dash cams

[jh9]

I think there was a thread on this awhile back but here and now in the year 2023... what's what in dash cams?

Nothing too fancy. Don't want something that needs a professional install - like retrofitting a backup camera to a 1974 Gremlin. Front facing only is probably fine.

[HeavyDuty]

I have had a pair of these for the better part of a year. They don’t need to be wired together, the phone app marries the two streams. I wired mine but the cigarette plug works just fine.

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/garmin-...?skuId=6464382

[BCG]

Since I have no personal experience with dash cams myself, I'll just present this without comment.



Almost EVERYONE is Wasting Money on Dash Cams

Linus Tech Tips - August 14, 2022

It’s been YEARS since dash cams hit the market, but it feels like we’ve been stuck at a standstill. Why is it that camera quality is so lacking? Are there really no good options when shopping for a dash cam to attach to the windshield of your car? (The second half of this video is pretty stunning!)

CHAPTERS
---------------------------------------------------
00:00 Intro
01:07 The Back-story
02:37 Thinkware F70
03:26 Biuone A20
03:55 Chortau B-T13
05:00 Iiwey T1 and Pruveeo D30H
06:16 Rexing V1-4K
06:57 Garmin Dash Cam Mini 2
07:34 Rove R2-4K
08:05 Viofo A119 V3
09:12 BlackVue DR750X and Thinkware U1000
10:30 THE REASON THEY'RE SO BAD
15:04 tldr;
17:04 outro

[Casey]

I've been using Garmin dash cams for several years, most recently the 57, which I've had for almost a year. Previously used the Mini (there's a newer model as mentioned by @HeavyDuty) and the 67W. The 67W has a very wide 180° FOV which has pros and cons. It allows you to see more, obviously, but the fisheye lens can lead to an inaccurate perception of how close or far other vehicles are when reviewing footage. I switched over to the 57 with its 140° FOV, which is adequate. Garmin's UI is janky and downloading footage using the Garmin Drive app is painfully slow and prone to failure. But, I've had zero issues with any of the cameras failing despite being used in vehicles which spend most of their time parked outdoors in the South Florida sun.

I'm on the preorder list for the upcoming Ring Car Cam, which looks promising. I already use Ring products at home, so I'm very interested in being able to integrate this into that ecosystem.

[JRB]

I've been using Garmin dash cams for several years, most recently the 57, which I've had for almost a year. Previously used the Mini (there's a newer model as mentioned by @HeavyDuty) and the 67W. The 67W has a very wide 180° FOV which has pros and cons. It allows you to see more, obviously, but the fisheye lens can lead to an inaccurate perception of how close or far other vehicles are when reviewing footage. I switched over to the 57 with its 140° FOV, which is adequate. Garmin's UI is janky and downloading footage using the Garmin Drive app is painfully slow and prone to failure. But, I've had zero issues with any of the cameras failing despite being used in vehicles which spend most of their time parked outdoors in the South Florida sun.

I'm on the preorder list for the upcoming Ring Car Cam, which looks promising. I already use Ring products at home, so I'm very interested in being able to integrate this into that ecosystem.

I would be very careful to read the ToS with any Ring product. Ring essentially aims to collect machine learning data from everything that every Ring camera can see, regardless of whether or not you've activated it or are recording or viewing what it's seeing.

I do not like Ring.

[BCG]

I'm on the preorder list for the upcoming Ring Car Cam, which looks promising. I already use Ring products at home, so I'm very interested in being able to integrate this into that ecosystem.

I would be very careful to read the ToS with any Ring product. Ring essentially aims to collect machine learning data from everything that every Ring camera can see, regardless of whether or not you've activated it or are recording or viewing what it's seeing.

I do not like Ring.

[secondstoryguy]

As a city cop that investigates accidents I strongly recommend dash cams. Due to staffing issues and time (there are too many minor accidents to keep up with) many larger agencies her in Texas are not responding to minor accidents(generally if the vehicles are not blocking and there are no serious injuries). When the agency does respond its rare that an accident report is completed leaving citizens to go to their respective insurance companies for resolution. Without video its often a he said/she said thing and is generally not paid out but with footage it can go along way to get resolution from insurance companies.

That being said one has to realize that it can also incriminate the driver that has it. I have seen situations where drivers that are denying fault yet have a dash camera. Officers here in texas can seize the camera for evideciary purposes so sometimes having one backfires.

[boing]

Chrissakes, Linus is one annoying MFer. Anyway, I’ve used two of the cameras he covers, the Rexing and the Viofo.

At the time I bought the Rexing, its backup power was a battery, not easily user replaceable. When the battery dies, there’s no warning or indication, and the camera will no longer be able to save any video clip that’s in progress when the wired power is interrupted, such as in a serious crash or turning the vehicle off. I didn’t realize there was problem until I happened to look at some of the videos before doing a firmware update, and many of them were “blank”. Looks like the newer models have switched to a capacitor for backup power, which is more reliable. The camera was otherwise fine.

The Viofo is also fine, with capacitor backup power, but if you get the A129 model that allows a rear camera hookup and you need the separate extra long USB cable, be sure to get the right one. It requires a cable with an extra wire, 5 pin vs the usual 4 pin, I think. Nothing like artfully snaking a cable just so to reach the back of the truck only to find it doesn’t work.

[RJ]

My five year old Roav C1 Pro crapped out a few weeks ago...so I needed an alternative.

I ended up trying a Garmin Mini 2. Got one of these at $109.99 plus $15 for a high-endurance 128G card:

https://a.co/d/g8bC2YO

Man this thing is small.



Spent some time downloading the Garmin Drive app and getting it connected to my iPhone. The interface works, but only after quite a few tries to get it to install via the Bluetooth. Not sure what I did to make it work finally, but it appears to be talking to the phone.

I plan to mount it in the truck at the base of the windscreen this time, vs my Roav up top. I have a 12V socket right there, so the cable (they give you a long and a short) I can coil up at the base.

Camera is only 1080p, which is the only complaint I see online about it. For the price point, assuming it works in the Florida sun, I'm ok with that. Will report back in a few months with how it goes.

[HeavyDuty]

My five year old Roav C1 Pro crapped out a few weeks ago...so I needed an alternative.

I ended up trying a Garmin Mini 2. Got one of these at $109.99 plus $15 for a high-endurance 128G card:

https://a.co/d/g8bC2YO

Man this thing is small.



Spent some time downloading the Garmin Drive app and getting it connected to my iPhone. The interface works, but only after quite a few tries to get it to install via the Bluetooth. Not sure what I did to make it work finally, but it appears to be talking to the phone.

I plan to mount it in the truck at the base of the windscreen this time, vs my Roav up top. I have a 12V socket right there, so the cable (they give you a long and a short) I can coil up at the base.

Camera is only 1080p, which is the only complaint I see online about it. For the price point, assuming it works in the Florida sun, I'm ok with that. Will report back in a few months with how it goes.

I’m about a year in with my pair of Mini 2s. They have held up well to being outside in Texas all of the time.