M3AN 4016 Report post Posted May 17, 2021 I'm not even sure I want one, but if I did, what are the important considerations? Is $125 a sensible or silly amount for such tech? https://www.repco.co.nz/en/in-car-technology/dash-cams-reverse-cams-throttle-controllers/dash-cams/xview-barrel-dash-cam-full-hd-1080p-wi-fi-xv20dvr/p/A6069337 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Driftit 2078 Report post Posted May 17, 2021 Can't you just get one to plug into your head unit? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
aja540i 1906 Report post Posted May 17, 2021 I had a similarly priced Uniden unit that worked well but would overheat on long trips on sunny days and shut itself off! Also be aware you will need a large capacity high speed micro SD card (probably) which can double the price!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Driftit 2078 Report post Posted May 17, 2021 Oh and make sure the power source you give it actually switches off with the car. I had a dashcam in my E46 and the cig lighter port never turned off. So it never went into sleep mode. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KwS 2425 Report post Posted May 17, 2021 Having had an old Blackvue in my car for years now, the biggest piece of advice I can give is to look into your options for getting the video off the camera. My only option is to remove the microsd card and use an adaptor to plug it into a computer. Its a real PITA so I don't bother getting video off it unless its pretty serious. If you can get one that you can transfer the video wirelessly to your phone or something, you'd find that way more useful. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Driftit 2078 Report post Posted May 17, 2021 Yeah I agree. First one I had was like that. Second one I got was by Anker. Has a built in battery and Wifi. https://goroav.com/ Not bad to be honest. I did have a firmware issue with one. But the support was very good and sent me a new one overnight (USA). Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NZ00Z3 187 Report post Posted May 17, 2021 I have recently got a couple of dash cam's for the cars after nearly getting cleanup up by a young driver on a back country road. Remember that the dash cam is recording, so its a two way street. The footage can be used for your insurance purposes after an incident and the police can use it to look at your driving infractions. GPS - Shows speed and location. Very good evidence if you are within the speed limit. - Shows the Police how much spirited driving you do and if you were speeding. Camera Angle of View - Get as wide as you can. 110 degrees is not really wide enough. You want to be able to see and prove that other car did not stop at the stop sign on the side street. Memory card size - Loop recording is a must have - A 4GB card gives about 20 minutes of recording time. G- Shock Recording - This is where the shock of the accident tells the dash cam to save and protect the most recent footage. It's a must have if you run a small memory card. Otherwise the camera keeps recording after the accident and records over the accident footage. You will likely to forget to pull the power lead on the camera after the accident. Super-Cap battery - Provides power for the camera to save the most recent footage when the power is turned off. So if your positive battery lead pyrotechnic goes off during the accident and cut the power, the Camera can still save the accident footage. Mounting - Good old rubber suctions cap mounts are sort of OK. They will fall off on hot days and be a pain to get to stick if the inside of the windscreen is dirty. - Sticky pad mounts are better. Just make sure you know what type they are for replacement, when you have your windscreen replaced. Power Supply - Needs to be hot in start and run. Not hot all the time. BMW cigarette lighter sockets are typically hot all the time and using an adapter in the socket puts too many wires around the gear lever. - A Separate USB power supply wired into a hot in start and run supply works well. I have this one in my Z3's and E46 from Aliexpress. It is mounted under the center console with the wire coming out from under the side of the console. The three 2A USB supplies allows for a GPS, Dash-cam and charging a phone all at the same time with the wires away from the gear lever. Plus no holes drilled or other cosmetic changes made. - Power supply wires can be run up the inside of the A pillar etc. to hide them or left exposed. 3 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Olaf 3318 Report post Posted May 17, 2021 @NZ00Z3 Murray these are brilliant, thanks! I'll be buying some pronto. https://www.aliexpress.com/wholesale?catId=0&initiative_&SearchText=RCNUN 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Driftit 2078 Report post Posted May 18, 2021 I prefer smart chargers for my phones. Old style chargers like those above are far too slow. Needs to support at least QC4 or QC4+ protocol. Thermal balancing is a good idea especially if you phone is dash mounted and in the sun. I got one of these for the dashcam. https://www.trademe.co.nz/electronics-photography/video-cameras/car-cameras/listing-3091451981.htm?rsqid=4101486e6ab64e2f9f16119e5f8c3050-002 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Olaf 3318 Report post Posted May 18, 2021 thanks Dan, I'll see if I can find something similar with the QC4 or QC4+ protocol. I guess they'd be fine for my GPS. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Driftit 2078 Report post Posted May 18, 2021 (edited) 1 hour ago, Olaf said: thanks Dan, I'll see if I can find something similar with the QC4 or QC4+ protocol. I guess they'd be fine for my GPS. Yeah they will be fine for older tech like that. Check to see what your phones support. Or even look at the phone chargers. Mines an Android and supports QC4+ I don't recall what the iPhone equivalent is. Could be the same. The chargers will usually have this symbol on them. Otherwise look up the phone specs on GSMarena.com Edited May 18, 2021 by Driftit 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zero 1162 Report post Posted May 18, 2021 Following Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KwS 2425 Report post Posted May 18, 2021 10 hours ago, NZ00Z3 said: G- Shock Recording - This is where the shock of the accident tells the dash cam to save and protect the most recent footage. It's a must have if you run a small memory card. Otherwise the camera keeps recording after the accident and records over the accident footage. You will likely to forget to pull the power lead on the camera after the accident. This is a double edge sword. Mine has this feature and it spends a lot of its time in "crash mode" thanks to the shitty rough roads around Wellington. Potholes and bumps will trigger it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
M3AN 4016 Report post Posted May 20, 2021 lol - why is this in off-topic when it's clearly on-topic? Anyway, thanks for the feedback folks, much more to consider than I had assumed. I'm in no hurry (if at all) so will absorb and consider over an extended period. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Driftit 2078 Report post Posted May 22, 2021 I put my old one in the 130i today. What a POS. Get a newer one that doesn't think EVERYTHING is an emergency. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
