Do you have a dashboard camera? Why or why not?

[Jack]

Just another subject that's crossed my mind.  

I can see the benefits of it, such as helping authorities if you catch an accident/incident on camera, or even just covering your own backside in case something happens.  Even to use as part of a security system on your van.  But, are there any drawbacks or concerns about having them?  Do you see them as a waste of time and money?

 

[DLTooley]

I got the dashcam app for my smartphone. It works very well save that the phone will overheat in the sun and only moderate temps.

 

[Matlock]

There are a couple threads here on Dash Cams.

I use mine for accident/incident recording.
I've had comments from those in uniform saying if they were standard on every vehicle it would eliminate a lot of the "who did what when" of traffic accidents.
If I am in the wrong then I get caught too. So, I try not to be the guy that's in the wrong.

As far as break-ins and security it's always pointed the wrong direction to record that.

I skipped the cheap-o versions, watched some european dash-cam Utube reviews (where they review 3 or 4 different brands with record side by side comparison) of day/night driving and choose my purchase from there. About 5 years of use, only issue was I needed to erase the "save recording-snapshot" segments. I got carried away with capturing all the stupid stuff others were doing and was hogging the useable free loop recording space.

 

[AMGS3]

^^^^Matlock

I've wondered before if those YouTube dash cam channels arose out of the necessity of the cameras limited memory. If the dash cam owner organizes those clips into short videos and posts them on YT it frees up space on the camera without really having to delete anything permanently.

~angie

Sent from my VS501 using Tapatalk

 

[tx2sturgis]

I've had 3 of them over about 10 years or so....2 fleabay cheapies, and now a good one made by Garmin.

I would recommend spending the money for a good one. 

They are a bit like a fire-extinguisher, an air compressor, or a gun.

You never really need one, until you REALLY NEED ONE.

 

[Jack]

There are a couple threads here on Dash Cams.

In my search, I found one thread, from 2016 I think, and it was just a woman asking for recommendations for a holder for her phone or something.  Sorry if I missed them.

I use mine for accident/incident recording.
I've had comments from those in uniform saying if they were standard on every vehicle it would eliminate a lot of the "who did what when" of traffic accidents.
If I am in the wrong then I get caught too. So, I try not to be the guy that's in the wrong.

I don't understand how dashcams work just yet.  (How long they record, how the cam stores the video, etc.,) but I can see the benefit of having one. 

As far as break-ins and security it's always pointed the wrong direction to record that.

Naturally.

I skipped the cheap-o versions...

Usually the best thing to do with most electronics in general.

 

[Bud Smiley]

I got in an accident about a week after installing a dashcam. I didn't need to use the footage to prove I wasn't at fault but I was damned glad to have it anyway.

Totally worth it.

For reference, the one I got is "VIOFO A119S V2 Dashcam."

 

[Dingfelder]

I'd like to get one. They sound like lifesavers if you get in trouble, because people lying is par for the course. But don't want to wire it into my system, because of the cost (I'm not mechanical in the least). So I'd rather rely on battery.

I did get a 3-pack of home security cameras on Amazon Prime Day for a goodly discount. They're supposed to come in the mail today. Along with brackets separately. The kind I got was reviewed as not cutting out if you get internet trouble; some of the more popular ones have gotten complaints that you need a reboot if you go offline or if you have a temporary power outage, and since around here we get both problems, that's uselessly delicate. I could think of certainly five useful places to have coverage, some to help with loss prevention and some to just let me know what's going on outside, as my door has neither window nor peephole.

 

[tx2sturgis]

I'd like to get one.  They sound like lifesavers if you get in trouble, because people lying is par for the course.  But don't want to wire it into my system, because of the cost (I'm not mechanical in the least).  So I'd rather rely on battery.

Installation (for most of these) consists of inserting an SD card, sticking a suction cup mount to the windshield, leveling the camera, and plugging it in to your cigarette lighter or power port.

But the devil is always in the details.

You may need to set up certain parameters in the camera menu. Often the default values will work fine for most people. 

Your cigarette lighter plug may have power all the time, or it may only provide power when the ignition is on. So this will effect the camera. 

And most of them have a capacitor battery that is not damaged by heat, but can only run the camera for 30 seconds or so if power is removed, such as in a crash or just driving down a bumpy road.

Most of them have a shock sensor, usually called a G-sensor, that preserves recordings which occur before and after an impact. Crashes are impacts, obviously, but so are big potholes and sometimes hard braking and washboard roads.

So, after a period of time, ie, weeks, or months, this will slowly fill up the memory card, and you might have to purge the recordings or format the card now and then. (During normal driving, video recordings are continuously looped, and recorded over and over.)

Small prices to pay for peace of mind if something bad happens.

BTW I am using the Garmin Dashcam 10 and it's a good one. There are others, of course.

 

[Dingfelder]

I like the Garmin brand on my GPS. It plugs into the cigarette lighter too, though it can run on battery for shorter periods. I'll always give them a look when buying.

I don't want a wire to my cigarette lighter because it could defeat the stealth aspect and therefore lead to an escalation of violence and/or the seizing and/or disabling of the recorder. I've seen many videos and read many stories of police officers grabbing people's cameras, demanding they turn them off, threatening them, etc. A violent predator might try the same.

The alternative I had been mentioning was wiring going through the dashboard unnoticeably, wires all tucked away. Unfortunately I don't have the knowledge to do that, and don't want to pay a huge price premium for someone else to do it. So I'd like to get the kind that you can just stick somewhere without calling attention to itself, which leaves me with a battery-powered option.

 

[RVTravel]

What size memory card is recommened for dash cams? I'd guess 64gig is good enough?

 

[tx2sturgis]

I don't want a wire to my cigarette lighter because it could defeat the stealth aspect and therefore lead to an escalation of violence and/or the seizing and/or disabling of the recorder.  I've seen many videos and read many stories of police officers grabbing people's cameras, demanding they turn them off, threatening them, etc.  A violent predator might try the same.  

The alternative I had been mentioning was wiring going through the dashboard unnoticeably, wires all tucked away.  Unfortunately I don't have the knowledge to do that, and don't want to pay a huge price premium for someone else to do it.  So I'd like to get the kind that you can just stick somewhere without calling attention to itself, which leaves me with a battery-powered option.

I'm not sure how long a battery powered dashcam would operate between charges. I've never seen one, nor have I looked for one. And I have not heard of a dashcam related to, or causing, escalated violence...I suppose it could happen if the other party who crashed into you while tweaked out on meth or other drugs might get irate....even a car-jacker with a gun would most likely just rip it off the windshield and destroy it or toss it out the window. 

But.....anyway....

In most vehicles you can stick the dashcam in the top right (passenger) side of the windshield, tuck the thin power wire up under the leading edge of the headliner, then route it down the forward edge of the A pillar, and then down under the dash and around to wherever the nearest cigarette lighter port is. From outside the vehicle they are virtually invisible.

 

[tx2sturgis]

What size memory card is recommened for dash cams? I'd guess 64gig is good enough?

16 to 32 gb is usually plenty for most people. Be sure to get a Class 6 or Class 10, or whatever the manufacturer supplies or recommends.

 

[Dingfelder]

I'm not sure how long a battery powered dashcam would operate between charges. I've never seen one, nor have I looked for one. And I have not heard of a dashcam related to, or causing, escalated violence...I suppose it could happen if the other party who crashed into you while tweaked out on meth or other drugs might get irate....even a car-jacker with a gun would most likely just rip it off the windshield and destroy it or toss it out the window. 

But.....anyway....

In most vehicles you can stick the dashcam in the top right (passenger) side of the windshield, tuck the thin power wire up under the leading edge of the headliner, then route it down the forward edge of the A pillar, and then down under the dash and around to wherever the nearest cigarette lighter port is. From outside the vehicle they are virtually invisible.

I've seen them on Amazon.

You've never seen a cop get aggressive toward someone filming him?  I've seen dozens of videos of that.

 

[deadwood]

The dash cam is the best car insurance you can buy. If it's not clear what happened in an accident it will just be a he said she said. The camera doesn't lie. I make all my kids drive with a dash cam in their car. But it could go the other way if you are the one at fault. But it also might make for better drivers because they know their own driving habits are being recorded.

I've use wheel witness for the last few years and am very happy with it. It's about $125 on Amazon. But sometimes I get an email from them announcing a lightning deal and can pick one up for $99.

 

[tx2sturgis]

I've seen them on Amazon.

You've never seen a cop get aggressive toward someone filming him?  I've seen dozens of videos of that.

Ok on Amazon. I never shop there, nor look for battery powered dashcams....so I have no experience with them. 

And I think you are confused about what dashcams do and don't do. They simply record footage as you drive. They don't film police activities unless one of them happens to be driving or parked within a few dozen yards in front of your vehicle. 

Police will not freak out over a dashcam on your windshield. I've run dashcams for about 15 years, in and out of weigh stations and border patrol stations, thousands of times, that were crawling with cops. They don't care. Nor should they.

Because cops use them also.

 

[JohnHarrelson]

I've had a couple of them and both worked great.. 

The first was for my 1999 Dodge truck. it was the "rearview mirror" type that fit over the inside mirror and had wires running back to the rear of the truck camper for the back-up camera system. 

Started recording when ignition was turned on and stopped when ignition was turned off.
The "Back-Up" part of camera system only came on when the truck was put in reverse..

it cost $99 on Amazon (I got it for free) .. I let it go with the Dodge when I traded trucks last June and bought a different camera for the 2010 Ford F150 I traded for.

The first camera was aggravating because when driving it's a normal reflex to look in the rear view mirror when changing lanes, etc.. and with the little backup "picture in the mirror" it gave a distorted view. 

The one I now have is simply suctioned cupped on the windshield so that the bottom of the camera is only one inch above the dashboard instead of being up high by the rearview mirror..

The reason.. 

1: if the suction let's go due to hot sun, the camera only falls an inch onto the dashboard and does not unplug the power cord and it's not as likely to break as it might if it dropped from the upper windshield area by the rear view mirror and bounced off the dashboard.

2: locating the camera down by the dashboard allows the wires to be under the dash mat instead of having to go to all that trouble of running wires across the top of the windshield and then down the side and then back across the dash to reach the cigarette lighter.. 

3: being mounted low like that does not block my vision and it's quick and easy to grab and move around if I see something that should be recorded like people in trouble on sidewalk, etc.. 

The camera has the same exact "view" just like it would be if mounted high up on the windshield..

Both cameras I had/have are great. they both recorded a sharp clear picture even in dim light like driving at night with headlights turned on. and both used the continued loop recording system. 

This second camera only cost $19 .. but I got it for free using my amazon dollars. 

This second camera is just as good as the expensive one and 1/4 the size and 1/10 the weight 

and since the F150 truck has a backup camera system installed in the dash I don't need the backup camera part of the new camera.. so no hassle of running wires to back of truck..

How do I get things from Amazon for Free ?

I spend a lot of time taking online surveys and get paid for taking them..  
The various survey companies I use offer several ways to pay, I choose the Amazon Gift Cards that I simply ad to my Amazon account.

I average $200 a year taking the surveys which is not a lot, but it pays for the "nice to have but not necessary" things, like cameras, dash-mats, computer stuff, coffee pods, etc..

John