[Stribog]

Went through the last 10 pages as basic due diligence and it is all Greek and Latin to me.

Can someone please advise me on 2 things,

1- What should I look for in a Dashcam?
2- A budget option?

My need is,

1 - Protect me from any false accidental claims - this gets 90% weight age
2 - Record footage of fun road trips? the balance 10% and I can even do without this if need be.

[raksrules]

Originally Posted by Stribog

1- What should I look for in a Dashcam?
2- A budget option?

Pick something with minimum 1080p real resolution. It is nice to have both front and rear dashcams but remember that they are not 2 separate individual dashcams but part of same set. The front one is usually bigger (and may even have screen) and rear one is usually small.
Also, dashcams can either have a regular Lithium battery inside it or a super capacitor. Latter is usually considered better and I personally prefer those. I am scared of battery ones since a dashcam sits in a hot car entire day.

Budget - This entirely depends on your own discretion and what you are willing to spend. Voifo is a reputable brand which sells 1 channel (single front dash cam), 2 channel (front and rear set) and even 3 channel (front, rear and front one which has camera pointing to inside the car).
There are other brands like 70mai which also have single channel and dual channel dashcams, but they are battery based (Voifo ones have super capacitor).


My brother has the Voifo A129 duo installed on his car and once I get my car, I intend to install the same. Voifo ones are better bought through their authorized reseller (don't order from website) as he can give some discount if paid using NEFT / UPI.

70mai can just be ordered from amazon.

[rsk]

I recently got a Viofo A119 V3 for my car. I have connected it to USB and have not hard wired it. The question that I have is when the ignition is on, will the cam get turned on automatically, or do I need to turn it on manually everytime?

[tilt]

Originally Posted by rsk

I recently got a Viofo A119 V3 for my car. I have connected it to USB and have not hard wired it. The question that I have is when the ignition is on, will the cam get turned on automatically, or do I need to turn it on manually everytime?

Well, since you already have the camera and have connected it, why not try it yourself? Turn the car on and see if ther camera comes on; turn the car off and see if it goes off.

Cheers

[Sushil Pingua]

Originally Posted by Stribog

Can someone please advise me on 2 things,

1- What should I look for in a Dashcam?
2- A budget option?

My need is,

1 - Protect me from any false accidental claims - this gets 90% weight age
2 - Record footage of fun road trips? the balance 10% and I can even do without this if need be.

Dear Brother,
I'm using the DDPAI dashcam purchased from Amazon in 2019. No issues whatsoever till date. I purchased the memory card separately from amazon and followed the instructions on the box and connected the dashcam to my usb port, I did not hardware my dashcam to car's battery because I have a closed parking garage. The details of my dashcam are:
DDPAI Mini Car Dash Camera with Upgraded Night Recording & Processor, Full HD 1080p Resolution, 140° Wide Angle, G-Sensor, WiFi, Parking Mode, Upto 128GB Supported
The usb adaptor is provided with the dashcam kit and also the strong adhesive tape required to stick to dashcam behind the irvm on the windscreen glass.
No issues till date, this dashcam is without battery so no chance of the dashcam exploding in extreme heat of India I have also attached a thermometer inside the car which sometimes in extreme heat shows internal temperature of cabin above 50'C.
Whenever I switch on the ignition the dashcam comes alive and goes dead when I switch off the ignition. The dashcam connects via wifi to my mobile or tablet very fast. Resolution of videos recorded during daytime is very good, night videos are decent.
This ddpai dashcam including the memory card was 4500/- in 2019, the prices have gone down a bit these days.

[raksrules]

Originally Posted by rsk

I recently got a Viofo A119 V3 for my car. I have connected it to USB and have not hard wired it. The question that I have is when the ignition is on, will the cam get turned on automatically, or do I need to turn it on manually everytime?

It will come on automatically once your car's electricals start. Not necessary Ignition. This is because as soon as you turn on the car (not the engine), power gets supplied to the 12v port and that means the camera will start. My bother uses the A129 duo in his car.

Ideally with any dashcam, you should never ever need to touch them unless it is required for some specific purpose.

[rsk]

Originally Posted by tilt

Well, since you already have the camera and have connected it, why not try it yourself? Turn the car on and see if ther camera comes on; turn the car off and see if it goes off.

Cheers

Ok, may be it wasn’t obvious in my question. I did try it and saw that it was not turning on by itself, hence the post here.

Originally Posted by raksrules

It will come on automatically once your car's electricals start. Not necessary Ignition. This is because as soon as you turn on the car (not the engine), power gets supplied to the 12v port and that means the camera will start. My bother uses the A129 duo in his car.

Ideally with any dashcam, you should never ever need to touch them unless it is required for some specific purpose.

Thanks! The key difference that I note is I have directly connected it to USB port (supposed to be for dashcam) and not the 12v port. Let me fiddle around see.

[Sushil Pingua]

Originally Posted by rsk

The key difference that I note is I have directly connected it to USB port (supposed to be for dashcam) and not the 12v port. Let me fiddle around see.

Dear Brother,
If I'm not wrong the dashcam is supposed to be connected to the 12V port with the help of a 2.1Amp adaptor.
This is how we have connected our dashcams to the 12V port (cigarette-lighter's 12v port) & when we turn on the ignition the dashcam switches on automatically, no need to touch the dashcam.

The output from the usb socket where you have inadvertently plugged your dashcam is not sufficient to lightup the dashcam. Usually the 12v adaptor with output of 2.1Amp is provided by the dashcam seller in the dashcam-kit itself, which is to be pushed into the 12v socket.
Hope it helps.

[ontheway]

I have got DDPai Mini Dashcam installed with hardwire kit in my S-Cross. Got is for Rs. 4400 with hardwire kit from Amazon (available on authorised seller website for 4200, but was in a hurry and needed it delivered within 2 days, hence chose Amazon).

Got Samsung Class 10 UVO 128GB memory card for Rs.1300 also from Amazon. Paid Rs.300 for installation to accessory shop and got it wired to Dome light in the fuse box. Installation is neat with only small portion of wire visible from windscreen to dashcam, rest all hidden in A-pillar and behind dashboard.

So far working fine. Clarity is good and app is also working fine. You have option to capture snapshots using app connected through wifi.

The only residual issue now left is that the fuse box cover is now not getting fixed on the fuse box as the dual fuse adapter is little raised and hence locks on the cover cant reach the box.



I think everyone using hardwiring will face this issue. Any way to get the cover fixed on the box as currently I have placed it securely in the boot cavity but I am afraid it will be lost in sometime during car cleaning and washing.

[rsk]

Originally Posted by Sushil Pingua

Dear Brother,
If I'm not wrong the dashcam is supposed to be connected to the 12V port with the help of a 2.1Amp adaptor.
This is how we have connected our dashcams to the 12V port (cigarette-lighter's 12v port) & when we turn on the ignition the dashcam switches on automatically, no need to touch the dashcam.

The output from the usb socket where you have inadvertently plugged your dashcam is not sufficient to lightup the dashcam. Usually the 12v adaptor with output of 2.1Amp is provided by the dashcam seller in the dashcam-kit itself, which is to be pushed into the 12v socket.
Hope it helps.

Thanks for the input. But it did work or was always working, the display was off and I assumed the entire system was off and it needs turning on. On closer observation, there is a subtle red light that turns on indicating the power is on. I just took the card and connected to the computer and it has been recording every single time I had started the vehicle. So, all good for now.

[airbus]

Originally Posted by rsk

On closer observation, there is a subtle red light that turns on indicating the power is on. I just took the card and connected to the computer and it has been recording every single time I had started the vehicle.

You can enable startup sound (under Beep Sound -> Turns on or off all notification sounds). I have also enabled boot delay of 15 seconds and the dashcam will start 15 seconds after it gets power, which allows me to start the engine. Otherwise dashcam lose power and reboot during engine start.

As suggested by other members, please check output of your USB port and if it is less than 2A, I think it will be better to use the 12V socket.

[arindam.dino]

anybody using 70mai pro plus A500s or A400? what are the disadvantages? would you recommend?

[tilt]

Originally Posted by rsk

Ok, may be it wasn’t obvious in my question. I did try it and saw that it was not turning on by itself, hence the post here.



Thanks! The key difference that I note is I have directly connected it to USB port (supposed to be for dashcam) and not the 12v port. Let me fiddle around see.

Ah, thank you. Correct, it was not obvious

You connecting the dashcam direct to the USB port isntead of the 12-volt is something I have not heard others do until now. Interesting experiment; and I am glad that it is indeed working properly (as you posted later - quoted below).

Originally Posted by rsk

Thanks for the input. But it did work or was always working, the display was off and I assumed the entire system was off and it needs turning on. On closer observation, there is a subtle red light that turns on indicating the power is on. I just took the card and connected to the computer and it has been recording every single time I had started the vehicle. So, all good for now.

Cheers

[krishnakumar]

Originally Posted by ontheway

I think everyone using hardwiring will face this issue. Any way to get the cover fixed on the box as currently I have placed it securely in the boot cavity but I am afraid it will be lost in sometime during car cleaning and washing.

It is indeed strange that there is no clearance between the lid and fusebox even for a fusetap! I have an XUV300 and I did the hardwiring myself yesterday - there is a good 2-3 inches gap from lid to the fusebox.

I've seen that in many cars, the lid is slant (to match the dashboard profile) whereas the fusebox itself is vertical. Can you check if there are any other fuses above that can be tapped allowing for the lid to close? That seems to be the only solution here.

Originally Posted by Stribog

1- What should I look for in a Dashcam?
2- A budget option?
My need is,
(1) Protect me from any false accidental claims - this gets 90% weight age (2) Record footage of fun road trips? the balance 10% and I can even do without this if need be.

I can understand your confusion. I was in the same boat earlier. Below were the things that I looked for in a dashcam. I finally decided on the Viofo A129 Duo for reasons explained later.

1. Front and rear camera is a must and therefore I was only considering options that had a dual camera setup. Rear-endings are almost as frequent as frontal collisions.
2. The camera itself should have a very small profile from all angles. Once fitted, it shouldn't be obvious to folks around but a close eye should capture it as well. Exactly how you'd want let's say a CCTV camera. Moreover, the small size is critical so that it doesn't affect your visibility as well.
3. The dashcams primary usage is obviously "security" footage. It therefore should have an option to manually "lock" the videos from getting overwritten.
4. Consider how many hours of driving you'll do nonstop before choosing to transfer the videos onto the system. Based on this you can calculate how much storage the camera should support. There are many calculators online for this.
5. It is recommended to go with a super capacitor based battery to allow for a wider range of operating temperatures. This is helpful especially for Indian climate. Note that the device also gets hot during operation.
6. The camera quality should be good both up at front and at rear. It should also have a decent night time performance as well. Best is to check reviews of dashcams on Youtube, there are countless channels doing these.
7. At the least, it should allow Wi-Fi based connectivity. This allows for easy and quick transfer of files etc.
8. In-built GPS is good to have since you can exactly pinpoint the location of certain events.
9. I felt that parking monitoring is not critical but it's a one-time setup that costs little to nothing considering the long-term usage of it. I have secured parking in my apartment and won't need it 90% of the time but on those roadtrips when I have to park outside, this becomes essential. So for me, dashcam by default meant that it will be hardwired. If you park the car outside, then getting it hardwired is a must.

Most of the cameras nowadays give all/most of the above factors in some form or the other. The reason I went with Viofo despite being a slightly expensive option is because, simply put, it was the only camera that did all of the above points in a way that dashcams should (from a security perspective).

• It has the same camera+sensor setup for both front and rear. Most dashcams cheap out on the rear camera for reasons only known to them. It's a security footage. A rearend is as important as frontal collision in my books.
• It was the only camera that I could find which has a manual "lock" option for securing footage. Most cameras would just rely on their on G-sensors to lock the files. But let's say some guy was showing shenanigans on the road or was intimidating you and you want to lock the footage. The G-sensor will not pick this up and you'll have to transfer these onto your phone before it gets overwritten. This might be more of a hassle than you might think and just having an option to lock the video manually is a simple, yet very helpful feature. Viofo also sells a separate bluetooth remote (with a single button) to lock videos, in case the camera unit is in a place that's not easily accessible from the driver's seat.
• Glare is one of the biggest problems when it comes to taking videos. In a dashcam, if important parts of the footage (like another car's number plate) gets covered due to glare from your car's dash/bonnet, the video is pretty much useless. The only real way to get around glare is by using a polarizing filter. ALL professional videographers use a CPL filter on their cameras. The Viofo dashcams are the only ones selling in India that had a CPL add-on option. Needless to say I got them for my front camera setup as they are more prone to glare from dash.
• The camera has a wedge shaped design making it almost invisible to someone from outside.

Now coming to the 10% requirement of entertainment footage. Honestly, none of the dashcams will give you good quality footage that you'll be happy with. Nope. Not even the 4K ones. The reason is to do with a variety of factors like camera sensor, color grading profiles the camera software uses, bitrate etc. The dashcams are designed to capture just security footage. Their videos will not be worthy of, let's say, a nice Instagram reels video unless you're doing something educational. For capturing the moments of your roadtrips, I'd strongly recommend getting an action camera like GoPro or Insta360. Or best, just use your phone. You'll also be able to use them outside of your car on your roadtrip. A dashcam will not give you that flexibility. So my suggestion is to drop that requirement even if it's just 10% because it may confuse you between choosing a purpose built dashcam and a so-so dashcam that has, let's say, higher "entertainment" value.

[UPS_Guru]

CPL filter is now available for 70mai dashcams: https://www.nexdigitron.com/products...or-a500s-a800s. Not sure if they are from the company though. It is compatible with 70mai Lite, Pro, A500, A500S, A800, and A800S models.