RedTiger has a packed lineup. At the top you've got the ViewClear 70 with its touchscreen and 4K front-and-rear. Below that, the F7N Elite is the bestseller — the one everyone recommends. Then there's the F17 Plus, which sits in a curious middle ground: it's a 4K front cam with a 1080p rear camera, GPS, and parking mode, but it costs significantly less than the F7N Elite. After testing it for three weeks in my daily commute, here's what I found.
The F17 Plus isn't trying to be a flagship. It's stripped down where it makes sense — you get a 2.4-inch LCD instead of the F7N's 3-inch, and the build is mostly matte plastic rather than the metal-and-glass look of the ViewClear 70. But the things that actually matter for a dash cam — video quality, reliability, and ease of use — are all solid.
The front camera records at 3840x2160 at 30fps using a Sony IMX335 sensor. Daytime footage is crisp — license plates are readable up to about 15 feet at 30 mph, which is the standard benchmark I use for dash cam readability. The wide 170-degree field of view captures about five lanes of traffic, so you'll see everything from the left shoulder to the right curb.
The rear camera is 1080p with a 150-degree lens. It's noticeably softer than the front, especially in low light, but it's good enough to capture rear-end incidents and tailgaters. What surprised me is how well the front camera handles overcast conditions — the WDR (Wide Dynamic Range) kicks in automatically and balances the bright sky against darker road surfaces without washing out either.
Compared to the F7N Elite, the F17 Plus produces slightly less sharp 4K footage. The F7N Elite uses a more advanced processor that handles compression better, so fine details like distant street signs hold up better on the F7N. But for incident evidence — the primary reason anyone buys a dash cam — the F17 Plus is more than adequate. I could read a license plate from two cars ahead at a stoplight without zooming in.
Night driving is where budget dash cams usually fall apart. The F17 Plus uses the same Sony Starvis sensor (IMX335) found in many higher-end models, and it shows. At night on well-lit streets, the footage is usable — you can read plates from about 10 feet when the car is stationary. On unlit roads, the sensor cranks up the ISO and you get grain, but the essential information (car shapes, movement, brake lights) is all there.
I tested it on a dark country road at 40 mph with no streetlights. The headlights of oncoming cars cause some lens flare, which is common at this price point, but the camera adjusted exposure quickly enough that I didn't lose more than a second of usable footage. The F7N Elite does better here with its f/1.8 aperture versus the F17 Plus's f/2.0, but the gap isn't as big as the price difference suggests.
The F17 Plus comes with a suction cup mount that actually holds. I've had dash cams fall off on hot days (looking at you, $50 specials), but this one stayed put through 95-degree afternoons in the sun. The cable routing is standard — you run the USB power cable along the headliner and down the A-pillar. The rear camera cable is long enough for a sedan (about 20 feet), though SUV owners might need to snake it carefully.
The menu system is simple: four buttons on the bottom of the screen. It's not touchscreen, but the buttons are labeled clearly and the menu structure is only two levels deep. You can change resolution, toggle parking mode, format the SD card, and adjust exposure without digging through submenus. The G-sensor sensitivity is adjustable too — I set mine to medium to avoid false triggers from potholes while still capturing bumps.
Parking mode works by detecting motion or G-force impact. You'll need to hardwire it with a kit (sold separately) for 24/7 monitoring. The camera draws about 300mA in parking mode, so a standard car battery will last about 12-18 hours before needing a drive to recharge. If you park on the street, the RedTiger hardwire kit is worth the investment.
The built-in GPS module logs your route, speed, and coordinates. On playback, you can see your exact driving path overlaid on a map — useful if you need to prove where you were at a specific time. The speed data is embedded in the video file, so you can toggle it on or off in the player.
The WiFi app lets you connect your phone to the camera for live view and file downloads. It's not the fastest — transferring a 4K clip takes about 2 minutes over WiFi — but it works for grabbing a specific incident without pulling the SD card. The app interface is straightforward: connect to the camera's WiFi network, open the app, and browse files. No account creation needed, no ads.
| Feature | F17 Plus | F7N Elite | ViewClear 70 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Front Resolution | 4K (3840x2160) | 4K (3840x2160) | 4K (3840x2160) |
| Rear Resolution | 1080p | 1080p | 4K |
| Screen Size | 2.4-inch | 3.0-inch | 3.19-inch touch |
| GPS | Built-in | Built-in | Built-in |
| Parking Mode | Yes (hardwire) | Yes (hardwire) | Yes (hardwire) |
| Price | $99.99 | $129.99 | $249.99 |
The F17 Plus is for drivers who want 4K front recording, reliable parking mode, and GPS without spending $130+. If you're outfitting two cars, the F17 Plus saves you $60 compared to buying two F7N Elites. The trade-offs are a smaller screen, slightly softer video processing, and a plastic build — but the core functionality (clear incident footage, reliable loop recording, and easy mounting) is identical to more expensive models.
If you drive a lot at night on unlit roads and need the best possible low-light footage, the F7N Elite's f/1.8 aperture is worth the upgrade. But for daytime commuters, city drivers, and anyone who wants reliable 4K recording without overthinking it, the F17 Plus is a smart buy. You can check the current price of the RedTiger F17 Plus on Amazon to see if it fits your budget.
← Back to Blog