Dash cams: teach about them

"dtg11 - is probably on an adventure with Clifford" (dtg11)
11/05/2016 at 00:59 • Filed to: None

I know next to nothing about them, so teach me the way of the dashcam.

How difficult is it to wire it in to the car to charge it?

Does it drain power from the car battery if wired when parked?

Is it worth the extra money and time to get a 2 way or just front?

What’s a good dash cam for less than $60 (or there abouts)?

DISCUSSION (10)

cbell04 > dtg11 - is probably on an adventure with Clifford
11/05/2016 at 01:33

Here’s a sample of mine. Very basic and cheap but decent quality. What it lacks are all the cool extra features (hud, gps, good battery, g shock sensor) after using this one for a year I can say it’s worth splurging a bit and buying a 100-150 range with as many features as you can. A better cam will be on my Xmas list and I’ll just move this one to the rear. I’m not a fan of the 2 way because I don’t ever want to be on film but that’s just my preference.

*edit. Wiring can vary depending on the car. I have multiple power outlets so I just ran the cable up into the headliner to the passenger side and under the dash. As to the power sapping of your battery that would depend on your choice there will be setting on the cam as to when it should record. If you supply it permanent power and tell it to always record it will always draw power. Nicer cams will charge a battery while the cars on then only turn on if a motion or g shock is triggered when the cars off running on its internal battery to record the event.

facw > dtg11 - is probably on an adventure with Clifford
11/05/2016 at 02:21

How difficult is it to wire it in to the car to charge it?

Maybe? I don’t bother with any special wiring. I have a flush 2 usb charger in my cigarette lighter connected to a long USB cable that wraps under my glove box, up the side of the dash behind the door, through the A-pillar, and then across the top of the windshield to the cam. That was very easy.

Does it drain power from the car battery if wired when parked?

No, my cigarette lighter port is off when the cars not running, so no draw. If you did custom wiring you’d do it the same way.

Is it worth the extra money and time to get a 2 way or just front?

Front is far more important since if you get hit from behind, the person who hit you is normally considered at fault. It’s typically harder to wire second cam back there as well. There are two way cams, but they tend to cost more than two good one way cams for some reason.

What’s a good dash cam for less than $60 (or there abouts)?

I have a B40/A118 which I like a lot. The Mini 805 can sometimes be found in that range as well, which will get you GPS and higher resolution. I strongly recommend doing an adhesive mount one instead of a suction cup one like the G1W. In any event, look here: https://dashcamtalk.com/

404 - User No Longer Available > dtg11 - is probably on an adventure with Clifford
11/05/2016 at 06:39

https://dashcamtalk.com

Good site about them. I have a G1W-C hardwired into my car, it’s all about finding the right fuse to tap and planning where to hide wires. Easy for my Solstice, since there was a “sunroof” fuse I could tap into with ignition power. European cars with start stop needs extra hardware.

Under_Score > dtg11 - is probably on an adventure with Clifford
11/05/2016 at 09:28

My Black Box G1W died after five months... I’m just waiting to buy a GoPro... Better quality, better view, more storage probably, and more multipurpose.

dtg11 - is probably on an adventure with Clifford > Under_Score
11/05/2016 at 10:07

Yeah, a GoPro is a little out of my budget.

dtg11 - is probably on an adventure with Clifford > 404 - User No Longer Available
11/05/2016 at 10:11

Yeah, with my Lexus I should be able to wire it into the sunroof or something like that. Does it have to be an unused fuse? I don’t ever use my sunroof, so that could work.

dtg11 - is probably on an adventure with Clifford > cbell04
11/05/2016 at 10:21

Poor RSX Type R :( but thanks for the info!

404 - User No Longer Available > dtg11 - is probably on an adventure with Clifford
11/05/2016 at 10:25

Well you can do some rough math to see what’s the amperage like to see if you can tap. You don’t want to overload it. Typical cig chargers for dashcams are about 1-2A at most, so should be safe.

Urambo Tauro > dtg11 - is probably on an adventure with Clifford
11/05/2016 at 10:36

A lot of dashcam videos fail to tell the whole story, so having dual channels is important to me. I ended up getting a cheap off-brand “HDE-C18”, (which can be found under other names like “i1000”). This review has a good assessment. While it’s not the best dashcam out there, it’s pretty good for the price. It should hold me over until I’m ready to drop triple digits on a really good unit.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > dtg11 - is probably on an adventure with Clifford
11/05/2016 at 11:27

I bought my G1W-CB because the G1W and its variants are generally rated as the best >$60 dash cam. Mine was $50 on Amazon and I have no real complaints.