Redtiger F17 Elite Dash Cam Review

I’ve read a lot of stories over the recent years about dash cameras and how rideshare drivers are using them to protect themselves and their passengers. I found it pretty interesting to see what modern dash cams can do. They have come a long way in a short amount of time, and I started thinking about how I might want to have them in every vehicle my family uses.

The team at Redtiger sent over its F17 Elite camera system for testing, which I installed in my son’s SUV. His summer job has him working odd hours and driving in very busy streets with lots of holiday and vacation traffic in a nearby resort town, and his girlfriend lives an hour and a half away in the opposite direction. In other words, he’s on the road a lot and I feel better knowing we’ve got an extra set of eyes on the road for him in case anything happens.

What Does It Do?

For a long time, I was stuck on the idea that a dash cam was little more than a low-resolution digital camera that only took video facing forward from your car’s dash. I mean, we’ve all seen those old, bulky dash cams that look like a small kitchen appliance just sitting there on the dashboard. The footage those things captured was always grainy, low-resolution, and not very useful. Like everything that has to do with technology, those cameras evolved rapidly and dramatically. Modern dash cameras offer a lot of innovative features aimed at giving you total coverage and the most important thing – peace of mind.

One of the most innovative dash cameras on the market is the Redtiger F17 Elite. This system allows you to capture sharp, clear details in dual HDR, 4K front, upgraded 2.5K rear, and 1080P cabin views, inside and out of your car. Since I am really into the technical side of things, I did a bunch of research and was very drawn to the F17 Elite because it is loaded with features that I honestly didn’t think were possible in a dash cam. This 4K, three-channel camera system has dual Sony STARVIS 2 Sensors. It uses an IMX678 and an IMX675, which are very cool because they were designed for clarity and stability in most conditions.

Let me interject a quick “why this is important” piece. I want my family to be safe. I make sure all of our vehicles are in good running order, with good tires and anything mechanical is taken care of. I also carry good insurance because if something does happen I can’t just run out and replace or repair one of the vehicles out of pocket. I also make sure that everyone in the vehicles knows how to handle themselves in situations. We work on defensive driving and having keen observation skills to see when something doesn’t quite fit the scene. Still, I can’t be there all the time. That’s why I went with the Redtiger F17 Elite.

Dad Stuff

The F17 Elite camera system lets you record in dual HDR with a 4K front, an upgraded 2.5K rear, and high-definition 1080P recordings of what goes on inside the car. Using the cameras is easy, too. You have a 3-inch touchscreen main camera that is simple to set up and use, plus the system uses voice commands. The voice commands are the easiest way to use the cameras and to start/stop recording.

A great feature of the Redtiger F17 Elite is its ability to download at 5.8Ghz WiFi 6 speeds, so the recordings can be viewed online. Again, as a parent, this is important to me. It also has 24/7 parked car monitoring. His summer job is at a state park that is within city limits of a decent-sized city that gets a lot of vacation traffic in the summer months. There is also a rather sizable homeless population and some have taken to sneaking into the state park to sleep, which, on occasion, includes sneaking into the parked cars of the park employees. While I certainly sympathize with the homeless situation, I’d rather not have my son be surprised by a guy sleeping in the back of his SUV when he gets out of work. The same goes for my wife when she has to work late at her office. And with the F17 Elite being full color and with night time clarity, it just adds peace of mind for me with family being on the road when I can’t be there.

The F17 Elite has the ability to detect impacts from collisions and automatically start recording. Even if you don’t actively have it recording, you are covered if an accident occurs. It has a parking monitor function that requires you to enable the Time Lapse Mode, which operates around the clock to detect any changes. This also enable the low-light parking monitor, with detects movement and records in full color that keeps track of the vehicle when parked and unoccupied. This feature was very important for when the wife was off on a business trip and her return flight came in late. It was nice for both of us to know her car was safe and secure in the parking lot when she got back.

Installing the Elite

There are a couple of ways to install the F17 Elite dash cam. You can use your car’s 12-volt plug to power the camera and you will get most of the functionality. If you want to use the parking monitor functions, you need to hardwire the dash cam with the optional kit. This takes a little extra work, but the payoff is worth it. Just be sure you check all of your connections. This is something I suggest with every electrical device you hardwire into your vehicle, as a short can cause issues like a dead battery, or a fried electrical system. The hardwire kit is very straightforward and comes with the proper connections and relays. That was another thing I appreciated about the Redtiger product. They are very conscious about making sure you have everything you need to install the camera, with enough wire to reach, even with a big van or SUV. Honestly, installation is easy. We spent more time routing the wires so they could stay hidden and out of the way than we did actually placing the cameras or any of the other setup.

Should You Buy One?

That’s the main question, right? I looked at a lot of camera options and, for the money, this camera had a lot to offer compared to many others in this price range. For me, it gives me added peace of mind, which I can’t really put a price on. There is just too much going on in the world today to not take every precaution you can to protect yourself and those you care about. When you look at the quality, the ease of use, especially with the voice command options, the amazing clarity of the cameras, and the features the F17 Elite offers, it’s a heck of a bargain. If you buy it directly from Redtiger, you can score a sweeter deal, too.