Botslab G980H Dashcam – 4K coverage that keeps you covered
REVIEW – With my niece and nephews now old enough to drive, I have become the anxious uncle who thinks about road safety more than I used to. A dependable dashcam is one of those gadgets that feels optional right up until the day you wish you had footage. I still use the Road Angel Halo Pro Dashcam I reviewed in April 2023, but my nephew’s 2000 Chevrolet Silverado needed its own setup, so the Botslab G980H Dashcam looked like a good fit. It pairs 4K front recording with a 1080p rear camera, adds GPS, parking protection support, and several ADAS safety alerts, and does it for $109.99. Some of the smart-driving features still feel a little rough, but as an affordable two-camera dashcam for a new driver, the G980H delivers a lot of reassurance.
The Basics
The Botslab G980H is a front-and-rear dashcam system built around a 4K front camera, a 1080p rear camera, a 2.5-inch IPS/LCD screen, dual-band WiFi, and Bluetooth. Botslab also layers in Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems, 24/7 parking monitoring when paired with the optional hardwire kit, GPS data, and wide dynamic range processing to help keep video usable in challenging light.
My sample showed up in a simple brown box. The retail packaging is more polished, with photos of the dashcam and a quick rundown of its main features on the outside.
What You Get
- Botslab G980H Dashcam
- Rear camera and cable
- USB-A to Micro-USB power cord
- Car Charger adapter
- Installation pry bar
- 64GB Micro-SD card
- User Manual
- Electrostatic mounting film
- Extra mounting pad
By the Numbers
- Model: G980H
- Camera orientation: Front and Rear
- Connectivity: 2.4G/5GHz WiFi & Bluetooth
- Video capture resolution: Front – 4K / Rear – 1080p
- Frame rate: Front – 30 FPS / Rear – 60 FPS
- Mounting type: Windshield
- Display size: 2.45″
- Display type: IPS (In-Plane Switching) LCD
- Camera sensor: Sony IMX 415
- Optical sensor technology: CMOS
- Real angle of view 170 Degrees
- Included Memory Card: 64 GB Micro-SD
- Flash memory supported size maximum: 256 GB
Design & Build
The G980H has a practical, low-profile design that makes sense in a vehicle cabin. It is small enough to stay out of the way, which matters because a dashcam should capture the drive without constantly reminding you it is there.
The front-facing lens records in 4K and provides a wide 170-degree field of view, giving the camera plenty of coverage through the windshield.
The 2.45-inch IPS/LCD display is the main on-device interface. IPS, or In-Plane Switching, is the LCD technology that helps the screen remain readable from off-center angles without the image washing out badly.
There is no touchscreen here. Instead, three buttons along the lower edge of the dashcam handle menus, settings changes, and recorded-video playback.
The included 64GB Micro-SD card slides into the right side of the G980H. If you want more recording headroom, the camera supports cards up to 256GB.
Power and rear-camera connections are stacked above the card slot. I would rather see USB-C than Micro-USB in 2024-era hardware, but at least Botslab did not force a proprietary power connector.
For standard use, the camera gets power from the supplied USB-A to Micro-USB cable and the included 12V car charger adapter.
The rear camera is compact and easy to position. It records at 1080p, covers 150 degrees, and uses an adjustable mount so you can dial in the angle after it is installed.
The rear-camera cable is long enough to snake through the cabin and keep the installation tidy, even in a full-size pickup.
Getting Started
Installing the G980H was straightforward, helped by the fact that my nephew’s truck is nearly 25 years old and refreshingly easy to work inside.
A 2000 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Stepside turned out to be a great dashcam installation platform. The cab has room to move, and routing cables around the windshield, pillars, and rear glass was much less cramped than it would be in many newer vehicles.
The interior panels also cooperate. Several trim pieces pop off and snap back in without drama, which made hiding wires behind the dash and seating area much easier.
The big windshield gave me several good mounting options for the front camera, so finding a spot with a clear forward view did not take long.
One helpful touch in the kit is the electrostatic sticker that goes on the windshield before the adhesive mount.
The process is simple: apply the film to the glass first, then attach the dashcam’s adhesive pad to the film. That gives the mount a clean target and should make removal less annoying later.
After placing the film, I smoothed it out with a card to push away bubbles and make sure it sat flat.
Once the film was in place, I peeled the protective cover from the dashcam’s adhesive pad and got ready to stick it down.
I lined the mount up with the dotted guide marks on the electrostatic sticker, pressed it gently into place, and held it for at least 30 seconds so the adhesive could grab.
With the front camera secure, the rest of the job was cable management for power and the rear camera.
I ran the power cable across the top edge of the windshield, tucked it into the headliner, and brought it down the A-pillar behind the trim.
The rear-camera cable followed the same headliner route at first, which helped keep the front of the cab looking clean.
The plastic pry tool Botslab includes is not just filler. It worked well for easing back panels and creating enough space to tuck the wires out of sight.
One trick that helped was feeding the cables behind the pry tool and dragging the tool along the panel seam, letting the wire settle into place as we moved.
The large rear window made the rear camera just as easy to aim as the front camera.
This older Silverado also has plenty of 12V DC outlets, so finding a convenient power port for the Botslab charger was not a problem.
Once both cameras were positioned, the cables were hidden, and the power connection was working, it was time to move to the Botslab app.
The Botslab app is available for iOS and Android. Setup starts by connecting your phone to the dashcam’s WiFi network, after which you can view live video, download clips, and change settings. The app is not difficult to use, though a few features may require a little menu hunting the first time through.
Living With It
As a basic dashcam, the G980H does exactly what I want it to do. Once configured, it starts loop recording automatically, and the footage from the front camera is crisp. The rear video is limited to 1080p, but it is still useful enough for context and incident coverage.
I usually prefer dashcams without screens, but Botslab kept this one small enough that it does not feel distracting. When the display times out, the camera mostly disappears into the background. For quick settings changes, having the screen is more convenient than opening the phone app every time.
On the road, the G980H stays pleasantly low-key. The voice prompts are not obnoxious unless you enable everything, and after the screen shuts off, it feels like a normal part of the vehicle rather than a gadget demanding attention.
The ADAS features are a mixed bag, but some are genuinely useful. The lane-departure warning was inconsistent enough that I would not rely on it as anything more than a reminder. The front-vehicle-moving alert was my favorite. If the vehicle ahead starts moving at a light and the driver does not notice, the dashcam gives a prompt. The aggressive-driving reminders are also a nice nudge for a new driver who may still be learning to smooth out habits.
Parking monitoring is another appealing feature, but there is an important catch: for proper 24/7 parking mode, you need the separate hardwire kit. Since that kit is not included, buyers should factor it into the real cost if parking protection is a must-have.
Driving Videos
The clips below show the G980H in several lighting conditions and from both cameras. I replaced the original audio to protect my nephew’s and his friends’ privacy.
Daytime driving, seen through the front camera.
Daytime driving, seen through the rear camera.
Nighttime driving, seen through the front camera.
Nighttime driving, seen through the rear camera.
After spending time with it, the Botslab G980H feels like a strong choice for my nephew’s truck. It is small, easy to live with, and backed by an app that is simpler than many dashcam apps I have used. The safety prompts are especially appealing for a new driver, even if the lane warning still needs refinement. I hope we never need to pull incident footage from it, but I like knowing the camera is recording every drive.
The Good
- Easy install and set up
- Great, well-designed app
- Tons of added safety features
The Not So Good
- Manual could explain features better
- Doesn’t include hard-wire kit
- Rear camera is only 1080p
The Verdict
If you want an affordable dashcam that covers the front and rear of a vehicle without making installation or daily use complicated, the Botslab G980H is easy to recommend. The 4K front video, wide field of view, included memory card, GPS, app support, and driver-assistance alerts make the $109.99 price feel very reasonable. The rear camera resolution and uneven ADAS performance keep it from being perfect, but the overall package is practical, reliable, and especially well suited for new drivers, commuters, road-trippers, and yes, nervous uncles.
For a wider look at what else is out there, I rounded up more of these in The Best Dashcams I’ve Tested (So Far).
Price: $109.99
Product Link: BOTSLAB.
Source: The sample of this product was provided for free by BOTSLAB.
BOTSLAB did not have a final say on the review and did not preview the review before it was published.
