Dash Cam recommendations

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331 posts

Ultimate Geek

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#2742917 12-Jul-2021 11:21

I have 2x Yi Technology Smart Dashcams on both our cars -https://www.yitechnology.com/smart-dash-camera-c10

Also purchased a Yi Technology Compact Dashcam "in error" so using it as a rear-facing camera on one of our cars as well.

The main difference between the Compact Dashcam and Smart Dashcam is the max FPS - both can do max 1080p, however, the Smart Dashcam can record at 60fps whereas the Compact Dashcam only only record at max 30fps. There are some other differences between the two but the max FPS difference is what I can off the top of my head.

All work pretty well generally - no issues with them. Yuo do have to look out for the max capacity of your Micro SD card - from memory I think they only take max 64 GB.

Bought our first one when we were in Singapore a couple of years ago, still going strong. Then bought a 2nd one off AliExpress - there's a Yi Technology official store there. In fact I actually bought the Compact Dashcam "in error" I wanted the 60fps Smart Dashcam, so ended up buying another one. Only thing being with AliExpress is that is would take a while to arrive.

Dulouz

883 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2742922 12-Jul-2021 11:39

DamageInc: Xiaomi go alright?

Seems to. What I like is that they have put some thought into the sticking mechanism, and it feels rock solid on the windscreen. My previous cam use to full off with temperature changes. I haven't taken footage off it yet but the image quality looks good on the device.

Amanon

Oblivian

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#2742954 12-Jul-2021 12:07

I've been through 3 chinese specials so far. Still on the 'Mini 0105' Which the base is the GPS receiver. Which given things look 'faster' on a wide angle at times and you always get accused of speeding, shuts people up when demonstrating near miss incidents and you can see the rate you were travelling for comparison. It's not great in clear image department or night compared to a lot of newer models now.

You can often google the sensor and find they're used in various GoPros if Sony IMXxxx

Friend down south has a couple of Yi's and said they are great. GPS + wifi/bluetooth download which means you don't do what I do and forget to take the card out, or when you do, forget to put it back in and murphy strikes when it was needed

Must say I had a chuckle at the PBtech ad. You can see it's a copy paste from the original site rather than been translated a bit more to smooth it out.

TENKAN

314 posts

Ultimate Geek
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#2742957 12-Jul-2021 12:14

Dulouz:
DamageInc: Xiaomi go alright?

Seems to. What I like is that they have put some thought into the sticking mechanism, and it feels rock solid on the windscreen. My previous cam use to full off with temperature changes. I haven't taken footage off it yet but the image quality looks good on the device.

I have one of these, in all honesty I couldn't recommend them to anyone really, they work ok during the daylight hours, but at night they are terrible, the WiFi is also crappy, the app is even worse, but for the money... I'm looking at getting another brand to try.

RUKI

1402 posts

Uber Geek

#2743754 13-Jul-2021 16:09

If you are close to PB Tech then: Dual Lens Transend $185.

Dual lens - one is facing interior and can rotate so that you can point at the door while parked.

Mini USB power connector means you can power it from the power bank for many hours while parked.

Shock sensor and GPS Speed recording.

Speed recording and camera facing you as a driver (paying attention to the road, not talking over the phone and wearing seat belt) are important to protect yourself in possible disputes.

Toyota / Lexus Hybrid and EV Battery Expert Battery Test & Repair

panther2

374 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2743759 13-Jul-2021 16:29

Had no issues with a garmin 55.

mdav056

607 posts

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#2743761 13-Jul-2021 16:59

Dulouz:

DamageInc: Xiaomi go alright?

Seems to. What I like is that they have put some thought into the sticking mechanism, and it feels rock solid on the windscreen. My previous cam use to full off with temperature changes. I haven't taken footage off it yet but the image quality looks good on the device.

Just as a note here, I first used Sugrue (now unobtainable here) and then Kintsuglue. Perfect adhesion! No heat problems at all.

gml

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DamageInc

549 posts

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#2743862 14-Jul-2021 07:32

Thank you everyone for your input and suggestions. Will go away and research all of the above.

Pop! OS

Sidestep

1013 posts

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#2743946 14-Jul-2021 09:37

panther2: Had no issues with a garmin 55.

We have Garmin 56 front and Garmin Mini rear on two vehicles - mine and my wife's.
They've been running since 2019 with no problems, and we've used once for a successful insurance claim, and once to provide footage to police.

I'll be installing the optional Parking Mode cable and power supply as my wife's car was recently dented in a hit-and-run while parked with the cameras off.

Batman

Mad Scientist
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#2753456 2-Aug-2021 07:12

do these recommended cameras operate set and forget? would like one that starts when you start the car, record automatically and turn off when the car is off...

thanks

RunningMan

8961 posts

Uber Geek

#2753463 2-Aug-2021 08:00

@batman that is pretty much how every dashcam works. Parking mode (so it will record when the vehicle is off) is where it can be a bit more complicated.

Batman

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#2753465 2-Aug-2021 08:11

Thanks.

Many of them just plug into cig lighter - that means no need to get a specialist install?

tehgerbil

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#2753467 2-Aug-2021 08:21

Batman: Thanks.

Many of them just plug into cig lighter - that means no need to get a specialist install?

It depends, you can get:
battery powered cig adaptor.
capacitor powered cig adaptor (for extreme temperature ranges).

The cig light goes on with accessories, it's not permanently powered. So many people buy something like this hardwired kit

But as always caveat emptor - This will vampire drain your cars 12V battery but will record 24/7 and you use g-force recording it'll save any moment that rock the vehicle but you've got to have a darn good battery.

The other option is to get a dashcam with parking mode, that records when power is lost from cig and uses the internal battery.

Please note: if you do have a parking mode dashcam that uses the onboard battery you'll want to keep it as cool as possible to prolong battery life as they're typically lipos!

trig42

5814 posts

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#2753470 2-Aug-2021 08:30

Specialist install is not that difficult either.

I have a Xiaomi 70Mai and it seems fine - images are good (WiFi works, but slow, quicker to remove SD card if I need footage). It records files in 1 minute sections.

I got a hardwire kit: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000123009358.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.27424c4dOzgTF4

and some fuse taps for my car: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32918213257.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.27424c4dOzgTF4 and wired it up myself. The fuse box for the car is in the driver footwell so it was a piece of cake to run the cable up the A pillar, under the roof lining and out next to the rear-vision mirror.

I just had to find a fuse that came on when the accessories were on, and tap that. I think I came off a spare, but it was definitely switched.

Took about 30 minutes.

Mark

1653 posts

Uber Geek

#2753477 2-Aug-2021 08:47

I can recommend the Tesla dashcam ... it sees all and even has HAL pop up on screen if people peer through windows .. you might need to stretch your budget a little though ;-)

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