Back in 2016, I picked up a VIOFO A119 dash cam to capture the memorable highlights of my road trips. Not so much for recording crashes, but scenic views and that occasional odd thing, like the enormous fiberglass bull you see driving down the highway in some hick town. For the first four years, it did its job well enough, but by autumn of 2020, a permanent, stubborn fog developed inside the lens assembly that no amount of cleaning could fix. Having my scenic trip footage ruined by a milky haze was a major bummer, and honestly, it drove me to use the camera a lot less. I eventually learned that years of baking behind a hot truck windshield causes early-generation dash cam plastics and adhesives to break down and outgas, permanently clouding the internal optics. It wasn’t a terrible lifespan for the time, but the foggy image was a frustrating roadblock for a camera meant to preserve memories.

While I have the old dash cam, I really want to buy a quality model that doesn’t have the fogging issue. Laying out hard-earned money for a replacement makes you hit the brakes when you’ve been burned by hardware degradation in the past. My truck spends a lot of time parked in the sun, and since I only really run it on weekends for trips, the camera has to be tough enough to survive the idle heat. I am currently giving myself a few days to pause, mull things over, and really look at my options before jumping into a purchase.

Right now, I am leaning toward the VIOFO A119M Pro, but I am still weighing how much the technology has actually improved. On paper, it sounds promising—moving away from the old plastic lens elements to a 7-layer all-glass setup, and replacing plastic ventilation with a heavy-duty metal heat sink to pull heat away from the processor. I am also factoring in the convenience of its built-in Wi-Fi 6, which pairs directly to a phone hotspot so I wouldn’t have to constantly pull out the memory card just to view a clip. No wi-fi needed which is good as I don’t have that at home, much less in the wilderness. Yet, it would be good not to be fiddling with mini SD card out in the wilderness, dropping it in the mud. I am leaning towards getting the same make as the old one – it seems to address my old pain points, but after my last experience, I am content to take my time, ponder the reliability, and make sure it is truly the right fit for the long haul before pulling the trigger.