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Now that I have a nice new TLX, is there a good DVR to buy to watch over my car when I cannot be there to protect it?
At home I park in a closed garage. Unfortunately at work and various other places away from home, I need to rely on local security or no security at all. It would be nice to have a decent video recorder to at least have evidence to prosecute a vandal.
No suggestions, but are you familiar with any such monitoring device? There are dash cams that are generally used forward facing when the car is in motion. For vandal monitoring you would need two to four wide angled cameras to monitor 360 degrees. They should also be motion sensor activated. I cannot envision a practical solution.
IMO, it's not worth the extra cost for such a device. The should be insured enough to cover damage/theft. Spending a lot of money to "monitor" would not be worth it.
You can get an upgraded alarm system that has proximity alarms/warnings.. at least they used to have those that would give a voice warning that I was "too close to the car."
I would look for any alarm with 2-way alarm so that way you can be alerted at work on your FOB if the alarm goes off. Unfortunately; those types of alarms are very expensive, require a pro to install, replace existing factory alarm, replaces the OEM FOB (stuck carrying two fobs), and sometimes require a monthly service fee for internet.
I've always wanted to get a dash cam for my vehicles; but, I'm worried someone would break into my car to steal the camera. Love to find a reasonable priced on with 360 degree view that clips on the back of rear view mirror to hide it a little bit.
No spy cam needed. There are a number of DVR dashcams on the market that can do a basic job and they are well worth it IMO, I don't see why not. Sure they are cheaply made and probably won't last long, you have to accept that. Because of that you'd probably have to buy a new one every couple yrs. But at $50 think of it as a tank of gas, the cost for some extra peace of mind. Being that it's cheap has an advantage; vandals are unlikely to target it. What are they going to use it for? A dashcam they can use for themselves? No, lol not worth jailtime. They look for iPads and Valentine Ones etc things that can be resold.
I am lucky to have secure parking but there is an extra measure of safety in having a camera from inside the vehicle. It helps in case of an accident (you don't have to whip out your cellphone losing precious seconds in a stressful panicked moment) and it can record when the car is off by detecting motion. I am in and out of valet parking all the time. If I'm suspicious I can easily find out what happened when the car was out of sight. It shoots 720p which is more than decent. Nowadays there are quite a few to choose from because of demand from countries like Russia where dashcams are on every car. Once you get one, you'll wonder why you didn't get one before and why manufacturers in the US aren't offering this in their tech packages. At least the Corvette has something close. (with some privacy concerns which I find beyond stupid. your car is your property.)
The reason why engineering hasn't advanced much (beyond making the technology cheaper) is mainly because there is very low demand for it here in the US. But then again there is a compromise with that. Yes it would be better to get better build quality and features. But then that would make the camera more of a valuable target to thieves, so in a way I'm glad these cameras are cheap. They serve the purpose and they are way better than having no camera.
No spy cam needed. There are a number of DVR dashcams on the market that can do a basic job and they are well worth it IMO, I don't see why not. Sure they are cheaply made and probably won't last long, you have to accept that. Because of that you'd probably have to buy a new one every couple yrs. But at $50 think of it as a tank of gas, the cost for some extra peace of mind. Being that it's cheap has an advantage; vandals are unlikely to target it. What are they going to use it for? A dashcam they can use for themselves? No, lol not worth jailtime. They look for iPads and Valentine Ones etc things that can be resold.
Thanks, that was the kind of answer I was looking for. Would you recommend a 120 or so degree camera or should I get something close to 360 degrees?
As Quandry said a 360 degree solution is not really practical. Don't get me wrong, something like that would be a dream and it's definitely doable but that would require quite a custom setup.
The one I have is the DVR027 model that was quite popular a couple years ago but supposedly there is better stuff out there now. For serving the basic purpose something like what aznboi has posted will work well.
Yea, of course. Since your goal is security you could put as many cameras as you need to, they're cheap enough. Most of them have at least a 120 degrees lens. For me one camera was enough because it's more of a dashcam thing to me more than anything else. I have it on a console switch so I can use it on demand.
I made mention on that thread of some ways to extend the wiring to keep it hidden. But if you wanted to do multiple cameras there are surely ways to hardwire it (instead of having to use up cigarette lighter inputs) and tapping a power source that turns on with the ignition. Of course that is more work but anything is doable if you have the time. Be sure to fuse that kind of connection though.
If you are wondering how the motion detector function would work with the car off, it's because these cameras also contain a backup battery, that allows it to turn on in those specific situations. I'll mention in fairness that the motion detecting function on my particular unit has never worked as intended. I hear it works for others, so I guess mine is defective. I was just lazy to complain and return it.
I just want to update this thread with a video I was watching. Seems like there is a product that has finally caught up with technology and worth investing in. Indeed it is one of these Blackvue cams. This video convinced me that I have to get one of these soon. I didn't realize that it actually is 2 channel recording (front and back cams)
I'd say it is well worth it and significantly better than the cheap EBay ones out there. I know I said that it's a concern that the camera itself becomes a valuable thing to steal. But I think that the benefits outweigh that small risk. There are too many things on my car more valuable.
I had a rearview mirror mounted cam and while the cam was good, mounting to the rearview mirror was not. I won't go there again. The BlackVue is a pretty pricey cam. I think the Mini 0806 is going to be my next dash cam. It is an improvement of a very good series of cams. It is small and pretty discrete. It just came out in Dec and the first production run sold out quickly. It is a single channel cam but less than half the price of the BlackVue. It has GPS, two memory card slots, and a CPL filter (to help cut down on glare/reflections. If you are looking for a lower price option check it out...
It seems like a fine camera. For me I'd still pick the 0806. The 0806 has a removable mount, I'm not sure the A118 does. The 0806 has a higher resolution, but the A118 is probably enough. It looks like the A118 has some issue with being blurry. I've seen this reported on other cams and sometime seems to be caused by the cam getting hot. In FL and Houston heat tolerance is a concern. The 0806 was modified to increase air flow and an internal heat sink was added. The 0806 also has a filter you can mount to help cut down on glare. It doesn't look like the A118 has one.
Like all things I think it is a little bit of a crap shoot. The site above is pretty helpful but the best thing to do is just dive in and get one and learn. It seems people tend to upgrade their dash cams often, so maybe that is not a good sign of the maturity of these products. Or maybe these folks are dashcam enthusiasts and it is a hobby to them.
I think it would be so easy for a car manufacturer to integrate a dash cam in the car. Most newer cars already have cameras in them, and as you can see with these products, the chipsets are readily available and fairly small. They could integrate the dash cam right into the sensor suite and just have an SD slot or USB port to get your data out. Even do playback on the center screen. Low hanging fruit.
I had the blackvue installed on my G coupe. Ran the wires though the headboard, down the pillar all way to the fuse box. Was able to set it so that it only turned on when the car was on.
I could have also wired it so that it would work with the built-in motion detector. (depending on which fuse you tapped into).
It seems like a fine camera. For me I'd still pick the 0806. The 0806 has a removable mount, I'm not sure the A118 does. The 0806 has a higher resolution, but the A118 is probably enough. It looks like the A118 has some issue with being blurry. I've seen this reported on other cams and sometime seems to be caused by the cam getting hot. In FL and Houston heat tolerance is a concern. The 0806 was modified to increase air flow and an internal heat sink was added. The 0806 also has a filter you can mount to help cut down on glare. It doesn't look like the A118 has one.
Very good points.Heat will definitely be an issue for us. I am tempted to mount the camera on the visor to keep it out of the sun. Unfortunately, this would be an issue if you wanted to use the visor. Another wild idea was to mount it to a tripod over the center console, or hang it from the moon roof, but maybe not.
Wirecutter offers a dashcam recommendation but more than that it hints at whether you should have a 24/7 dashcam or one that just runs when the car is running.
To simply quote them "To the dozens of folks who’ve written in asking for advice on how to catch the neighbor/ex-boyfriend/street sweeper who has been leaving dents in the car, a $60 or even $400 dash cam isn’t the solution."
I kinda agree and I don't but more than that I think it's possible to run a cam 24/7 without draining your batteries if you really wish it. The power consumption of the dashcam would have to be low enough and/or could be powered by a pass-thru battery pack with a high charging amperage.
^^^ Looks nice but I am afraid someone will want to steal it.
Am I being overly paranoid?
No one really notices a dash cam unless someone is specially looking for it. When I dropped my car off for an oil change, it recorded everything and no one noticed. lol
I saw the tech driving it off to a parking lot in the back. Then the service guy walked up to the car along with 3 other guys looking at the car. Popping up the hood and talking about the car for a while. (I told the sales guy the car was for sale).
After the oil change, I noticed the tech taking the car out for a ride on the freeway. And back to the garage. Checked the oil and all. Didn't know they test drove cars after an oil change. No wonder it take them about an hour to do the oil change.
The car was parked w/o issues at a campus parking lot. The only time my car was broken into (twice) was when I had my Integra and a double din unit.
Yea Rocket man I hear ya. I also thought the BlackVue was overpriced. When it first came out I skimmed through the features and dismissed it like whatever. It costs more than a GoPro and I didn't really pay attention.
But after looking at it more carefully along with that video, consider all the features and it will seem more like a value. It is a product designed for the North American market unlike all the other grey market stuff, it is full HD 1080p, (Look how beautiful VBX's pics are. You need that kind of resolution to read license plates and for bad weather/night.) it is relatively small and doesn't look bad, it can connect to a phone app and playback with minimal lag and even live view, it has a G-sensor, it has a park mode (and doesn't need an internal battery if you use the special wiring kit.), it has a totally awesome desktop app that is feature packed and has GPS coordinates, and most important: It is 2 channel! You get a rear 720p cam that records in sync. I mean wow, this has convinced me. All these features make $375 totally worth it IMO. I have been rear ended 3 times and I am paranoid about it, I think 2 channel is something worth it.
tlxsteve I also think it could be a theft magnet itself but it all depends where you park. Do you garage it most of the time? Does it live out on the street all the time and overnight? Then maybe. In my case the car is always garaged and watched like a hawk. So this cam is more like a daytime parking attendant for the once in awhile I go shopping.
I try to avoid valets when I can but I am often in Manahattan so there is no way around that. A cam is something of a necessity. I have had a couple valets already tell me "Oh you have a cam!" I don't know if that ever works against me but I'm hoping it will work in my favor most of the time. Yea my baby needs a nanny cam when I'm away and I would choose camera over no camera.
IMO dashcams are still relatively a rare thing in the US. Thieves usually steal things they can resell or use for parts. They rarely take things for personal use. I'd say many thieves wouldn't be looking for these cams or notice them as VBX said. Some wouldn't even really know what they are. But if you are in a moment where you think the cam could be more of a risk just know that it easily comes out of the bracket and you can stow it away quickly. Someone will think well that defeats the purpose of the cam right? Well the camera has several purposes, not just for theft. It is for emergencies, accidents, incident recording, police stops (records audio) and if someone borrows/valets or services your car. Now if you really think there is a possibility your camera looks attractive to a thief why not camouflage it? You could cover the logo with electrical tape, or better yet wrap it in vinyl (carbon fiber or black) leaving just the lens exposed. The best thing about this 650 model rather than the flagship 750 model (which has a screen and looks like a Garmin GPS) is it's slim profile. I think it looks much more discreet than the other cameras out there.
baelim the BlackVue can be bought as a package with the Power Magic Pro. It is a wiring kit made by the same manufacturer. It is designed to essentially hardwire the camera in such a way that it will be able to still power the cam when the car is off but can be preset to cut the power if the car's battery drops below a certain voltage (as to not allow the camera to drain your battery and you haven't used your car for many days.) or you can set it to automatically turn off the camera after X amount of hours/days. This is the reason I mentioned before that the camera doesn't require it's own rechargeable battery. Those are essentially cheap cell phone batteries that don't last long anyways.
About the heat; it sounded like the previous 600 version of this camera had heat issues. This newer 650 model has addressed those issues. Mount the cam so it is JUST below your factory tint strip. You could probably go even a little higher than VBX did in that pic. That way any overhead sun will lend some protection and the only risk will be more direct and horizontal rays of sun. At any rate I highly advise the use of a sunshield to preserve your interior/dashboard anyways and keep the interior temp down. (Us 3G guys are cursed with the risk of UV damage/cracking of our dashboards.) My sunshield is cut out where the cam is, I have an additional tinted windshield strip and I try my best to never park facing the sun. That's the best you can do I guess.
Last edited by rockyfeller; 01-12-2015 at 11:04 PM.
I keep my car in the garage when I am at home day or night. Unfortunately I leave it in a company "semi-secure" parking lot when I am at work during the day.
Sunshade may be cut to hide the camera while allowing the lens to view through. Seems the TLX doesn't have factory tint above the A line. I was surprised. Also pointing the front of the car away from the sun is a good idea.
I do park the car at shopping areas, restaurants, doctor's office, friend's house and other public areas. Again, maybe I can use the heat shield to hide the cam.
The heat issue is from the camera itself. It gets HOT... I had the 500GW model.
I actually have another set setting in the trunk. To lazy to install it. Cause it's a lease and it's due in Nov.
The android app is pretty awesome. You can change settings, view live feeds and save an event directly to your phone or tablet after it happens etc etc.
Also, if you are paranoid, you can just remove the camera with a simple push of a button. It just gets annoying over time because you have to adjust the angle of the camera to make it perfect everytime you snap it back into the mount.
If the angle is off, it can cause glare, blurry video from the bad focus, etc etc.
The BlackVue is a very nice camera and obviously has some very nice user interfaces that the 0806 doesn't have. But while I was running my dashcam (I have since given it away), once you get it set up it pretty much just runs and runs and runs. I hardly ever interfaced with it. Sure when it was new I was downloading files etc.. but watching myself drive back and forth to work gets boring pretty quick. I had to go in on occasion and remove the videos that got saved in the 'secure' folder since it had a lot of false g-force alarms. But once the camera is set up you will (should) rarely have to do anything with it.
The 0806 has several video modes including:
2560x1080 @30fps 21:9 (cinema mode)
2304x1296 @30fps 16:9
1920x1080 @45fps 16:9
And a 720P mode @60fps.
These are higher than the BlackVue and the higher fps modes can help reduce image blur. Especially the rear facing camera which is only 720P on the BlackVue. So you could mount a 2nd 0806 in the rear and get very high resolution out the back, higher than the BlackVue. I think they would both have GPS syncd time (don't quote me on that) so if you were rear-ended you could essentially sync both with the time stamp.
There is not a large market in the US for these things so manufactures don't market very strongly. Most manufacturers are off-shore in China, Korea, Taiwan; and they produce the same design branded for sale by more than one 'brand.' The DoD brand is one of the better known re-sellers but they are not making their own cams. I'm not sure I'd call it grey market but it is certainly a different market. I wouldn't hesitate to by a DoD (I did actually) brand or the Mini 0806 or any other off brand after doing some research. I buy Monoprice cables which are kind of the same way and never had a problem.
Not trying to talk you out of the BlackVue. It is a very nice cam and I'm sure you'd be happy with it. I think I'll go a little lower cost route. I think it is better to have a cam than not. Even though I've never been in an accident in 35 years of driving (knocking wood) I still think it is a valuable gadget to have.
Like you I'm not that worried about theft. They are not very noticeable and not really that valuable.
Originally Posted by rockyfeller
Yea Rocket man I hear ya. I also thought the BlackVue was overpriced. When it first came out I skimmed through the features and dismissed it like whatever. It costs more than a GoPro and I didn't really pay attention.
But after looking at it more carefully along with that video, consider all the features and it will seem more like a value. It is a product designed for the North American market unlike all the other grey market stuff, it is full HD 1080p, (Look how beautiful VBX's pics are. You need that kind of resolution to read license plates and for bad weather/night.) it is relatively small and doesn't look bad, it can connect to a phone app and playback with minimal lag and even live view, it has a G-sensor, it has a park mode (and doesn't need an internal battery if you use the special wiring kit.), it has a totally awesome desktop app that is feature packed and has GPS coordinates, and most important: It is 2 channel! You get a rear 720p cam that records in sync. I mean wow, this has convinced me. All these features make $375 totally worth it IMO. I have been rear ended 3 times and I am paranoid about it, I think 2 channel is something worth it.
tlxsteve I also think it could be a theft magnet itself but it all depends where you park. Do you garage it most of the time? Does it live out on the street all the time and overnight? Then maybe. In my case the car is always garaged and watched like a hawk. So this cam is more like a daytime parking attendant for the once in awhile I go shopping.
I try to avoid valets when I can but I am often in Manahattan so there is no way around that. A cam is something of a necessity. I have had a couple valets already tell me "Oh you have a cam!" I don't know if that ever works against me but I'm hoping it will work in my favor most of the time. Yea my baby needs a nanny cam when I'm away and I would choose camera over no camera.
IMO dashcams are still relatively a rare thing in the US. Thieves usually steal things they can resell or use for parts. They rarely take things for personal use. I'd say many thieves wouldn't be looking for these cams or notice them as VBX said. Some wouldn't even really know what they are. But if you are in a moment where you think the cam could be more of a risk just know that it easily comes out of the bracket and you can stow it away quickly. Someone will think well that defeats the purpose of the cam right? Well the camera has several purposes, not just for theft. It is for emergencies, accidents, incident recording, police stops (records audio) and if someone borrows/valets or services your car. Now if you really think there is a possibility your camera looks attractive to a thief why not camouflage it? You could cover the logo with electrical tape, or better yet wrap it in vinyl (carbon fiber or black) leaving just the lens exposed. The best thing about this 650 model rather than the flagship 750 model (which has a screen and looks like a Garmin GPS) is it's slim profile. I think it looks much more discreet than the other cameras out there.
baelim the BlackVue can be bought as a package with the Power Magic Pro. It is a wiring kit made by the same manufacturer. It is designed to essentially hardwire the camera in such a way that it will be able to still power the cam when the car is off but can be preset to cut the power if the car's battery drops below a certain voltage (as to not allow the camera to drain your battery and you haven't used your car for many days.) or you can set it to automatically turn off the camera after X amount of hours/days. This is the reason I mentioned before that the camera doesn't require it's own rechargeable battery. Those are essentially cheap cell phone batteries that don't last long anyways.
About the heat; it sounded like the previous 600 version of this camera had heat issues. This newer 650 model has addressed those issues. Mount the cam so it is JUST below your factory tint strip. You could probably go even a little higher than VBX did in that pic. That way any overhead sun will lend some protection and the only risk will be more direct and horizontal rays of sun. At any rate I highly advise the use of a sunshield to preserve your interior/dashboard anyways and keep the interior temp down. (Us 3G guys are cursed with the risk of UV damage/cracking of our dashboards.) My sunshield is cut out where the cam is, I have an additional tinted windshield strip and I try my best to never park facing the sun. That's the best you can do I guess.
I ordered the Mini 0806 last night, but it is on backorder. I'm not in a rush, but I just had the urge to get it and give it a shot.
Very good. Please let me know if you learn anything new about the Mini 0806 or if you can offer any installation tips.
I need to print out this thread and list the pros and cons.
11-15-2014, 03:13 PM
Any ideas on a DVR for the Car?
I was surprised. Also pointing the front of the car away from the sun is a good idea. 