Lets talk Dash Cams. Who has one?

[Rosedog]

On 7/17/2018 at 9:05 AM, Willie will said:

https://www.amazon.com/Channel-Dashboard-Recorder-G-Sensor-Recording/dp/B01EX8ATKK?ref_=Oct_DLandingS_PC_NA_NA

 

i was thinking about getting this. Anybody used or heard of this one?

That is the one I got.  I started this thread listing that.  I ended up buying it again from Amazon because it was about $50 off for Prime day.  Best buy wouldn't price match so I'm returning theirs.  It should arrive today.  I don't believe there is any difference but I'll know for sure tonight after it arrives.

[Black02Silverado]

On ‎7‎/‎12‎/‎2018 at 5:08 PM, starman8tdc said:

I have tried multiple different dash cams. I have read dozens of reviews. Some are not reliable, some are hard to use, some have poor video quality. I have a box of dash cams that were not worth using. After everything I have tried, this is the best one available: 

 

 

 

Best bang for your buck: 

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01CW4BEP6/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

 

Great video quality (for the price)

Very easy to use

Cheap 

Reliable

Has all the standard features

Free 2 day shipping 

 

 

 

I got this one on Amazon Prime day since it was so cheap.  Going to see how I like it.  I was looking at the Garmin but if this covers everything I need then why not.

[Supreme Pizza]

4 minutes ago, Black02Silverado said:

I got this one on Amazon Prime day since it was so cheap.  Going to see how I like it.  I was looking at the Garmin but if this covers everything I need then why not.

 

 

     Right on. Ya, its a nice camera. Comes on automatically when you start your car, automatically saves videos when an impact is detected, super easy to navigate the menus, night vision, connects to your phone via WIFI, 1080P @ 30 FPS,  etc etc etc.  

 

    And ya cant beat the free next day delivery. 

[Black02Silverado]

1 minute ago, starman8tdc said:

 

 

     Right on. Ya, its a nice camera. Comes on automatically when you start your car, automatically saves videos when an impact is detected, super easy to navigate the menus, night vision, connects to your phone via WIFI, 1080P @ 30 FPS,  etc etc etc.  

 

    And ya cant beat the free next day delivery. 

Did you hard wire yours?

















































 

 

[Supreme Pizza]

6 minutes ago, Black02Silverado said:

Did you hard wire yours?
 

 

   Yes, I pulled the dash bezel off by hand and tapped into the radio ACC supply power. I did the same thing for my radar detector. While I was in there, I rewired my 12V outlets (cigarette lighters) to shut off when the key is off, rather than being on all the time. 

 

   You can run the wires up the rear view mirror bracket, and under the trim at the top of the windshield. Then behind the trim on the right side of the windshield, and then under the dash. Easy to do, you just push the wires behind the trim with your fingers or a butter knife.  

[Black02Silverado]

6 minutes ago, starman8tdc said:

 

   Yes, I pulled the dash bezel off by hand and tapped into the radio ACC supply power. I did the same thing for my radar detector. While I was in there, I rewired my 12V outlets (cigarette lighters) to shut off when the key is off, rather than being on all the time. 

 

   You can run the wires up the rear view mirror bracket, and under the trim at the top of the windshield. Then behind the trim on the right side of the windshield, and then under the dash. Easy to do, you just push the wires behind the trim with your fingers or a butter knife.  

Sounds like  a plan.  I'll just use the standard power cord for now until I get my new truck in Jan.  Sucks that it will be that long but that is the price to pay to get what I want. 

[Supreme Pizza]

It might be a good idea to put one on the rear window as well. It has "parking lot protection", so that if someone hits your rig - it will automatically activate and capture an image of them - even if the vehicle is turned off. 

[Rosedog]

31 minutes ago, starman8tdc said:

It might be a good idea to put one on the rear window as well. It has "parking lot protection", so that if someone hits your rig - it will automatically activate and capture an image of them - even if the vehicle is turned off. 

I did run the dual setup.  It is constantly recording now.

[Supreme Pizza]

I recommend using 64GB class 10 cards if you have the means. 

 

https://www.amazon.com/Ultra-Micro-UHS-I-Adapter-Memory/dp/B01E04J9Z8/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1531942226&sr=8-8&keywords=class+10+64\+gb

 

 

 

[Brummie99]

1 minute ago, starman8tdc said:

I recommend using 64GB class 10 cards if you have the means. 

 

https://www.amazon.com/Ultra-Micro-UHS-I-Adapter-Memory/dp/B01E04J9Z8/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1531942226&sr=8-8&keywords=class+10+64\+gb

 

 

 

You should use high endurance cards. Regular SD cards are only rated for about 500 writes. In a dash-cam environment where it is repeatedly overwriting older recordings, that can kill the card in just a few weeks, particularly if recording 24/7. A high endurance card is rated for 2000+ writes.

 

This is the one I bought.

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00V5Q1N1I/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Supreme Pizza]

2 minutes ago, Brummie99 said:

You should use high endurance cards. Regular SD cards are only rated for about 500 writes. In a dash-cam environment where it is repeatedly overwriting older recordings, that can kill the card in just a few weeks, particularly if recording 24/7. A high endurance card is rated for 2000+ writes.

 

This is the one I bought.

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00V5Q1N1I/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

   Its not a bad idea if you have the extra funds. 

 

 

[Rosedog]

28 minutes ago, Brummie99 said:

You should use high endurance cards. Regular SD cards are only rated for about 500 writes. In a dash-cam environment where it is repeatedly overwriting older recordings, that can kill the card in just a few weeks, particularly if recording 24/7. A high endurance card is rated for 2000+ writes.

 

This is the one I bought.

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00V5Q1N1I/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

That is the one Rexing recommends for their dash cams.

[Rosedog]

39 minutes ago, starman8tdc said:

I recommend using 64GB class 10 cards if you have the means. 

 

https://www.amazon.com/Ultra-Micro-UHS-I-Adapter-Memory/dp/B01E04J9Z8/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1531942226&sr=8-8&keywords=class+10+64\+gb

 

 

 

The reviews on that are horrible.  Not where I'd want to save a dollar.

[Supreme Pizza]

4 hours ago, Rosedog said:

The reviews on that are horrible.  Not where I'd want to save a dollar.

 

   I cant speak for the quality of that particular card. I just posted a link to the cheapest class 10 64GB card that I found in a quick search on Amazon. 

 

   Personally, I use class 10 32GB Sandisk cards. 

[rudyb]

I was harassed by police a while back for doing 45 in a 40. It turned out to be a big deal so I purchased the Blackvue 590 single channel dash cam with the optional GPS receiver and low voltage cut-off module. 

 

Pros:

Operates on a capacitor instead of battery. This gives the unit a much higher heat tolerance than devices that utilize LiPo batteries. Other cameras will often fail in summer/winter in Oklahoma.

 

Parking mode, motion detection, and impact sensor: allows the unit to record at all times, but discards each 2 minutes recording if no impact of motion is detected.

Impact/G-sensor: impacts detected will lock the recording and set it to “read-only”. This allows looped recording that will not overwrite data that you may later need for legal review. Shock/impact is adjustable on XYZ axis when plugged into your computer for configuration.

 

Indicator lights: red light lets your know the unit is recording. Blue light lets you know the GPS signal is working.

 

Microphone toggle button: if you think someone is about to say something you don’t want the world to hear or perhaps you’re having a confidential conversation on your phone, there is a button conveniently located on the side of the unit you can press once to disable audio recording. Press again to resume audio recording.

 

GPS: displays your current speed as you drive. It is also supposed to show your location on the software on your computer, but I haven’t had luck with it.

 

Cons:

Using remote start often jacks with the GPS sensor. Example: you start the vehicle with keyfob, the unit comes out of ‘parking mode’ and begins normal recording. 5 minutes passes and you haven’t got in your vehicle and drove away, the unit goes back into “parking mode”. Several minutes later you get in and drive away, the recording is working but GPS fails to reconnect. Unplugging the device for a few seconds and reconnecting power will correct this but it’s slightly annoying.

 

Optics and compression. The lens appears to be cheap plastic and video compression really hinders the ability to review fine detail, most importantly, license plates.

 

For the amount I have invested, I think it’s a nice dash cam. The most important thing is that it has not failed in the summer heat yet. It’s been 98F recently and we’re forecasted to reach 107F on Friday. I would like to find something with better image quality though.

 

A few weeks after I installed the cam, my pickup was hit at 1AM. He left behind a fender flare which allowed me to identify the make model and get close to the year, but as you can see I don’t have a rear facing camera so I missed the plates and low light quality probably wouldn’t have been good enough to read them anyway. It did what it was supposed to and recorded the incident. I still haven’t identified the driver of the 4Runner.

 

EDIT: Currently using 32gb micro sd that results in 4 days of looped recording.

 

 I tried to upload my drive home today to give you an idea of day time quality and found out that Windows 10 doesn't have a built in video editing solution. Don't tell me "photos app" because it is horrible.