REVIEW – You know those moments. The moments that someone cuts you off, or speeds past you, or is tailing you, or just driving like a maniac. Having the REXING R4-RD 4-channel dash cam has all my bases covered. It might be recording the drive, evidence for insurance, or some other scenario, the four camera coverage and IR night vision are high-quality and reliable. Maybe someday we’ll live in a world that you won’t have to stress about other people’s driving skills, but for now, I’m glad I have this technology in case of emergencies.
⬇︎ Jump to summary (pros/cons)
Price: $229.99
Where to buy: Rexing Website and Amazon
What is it?
A comprehensive surveillance system using four cameras to give your vehicle a 360 view. All cameras record in 1080p, have a loop recording feature, plugs into the OBD port and uses a USB-C
What’s included?
Tech specs
- 1080p resolution
- 170 degree ultra wide angle lens
- IR night vision for clear cabin and exterior recording
- Supports Micro SD cards (Class 10/UHS-3 or higher) up to 256GB
- Built-in Wi-Fi
- internal GPS Logger
- Uses a supercapacitor instead of a battery, providing better heat resistance and a longer lifespan
- 2.7-inch LCD screen
Design and features
Sometimes gadgets and technology just feel too overwhelming. Certain devices, such as a dash-cam, are one of those objects for me. It’s too scary to think about hooking into my vehicle. I wanted something a little nicer that would be able to see in multiple directions, but not too hard to install or operate. The Rexing R4-RD 4-channel dash cam has all around cameras, 360 degree parking monitor, wi-fi, GPS, IR night vision, and records in 1080p. Plus it is easy to install and understand.
Installation of the camera was very straightforward and simple. They provide sticky clips for your cord management, a nice suction cup for the main camera, and a sticky positioning back camera. The main camera connects into the vehicle itself instead of the cigarette lighter. As I was going through the beginners instruction manual, they had some videos on how to install it, but most of those were more involved than what was actually needed with this particular model. You don’t have to worry about trading out fuses, or opening any sort of panels. It has a trapezoid shaped plug that connects into the OBD port, and a USB-C that plugs into the main camera. Make sure you clean your windshield so that the amount of suction is maximized. There is also a twisty lock mechanism on the suction cup to really have it grab onto the glass.
The OBD port has a built-in safety that shuts the camera off if the battery for the car gets too low. So even though there are a lot of times that the camera can be recording, I don’t feel like I have to worry about the draining of my main battery for the car.
The side cameras are connected to the main body and are very easily adjusted. It is Omni directional in any direction.
The display can show you all cameras at once, or one at a time. If you don’t have the rear camera put up, the screen is put into three sections.
The night display is clear. I have really enjoyed the IR night vision, and stress less about tiny details. I feel confident that images would be clear for use in any case scenario.
The screen is not a touchscreen. I think we get used to using touchscreen so often that it is almost a shock when it is not a touchscreen. The buttons are easy to use and understand. When my car gets too cold, or hot, there are times that the touch screen isn’t as responsive. With the physical buttons you don’t have to worry about temperature interference.
The battery can also be a problem with temperature changes and extremes. This dash cam is run by a supercapacitor and you no longer have to stress about overheating or swelling.
There are settings for date and time that will need to be programmed in before you start recording anything for exactness. But I don’t feel that any other of the settings needed to be adjusted. It’s always fun to see what’s available though.
The left arrow button will start a locked recording, but if you are not actively needing any footage, you can choose to loop the video recording, and multiple minute options are given. I only have it on a two minute loop because most of my driving is very close by, and doesn’t usually take me very long to get there.
There is a piece of GPS equipment included, and when installed it can record the speed and coordinates of the recordings. There is a feature that has a G-sensor collision detection which automatically locks and saves footage during an accident to prevent it from being overwritten by the loop feature.
There are Wi-Fi options available, but even without Wi-Fi the camera can work independently and records to a microSD card. You will need to purchase a microSD card, no larger than 256 gb, and make sure it is U3 or higher. I had to do some googling to figure out which cards would be best, but basically if you can write 30 MB per second or faster you are good to go.
One of the main differences in this version is the RD difference. There is a built-in motion sensor that has constant power because it is plugged into the OBD plug, and can automatically start recording if someone walks near your car while it is parked.
Because there are four cameras recording, the microSD card will fill up much faster, and the max you can store is 256g. The loop feature keeps it from filling up too fast, but can be a problem if you keep a lot of videos stored on there.
The other drawback I found from this dash cam is the long cords. However this is a problem with most devices and there aren’t really good ways to get around that. There are clips included, and you can always attempt to place the cords in the interior to minimize the amount of visible cable management.
Final thoughts
The Rexing R4-RD is a solid unit. I enjoy the simplistic setup and ease of use. There is a bit of cable management with adding the GPS and rear camera. The 1080p resolution is good quality, but not as clear as some other cameras that specify 2k, or 4k resolutions. I really like the supercapacitor instead of the traditional lithium battery, and knowing the OBD port has an auto shut off if the battery to my vehicle gets too low. Knowing my car is being watched in all directions, while driving and parked, is awesome.
What I like about Rexing R4-RD
- 360° Protection
- OBD plug is used instead of getting into the fuse box
- Supercapacitor design is much safer than lithium batteries
What needs to be improved?
- With four cameras, you have to get creative to hide the long wires
- Requires a specific high-speed (U3) card to handle the 4-way recording. Not a bad thing, just something that requires more forethought.
- While clear, the 1080p resolution isn’t as high as dedicated 4K single-lens cameras
Price: $229.99
Where to buy: Rexing Website and Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided for free by Rexing. Rexing did not have a final say on the review and did not preview the review before it was published.
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