Dashcam

"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn)
07/12/2019 at 15:25 • Filed to: None

I have been contemplating a dash cam for my cars for quite some time, and the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! about that asshole cop arresting a dude after the cop ran the stop sign has hardened my resolve to get it done.

I’m not necessarily asking for recommendations on cameras (but will welcome them) because there are plenty of posts on that already. I do, however, have some general installation questions.

Hardwire or battery? If battery, how often to they need to be charged?

If hardwire, how hard is it to do for somebody (like me) who has precious little experience with such things?

Are there shops what will do installs of equipment that I buy?

Do these things generally begin to record after an impact, or only when a button is pushed? (I understand the buffering process, like with a flight data recorder.)

Thanks!

DISCUSSION (5)

ShrimpHappens, née WJalopy > ttyymmnn
07/12/2019 at 16:13

From a few days ago: https://oppositelock.kinja.com/dash-cam-recommendations-1836052174

Regulus > ttyymmnn
07/12/2019 at 16:40

I just installed one yesterday. It’s not difficult, the wire routing was the hardest and most time-consuming part. BlackBoxMyCar has an “add-a-fuse” kit where you just plug in the wires to the cabin fuse box, ground it, and done . For me, I couldn’t remove the A-pillar so I was really nervous about the wire getting in the way of the side airbags; everything else was super easy.

Best Buy will install dashcams if you purchase from them, and I’m guessing most car audio places would also be willing to install it for you.

If you’re planning on using parking mode, then a battery would be highly recommended since that will let you record for much longer when the car is parked.

If parking mode isn’t a big deal, then hardwire would be cheaper, and depending on what you get, you still can have it record footage while the car is parked, but obviously for not as long. Based on my research, a typical external battery would need roughly 30 mins of driving for a full charge, and last any where between 6 - 12 hours, depending on the cam.

While driving, they record all the time, and mine has a button that saves the current recording to ensure it doesn’t get overwritten, and I think it also does that automatically on any detected impact.

For parking mode, it really depends on the dashcam, but I think it’s usually 1 frame every few seconds, or upon impact/motion . With a large enough SD card, you won’t have to worry about anything important getting overwritten for at least a few days even if nothing triggers the “ save footage” function.

ttyymmnn > Regulus
07/12/2019 at 16:44

Long answer! Thanks so much.

VajazzleMcDildertits - read carefully, respond politely > ttyymmnn
07/12/2019 at 17:12

To add to what Regulus said already, you can usually configure the inbuilt-motion detector to kick on after it registers an impact, with a time delay to shut off, which may drain the battery quicker, and you may wish to monitor car battery drain with a hard line or some kind of low voltage cutoff if the car it’s wired to sits around for long periods of time.

Also, if you live in a hot climate, the heat can also kill the internal battery. In AZ I lose the battery (usually not easily replaceable) in about a year or less, so I leave them plugged in all the time. I just use the 12V socket unless the car is an expensive one, then I get my friend to help me route the wiring. 3rd parties definitely do this for money.

Be sure to get one with enough resolution to film a plate from some distance, usually 1080p is good enough for that, although 720p is better than nothing. Don’t forget a really high performance memory card for it and be sure to get enough capacity as well (cheap cams usually have lower storage capacity limits than expensive ones)

ttyymmnn > VajazzleMcDildertits - read carefully, respond politely
07/12/2019 at 17:15

Thanks!