Nextbase 522GW Wi-Fi Dash Cam Front Cam (Open Box)

(I don't work for Nextbase and they are not paying me for this review.) I purchased my first of these 522GW cameras 3 years ago after I was sitting at a red light and was rear-ended by a pickup that then took off. I thought I read the license plate correctly to the 911 operator, but either way, the detective couldn't match the license plate to the truck. I bought the 522GW based on a favorable review on a tech site. It works ok... I guess. It depends on your definition of 'work'. It stays attached to the windshield really well... the menus are easy to use... the desktop software and video download works well. Picture quality is good during the day, even acceptable at night. No complaints about these features. Here are some of the features they don't mention in the reviews: Sometimes it won't turn on. Sometimes it won't turn off. The on/off button is not reliable nor is unplugging the power cable. (It regularly has to format the sd card because of 'read errors' but that may be the card, although I bought a new card and it still happens). It freezes for no reason -- one time just before a car cut me off and almost caused an accident. I would have had no recording which is, after all, the reason to pay so much money for this camera. I just bought a new car and wanted to get a new camera for that car too. My first camera is 3 years old so surely the problems were caused by firmware that's not up to date, a faulty power supply, something that's been fixed in this newer camera. Nope. The newest camera with new firmware (updated from their website) is worse. Yesterday it could not be turned on. We drove 30 minutes before VOILA! it turned on when it got around to it and *seemed* to be recording fine. Tonight the screen split into two for the first time ever (night vision-like picture on the left, normal night view on the right. Bizarre. It seemed to be actively recording). Then, poof, the screen freezes. After 5 minutes I unplugged it but the unit stayed powered on, frozen in time. From 7:19pm (when I took the attached picture) until 7:58pm it was unplugged and frozen before finally shutting off. Don't buy this camera. Two cameras, 3 years apart. Same problems. I would return the first one I bought too if it wasn't so old. Actually, it's just so unreliable that I never know if it's even recording when the 'record' button is blinking. That's my fear: I'll get into another accident and after all this time and money I won't have a video. After all, isn't that what this camera is for?