SD Card Guide
Use the wrong SD card and your dash cam will corrupt files within months. Here's what to buy and why.
The short answer
Buy a high-endurance microSD card, 64GB or 128GB, from a known brand. Recommended models:
- SanDisk High Endurance (orange label) — 64GB or 128GB
- Samsung Pro Endurance (red label) — 64GB or 128GB
- WD Purple SC QD101 — for fleet use
Avoid generic Class 10 cards even if they're cheaper. The wear pattern of continuous video recording destroys them.
Why high-endurance matters
A dash cam writes continuously to the SD card whenever the engine is on. A 64GB card running 4K video at 30 fps fills up every 4–6 hours, then the camera loops back and overwrites the oldest files. Over a year of daily driving, the same physical memory cells are written and erased thousands of times.
Consumer SD cards are rated for occasional writes — taking photos, copying files. They wear out in months under dash-cam use, and when they fail, they fail silently. You only discover it when you need the footage.
High-endurance cards use different memory technology (typically MLC or pSLC) rated for tens of thousands of write cycles. JADOCAM dash cams ship with a high-endurance card in the box.
Capacity guide
| Card size | 4K continuous | 2.5K continuous | 1080p continuous |
|---|---|---|---|
| 32 GB | ~2.5 hrs | ~4 hrs | ~8 hrs |
| 64 GB | ~5 hrs | ~8 hrs | ~16 hrs |
| 128 GB | ~10 hrs | ~16 hrs | ~32 hrs |
| 256 GB | ~20 hrs | ~32 hrs | ~64 hrs |
Loop recording overwrites the oldest files when the card fills. Locked event files (G-sensor / manual button) are protected. Doubling card size doesn't store "more history" — it stores "longer continuous window before loop."
Maximum supported card size
All current JADOCAM models support up to 256 GB. Some older firmware versions cap at 128 GB; check Settings → System Info → Max SD Card.
Always format in-camera
When you insert a new card, format it in the camera (Settings → Format SD Card), not on your computer. Computers format SD cards with a generic file system that isn't optimized for continuous video. The camera lays down a specific allocation table that handles loop recording efficiently. Skipping this step is the #1 cause of corrupted recordings.
Replace your card every 12 months
Even a high-endurance card will eventually wear out. Replace yours every 12 months, or sooner if you notice missing files, slow file access, or playback stuttering. SD cards are cheap; lost evidence isn't.
Cards we don't recommend
- Generic / unbranded cards — failure within months
- Consumer photo cards (e.g., SanDisk Ultra) — not rated for continuous writes
- Cards over 256 GB — not supported by current firmware
- Cards bought from third-party Amazon sellers below market price — high counterfeit rate