Rove R2-4K Dual Pro Dash Cam review –  Your vehicle’s “black box”

REVIEW – Planes have “black boxes” and cockpit voice recorders that help determine when stuff goes sideways. Shouldn’t you have something like that in your car? You can with the ROVE R2-4K Dual Pro Dash Cam!

⬇︎ Jump to summary (pros/cons)
Price: $349.99, Hardwire kit $39.99
Where to buy: Rove (the hardwire kit is here.) and Amazon ($100 off)

What is it?

The ROVE R2-4K Dual Pro is a GPS-equipped, two-camera digital recording system for documenting front and rear events in a motor vehicle.

What’s included?

• ROVE R2-4K Dual Pro dash cam
• 360° rotational suction cup mount
• 360° rotational sticky mount
• 128GB microSD card with SD adapter
• 12-foot USB-C charging cable
• 21-foot rear camera cable
• CPL lens filter
• Dual USB-A and USB-C car power supply
• Window stickers
• Electrostatic windshield mounting stickers
• Cable clips (5)
• Spare mounting tape (2, one for each camera)
• Alcohol wipes
• Wire trim tool
• User manual and documentation

Tech specs

Design and features

Last year, I attended an AAA Driver’s Safety course, a great way to receive a 10% discount on car insurance and learn valuable skills. Participants were asked, “What is the definition of a ‘good driver?'” After some spirited discussion, the instructor provided a simple yet profound answer:

“A good driver is a person who does not cause other drivers to alter their speed or trajectory.”

It’s a fantastic answer that lives rent-free in my brain.

On the other side of the same coin, the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration states that 90 to 94% of accidents are due to human error. That’s not trivial, and means that distracted, altered, careless, aggressive, and yes, even incompetent drivers are everywhere. Even if you’re doing everything you should when behind the wheel, someone else might not be, so I wholeheartedly advocate the use of dash cams. Not only do they protect you as unbiased witnesses, but having one, such as the ROVE R2-4K Dual Pro, is a constant reminder to “be a good driver.”

It arrived in a spiffy, eye-catching box.

The manual is a book! Not some flimsy origami Farah Faucet poster – and honest-to-goodness, polished, spellchecked, packet with graphics and photos book! It’s been a long time since I’ve seen such well-written and comprehensive documentation. Bravo, ROVE!

An included 128 GB SD card eliminates the need to search for one! Files are readable with a PC.

I’m not sure about using this sticker. It’s a bit gaudy, I think. There are also a pair of electrostatic stickers for mounting the cameras on the glass.

The contents are safe for transit.

There are two USB cables, an 11-footer for power and a 21-footer for between the dash cam and the rear camera. Both are ample for even large vehicles and have right-angle connectors.

Five cable clips, a cleaning cloth, and extra sticky pads ensure the installation looks pretty.

A svelte power supply plugs into the vehicle’s power socket and has an extra USB port to power your phone. Nice!

The rear camera is compact and has a swivel to make sure it points in the correct direction regardless of the angle of the rear glass. If your car has a rear wiper, I’ve found it’s best to place the camera in the wiper path to keep road spray and grime on precipitous days from obscuring the view.

I appreciate the inclusion of two mounting brackets – one adhesive and the other with a suction cup. It’s worth noting that some states have laws prohibiting windshield mounts. Check with your state before starting installation.

The top of the dash cam slides onto one of the mounts and seats securely. A GPS antenna inside feeds speed and position data to videos as the vehicle moves. GPS data is encoded into the videos and is accessible through a Mac app. I don’t have access to a Mac, so I wasn’t able to test it.

The dash cam arrives with a protective cover.

Below the three-inch screen are five buttons that operate most of the camera’s functions. With the camera mounted to the windshield, the dash cam is stable and easy to operate.

On the left side are the SD card slot and the power button. Insert the SD card before powering the system on.

There’s a reset button on the bottom in the unlikely event that something goes awry. The microphone and speaker grille are there, too.

The power connection is on the right side.

The lens on the front.

I was pleasantly surprised that ROVE added a polarizing lens, and even more so that it threads in place. The lens rotates to help eliminate dash reflections. Yay!

Before starting installation, consider whether you want your vehicle monitored when not in use. It’s a desirable feature that enables time-lapse and event recording modes, allowing you to keep an eye on your ride even when you’re not there. ROVE kindly included the hardwire kit. If you’re unsure or uncomfortable working with electrical connections, please consult a professional (or at least the guy who has a garage full of tools and seems to know how to use them :-)).

The wire has a configurable circuit board inside that cuts power to the camera if the vehicle battery starts to drop. Better no footage than needing a jump start. :-). I’ll use the highest setting to preserve battery power.

Another surprise is the handy-dandy voltmeter. The alligator clip end connects to a bare metal part on the car (usually a bolt or nut) that you’ll use as the ground connection (black wire). Use the pointy end of the probe to find a wire or fuse that always has power. Double-check the manual to ensure the circuits you choose aren’t from a critical system (like “airbags” or “traction control”). Stick to stuff like “radio” or “power mirrors.” The meter works from zero to 30 volts. Very handy! The voltmeter display is very bright. I had to adjust the image to make it camera-readable. The display is “right-handed” so it’s upside-down with the tip pointed to the right.

Once you find an “always powered” connection, use one of these terrific fuse connectors to tap into it. The connector bridges the existing fuse and provides a pigtail for the ROVE power cord’s red wire. Some extra fuses may help if something accidentally goes “pop.” Next, find an “accessory” connection that supplies power only when the vehicle key is on and connect the yellow wire.

There’s a fuse puller to help make the job easier.

With the three wires connected, hide the control box and route the cable to the dash cam. Be careful to plug it into the power port, not the rear camera port. The push tool helps, but don’t poke so hard that the cable gets damaged. Route the wire to the rear camera the same way. Tuck any excess wire into the headliner or under the trim.

Follow the instructions in the manual for starting the car and initializing the “Parking Mode.” Options are “Off,” “Time-Lapse & G-Sensor,” and “Motion Detection & G-Sensor,” configurable through the dash cam’s menus. “G-sensor” sensitivity is adjustable and detects if there has been a tap, bump, or boom to your car. “Motion Detection” uses the camera’s forward optics to record anything that moves.

Navigate through the multiple videos and system settings using the onboard menus and buttons or via the smartphone app.

Speaking of the smartphone app, it’s free and connects through an ad-hoc Wi-Fi radio in the dash cam. Surprisingly, the R2-4K Dual Pro supports 5GHz, so file transfers are significantly faster than 2.4GHz. ROVE reports up to 30MBP, but I had some trouble getting a verification email, receiving “link already used” messages, and it took a long time to verify. I don’t plan to use it anyway, so it’s not a big deal.

The video quality is crisp and clear, with excellent color rendition. Audio quality is outstanding both through the dash cam’s speaker and through the PC. The rear video is also very sharp. The video is downscaled to 1080P to save space, but you get the idea. It’s lovely!

Final thoughts

One of my Dad’s nuggets of wisdom that I treasure is, “Watch out for the other guy.” Even when I’m behaving the best I can, stuff can still go sideways quickly. Having a quality dashcam like the ROVE R2-4K Dual Pro not only keeps steady, watchful eyes and ears on the road, but serves as a constant reminder for me to be the best driver I can be because I know someone is always watching. The resolution is outstanding, settings are aplenty, and the optional hardwire kit keeps an eye on my car when I’m not there. Excellent job and thank you, ROVE!

What I like about the Rove R2-4K Dual Pro Dash Cam

• A real manual!
• The parking monitor (with the optional hardwire kit) is tops!
• Excellent video quality

What needs to be improved?

• Expensive initial pricing
• Improve email verification service

Price: $349.99, Hardwire kit $39.99
Where to buy: Rove (the hardwire kit is here.) and Amazon ($100 off)
Source: Rove provided a free sample for this review, but did not provide input, guidance, or editing before publication.

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