Understanding the different recording modes of your BlackVue dashcam helps ensure you capture all important footage—whether driving, parked, or during specific incidents. Here’s how each mode works and when it activates:
Note: Screenshots in this guide are based on the BlackVue app and may vary slightly depending on your camera model or app.
Overview of Recording Modes
| Mode | Purpose | When It Activates | What Is Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|
| Normal | Continuous driving recording | When vehicle ignition is ON/moving | All driving activity in loops |
| Event | Incident/impact/motion-based recording | Whenever an impact or trigger occurs | Clips of incidents (buffered) |
| Parking | Surveillance while parked | After 5 minutes of inactivity or ignition OFF | Motion or impact while parked |
Normal mode
- Definition: Records continuously in a loop while your vehicle is running or ignition is ON.
- Purpose: Captures your entire drive—useful for daily commutes, road trips, and protecting against unexpected incidents.
- How it works:
- The camera overwrites the oldest video files when the SD card is full (loop recording).
- Normal videos are saved as standard footage.
- All-event triggers during driving (such as hard braking or an accident) also generate Event recordings, even while in Normal mode.
Event mode
- Definition: Special “Event” files automatically saved when the dashcam detects a sudden physical event—like a collision, abrupt braking, sharp turn, overspeed, or manual trigger.
- Triggers:
- Impact/vibration detected by the G-sensor
- Manual activation (by touch sensor or SOS button)
- Detections by AI-powered driving monitoring system
- Some models: sudden acceleration, cornering, speed alert
- Purpose: Ensures clips involving accidents or critical events are protected and easy to find.
- How it works:
- Captures several seconds before and after the event (using buffer memory).
- Event videos are saved and protected from being overwritten by Normal footage (up to 50 recordings)
- Both driving and parking impacts create Event files.
Parking mode
- Definition: Used when the car is stationary (usually after 5 minutes with no movement or ignition OFF), offering security when you’re away from your vehicle. For three-wired dash cam model, parking mode proceeds right after turning off the engine.
- Recording types:
- Motion & Impact detection: Records only when movement is detected in the dashcam’s field of view or an impact/vibration occurs.
- Time-lapse: Continuously records at 1 frame per second (plays back at 30× speed); impacts still create Event files at normal speed.
- Purpose: Monitors for break-ins, vandalism, or hit-and-run events while parked—without filling up your SD card unnecessarily.
- Features:
- Minimizes SD card wear and prevents overwriting crucial evidence during long parking periods.
- Sensitivity and monitored areas can be adjusted for motion detection.
- Requires hardwiring or dedicated battery for constant power.
Feature comparison table
| Feature | Normal mode | Event mode | Parking mode |
|---|---|---|---|
| Continuous recording | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ (if motion/impact only) |
| Impact/motion-triggered file | ✔ (event) | ✔ | ✔ (parking event) |
| File protection | ✘ | ✔ | ✔ (event files in parking mode) |
| Loop overwrite | ✔ | ✘ (protected files) | ✘ (event files are protected) |
| Power requirement | Ignition ON | Any time (trigger) | Hardwired or external battery |
Troubleshooting & notes
- Not recording in Parking Mode?
- Ensure the dashcam is hardwired or has a dedicated battery pack. Regular 12V sockets usually turn off with ignition.
- Verify Parking Mode is enabled in settings.
- SD card filling up quickly?
- Consider using Time-lapse Parking Mode to preserve space or upgrade your SD card.
- Event not captured?
- Adjust G-sensor sensitivity—too low may miss events, too high may create unwanted clips.
Properly understanding and configuring your recording modes maximizes the effectiveness of your BlackVue dashcam, ensuring crucial moments are always captured and safely stored.