use the cigarette lighter if your vehicle has a 24V power supply.
Usability
Once you know what all of the system’s buttons do, using it is easy. The manual for the LANMODO night vision camera details everything you need to know for operating the system.
LANMODO Rear Camera
You can purchase the LANMODO dash camera with or without a rear camera. The package with the rear camera option is understandably more expensive, but it could be worth it if you drive a lot at night and need to be ultra aware of your surroundings.
It also is a nice extra if your vehicle doesn’t have a backup camera and you don’t want to pay a lot of money to have one installed.
The rear view camera that comes with the upgraded LANMODO system has a 720P HD image and 170° wide-angle vision. Also, it has an IP67 waterproof rating so it can withstand rain and other bad weather.
There are two potential cables you can use for the rear camera. Most cars will only require the 6.25 m cable, but you’ll want to snag the 25 m cable for longer vehicles.
Switching Video Sources
Switching between the dash camera and the rear camera is pretty easy.
You just push the signal switch button on the LANMODO night vision system. Also, if your vehicle is in reverse, the LANMODO’s view automatically switches to the rear camera.
Installation
Installing the rear camera appears to be a bit trickier than installation of the dash camera. On its website, LANMODO actually advises “asking a professional to set up the rear view camera for better vision and stability.”
One unfortunate thing is that because the rear camera is mounted to the outside of the vehicle, you have to run the cord all the way from the cigarette lighter in the front of the car to the camera.
I can’t see a way to do that without having the cord run along the floor of the vehicle and out the passenger doors, which seems like it would make for a bit of a hazard or inconvenience at least—especially if you have children who like to pick up and play with cords.
LANMODO Dash Cam Features
The main camera of the LANMODO car dash system has the following features:
- Automatic start: When you start up the car and the camera is plugged into a power source, it will automatically turn on.
- 1080p resolution
- Full-color image: I personally think the color is much more helpful than a black-and-white picture because the whole point of buying this camera system is to see better (whether at night, in poor weather, or during bad traffic).
- Near infrared technology: As compared with far infrared technology, this tech allows the manufacturer to reach that 1080p resolution.
- Easy toggle between cameras: If you do purchase the rear camera add on, there’s a button that makes it simple to switch back and forth between views.
Road Test
During our road test of the LANMODO Vast camera system performed well.
The picture is surprising crisp and clear, both in the day time and at night. The large screen makes it easy to quickly glance at to pick up finer detail objects ahead, without distracting from the broader view of the roam.
Our car is quite small, including the windshield. As a result, it takes up a little more of the visible space on the windshield than I would prefer.
If you have a larger car you are less likely to run into these issues. However, for sports cars and small cars you may find it’s a bit obstructive.
We ended up road testing in a Kia Soul, which had a little more room. However, we still used the suction cup mount on the windshield.
My biggest complaint on the LANMODO camera is that it doesn’t record video. At this price point, I really expect it to function as both a night vision and dash cam.
As a result, the value takes a bit of a hit, in our opinion.
Nevertheless, the LANMODO dash cam is a good choice and good value if you:
- Frequently drive in better weather
- Drive at night
- Have poor eye sight
- Just want better vision down the road
Should you buy the LANMODO Night Vision Camera?
So, would I recommend that you purchase the LANMODO Vast dash cam with night vision capabilities?
From what I’ve seen, it’s a high-quality camera. The price point is very high, though, compared to some others on the market (though I haven’t yet tested those others to see how the quality compares).
Overall, if you are in the market for a night vision car camera, then this may very well fit the bill.
I recommend the LANMODO Dash Cam if you:
- Drive often in poor weather conditions or at night – The whole purpose of the LANMODO car camera is to provide extra assistance with driving when visibility is low. In my opinion, it does that well.
- Don’t need a camera that takes photos or records – The LANMODO Vast system does not record what happens when you drive or take still pictures.
- Don’t mind the high price point – While the price isn’t extreme (there are other systems that are more expensive) and the quality is good for what you get, price is always something to consider. Honestly, it just depends on what you value and what you need. If you need night vision / don’t see well / drive in bad weather / or drive in poor visibility conditions then the value is probably worth it for you. If not, there are probably less expensive options you should go with.
For more information visit Lanmodo.com or to buy the LANMODO dash camera visit here.
Infrared Night Vision Camera
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Design - 95%
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Performance - 95%
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Quality - 95%
95%
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Usability - 93%
93%
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Value - 90%
90%
Summary
The LANMODO night vision camera uses infrared light to create a crisp and clear color picture on the screen, even in low light and bad weather situations. The large screen is 1080 resolution and offers zoomed views of the road and obstacles ahead. While it loses some value points by not including the ability to record video, as a purely night vision assistant it does its job well. If you drive often as night, in bad weather, or just want better visibility the LANMODO is a good camera option to consider.