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-   -   The Dashcam / Car Video Recorder (DVR) Thread (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/car-entertainment/134448-dashcam-car-video-recorder-dvr-thread-200.html)

A physical display has its benefits, especially if something goes wrong. Can be quite frustrating figuring out what's wrong when all you have is a blinking or solid LED vs a visual clue. Also when you need to quickly change a setting or format the card, opposed to pulling out your phone, connecting to the cam's wifi and the proceeding onto using the app.

Same camera can be used for the rear or look at dual channel models.

The very purpose of a dashcam is to record the road ahead, and/or behind you, depending on what type of dashcam you have. Dashcams are not very ideal for travelogues because they are meant to be fixed in one place and do not have a manual or auto pan feature. At most you might be able to move it up or down. So your travelogue, through your dashcam, will be limited to it's viewing angle and to where your car is pointing.

All dashcams require a micro SD card on which it records continuously in clips of 1,2,3,5 or 10 mins depending on how you want it. They have loop recording which means once the card is full, the oldest file gets overwritten. There is a separate folder where it saves images and videos in case of an incident, either manually or automatically, depending on its features. This folder is never overwritten unless you do so manually. Some have in built memory too.

Dashcams come with Li ion battery or a capacitor. Capacitor type is more suited to our hot conditions if you need to park your vehicle in the sun most of the time. The in-built battery or the capacitor is used only to power the camera for a safe shut down and also to click/save pictures/videos if you have a parking feature which uses G-forces. If you need to record continuously while you are parked, you will have to connect it to a fuse which remains powered throughout. This is called hardwiring. Hardwiring kits may need to be purchased separately.

Some dashcams have an in-built screen, some don't. The ones without screens are obviously smaller and therefore can be placed more discretely. They have a wifi function and you can connect them to your phone through an app to view or download the clips and also as a live viewer. Some Chinese dashcams which are part of some other devices, like rear view mirrors, also let you insert a SIM card. These have the capability to stream live videos to you when the car is parked provided it is hard wired and the car is in a place where mobile signals are available.

Some have in built GPS, some don't. You may choose to have a time/date/gps location/speed stamp on your video. You can also disable the GPS feature.

Some dashcams have dual cameras. Meaning one camera to record in the forward direction and one to record in the rear direction. The rear direction could either be a cabin view or a view out your rear windshield depending on whether the second cam is part of the main unit or a wired external camera.

Other features/specifications that you should look at are wide angle lens, camera resolution, night vision capability, ADAS (lane departure, collision warning) etc.

Now that most of the features in a dashcam have been listed, you can decide what you need. It is easier to get a dashcam on line. Amazon has a decent range of dashcams. There are other websites dedicated to dashcams but their authenticity in these tough times may be a question mark.

Can't stress on that enough. All Indian cars should have Dashcam in-built. Crime is all around us

Brilliant thank you. This clarifies a lot of things.

I think it should mods permitting stand alone as a fresh post, Dash cam 101 or Dash cam faq something like under.

Hello BHPians,
My brother recently bought the 70mai dashcam along with the GPS module for his Figo. We have setup the dashcam and it works perfectly but the issue is that we are using the 12v socket to power the camera but the 12v socket in his Figo is always live, that is it always have power even when the car is switched off and there is no key, so the dashcam keeps continuously recording. Do you guys have any solution?

Also, I want to get a dashcam for my Father but he wants one which has both front and rear recording. Please suggest one.
Also, is it safe to order from Aliexpress now, keeping in mind the Covid and Border situation?

The only solution I can think of is to disconnect it from the 12 V socket once you park it in the garage.

The dashcam has an inbuilt battery as well so it will start recording as soon as there is any impact.

In case you want to buy a dashcam which has front and rear cameras then Xiaomi has another model for that.

https://www.furper.com/collections/c...smart-dash-cam

This website is an Indian website which stocks them.

I never bought anything from them but have heard good reviews about the website.

An alternate option is Amazon.in which is safest of all.

My friend, who drives a Ford Ecosport is using a 12V socket splitter with switches, which allows him to switch off the dashcam power.

If yours is a pre-facelift next-gen Figo, then you can use a setup similar to mine-

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-...ml#post4659887

Yes, that is what we have been doing as of now.
Thanks for the site but it looks very confusing and cluttered and I couldn't find front and rear camera listings

Will consider this, will the dealership be willing to do this?

Yes, we have the same Figo as yours, connecting it to the USB port in the dock will work but the wire then dangles in air. Routing it through the A pillar was a cleaner solution. Thank you though :)

You will not need to visit a workshop to install this. It is a simple do it yourself device. Representative image is given below.

Hey guys, Is there any dash cam out there which are made in India? Any budget ones? I am planning to buy one but seems no Indian manufacturer has come up with one yet.

For the power issue, you can get a hard wire kit. Find a fuse in the passenger compartment that goes off with ignition. The hardwire kit will include a fuse tap. Ensure the fuse tap matches the fuse type in your car. So check before ordering. Alternatively, you can strip a long section of wire and wrap it around the correct leg (meaning, the fuse should be part of the circuit and should work as required - you will need a multimeter or a fuse checker to determine the correct leg). This way, you need not worry about the type of fuse tap. You will still need the hardwire kit to step down the voltage from 12v to about 5v (usually) for your dashcam. This way, the dashcam will work without you having switch it ON or OFF manually. The ignition switch will take care of that. Ideally that is how a dashcam should work because it shouldn't be that you forgot to switch it on just when you needed it the most. Defeats the whole purpose, IMO. As an added benefit, you have your 12v socket free for other purposes. See below link for such a kit:

https://www.amazon.in/Blueskysea-Uni...e%2C292&sr=1-8

For dashcams with dual cams, check on Amazon.in. There are a few. This is one example:

https://www.amazon.in/Crosstour-Dash...lectric%3ADash

AliExpress may not be too reliable now unless you pay for shipping through DHL or something. But the cost of shipping through DHL takes the final price through the roof.
Kent CamEye is the only one I can think of. In all probability it is made in China too. It is expensive, but I think a good buy. It is more than just a dashcam

Can you please help me with a front & rear dashcam? I would prefer to hardwire it for neatness, with wifi, GPS and around 8-10k. Would not mind having the live streaming feature too but can do without. I just discovered a dent along with a deep gouge on my six month old car and im going mad right now :Frustrati

Ddpai mini 3 for 1770/- (with tax). Bought one. 🙂

https://nicecart101.myshopify.com/pr...king-monitor-1

This is even cheaper than prices mentioned in Aliexpress.com & I just hope it's a valid / genuine site.

Please update once you receive and install the product.