Nextbase iQ Cloud vs. BlackVue Cloud

There’s a built-in SIM card, providing an internet connection through T-mobile(in the US/Canada). This SIM card cannot be taken out and swapped for another option, and locks you into Nextbase’s subscription plans, paying monthly(more info on that later). There is no option to pair to any outside wifi source, and you are locked into the fees if you want the cloud.

BlackVue has models that also take a SIM card directly with a built-in SIM slot, this would be their LTE models. Plus, with any cloud-ready camera, you can add-on a CM100 LTE module at any point at a later date, also taking a SIM card. While BlackVue also supplies SIM cards with their own monthly subscriptions, these can be easily removed, and are compatible with various third-party cell service providers, such as Rogers, Telus, T-Mobile and AT&T. Furthermore, BlackVue has the versatility to connect to an outside wifi network, such as a hotspot in the vehicle, another BlackVue camera(for a multi-camera setup) or even your home wifi when you park in-range.

The Nextbase iQ offers a Witness Mode allowing for manually activated cloud video storage of a 30-minute block, sending all recorded footage to remote storage. When this is enabled, you can set it up to send notifications to an emergency contact.

Sometimes, you won’t be able to activate anything manually. In the case of a severe accident, the Emergency SOS feature automatically activates, awaiting a response from the driver. If the driver is unresponsive, it will alert emergency services, providing crucial location and life-saving information, including location and vital medical details.

Now, what if you’re away from the vehicle, and still want to stay in the know? Thankfully, there’s Smart Sense Parking. This will allow the camera to record motion and impact around the vehicle while parked, recording when movement is detected, and sending a notification with a video file when an impact is detected. It’s worth noting that the camera will be asleep before motion is detected, so there won’t be a buffer on motion footage, giving a full picture of an event.

The first step to any cloud connection is Remote Live-View to check up on the camera at any time. While Nextbase has this staple feature, they’ve yet to implement two-way voice communication, allowing you to talk through the camera, and listen to anything going on in the vehicle, which BlackVue offers.

But how will you know when to check in on the vehicle? Well, with Push Notifications, of course! This feature works in the same way as Nextbase’s, providing a notification to your phone, and sending a snapshot rather than a video. The difference-maker here is that notifications won’t only be sent in case of an impact, but can be sent when motion, Harsh Acceleration or Harsh Braking is detected, depending on your preference.

But what if you want to access basic footage remotely through the cloud, even if it wasn’t uploaded? Well, BlackVue still has you covered here, and when the camera is connected to the internet, all footage can be remotely streamed as needed, then manually uploaded to the cloud if necessary.

When it comes to being in the know about your vehicle, BlackVue comes out on top. BlackVue Cloud boasts Live-GPS, instantly visualizing on a map your car’s location and speed. This is paired nicely with its Driving Reports, showing the vehicle’s history.

Looking to figure out the dangers of a road before you take it? The Event Map feature combines data from the dash cam with a crowd-sourced map to display events such as impacts, hard brake incidents, and even playback videos uploaded by other users, ideal for staying aware of where to be cautious.

For BlackVue Cloud, the base plan is free, including a wide variety of core features like Remote Live View, Remote Playback and Push Notifications. This free plan is plenty for the large majority of users, but even the paid options are affordable, mainly offering the option to add on additional BlackVue camera systems to the same account, extending storage and viewing limits, or making it ideal for fleets. These plans are called Lite and Smart, ranging from only $3.99 to $7.99 monthly.

It’s worth noting that this only covers the cloud service itself, and not the wifi source too. It’s tough to provide exact numbers for this, as there are a wide range of internet provider options, and you can “shop around” with your local cell-service providers to see which plan is ideal. You can read more about BackVue Cloud Plans here.

For the Nextbase IQ, the base free plan only includes the bare minimum features of a dashcam. This includes voice controls, and text notifications. If you’re looking to use the standard cloud features, that’s locked behind their $9.99 USD monthly plan, and even then, some of the advanced cloud features touched on here, including emergency SOS and incident backup, are further locked behind their 19.99 USD monthly plan. The silver lining of the iQ is that these paid plans do include the 4G data needed for the internet connection, so no additional internet connection or SIM card subscription is required.

However, these subscriptions don’t cover the base price of these units themselves. Thankfully, both brands have a variety of cloud-compatible models to choose from. Nextbase iQ’s base dash cam full HD costs $499.99 USD, increasing by 100$ for the 2k version, and another 100$ for the 4k version. That’s only the front and interior unit, if you want to add the rear camera, it is available for $199.99 USD. Including the monthly subscription, which almost amounts to a $1,000 first-year expenditure!