Dashcams

Which dash cameras are decent for cars?

The answer comes down to budget.

Blackvue and thinkware are higher end.

If youā€™ve got an Audi then the Audi UTR is good!

Always wondered on these. Do people remove them when leaving the vehicle? Like you would a sat Nav as they can be quite high value.

I suppose that depends on whether there is a recording function when parked. Some have this and night vision capabilities so that might mean leaving it in the car.

I looked at the thinkware products and a mid range front and rear camera fitted to a Range Rover and front only in an Astra was Ā£700.

R-

I have the Nextbase Duo HD. Highly recommended.

It supports 128GB memory cards, which gives you about 8 hours of footage (2 x 1080p feeds).

I have mine hardwired and it stays in the car.

Mine are hardwire into the car with integrated power management (they cut off at a voltage threshold so they donā€™t drain the car battery completely), but you can remove it if you want.

Stay in the car 24/7ā€¦ unfortunately wonā€™t record all that time without being drivenā€¦ think at a push the car battery lasts 3/4 days before the threshold is met (nearly constant use).

Was Ā£500 for front and rear fitted at an Audi dealer.

I have one from Lidl. Ā£40 and works fine.

Iā€™ve heard nextbase are good. Anyone hardwired their own?

I have a Blackvue DR650GW-2CH setup which Iā€™ve moved between my last 3 cars, itā€™s hardwired in with a PowerMagic Pro which keeps it powered when the engine is off but has under voltage protection. Itā€™s still going strong, except the internal speaker has stopped working which is to only prompt when it comes on and the G-Shock sensor, both of which trigger Push Notifications on my phone anyway.

Would really recommend the Blackvue cameras, they hare very discrete and Iā€™ve never worried about removing them and theyā€™ve been in my cars for at least 4 years. Iā€™ll probably treat myself to a new 4K one when I change my car again or it dies altogether but that (hopefully) wonā€™t be for a while on both fronts.

Iā€™ve got Nextbase :ok_hand: I got my boyfriend to wire it in for me.

+1 here for Nextbase

I find it interesting you canā€™t buy cars with built in dash-cams by the manufacturer.
It could form part of the interior mirror or something with a slot in the glove box for an SD card.

I know it would cost more but Iā€™ve never seem an option for it.

A lot of modern cars already have cameras hidden away at the front for various safety features (e.g. some have systems that can read speed limit signs and display them on the dash for you).

You just canā€™t use them yourself.

Strange though donā€™t you think? Surely it would be another selling point with minimal effort on their behalf.

Think I read recently Tesla will be rolling out an update for the Model 3 to use the cams as dash cams

Edit: https://www.teslarati.com/tesla-sentry-mode-360-degree-dash-cam-beta-rollout/

Also pretty sure thereā€™s a citeron that has a dash cam built in (optional)

1 Like

I think this had something to do with privacy laws in various countries being slightly different - Although that may have been nothingā€¦

Iā€™d love my car (which has a front and rear facing camera), to act as a dash cam as well - It just makes sense!

2 Likes

Reviving this thread ā€¦2 years on technology has progressed, so whatā€™s everyone using then?

Time to start looking around for some recommendations, as hopefully be on that road soon :red_car::dash:

Iā€™ve got a nextbase one. Itā€™s pretty old now but still does the job perfectly so thatā€™s a big plus.

Iā€™d also definitely get it hardwired in so that it turns on and off with the car and you donā€™t have wires hanging around the place.

I got mine from Halfrauds and it came with a free wiring kit and fitting. Not sure if that offer is still available but it made it worth paying a little extra for the camera itself to get this done.

1 Like

Yeah thatā€™s something to think about so that wires arenā€™t all over. Depending on what motor I get I may see what YouTube teaches me. Iā€™d like to think poking some wires about wouldnā€™t be difficult but can guarantee Iā€™d just have interior panels in the boot after Iā€™ve fallen out with them :sweat_smile:

Haha I looked at doing it myself too. Itā€™s not a difficult job just fiddly, which I hate. You also need the right tools depending on the car to pop the panels off so you donā€™t break the clips or anything.

In the end I decided to make it someone elses problem and had a ā€œproā€ fit it :laughing:

2 Likes