dash camera

...I'm sure these things will be as popular as satnavs...ah well, another bit of "stuff" to keep up with !
So will have to research the best one....on another VW forum, quite a few good opinions on the Mobius, and some bad opinions on the E-prance.
Whatever the make, I'm not sure how it would install without dangling wires - on a VW T5 the 12v socket is only accessible when the cupholders are open, not very clever. I'm not one to mess with wiring, either.
I presume it would have to be wired into the ignition, so it's on all the time whilst travelling....but then it wouldn't record any parking bump when unattended.
Ideally it would go up by the mirror - for at the bottom of the screen it would just see the wipers !....and also be right over the front air vents.....and also very visible to feevs
I wonder if it possible to run it remotely, with a battery powered sensor somewhere...I'm afraid I'm not into Bluetooth or wifi in the van.

repoort wrote:...just looked at the Aldi website, couldn't see a dashcam anywhere....wouldn't it make a really romantic valentines gift......

There's a huge pile of 'Action Cams' in our local Aldi that have been there for a while, not surprising as they're only 720p, perhaps it's these that have been mentioned.

The Mobius can have the image inverted for use either way up. We use it on a suction cup on the dash in the Exec as I do in my Volvo V50, it was hung from the screen under the mirror upside down in my previous car though.

The Mobius still has class equalling video quality, despite being a venerable design, because it has a huge RC, dashcam and bike user base and gets frequent firmware updates.

I've got a Lidl one. Its OK, that's about all I can say. You can set it to start recording when someone comes near while parked but obviously it needs permanent power for that. It has night-vision but quality is poor unless in a steet-light area and switches off if no movement occurs for a minute or so. On a motorway in the middle of the night with no lighting and very little traffic it simply turns itself off. Clarity of recording is pretty good though although due to the wide angle of the lens, everything seems a long way away.

...presumably one of the requirements of dashcam quality is to identify number plates, day and night, on recording and playback ?
Not much point, otherwise, surely.

You're right and based on my experience above my £10 dashcam recorded the number plate which is important if the other driver doesn't stop - bit in most cases when both parties are identified the dash cam recording can help clarify exactly what happened if there is any dispute!

I've bought - but not yet had delivered - a "Wedge" (more accurately known as a Novatech A118) which has a reasonable spec and costs a shade over £40. The power on a T5 can be run from above the stereo, behind the glovebox, up the A-pillar trim and inside the headlining space to the centre of the screen, hidden all the way.

It will be wired up to what's known as the "Fuse 19" feed, which is one that is ignition switched, but which stays on as long as the key is in the ignition - even if everything else is turned off. As an alternative it would be possible to just run it from the interior light power feed which is already in place in the headlining - but I didn't want it on all the time (or the alternative of an inline switch which I would someday forget to turn off...).

repoort wrote:...presumably one of the requirements of dashcam quality is to identify number plates, day and night, on recording and playback ?
Not much point, otherwise, surely.

None are acceptable in court if they don't record time, speed and GPS location. That's why those that have that capability cost well over £100 such as Roadangel.

Paulmold wrote:

repoort wrote:...presumably one of the requirements of dashcam quality is to identify number plates, day and night, on recording and playback ?
Not much point, otherwise, surely.

None are acceptable in court if they don't record time, speed and GPS location. That's why those that have that capability cost well over £100 such as Roadangel.

The Mini 0806 is looking like a very good buy at around £99 - the 0801 suffered overheating problems but hopefully sorted with these latest models.

The 0806 has two card slots, magnetic polarising filter, GPS, shock detection, movement detection, optimised night capability and, most important to me, a high frame rate mode which will reduce blurring of oncoming vehicle images due to higher shutter speeds.

You certainly need one in Russia, scary...

https://www.youtube.com/embed/5RAaW_1FzYg?autoplay=1&modestbranding=1&rel=0&s

Paulmold wrote:

repoort wrote:...presumably one of the requirements of dashcam quality is to identify number plates, day and night, on recording and playback ?
Not much point, otherwise, surely.

None are acceptable in court if they don't record time, speed and GPS location. That's why those that have that capability cost well over £100 such as Roadangel.

think that might apply to criminal courts - civil courts that insurance companies thrash out claims are different - they use the term something like "beyond reasonable doubt"

repoort wrote:...just looked at the Aldi website, couldn't see a dashcam anywhere....wouldn't it make a really romantic valentines gift......

Sorry must have been seeing things, just glanced at the board outside when I fetch a trolley.

daisy mae wrote:

repoort wrote:...just looked at the Aldi website, couldn't see a dashcam anywhere....wouldn't it make a really romantic valentines gift......

Sorry must have been seeing things, just glanced at the board outside when I fetch a trolley.

You may have mistaken the very small home security cameras they have at the moment, they are about the same size.

-mojo- wrote:.

It will be wired up to what's known as the "Fuse 19" feed, which is one that is ignition switched, but which stays on as long as the key is in the ignition - even if everything else is turned off. As an alternative it would be possible to just run it from the interior light power feed which is already in place in the headlining - but I didn't want it on all the time (or the alternative of an inline switch which I would someday forget to turn off...).

.....I'm thinking that if it stays on only when the key is in, there wouldn't be any recording in the event of a car park bump when the van is unattended ?

....but then again you wouldn't want it on permanently 'cos there will always be a small power drain and we all know the results of such on a leisure battery over a period of time.

Still confused and learning !

Noticed that combined Satnav/dashcams are coming on line now..... might be worth waiting for?

...that would possibly be a more convenient solution....but again, for the proverbial car park bump, it would need to be on all the time.
...and a nice new hi-tech device on show - feevs !

repoort wrote:
.....I'm thinking that if it stays on only when the key is in, there wouldn't be any recording in the event of a car park bump when the van is unattended ?

Agreed (I think), but the camera does have a built-in battery (unless you buy the "capacitor version") and G-sensor, so I want to see if there is an option to activate the camera via the g-sensor when the external supply is off. I suspect not, but I won't know until it arrives (and I want that to be REALLY SOON as half the interior of my van is strewn around the garage waiting for it!).

(But I'm doing a headunit upgrade, replacing the front speakers, fitting the TPMS option, building a clock into the headlining cubby hole and doing a few other bits and pieces at the same time so it's not the ~only~ thing I'm waiting for!).

The Mivue one I mentioned before goes into sleep mode with ignition off and has a 'g' triggered record device from the internal batteries for car park bumps.
It also records mapping, GPS positioning, speed, date, time, g forces, speed camera alerts with lifetime free updates etc etc and could be used as evidence in court. About £120 with CC discounts and well worth that little bit more for all the benefits I reckon 

The only car park bump that I have had was at the rear! And what about the sides? 4 cameras? Hmmmmm

Yes agree the car park bump is a bit of a gimmick BUT my daughter had her front wing well and truly stuffed, must have been a heavy thump from the one o clock angle so would have got that one. £500 + bill.

-mojo- wrote:

repoort wrote:
.....I'm thinking that if it stays on only when the key is in, there wouldn't be any recording in the event of a car park bump when the van is unattended ?

Agreed (I think), but the camera does have a built-in battery (unless you buy the "capacitor version") and G-sensor, so I want to see if there is an option to activate the camera via the g-sensor when the external supply is off. I suspect not, but I won't know until it arrives (and I want that to be REALLY SOON as half the interior of my van is strewn around the garage waiting for it!).

(But I'm doing a headunit upgrade, replacing the front speakers, fitting the TPMS option, building a clock into the headlining cubby hole and doing a few other bits and pieces at the same time so it's not the ~only~ thing I'm waiting for!).

I fitted a new head unit and a dash cam to our Trident T5. I thought long and hard on how to wire both up. I have the cam wired to only run when the engine is running and the stereo to have power as long as the key is in the ignition. We regularly have the radio on whilst on site - but I didn't want the camera running using power for hours. I would recommend this setup - works well. But obviously no protection against fender benders in carparks (although how many are going to hit the front of the vehicle at an angle clear enough to get a pic??).

Incidentally I went for the e-prance mini 0801 - very pleased with it. It was a very neat mounting system that keeps it well out of the way. With the permanent wiring and a big memory card I can forget all about it.

HTH
Steve

scrumpyjack14 wrote:

I fitted a new head unit and a dash cam to our Trident T5. I thought long and hard on how to wire both up. I have the cam wired to only run when the engine is running and the stereo to have power as long as the key is in the ignition. We regularly have the radio on whilst on site - but I didn't want the camera running using power for hours. I would recommend this setup - works well. But obviously no protection against fender benders in carparks (although how many are going to hit the front of the vehicle at an angle clear enough to get a pic??).

That's a good point - I regularly leave the key in the ignition overnight (so the radio can be remotely powered up in the morning) which means that the cam will be recording all night!

However, I checked the power consumption and it's only 30mA while recording, so I can live with that (roughly 30 hours recording for 1Ah out of the battery should be Ok, especially as the solar panel charges both batteries) on the few occasions that I will forget to turn the camera off manually.

I think I'm going to get one of these "dash cams" .....just got to decide which one lol

Juliejuel wrote:I think I'm going to get one of these "dash cams" .....just got to decide which one lol

Mini 0806 is looking like the next 'best bang for buck' (and this from a Mobius fan).

http://www.carcamerashop.co.uk/mini-0806.html

https://www.joovuu.com/gb/home/245-mini-0806.html

No connection etc.

Just fitted one of these to the car. 

http://www.techmoan.com/blog/2014/10/26/the-a118-b40-wedge-dashcam-review.html

Absolutely brilliant bit of kit.
£49.99

PB

Thanks for info ....
Does the one in the clip techmoan come with suction cup for window screen as I would like to be able to use it in my car as well as my mh