Review: Uniden iGO CAM 45R dash cam — all the features you need in a dash cam at an affordable price

Many newer cars offer pre-installed dash cam tech as part of their package, but not all do, and some have very basic options.

My new BYD offers a dashcam view but it is of the front only and there is also no audio.  A while back, someone backed into my new car, and I did not have any view of the car doing so – just a front view that shows nothing aside from my car not moving.  

There is a way to hack the camera on the Atto3 to enable full dash cam mode but that requires a Chinese subscription and some playing around with addresses etc, which is a bridge too far for me (only some minor software hacking instead).  

I’ve had some issues with the other party and their insurance and it was then that I realised that I needed a proper dash cam with front and rear viewing.  Reaching out to Uniden I thought it would be good to start with their new and affordable offering, the iGo CAM 45R.

Features

The iGO CAM 45R offers some impressive features and specs, for a dash cam with an RRP of just $199.95.  Key features include:

• 2K Super HD (1296p) Video Resolution*
• 3” LCD Colour Screen
• Dual Camera / 2 Channel Recording
• WiFi Enabled – App
• Ultra Angle View 140 Degrees
• Event Recording Mode

The Uniden iGO CAM 45R offers 2K video resolution (1440P), but it cannot do this 2K resolution while also recording on the rear camera. It can do 1080P and 1080P on the two cameras, or it can do 1440P on the front. Unfortunately, this is a limitation of the cheaper camera.

The LCD on the front camera is a good-sized 3-inch display, allowing you to view footage and adjust settings for the camera relatively easily.  This is new to me, as the high-end dash cam I had on my previous car did not include a display on the inside, and instead, everything was done from within the app.

I’m not entirely sure why you need the LCD on the camera within the car when you can easily connect your phone to the camera but it is there anyway.  It does mean you have multiple ways to view the recordings, for what that is worth.

The front camera includes a large 140-degree field of view, which, as you can see in the videos and screenshots below, covers quite a large range.  Interestingly, the flagship product, the 90R includes a FOV of 135 degrees.  This is due to the different types of sensors with models above this entry-level 45R, including Sony Starvis sensors.  These result in better picture quality though.

Unlike the more expensive cameras in the Uniden range, the 45R does not include a microSD card in the box – the easy solution to this is to head to your local PC/tech store and pick up a 256GB one like I did for under $40.  

On the bottom of the dash cam are four buttons. These are a settings button, an “ok” button, and two middle buttons, whose function changes depending on where you are in the dash cam software. You can use these buttons to manually start a recording or take a photo using the dash cam.

The rear camera is wired directly to the front camera. This is easily adjustable to get the correct angle you need to get the best view possible out the rear of your car. It is small and will not affect your rear view at any stage. The resolution of the rear camera is 1080P only, which is good enough — we all hope for 4K front and back but you would be paying a lot more for that.

Installation and setup

Installation was super simple – because I didn’t do it myself.  Unless you’re happy with either pulling your car’s trim off to hide cables or don’t mind having loose wires everywhere, I strongly suggest getting a professional to install it.

I drove to the other side of Melbourne to Tullamarine to get the 45R installed by Hektik Group.  It took them under an hour to install it and did it while I waited.  All cables were hidden away and they constantly consulted me on how I wanted certain things to operate or look and how I wanted the camera view to be.  

Of course, they are the experts so I just ceded to whatever they suggested.  If you’re in Melbourne and need anything vehicle-related installed, I recommend their installation services but if you are looking for somewhere more local to you, simply ask at your local Repco or Supercheap Auto who they recommend and they’ll have some decent installers.

The only issue I had was with the mesh branding I have on my car.  You could not see through it with the rear camera, so I cut a smallish hole through it to give the rear camera an unobstructed view (don’t tell my boss – but, if he is reading this, it is unnoticeable from outside the car, I promise).

Now the iGO CAM 45R is the entry level of Uniden’s newest cameras and is priced under $200, so it does not include everything you need within the box.  There is no microSD card, which is not a massive issue, but it also does not include a hard wire kit in the box, which is an issue.  Most installation places will have one that will work, but check to make sure they do before you rock up on the day, just in case.

Uniden did send me a hard wire kit to power the 45R, so that was all good there.  You can always power it from your cigarette lighter if you wish but I opted for the hard wire kit – Parking Mode will only work if the camera is hard wired.  

Parking Mode is when the built-in sensor detects sudden vibration, which in turn wakes the hibernated Dash Cam and switches it on to start recording for a limited time.

How easy is it to use?

Once you have set up the iGO CAM 45R, it is incredibly simple to use. It records continuously (loop recording) and detects any sensor incidents it senses. The videos are stored on the camera’s microSD card. 

You can add some audio if you wish as it will record the sounds from within the car as well.  Then I would suggest locking the requisite recordings so they don’t get accidentally deleted.  

Getting the videos off the camera is super simple. You can either grab the microSD card out of the camera and stick it in your PC, or you can use the app on your phone to download and transfer the file (I would also suggest storing it in the cloud, just in case).

Now, at this point, I will mention that I did have some teething issues with the original formatting of the microSD card resulting in a bad format which meant my Android phones couldn’t read its contents – strangely enough, the iPhone 16 could.  

A reformat of the card resulted in the Android phones working just fine.  Hopefully, this formatting issue will be fixed in the Android app update rolling out in the next couple of weeks. In the meantime, if you do have a problem such as this, then reformat the card again once you reinsert it into the dashcam (after you have downloaded the videos off the card using your PC).

The Uniden app

The app is pretty basic and far from the best-looking app around. It connects to the dashcam using a Wi-Fi direct connection from your phone. You then enter the DVR section of the dash cam, where you can view the current view of the camera. You can also record a video or capture a screenshot here.

Tap on the file image, and you will be taken to the menu for videos, events, and photos. From here, you can download the videos you are interested in to your device.

You can also adjust many of the settings for the dash cam within the DVR section of the app—you can also do this on the device using the settings menu.

Recording quality

As you can see in the videos below, the recording quality is good, enough to recognise cars, number plates, and accident issues. It is not great, though, but this is all you really need to see who is at fault in accidents—as a general rule, you do not need to see facial details, etc.

Night vision is quite good, even for the back, considering it comes from the smaller rear camera. There’s not much to say about the quality to be honest — good enough is probably all I need to say.

Final thoughts

Everyone should have some form of dash cam in their car. Insurance companies are not always our friends so it is best to look after yourself and your investment (your car), something a dash cam can do.

With the Uniden iGO CAM 45R you get just that. Some peace of mind knowing that your car can have 24/7 monitoring of it and anything near it. And the best news is that you do not have to fork out a large sum of cash for it. At just RRP $199 you get the protection of decent recording quality with the protection of a quality brand.

While the optics are not premium, and the recording resolution just 1080P (if you use the front and back dash cams at once), the result is still more than acceptable for a majority of people. The Uniden iGO CAM 45R shows that you do not need to spend a lot of money to protect your car. You don’t even need to get it professionally installed if you do not wish to.

If you are look at a cheap dash cam with a lot of decent features then I can recommend the Uniden iGO CAM 45R for you. Get it now from Uniden or any decent car electronics store.