You never think you need a dash cam until you do. A small bump turns into an awkward back-and-forth about who was at fault. There is no clear evidence and no quick resolution. That alone is reason enough to install something more serious than a basic dash cam or built-in camera. It’s like an insurance policy you hope you will never use, but are glad to have when something goes wrong.
The Vantrue N5S is a four-channel system that covers the front, rear, road, and both interior angles, delivering stunning image quality and a myriad of features.
The main front unit is larger than a typical single-lens dash cam, but not in a clumsy way. It’s a rectangular body with softened edges, finished in matte black plastic. From the driver’s seat, it sits discreetly below the rear-view mirror and doesn’t intrude into my line of sight.
On the front unit, you’ve got the primary 2.7K road-facing lens protruding slightly from the body, while the interior-facing lens is integrated neatly into the same housing. The rear interior camera is built into the secondary unit, which also connects to the external rear road camera. It sounds complicated on paper, but in practice, it’s tidy once installed.
The buttons are physical rather than touch-based, which I actually prefer. They run along the bottom edge, clearly labelled and spaced far enough apart that you can press them without fumbling. The power button has a slightly firmer click, which makes it easy to identify by feel.
The screen itself is bright and sharp enough for checking angles and reviewing clips, though I tend to turn it off while driving.
Cable management is the only part that feels slightly involved. With four cameras, there are naturally more wires to route than with a simple setup. I took my time tucking them into the headlining and trim. Once done, it looks factory-fitted, but you do need patience during installation.
Build quality feels solid. Nothing creaks, the mounts stay firm, and the external rear camera feels properly weather-sealed.
The N5S offers a pretty unique full four-camera coverage. The front records in 2.7K, the external rear camera in 2.5K, and both interior cameras in 1080p. You can switch between single-channel and full four-channel recording, but I’ve kept it on full coverage. That’s the whole point of buying it.
Low-light performance is impressive. Every lens uses Starvis 2 sensors, and you can see the difference at night. Headlights don’t completely wash out the image, and darker areas still retain detail.
Inside, the dual infrared LEDs come into their own. One evening, I deliberately walked around the car while it was in parking mode to see what it would capture. Watching the footage back, I could clearly see my face through the side window.
The buffered parking mode can detect motion or an impact and will record the moments before and after the event. That pre-roll footage matters. Incidents rarely begin at the exact second of contact. This, however, involves buying and installing the optional hardwire kit to ensure the camera is powered at all times, not just when the ignition is on.
The 5GHz WiFi makes transferring clips to a phone quick, and the app is basic enough but covers all the essentials. It sorts footage into normal driving, parking events, and collisions, so you don’t have to dig through endless files. GPS data, speed, time, and location are embedded in the footage, along with an audio recording. That extra context could be important if something happens.
Support for up to a 1TB microSD card means you’re unlikely to run out of space quickly, though with four cameras recording at once, file sizes are understandably large.
In everyday driving, the footage is consistently sharp. In bright daylight, road signs, lane markings, and registration plates are easy to read most of the time, but this varies greatly depending on speed, distance, and weather conditions. The wide angles mean it captures vehicles approaching from the sides, not just directly ahead.
At night, it maintains clarity better than I expected. There’s still some flare from intense headlights, but it’s controlled, and the polarising filter I used on the front camera really helps to keep glare to a minimum. The interior cameras remain usable even in total darkness thanks to the infrared lighting.
What I appreciate most is that it simply records automatically. There’s no need to remember to save clips. Every journey is captured, along with audio, GPS data, speed, and time.
The Vantrue N5S offers serious all-round protection with excellent night performance and dependable parking surveillance. Installation takes effort, but once set up, it works quietly and consistently. For proper 360-degree coverage inside and out, it’s a reassuring upgrade.
€400 Vantrue N5S
