Vantrue N5S Review: Four Channels, and What They Cost You

The Vantrue N5S is a four-channel dash cam that watches the road ahead, both ends of the cabin and the road behind, all at once. Its headline is the sensor set. Vantrue states Sony STARVIS 2 on all four channels here, where its copy for the earlier four-channel model claims it on the front lens only. The rear channel also steps up from 1080p to 1440p.

It is not simply a newer camera, and we would rather frame it properly. Both are current, they share the same front hardware, and the N5S draws considerably more power. Which suits you depends less on age and more on whether you park unattended.

What does the Vantrue N5S record?

Four channels. Two lenses sit in the windscreen unit, facing forward and into the cabin. Two more sit back to back in a rear module, facing the rear cabin and out the back window.

Vantrue quotes 643 degrees of coverage. That is the sum of the four fields of view, not four cameras pointing at the corners of your car. Worth knowing what you are actually buying.

Change the resolution on day one. The N5S ships defaulted to 1440p at the front, not its 1944p maximum. Anyone comparing it on paper should know the out-of-the-box setting is not the ceiling.

How the N5S differs from the N5

Figures from the official Vantrue user manuals, N5 version 5.1 and N5S version 1.6, checked 13 August 2026.

Where the N5S wins

Everything below compares against the N5, which we will call the 5 from here to save repeating it.

The rear channel is the real answer. On the 5 the rear never exceeds 1080p in any combination, even front and rear only. That is the hardest ceiling in the range. The N5S holds 1440p at the back even while running all four channels, on a 5 megapixel sensor rather than a 2 megapixel one. For anyone whose worry is being rear-ended, that is the upgrade.

The other genuine gap is remote monitoring. The 5's manual lists no LTE module and no remote live view menu, where the N5S manual documents both. That is the single most common complaint we see from 5 owners. One bought an LTE module that was never going to work with it. If remote viewing is why you are shopping, the 5 is not the camera.

Parking logic is better too. Monitoring up to 96 hours, an ACC delay setting, separate front and rear motion zones, and a proper power-saving collision mode.

Where the older camera wins

Power draw, and it is not close. The 5 draws 6W. The N5S draws 10W, about 67 percent more, from Vantrue's own specification tables. For a four-channel camera sitting in parking mode on an Australian car battery, that is the most consequential number here, and it goes the older camera's way. There is power saving Parking Modes of course which we would use, just be aware there's no motion sensing if doing so.

The front camera is the same hardware. Same sensor, same 158 degree lens, same F1.8 aperture, same 1944p ceiling, same screen, same supercapacitor and same body. If the forward-facing channel is what you actually care about, you are not buying a better front camera.

Reliability, on the record. DashCamTalk scores both cameras 7.0 out of 10 overall. It rates the 5 higher on reliability, 8 against 7. Both sit at 4.2 out of 5 on Amazon in the United States, from 988 and 780 ratings respectively, retrieved 13 August 2026. The older camera has two more years of firmware behind it.

Which channel gets sacrificed?

On both cameras, always a cabin channel. Every step down drops the front-cabin and rear-cabin pair to 720p before it touches the front or the rear. Cabin channels are the cheap currency in this design.

On the N5S, the useful consequence is that you do not pay for the better rear channel by losing anything else. The rear holds 1440p in the top options of every combination that includes it.

What should you know before buying?

The mounts are not interchangeable. The 5 shares a mount with the N4 Pro. The N5S shares one with the N2X, N4S and N4 Pro S. Upgrading, or buying a spare mount for a second car? Buy the right one. Ours is the GPS mount for the N2X, N4S, N5S and N4 Pro S.

5GHz Wi-Fi has been unreliable for some owners. Repeated reports of failing to connect or dropping immediately, across both Android and iPhone. Fall back to 2.4GHz if you hit it (normally due to older model phones)

Check your hardwire kit rating. The N5S specifies 5V at 3A. Our VP05 kit is specified up to 2.5A. We are flagging that rather than claiming a fault. We have not tested the pairing. For an N5S we would fit the VP01 five-level kit or the VP04 OBD cable instead. We will confirm the VP05 position with Vantrue.

Pro Tip: Set the low-voltage cut-off on your hardwire kit before you leave the car anywhere for more than a day. Ten watts on a four-channel camera finds a tired battery faster than you would think, and setting the cut-off takes a minute.

Will it cope with an Australian summer?

Both cameras are rated from minus 20 to 60 degrees Celsius and both use supercapacitors rather than lithium batteries, which is the correct design for a hot car. Neither has an advantage here.

An Australian windscreen cabin in summer sun can exceed 60 degrees. That is a category truth rather than a Vantrue problem, and it applies to every dash cam sold here. Worth saying plainly rather than pretending either model is immune.

We found no heat-failure reports for either camera. We did find two owners in Phoenix and Southern California reporting years of untroubled use in extreme heat. One independent reviewer noted the N5S felt very warm, with thermal imaging confirming it. That's honestly pretty normal for any camera, not just this four channels. That is physics, not a defect.

The real Australian risk is battery drain, not heat. Ten watts in parking mode over a long weekend is a genuine ask of a car battery. Fit a kit with a voltage cut-off and set it conservatively higher than you would. This camera in full powered parking mode would pair particularly well with its own dedicated battery pack. Else use the Power Saving Parking Modes.

Who should buy the Vantrue N5S?

Buy it if you carry passengers and need rear-facing plate capture that will actually stand up, you want the option of LTE remote monitoring, and you are hardwiring to a healthy battery.

Look at the standard 5, the older four-channel model instead if your priority is the front channel and cabin coverage, you park unattended for days at a time and battery drain worries you, or you want the more mature unit with a longer firmware history. You get identical front camera hardware for 40 percent less power draw. The rear channel is the compromise you are accepting.

Line the range up in our guide to choosing a Vantrue dash cam, or browse the Vantrue range. If fitting a four-channel system is putting you off, our installer finder will point you at someone local.

Vantrue N5S questions we get asked

Is the older model still current?

Yes. Both are current and sold alongside each other. The 5 came first, in 2023, and Vantrue has continued to update it, including a redesign of its supplied accessories during 2026. Treat them as two points in the range rather than old and new.

Can the older four-channel model do remote live view?

Plan on no. Its manual lists no LTE module and no remote live view menu, while the N5S manual documents both. This is the most common thing buyers get wrong between the two, so check it before you order.

Will the older mount fit an N5S?

No. The 5 shares a mount with the N4 Pro. The N5S shares one with the N2X, N4S and N4 Pro S. Despite the similar naming they are different parts.

Is 360 degree coverage really 360 degrees?

The four fields of view add up to 643 degrees, which is where the marketing number comes from. There are four lenses in two housings, not cameras pointing at each corner of the car. In practice it does cover around the vehicle, but it is worth knowing the layout.

The verdict

The Vantrue N5S is the four-channel camera to buy if the rear channel has to be evidence and you want remote monitoring on the table via an LTE module, with 1440p at the back rather than 1080p being a real and useful change, and Vantrue states STARVIS 2 behind all four lenses.

It is not a costless upgrade. Ten watts against six is a lot to ask of a parked car. The front camera hardware is unchanged, and DashCamTalk rates the older camera higher on reliability. If you park unattended for days and mostly care about the view ahead, the 5 is the smarter buy. We will happily tell you so.

Not sure which one your driving suits? Give Michael or Harrison a yell. Tell us where you park and how long for, and we will give you a straight answer. No worries either way.

Commercial disclosure: The Dash Cam Guys sells the Vantrue N5S and the Vantrue N5, and this is a buying guide to our own range, so treat it as retailer advice rather than an independent survey of the market. Specifications come from the official Vantrue N5S user manual version 1.6 and the N5 user manual version 5.1. Sensor part numbers are not stated in either manual and come from Vantrue's own product listings, corroborated for the N5S by independent testing at DashCamTalk and Notebookcheck, and are identified as such in the text. Owner ratings are from Amazon in the United States, retrieved 13 August 2026, and are anecdotal reports rather than a failure rate. Some independent reviewers disclosed that Vantrue supplied their units and we have weighted their criticism accordingly. We have not published our own controlled test measurements for either model, and we have not tested plate readability, heat behaviour or parking-mode battery drain under controlled conditions. This is retailer review and buying advice, not an independent laboratory test. Facts checked 13 August 2026. If a specification, a feature or a price on this page is wrong or has gone out of date, tell us and we will correct it.