NEXTBASE 422GW – Review

Nextbase 422GW
Nextbase
$230 US

Nextbase 422GW is a car mountable dash cam system. Features include a 1440p camera, Alexa integration, Emergency SOS, Intelligent Parking Mode, Bluetooth and WIFI Connectivity and optional rear camera modules. Emergency SOS can have the device attempt to have the driver respond to the unit in case of a detected crash and if unsuccessful will contact emergency services. Alexa integration allows the dash cam to listen and respond to Alexa commands such as music, home automation and dash cam control. If your car is parked and detects a bump, the Intelligent Parking feature will automatically start recording. Nextbase offers three optional rear camera modules for additional recording views.

Packaging for both dash cams are neat and informational. The box contains the dash camera unit, car charger, USB charger, suction mount, magnetic mount, and sticker saying the car is protected and instructions. The 422GW includes a magnetic dash mount option in addition to a windshield suction mount. Nextbase is a U.K. based company and the support phone number is U.K. based only, however their website has a very responsive chat feature. Other than some of the wording and spelling which is in British English, the instructions are clear and easy for USA customers to follow.

With the included USB adapter, I was able to start the setup process at home instead of being in the car. Upon booting up the device, it will prompt to choose your default language. Once selected, a screen shows the companion app to download on your smartphone. Once downloaded and opened, the app will walk through connecting your phone to the dash cam. The rest of the setup is optionally connect the device to Alexa and enabling Incident Aware, which can automatically send a video to your insurance company or a person of you choice. The last part of the setup process is to run the car adapter from your car’s charger outlet to the place you want to mount the camera. All cars will vary, but in general it’s just a matter or tucking the cord under places under the door trim and behind the dash.

Once the setup is complete it’s time to start driving! Plug in the car charger, start the car and it opens up and starts recording. The MicroSD cards hold the recording and the recommended size for the 422GW is 64GB. The video begins recording as soon as the car charger gets power from the car, in most cases when the car starts up. It will continue to record until the car charger’s power turns off. While driving you do have control to stop and start the recording or to take photos. There is also a protected mode which will prevent a particular recording from being overwritten. The idle screen can be set a few different ways, but if you have Alexa setup, the screen allows for start and stop of the video and an Alexa button which triggers the voice assistant. I had no trouble connecting and using Alexa and it worked well. In fact, I also have a Roav VIVA device which also adds Alexa to your car, and I found that the 422GW worked better as far as understanding and responding.

Now that the photos and videos are on the camera there are two options to get them onto your phone or computer. On the phone, open the app and connect to the camera’s WiFi. There is a section of recorded videos and pictures where you can download them to your Camera Roll or All Photos, protect them or delete them. Once on your iPhone in the Photos app you can send, share or post them or do whatever you can do with any other video or picture. You can also take the SD card out of the camera to export the photos to your computer. The photo and video quality look great and will do a good job of documenting any issue you may have on the road. The 422GW also has a useful recording interface where on your phone you will see the recorded video on top and a live map of where you are during the recording.

I had the opportunity to review the previous generation Nextbase dashcam (https://www.mymac.com/2018/10/nextbase-dashcams-review/) and the 422GW keeps many of the same qualities as the last gen. The interface is easy, there are plenty of features and the recording is clear and easy to share if needed. The addition of Alexa and the improved recorded video interface makes it a worthy upgrade.

MyMac Review Rating is 9 out of 10. Setup and use are a breeze and video quality is great. The Alexa feature really makes the 422GW stand out from the others and while the cost is a bit higher then some other competition dash camera packages it really is a quality device that will prove its worth when you really need it.