Causes
- Cold start acquisition takes minutes the A810's receiver has to download the satellite almanac after every long power off, and it cannot do that in a garage, a tunnel, or a street walled by tall buildings. A first fix within one to three minutes of driving in open sky is normal, so a clip recorded two minutes after leaving a car park often has no coordinates yet.
- The windshield blocks the antenna the GPS module sits in the camera body against the glass. Athermic and infrared reflective windshields use a metal oxide layer that attenuates the L1 signal, and aftermarket metallic tint films do the same. The dotted frit band at the top of the screen and the plastic housing behind the mirror are also poor places to mount, and both are where most owners put the camera.
- The time zone is not set satellites broadcast UTC only. The A810 applies a manual time zone offset, and if that offset is wrong the timestamps run hours off even though the coordinate log is completely healthy. That reads as a GPS fault in the app while the fix itself is working.
- The internal battery is flat, so the clock resets on every start the 500mAh cell keeps the real time clock alive between trips. A camera that sat in a drawer, was left in a parked car for weeks, or ran its cell flat in parking mode comes up with a reset date, so it behaves like a cold start on every ignition and never seems to keep a fix.
- GPS logging is switched off or was reset by a firmware update the GPS and speed display options are independent settings, and a factory reset or firmware update can return them to a state where nothing is written to the clip. The module can be perfectly healthy while the footage shows no stamp at all.
How to Fix
- Drive five minutes in open sky before judging it. Leave the camera running from a cold start, drive out of the garage or the built up area, and then check the app or a fresh clip. If coordinates appear after a few minutes, the receiver is fine and you are looking at normal acquisition time rather than a fault.
- Confirm GPS is enabled in the settings. On the camera, open Settings and check that the GPS item is switched on, then check the speed and coordinate display option in the 70mai app's device settings. Turn both back on if a reset cleared them.
- Record a clip and read the stamp. Play a new recording on the camera's 3 inch screen. Speed and coordinates are burned into the bottom of the frame when GPS is working. If they are there, the module is fine and the problem is only in the app's route view, which needs the phone connected over Wi-Fi.
- Correct the time zone manually. In the 70mai app, open device settings, set the time zone to your local offset, and let the camera sync the clock from the satellites on the next drive. Compare the timestamp on a new clip against your phone before chasing anything else.
- Charge the camera to restore the clock. Connect it to a 5V/2A USB-C charger with the card removed for about two hours, then power it off and on and check whether the date and time survive. A clock that resets on every power cycle points at a tired internal cell rather than the GPS module.
- Move the mount away from the coated area. Refit the camera 10 to 15cm below the roofline, off the dotted frit band, and out from behind the mirror's plastic housing. As a quick test, hold the camera near an open window or sunroof and watch for a fix to appear, which proves the glass or mounting position is the blocker.
- Update the firmware through the app. Join the camera's Wi-Fi from the phone, open the 70mai app, go to device settings and firmware update, and install what is pending with the camera on external power. Reboot it and re-check GPS logging on a fresh clip afterwards.
- Treat a total absence of fix as a hardware fault. If a ten minute drive in open sky with the correct time zone, GPS enabled and a charged battery still produces no coordinates, the receiver or its antenna connection is faulty. Contact 70mai support with the serial number, a clip showing the empty stamp, and the device info from the app to arrange service.
