[rahul4321]

Guys, need your help.

There's a colleague of mine who owns an Alto and has just bought a new Honda City. Someone in his block of apartment has a personal vendetta against him (possibly) and is causing damage to his cars. He has already has his City scratched from every side and the Alto had its two outside mirrors broken. Apart form this, his Alto has already been badly scratched.

Is there any product like a CCTV which records images when the car is SWITCHED OFF (it wont be getting power from the car bettery but should run on a stand-alone power system)? He is planning to collar the culprit red handed and thus is looking out for a product like this.

If yes; can you please post a link of the product where i can buy it? If this has already been discussed somewhere, can someone please post a link of that discussion?

Thanks,
Rahul

[sam003]

Sorry to hear about it, but yes there are spy camera's for such purpose, I don't have any link, but someone did same thing to my Innova and want to know the culprit. At that time I had word with someone who deals in spy camera's, as per him there are wireless devices and they cost bomb (>50K).

Second option, where ever he park, take some wireless laptop camera and install it on nearby house/tree/pole. and keep recoding. i know its might not be looking feasible, but its a cheaper option.

Or go to any spy camera person they might help you.

[paragsachania]

Get hold of a simple Car DVR (Dash Cam) and keep that in record mode every time you park. A Camera with dual channel mostly covers everything in front and the wide angle of the inside camera records videos in a way that there is at least better chance to nail down the culprit when he is closer to any of the windows (specially rear).

There are many such cameras available online (ebay, dx.com) and consume very little power and are functional (and recording) with no hints of its operation as you can turn off the screen or any other LEDs that may possibly hint the prankster.

[NetfreakBombay]

Originally Posted by rahul4321

Is there any product like a CCTV which records images when the car is SWITCHED OFF (it wont be getting power from the car bettery but should run on a stand-alone power system)? He is planning to collar the culprit red handed and thus is looking out for a product like this.

He can buy a cheap android phone and install app to record video that is triggered by motion detection. E.g.:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...recorder&hl=en

He can leave that running in car (Hide it near headrest), and if required attach additional battery.

[Warwithwheels]

Please check the last few pages of this thread. There are quite a few members in the same boat as you.

You could prolly look for a Car DVR that should do the job. There are several threads in the forum discussing the same. Here's a listing from a online store:

http://dx.com/c/car-accessories-799/...9/car-dvrs-735

EDIT: For a fool proof solution (over night parking)

* Try to invest on two car DVR's. Ensure that the DVRs are equipped with Night vision
* Park the cars one behind the other or side by side with sufficient gap so that the cam can get a full view of the other car
* Place the DVR in the Alto to focus the City and in the city to focus the alto. (If he's on a budget, he can choose only to cover the City from the Alto)

[kdp95]

In addition to the members' suggestions, you can also ask some kids to keep an eye on your cars during their playtime or when they are in vicinity of the cars. Bribe them with chocolates/sweets; these lil' hellions can be good spies.

[for_cars1]

Originally Posted by rahul4321

Guys, need your help.

Someone.. is causing damage to his cars.

Is there any product like a CCTV which records images when the car is SWITCHED OFF ... He is planning to collar the culprit red handed

I've been looking around for a similar camera that can specifically be used to catch vandals in their act.

The following video demonstrates that placing a camera in the car is pretty useless to catch a vandal in his act. (video link)

The other points to note are:
1. Most cameras have just about 2 hours max recording time in parked mode before the battery runs out.
2. The motion detection feature in most cameras in parking mode is pretty useless, they don't get triggered reliably and if they do get triggered, it will just be due to cars and people walking nearby and specifically the vandal.
3. Most "budget" cameras perform poorly at night and the night vision feature (using LED illumination) are just a gimmick, the light will be deflected by the windshield and make the video useless.

The only practical solution at the moment would be to place a camera outside the car somewhere in the parking lot pointed at the car.

I wish there is a camera with the following features:
1. Small compact camera specifically designed to be used only when the car is switched off and parked.
2. Very discreet and not bulky looking hanging off the windshield with suction cup and all. Preferrable attachable to the rear view mirror or next to the front head rest.
3. Good battery backup of atleast 6 hours and rechargable batteries that can be easily replaced.