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-   -   Share One Dashcam between 2 cars? (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/car-entertainment/266588-share-one-dashcam-between-2-cars.html)

I have two cars which are never in use at the same time.

Option 1: I am thinking of getting a budget dashcam and an extra mount. Planning to install mounts in both cars and move the dashcam according to use.

Pros:
- Cheapest (1 dashcam + 1 mount)

Cons:
- Have to move dashcam to car in active use
- Have to move the power source too
- Cannot have discrete cable

Option 2: A budget dashcam and an extra mount and power source (1 dashcam + 1 mount + 1 long USB cable + 1 power socket)

Pros:
- No need to move power source

Cons:
- Have to move dashcam to car in active use
- Will need to buy hardware

Option 2.5: A modification of Option 2 would be something like a NEXDIGITRON A3 with hardwire kit (this will likely be cheaper than Option 2). Use hardwire kit in one car and the power socket in another. Am I missing something here?

Pros:
- Cheaper than Option 2 (1 dashcam with hardwire kit + 1 mount + 1 long USB cable)
- Less hardware than Option 2

Cons:
- Have to move dashcam to car in active use

Option 3 : Buy one dashcam per car

option 4 : Others (please explain in comments)

Thanks.

Dashcams are usually fire and forget thing, until you get into an incident where you feel the need to retrieve the footage.
This means, they should be super convenient to use but at the same time it also brings a challenge that you wouldn't get to know if your dashcam is even properly functioning and active or not. The last thing you would want is finding out your dashcam was faulty.

For reason stated above, I feel that its worth going for One dashcam that is reliable, dis-mountable (atleast my viofo can be mounted on and off pretty easily).
This way one would be able to keep track of its working too once in a while. However one really has to get into the habit of switching the dashcam while switching the car. (I know people buying expensive safety riding equipments and wearing it while going to corner shops when new, but the practice fades).

One cam per car, as the vote goes. Dashcams are not very expensive nowadays, moving them is a lot of hassle in my opinion and having wires dangling around can be a big distraction; the wiring, lens, mounts or the plugs getting damaged by excessive use is another potential worry. I've a dashcam that I installed way back in 2018. The wire is 95% hidden plus I added an extra 12v socket and charger in the dashboard to make it mostly hidden. I barely notice it in my daily drives as it hides very neatly behind the IRVM and I only rely on the power on/off sounds for knowing its working and/or is charged. I believe this is the ideal way a dashcam is supposed to be, installed and working like a part of the car and not an added accessory!

Dashcams are a must in the cars now. Be it a short drive for errand in the city or a long drive on the highways. Its almost a life saver. So, its better to invest in a good one. As you stated that both the cars are not in use at the same time, buying one can be an option.

I use Transcend DrivePro 250 which is perfect for dismounting (I do it to avoid the dashcam being baked when car is parked in the open and temperatures go high). This dashcam comes with one suction mount (very sturdy) and a long power cable (which i myself routed through the side pillar, glove box) which goes in the cigarette lighter plug.

So, to use the same dashcam, you will need to invest in both the suction mount + power cable from the same manufacturer. Imagine buying a third party suction mount which doesn't hold the dashcam well, then the whole purpose of buying a dashcam is lost. Also, you cant be using the same power cable as its needs to be hidden and not make the dashboard all messy.

So, do your research well and then go for it. To summarize, go for one dashcam setup only if you can buy both the suction mount + power cable from the same manufacturer.

Just buy a new dashcam and be done with it.

It is easier not to keep moving it from one car to the other as that will take time and you may forget the key of the other car, etc.

I use an old GoPro as a dashcam on a Fiat that I use during weekends since it doesn't have a power source. Works well for the short distances that I do.

Worst case, one day you will think to yourself that its just a short 500 m hop to the store, why bother making the switch.
Thats when you will hit a random entity, who will drag you to a police station and ask for "settlement", and you will be cursing yourself, because the bigger vehicle is at fault as the owner inherited the crown jewels.

Just saying. :)

Get 2 dashcams, as pointed out by other members its not worth the hassle to shift cams here and there every time.

What if there arises a scenario where you've to use both vehicles at the same time & you have only 1 dashcam?

I am using a single dash cam between 2 cars since last 6-7 years. Both cars have prefixed mounts and power connections. Only the cam is switched. Since both cars are being parked close to each other, it has never bothered me too much. Agreed, best is to have separate cams but if you want to keep your budget in check, then this solution is indeed manageable. I have made it a point to never drive without the cam- so in a way it helps me not to skip on it even during short drives.

Regards,
Saket

The whole point of having a cam is for those unfortunate situations where something bad may happen. If you start sharing the cam, it's highly likely that you start doing it initially and over time let go for small drives.

I would day buy one initially and then plan to buy one more in the long term. The hassle is not worth it.

I advocate one dashcam per car. I prefer this because I just dont want all the fiddling between cars.
And dashcams are relatively inexpensive these days.
So best to have one per car.

In fact I am very happy that some manufacturers are giving dashcams as original equipment with the car itself. Thats a good move and long awaited.

Do you really think you will be able to keep shifting a dash cam from one car to another throughout the year? Seriously, that is not worth the effort. Maybe it would work for a month, but afterwards, you wouldn't be in the mood to keep changing and dealing with all that.

If budget is a concern, consider getting a cheap dash cam for the car you use less frequently and invest in a good brand for your primary vehicle.

Do you always carry both car keys with you?
Haven't you ever had an emergency where you have to quickly take out the car?

Don't get the budget part either. A person who is able to maintain two cars cannot afford a one-time investment of 5k?

If you are the only driver and it is impossible for the other car to also be driven simultaneously, then it is not so difficult to switch the dashcams. You will need to religiously dismount the dashcam and refit it back akin to disconnecting and reconnecting one's mobile phone to the infotainment. But it squarely depends on the dashcam - mount design.

I am not sure how easy it is to buy an additional set of OE accessories (mount, cable) while power socket can be taken for granted in the cars. Placing and removing the dashcam is quite easy in my DDPAI Mini5 as it slides into the mount (horizontally) and magnetically locks in place. I would not recommend switching dashcams if the procedure is even remotely cumbersome/clunky


I hope from the dashcam view you will be able to distinguish one car from the other in the footage :)

Yes, I have both car keys in one key ring- as I am the only person who drives both.

If there is such an emergency, I can always pick the car with the cam already installed. Don't quite get your point.

Quite funny that you asked this. If that's the whole point then there is no need for this thread. For me, ignoring the adorability part of your question, I would say I never felt it to be a hassle. Both cars are parked side by side in a covered parking. So, it is hardly a 30 second job which I can manage. Some may not.

As someone who tried to share one dashcam some years back between, here are a couple of problems I faced:

(1) Biggest issue was that I would forget to move the camera to the car in use at that time. As the dear family would constantly remind, "Why did you spend on a dashcam if you forget to use it all the time?"

Peace of mind, especially in enclosed spaces with some who share your bloodline with, is a greatly under rated privilege. So I decided to look at spending a bit more to acquire said tranquil atmosphere.

(2) I bought a suction cup mount for the dashcam since I didn't want to use the glued permanently fixed mount that came with the camera.

Just remove the cable and suction cup everytime. Easy peasy, isn't it? Nope!

After a while, the suction cup just became a 'cup'. No suction.

The cup would inevitably detach itself and the dashcam become a hanging ornament attached to the cable. And yes, the family would have the cheap thrills associated with car mods that don't work as advertised. I strongly suspect that the fricking camera had some sort of sensor which detected whenever someone else would use or enter the car and decide to take a bungee jump. So in the interest of world peace, I moved on to the next feasible option.

(3) Two fixed mounts glued to each car. Great fit, just move the cameras between cars, and no more randomly hanging dashcams to deal with.

Turns out, not so. The dashcam is meant to stay fixed during drives, so the camera has a snug fit with the mount. This calls for a bit of gentle force to remove. Now, this might have been an issue with the dashcam model I was using, but the mount part of the camera started to flex after a while due to the regular removals.

Shubh Mangal moment
I didn't want to end up with a dashcam broken at the mount point, so the second dashcam was ordered. I haven't had to look back (or at) the dashcams in all senses of the term after that.

And the best part? I still maintain cordial relations with the old blood!