[amitgupta]

Originally Posted by srvm

1. I received 2 electrostatic stickers along with the dashcam. If I understood the instructions correctly, the electrostatic stickers are first stuck on the windshield and then the dashcam goes on top of this sticker. Is this correct?

Yes.

Originally Posted by srvm

2. Also, what do you folks do when you leave the car for service? Do you leave the dashcam(s) in the car? Or do you remove them? If one has to remove them, which adhesive/sticker is peeled off? And what should be done to put the dashcam back after the service?

I haven't sent the car in for service yet. But when I do, I will probably just unplug the camera & remove the electrostatic sticker. That is the point of having it - it can be removed & applied back which is not the case with other stickers. Or I might just keep everything as is & tell the SA to not mess with it.

[amitgupta]

Originally Posted by LordSpymaster

60fps recording

You don't need 60 fps. A good camera with good resolution at 30 fps is good enough.

Originally Posted by LordSpymaster

Some protection against heating up (Supercapacitor?)

Supercapacitor does not prevent against heating up. So dashcams need access to power for a few seconds to power down properly when the car is shut down otherwise you risk damaging the card on which data is being written continuously (same concept as why you would need a UPS with a PC). Earlier dashcams would have a small rechargeable battery which would provide that sliver of power for shutdown procedure. But in the Indian summers batteries can explode given the high temperatures & if the car is parked under the Sun then the inside becomes an oven with no heat escape.

Supercapacitors are high capacity capacitors which can hold some electrical charge, so when the car is shut down, they can provide enough power for dashcam to shut down & once they do that they lose their electrical charge as well. Since there is no battery in the dashcam anymore, nothing to explode due to high temperatures.

Your dashcam might still heat up, especially during operation. But that is normal behaviour.

Originally Posted by LordSpymaster

A compatible 256GB or more SD card with operating temperatures that can withstand North Indian summers

I'd say follow the recommendations of the dashcam maker. They usually have multiple card recommendations which work best with their products. So you can choose one of those. Also, every dashcam has different card capacity support; some support upto 128 GB, some 256 GB, some upto 512 GB. Use a card only till the capacity supported by your dashcam.

Originally Posted by LordSpymaster

I think DDPAI / VoFio / Qubo are the main competitors that give a more budget-friendly option as well. Which model should I buy from these, that have my main feature set available in their product?

Personally I would not recommend using Qubo, I've heard negatives about their quality from multiple people. Also, I don't think they have any model with Supercapacitor, all of them have a battery on board instead which disqualifies them for your use case. DDPAI & Viofo are good.

Decide your budget & then see which models fit your criteria within that budget. Also, I'd suggest to pick a model which has support for 2 channels. Even if you are going for front only, you might want to put a rear one later & it will be cost effective if your dashcam already supports 2 channels in which case you'll just need to buy the rear camera otherwise you will have to buy the whole thing anew.

[raptor_diwan]

Hi everyone,

I am currently in the market for a dashcam and have narrowed down my options to three models. I would appreciate your assistance in selecting the right one. My budget is around 5,000 rupees. I previously owned an SJCAM 7 series action cam, but it would automatically shut down due to overheating. Therefore, I am now searching for a dedicated dashcam solution.

Here are the three models I am considering:

1. DDPAI Mini Dash Cam - This model seems to be popular and widely used, even in this forum.

2. Hikvision Wide-Angle Dash Cam

This model looks good aesthetically, but the listed features are not mentioned, and it seems to be relatively new in the market.

3. NEXDIGITRON A3 Dash Cam - This model has similar features to the first one, the DDPAI Mini. Has anyone here used this model?

I will be primarily using the dashcam for long trips, so it needs to be able to withstand heat and direct sunlight. Your insights and recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

[adisan]

Originally Posted by raptor_diwan

1. DDPAI Mini Dash Cam - This model seems to be popular and widely used, even in this forum.

My feedback after nearly 4 years of usage:

At an earlier time, I used to have a cellphone holder placed on the windshield. When driving facing the sun, it used to absorb heat and transmit to the phone, which eventually would switch off. So when I got the dashcam I placed it on the dashboard, a bit away from the windshield. The dashcam has not had any issues so far.

The one flaw I have noticed - if the DDPai app is installed on a mobile within range of the dashcam, the dashcam syncs the date/time ONLY whenever the app is opened. Else it continues from the previous date/time, however long back it might have been.
When the app is not installed on the mobile the dashcam updates the date/time automatically and accurately.

[raptor_diwan]

Originally Posted by adisan

My feedback after nearly 4 years of usage:
The one flaw I have noticed - if the DDPai app is installed on a mobile within range of the dashcam, the dashcam syncs the date/time ONLY whenever the app is opened. Else it continues from the previous date/time, however long back it might have been.
When the app is not installed on the mobile the dashcam updates the date/time automatically and accurately.

Thanks for this information. Can we see the number plate visibility using this dash cam? I've seen a few sample videos on YouTube, but I couldn't read any of the vehicle number plates. It might be due to YouTube losing frames, but in the actual original footage, it might be visible. Could you shed some light on this? Will we be able to read the number plate, and does it shut down due to heat?

[amitgupta]

Originally Posted by amitgupta

You don't need 60 fps. A good camera with good resolution at 30 fps is good enough.

Ok so further on this. I checked the recording from my night drive yesterday. My Viofo A139 Pro is set to record at 4K at 30fps. Below are some screenshots from when I was driving at 80+ kmph on NE3 (speed limit was 100 kmph for cars).



In the above screenshot the car number is almost readable (speed 86 kmph).



In the above screenshot the car number is easily readable (speed 90 kmph).



In the above screenshot the car number is readable with somewhat effort (my speed was 81 kmph & this car in front of mine was likely 100+ kmph as it zipped past me).

The front camera is 8MP. I think if it had a bit more megapixels (around 12-15) then the image could've been a bit better. Camera focus is also very important. I checked a number of cars I passed by at 80+ speed and not all numbers were readable because camera failed to lock focus on them.

Next I'm going to drop the resolution on front unit to 2K & increase frame rate to 60 fps and then see if the results are better or not.

[bravo82in]

Originally Posted by raptor_diwan

Will we be able to read the number plate, and does it shut down due to heat?

Have been using DDPAI mini for over 2 years in 2 of my cars. Number plate readability is not possible over 20/30 kmph. It does only at crawling speeds(both day and night) For number plate readability you will need to triple your budget at least. Most budget Dashcams will need a CPL filter (sold separately) for glare free recordings. The support to DDAPI is provided by nexdigitron, which is generally good and they respond well in time. The app at times has connectivity issue (usually happens after iOS update) and customer care will suggest some change in setting to make it work again. For DDPAi, 70mai and Nexdigitron the support is good and you can go with any of these. Cant comment on Hikvision. You may go with your choices above, choose to upgrade to a better dashcam later and shift your Dashcam to rear (Even with the best of dual dashcams, the rear camera is at par with DDPAI mini) If number plate readability is your sole criterion follow amitgupta's post below.

Originally Posted by amitgupta

Next I'm going to drop the resolution on front unit to 2K & increase frame rate to 60 fps and then see if the results are better or not.

Thank you so much for your response and clarifying many doubts. Will be eagerly looking forward for your next post on 2k with 60 fps.

Originally Posted by bravo82in

Just wondering can android stereo with front camera be used as dashcam? Have seen a couple of videos of android set ups with dual cannel camera.

Can someone comment on this?

[dass]

What is the easiest way to remove the electrostatic sticker which is already stuck to the windscreen and place it somewhere else? The dashcam is already stuck to the ES sticker, however, I now realized that the movement of the IRVM is obstructed and hence need to move it

[raptor_diwan]

Originally Posted by bravo82in

Have been using DDPAI mini for over 2 years in 2 of my cars. Number plate readability is not possible over 20/30 kmph. It does only at crawling speeds(both day and night) For number plate readability you will need to triple your budget at least. Most budget Dashcams will need a CPL filter (sold separately) for glare free recordings. If number plate readability is your sole criterion follow amitgupta's post below.

Thank you for the info! @bravo82in If the number plate is not going to be visible properly, then I don't think I will go with this option. I may need to increase my budget and choose the best one available. I will explore other brands that can easily capture the number plate as well.

[livelyyoungman]

Have installed dashcams in both of my cars. None of them get the number plates clearly especially during the nights. Still installed them as a safety measure.

[bravo82in]

Originally Posted by raptor_diwan

I will explore other brands that can easily capture the number plate as well.

Welcome brother, I am in the same boat as you looking for better dash cams with ability to read number plates. Zeroing down on 70mai pro plusA500S. Do let me know if you can find some thing better.

[amitgupta]

Originally Posted by bravo82in

Will be eagerly looking forward for your next post on 2k with 60 fps.

I'll get the video later in this week. I'll likely have one night drive on the highway where I'll be able to go over 80.

Originally Posted by bravo82in

Zeroing down on 70mai pro plusA500S.

You might want to reconsider if you park your car under the Sun because 70MAI dashcams use Lithium Ion batteries. Also this model supports a max 128 GB of card.

[bravo82in]

Originally Posted by amitgupta

I'll get the video later in this week. I'll likely have one night drive on the highway where I'll be able to go over 80

Thanks a ton, will be looking forward

You might want to reconsider if you park your car under the Sun because 70MAI dashcams use Lithium Ion batteries. Also this model supports a max 128 GB of card.

Thanks for pointing that out. I am ok with 128 gb card but I missed reading it’s not capacitor but lithium ion. They have mentioned that in the deepest layer of info under others tab.

[sagarpadaki]

Originally Posted by bravo82in

Thanks for pointing that out. I am ok with 128 gb card but I missed reading it’s not capacitor but lithium ion. They have mentioned that in the deepest layer of info under others tab.

With the size of batteries used in dashcams being so small, the consequence of overheating is inconsequential.

[CzechItaliaMoto]

Originally Posted by bravo82in

Thank you everyone for the in depth knowledge. Just wondering can android stereo with front camera be used as dashcam? Have seen a couple of videos of android set ups with dual cannel camera.

If you have an Android stereo, you can probably try installing an app from the playstore, and check if it detects the front and rear cams. One app that i found was - https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...dvideorecorder

Another one from the same dev -https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...e.droiddashcam

I can't tell if it works on an Android stereo because i don't have one installed.

I was also looking at one of these 360 degree cameras on ebay, it mentions that it has recording function, if anyone has any experience with these type of systems, please let me know the feedback.

Link - https://www.ebay.com/itm/360-Bird-Vi...-127632-2357-0