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+--- Thread: Dashing Question ! Recommend a dashcam with front and rear cams ? (/showthread.php?tid=216007)
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Dashing Question ! Recommend a dashcam with front and rear cams ? - cbelt3 - 04-27-2018
Preferably one I don't have to wire up too much so I don't run the risk of breaking stuff in the car ? Something that records to an SD card ? After a number of near misses, I'm thinking it's time.
Re: Dashing Question ! Recommend a dashcam with front and rear cams ? - rjmacs - 04-27-2018
cbelt3 wrote:
Preferably one I don't have to wire up too much so I don't run the risk of breaking stuff in the car ? Something that records to an SD card ? After a number of near misses, I'm thinking it's time.
Two dashcams, affixed to different spots in the car? Is there a reason you want a "system" rather than just coverage?
Re: Dashing Question ! Recommend a dashcam with front and rear cams ? - Speedy - 04-27-2018
cbelt3 wrote:
Preferably one I don't have to wire up.
Yep, it's the wiring that has kept me from buying one, not that my car is all that neat.
Re: Dashing Question ! Recommend a dashcam with front and rear cams - Gareth - 04-27-2018
What type of car do you drive? It's harder to wire the rear up a wagon/crossover/SUV/van because of the lifting hatch. You either have to route the wire through the tiny "wire tunnel" for factory wires or leave some slack to allow opening the hatch.
In terms of hiding wiring behind the trim, that can actually be pretty simple, especially if they include a trim tool and you have an old credit card/gift card to use. And depending on how old/new/well put together you car is.
But the rear hatch dilemma is what keeps me from wiring up my rears. A lot of dual camera systems record 480p or 720p in the rear, and drop the front to 1080p (if they are capable of higher res in single cam mode).
If you have a power outlet in the rear, two cameras might be easier and provide better quality. "4k" cameras just started coming out (they're actually 2880 x 2160).
I'm using a Rexing 4K ($140) in front and plan to put a GJT TH4 4k ($80 on Amazon, under $70, sometimes $50 on eBay) in the rear. The 4K quality is much better than 1080p. Especially since these are 170 degree dash cams so you can pretty much see an entire intersection.
I put DDPai cams in my GF's mini, front and rear. 1600p up front and 1440p in back. It's a more discrete cylinder design, so no LCD, and about 157 degree view, I think. I ended up mounting the rear to a phone headrest mount since the rear seats are so close to the hatch window in a mini. That mount wouldn't make sense in a regular vehicle.
I would say wifi is a must nowadays. The dash cam will sync the clock over wifi and you can download videos to your phone on the road. I can be a PITA to set the clock, the menus are horrible on all of them. I had one dash cam go "bad" I guess and I could set the time but not the date.
Re: Dashing Question ! Recommend a dashcam with front and rear cams ? - Ken Sp. - 04-27-2018
I have a ThinkWare F770, and it is quite good. It has additional safety features, which are, Lane departure warning, as you cross over the line is it will be and let you know you’re crossing the lines. In addition, it has forward collision warning. If you’re closing quickly on a car in front of you, it will be to alert you to slow down. Since my car already offers these features, I disable them. Are used to use the BlackVue camera, but after two parking lot failures (for sale with discount by me), I went with the ThinkWare. It has a great iPhone interface, and, while it requires wiring for permanent installation, you can always use the cigarette lighter adapter. The newest model is the F800
https://www.blackboxmycar.com/products/thinkware-f800-pro-dash-cam?variant=54095454983
Re: Dashing Question ! Recommend a dashcam with front and rear cams - NewtonMP2100 - 04-27-2018
....rear cams.....??
.....you mean to help spot badunkadunk.....???
Re: Dashing Question ! Recommend a dashcam with front and rear cams ? - mattkime - 04-27-2018
I've been happy with my BlackVue two camera system although it did involve running some cables but I didn't mind doing that.
Ken - Which blackvue did you have? Can you be more specific about the problems? I'm curious if you prefer the thinkware.
Re: Dashing Question ! Recommend a dashcam with front and rear cams ? - DeusxMac - 04-27-2018
rjmacs wrote:
[quote=cbelt3]
Preferably one I don't have to wire up too much so I don't run the risk of breaking stuff in the car ? Something that records to an SD card ? After a number of near misses, I'm thinking it's time.
Two dashcams, affixed to different spots in the car? Is there a reason you want a "system" rather than just coverage?
This is what I settled on; two identical cams (Viofo A119S) - one on front windshield, one on rear window. The two cost about the same as a single, two-camera system, but provide higher quality video to the rear.
Re: Dashing Question ! Recommend a dashcam with front and rear cams ? - Ken Sp. - 04-27-2018
mattkime wrote:
I've been happy with my BlackVue two camera system although it did involve running some cables but I didn't mind doing that.
Ken - Which blackvue did you have? Can you be more specific about the problems? I'm curious if you prefer the thinkware.
I have the BlackVue 650 Dual Channel-Front and rear. It failed twice when I needed some video from parking incidents. The failure, was that the MicroSD card reformatted when the car powered up.
This forced me to explore the ThinkWare. Much better physical button and iPhone interface. The driving warning features are a bonus.
It requires one more wire for installation than the BlackVue, if you want to enable parking. It requires a constant on source of power, and he switched source of power.
Re: Dashing Question ! Recommend a dashcam with front and rear cams ? - RAMd®d - 04-27-2018
I've seen the Owl camera advertised on a couple of podcasts and this ars technica review shows some interesting features. But it doesn't use an SD card. I'm not sure if that's an acceptable trade off.
It affords some rearview capability but I think that's only when parked. So an addition camera for the rear view while driving might be in order.
And it is pricey at $349. It also uses LTE, a subscription expense, which may be optional. It does have WiFi.