Getting a new e-tron whenever the lockdown ends... and would like a decent dashcam.
Can anyone recommend the one they are using?
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Getting a new e-tron whenever the lockdown ends... and would like a decent dashcam.
Can anyone recommend the one they are using?
I’ve got a nextbase 512 with rear camera. Feel a lot more protected driving around with it. I’ve had it for a couple of years: the quality is good enough for the job and the battery still lasts long enough when the car is turned off to finalise the last clip. I’ve heard that some cameras have issues with their internal batteries, especially as the devices are used in a variable temperature environment. If the battery deteriorated to the point of not providing enough power, there’s a chance that any crash that cuts the car battery off means the camera loses power and doesn’t finish saving the recording. Worth checking reviews for that.
I’m using the Thinkware F800pro...
It’s front and rear. All set up from a Smart phone or iPad. Gives speed camera warnings, both fixed and mobile, and reminds you of the speed limit at the time of the warning.
Has lots of features like lane departure which I don’t use, but all in all a quality piece of kit. I particularly like the parking mode and battery saving features which are all configurable in the app.
Actual footage quality is superb.
thanks gents
was just looking at the F800
have you both hardwired?
is it diy or better to pay someone?
Nextbase whatever was the latest model last August, 512 or something, front and rear, fitted by VW main dealer before I picked the car up, been fine.
(512GW)
I hardwired in my Mustang... it was simple enough, but I suppose it depends how mechanically minded you are.Quote:
Originally Posted by cyrusir
At the end of the day it was only 3 wires.... permanent live, switched live (so live when the ignition is on) and earth.
The rest of it is just being neat in the routing.
Bit long winded but might help..
Install is the F770 which I later replaced with the F800... Easy job because the wiring was already done..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNsk...ature=youtu.be
Mines a Nextbase 312GW had it a couple of years now, hard wired too by Halfords.
No negatives to report and works well with the phone app.
Polarising filter a strong recommendation, cuts a lot of glare out.
Mine isn’t hardwired...wires hanging everywhere! I don’t often have others in the car, so routing the rear cam under the seats and mats is relatively easy. My problem is the power supply running straight from camera near the rear-view-mirror to power socket.
If I had a new car though, I’d probably pay to get the wires hidden. I think I’d struggle hardwiring the power supply.
I have a BlackVue, which is getting to be old technology these days. I have to take the micro SD card out and put it on a PC to view the footage, unlike more recent models with Wifi etc
I have a Nextbase 412 GW which I have hardwired into the car. This one has the magnetic mount as well for quick and easy removal and refit.
I use a cheaper model nextbase also in the rear... thinks it a 212 or something like that which is permanently mounted behind tinted glass so not on show.
Very happy with both and they do the job well for the money.
Mike :eagerness:
I’ve got a Viofo A119 V3, front only, sort of hard wired in that the cable is hidden and then plugged into a hidden cigar lighter under the glove box.
The recordings are pretty good quality, records at 1440p but with cars coming towards you it can be difficult to make out plates.
Black vue 750 with power magic pro here.. works really well for me
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Why do dash cams often have copious amounts of silver trim on them? This attracts attention to them risking a smashed window and theft. I've put black tape over mine which helps to reduce attention.
Thinkware F770 here. Have them hardwired on 2 vehicles. Very, very good piece of kit.
Had my first one on the recommendation of a friend, who had used footage from his as evidence in a criminal damage case. Successful prosecution and damages from the miscreant more than covered the cost of the camera and fitting.
There’s a lot of functionality that I don’t use (Lane departure, camera zone warnings, etc) but the actual quality of the footage from these things is pretty amazing, both stationery and moving.
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I have a Mi-Witness, which is similar to a Blackvue, with front and rear cameras. I installed it in my previous Golf, a Mark 6, which was easy to do, as the primary fuse box was behind a panel at one end of the dashboard.
Moving it to my Mark 7 Golf was a different kettle of fish, as the fuse box is located behind the glovebox, which itself is very difficult to remove. As I have a back problem, I got the local VW dealer to wire it up, but there seems to be a problem with the gizmo which is supposed to cut power to the unit in parking mode if the battery voltage drops below 11v, as I sometimes don't use the car for several days, and if left connected it will flatten the battery.
So I have removed the power lead to the main forward-facing camera, and just plug it back in when I start the engine. If I remember. I need to get another power monitor thingy and try to connect it up.
These things are only useful if they work properly.
I had another, far more modestly priced unit in my Honda S2000, and I seem to recall that I bought it following a recommendation from Techmoan
http://www.techmoan.com/what-is-the-best-dashcam/
Which might be a good place to start looking.
Blackvue... Front & rear cams.
WiFi capability. GPS, Google maps.
Auto power protection unit...can just leave it to record 24/7...will shut down automatically when car battery level gets close to being too low to start the car.
Hardwired in, very discreet...just send required images to phone.
About £250 to buy, and another £100 for installation.
Funnily enough, within 2 weeks of fitting mine, a temporary fence fell onto the back of the car in a car park damaging the rear bumper and boot lid.Quote:
Originally Posted by NCC66
I sent the footage to the car park owners, and within a week they paid out £1100 to repair the damage..
Nextbase 522 here, pretty cheap from amazon. I bought it with the intention of hard wiring it, which is simple, but I haven't got round to it yet, it works fine using the cig lighter. It works, it's simple, fuss free, and just gets on with it. Good images too.
Had a mi-witness but the company is now shut down and the product was out of support. Both me and the wife use the nextbase 522GW. It’s small and offers all the features anyone could need.
https://www.halfords.com/technology/...am-159062.html
I've got the BlackVue 750S 2CH. Good cameras but wants you to buy the BlackVue memory cards. I use regular ones and works fine, restarts occasionally but I'm not paying £60 for a rebranded card.
My brother has a low end NextBase installed by Halfords but it's an eyesore. No idea on footage quality.
Nextbase 312 here as as well, I hardwired it into my B8 Passat with some help from tutorials on YouTube, it’s pretty easy if someone else has done it before and can give you tips!
Hi Rod - I agree... less is definitely better when it comes to stuff like this - I used a black marker pen to remove any unwanted text and shiny bits.... don't care what it looks like as long as its discrete.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rod
Mike :eagerness:
Most have LED’s too... the Thinkware allows you to switch them off in the appQuote:
Originally Posted by Rod
I have an apeman (really) dashcam £40 on amazon for front and rear.
Here
Add an sd card and you're good to go. Leads are long enough to tuck around trim and under seals so the install while not permanent is tidy. I've not installed the rear camera.
Picture quality is good enough for number plates and road positioning. Night quality is ok but not fantastic, don;t dive much at night though so not an issue for me.
Looks wise it's very discrete, the screen goes off after startup and it has 2 leds although I don;t have an ignition bypass on my vehicle so it's unpowered when the vehicle isn't running. I wanted this as it's parked on my drive 90% of the time and the model of car is known for having a rubbish battery (an hybrid SUV with a battery from an MR2 - 3 weeks of inactivity and it's flat). So an extra parasitic drain could leave me high and dry.
I have the Blackvue 650S 2CH i.e. front and rear. They're almost 4 years old now and are discontinued in favour of newer more capable models. Mine were professionally hard-wired in by VW/Audi specialist, HazyDayz. The image quality is excellent and they work excellently with both the iPhone app and the viewer downloaded to my PC.
I have a Petzio in my daily https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
A Blackvue 650 2 ch in my weekend car which has been in 4 or 5 of my cars now
and just fitted an Apeman in my mums Polo https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Can recommend all of them
I went for the Innovv8 K2 - good article rating all the different ones here: https://bikerrated.com/gear/electron...cle-dash-cams/
Ive had a DDPai for years, hard wired to fuse box, small and unobtrusive great images and can link to mobile for viewing recording etc. Great value
Nextbase 512, hard wired in at Halfords. Just drive and forget it’s there. Every now and then it stops recording and says cards full so i make sure once a month I format the card to clear anything it’s saved.
Have DDpai in our cars. I bought the one without a screen and you can connect it to your phone if you want a live view . But I think it’s a connect and forget product and wanted a smaller unit so was happy to go without a screen .its very discreet - a bit bigger than a lipstick and all black so you don’t noticed it’s there.
Nothing in my daily
Blackvue 900 2ch with a cellink neo 9 battery for parking
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