Every RedTiger dash cam comes with multiple recording modes, but knowing which one to use and when makes a big difference in how useful your dash cam actually is. Whether you own the budget-friendly F17 Plus or the flagship ViewClear 70, understanding the difference between continuous recording, event-triggered recording, manual recording, and parking mode ensures you never miss an important moment on the road.
This guide walks through each recording mode on RedTiger dash cams, explains how they work in real driving situations, and gives you the best settings for day-to-day use.
Continuous recording is the default mode on every RedTiger dash cam. When the camera powers on (either by plugging into the cigarette lighter or through a hardwire kit), it starts recording video in a loop. The dash cam saves video in short chunks, typically 1-minute, 3-minute, or 5-minute segments. When the memory card fills up, the oldest non-protected footage gets overwritten automatically.
Here is how it works in practice: You set your RedTiger F7N Elite to 3-minute segments. On your morning commute, the camera records continuously. Every three minutes, a new file is saved. When the 128GB SD card fills up after about 8 hours of 4K recording, the camera starts deleting the oldest segments (unless they are locked or marked as event footage).
Key settings for continuous recording:
Event recording, also called emergency recording or G-Sensor recording, is triggered automatically when the dash cam detects a sudden impact or sharp movement. The built-in G-Sensor measures acceleration forces in three axes. When the impact crosses the threshold you set, the current video file is locked and saved to a protected folder on the SD card. Locked files are never overwritten by loop recording, even when the card is full.
Real-world scenario: You are parked at a Walmart parking lot. Someone backs into your front bumper. The RedTiger F7N Touch senses the impact via its G-Sensor and immediately locks the current recording segment. Even if you do not notice the damage until later, that footage is preserved in the Event folder, safe from being overwritten by the next 50 hours of driving.
For the best results with event recording:
Manual recording lets you lock the current video file with a single button press. This is useful when you witness something you want to keep. Say you are driving on the highway and see a car swerve, almost causing a multi-car pileup. You press the emergency button (marked with a lock icon on most RedTiger models), and the current video file is saved to the protected Event folder.
| Model | Manual Lock Button | Event Folder Access |
|---|---|---|
| F17 Elite | Bottom-left button | Via file manager on SD card |
| F7NP | Side OK button (long press) | Via app or card reader |
| F7N Elite | Emergency button (lock icon) | Via app, screen, or card reader |
| F7N Touch | On-screen Emergency button | Via touchscreen file browser |
| ViewClear 70 | Emergency button + on-screen | Via touchscreen or app |
Manual recording is also helpful for capturing scenic drives, road trip highlights, or unusual events like a police stop. After the drive, you can transfer those locked files to your phone via WiFi or plug the SD card into your computer.
Parking mode is available on RedTiger dash cams when you use a hardwire kit (not the standard cigarette lighter adapter). The hardwire kit connects the dash cam to your car fuse box and provides continuous power even when the engine is off. When the G-Sensor detects motion or impact, the camera wakes up and records a short clip.
There are two flavors of parking mode on RedTiger cams:
For most drivers, the best setup is:
If you drive in the city with lots of stop-and-go traffic, consider dropping loop recording to 1-minute segments. That way, if an event happens, you lose less footage before and after the trigger point. On the highway, 3-minute segments are better because the extra duration gives you more context around an incident.
RedTiger dash cams create a clear folder structure on the SD card. Here is what you will see when you plug the card into a computer:
Knowing this structure helps when you need to find specific footage quickly. Most people waste 20 minutes hunting through numbered folders after an accident. Check the Event or Park folder first.
Your recording mode choices directly affect how much SD card space you need. A 4K continuous recording on the F7N Elite uses about 1.5GB per hour. A 128GB card gives you roughly 85 hours of continuous loop recording. If you add parking mode recordings on top of that, the available loop recording time drops because some space goes to the parking folder.
For a balanced setup, we recommend:
When you get your RedTiger dash cam, here is the fastest way to set up recording modes:
Within five minutes your RedTiger dash cam will be running in all the right modes, protecting you on every drive and every parking lot visit.
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