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I have been considering getting a dashcam for some time to record car journeys. Some of the elderly drivers around here really should not be driving I don't think. Having one in a car I feel makes one more aware of speed as it can be set to record your speed if you want
Why bother?
my thoughts recently have been along the lines of a child running out betwen parked cars as well as recording speed and an accident should it occur. Having been hit and push backward into a deep ditch by a speeding driver on ice who could not stop, his insurance eventually admitted it was their clients fault after 15 months and a pending court case
So how did I go about choosing one out of the many on the market?
First of all was price
Having read more reviews and watched more youtube videos than can remember the general concensus is "don't get a cheap one"
Second where to buy?
I decided to purchase from a store near to where I live incase it was faulty and i could take back to. This boiled down to PCword/Curry's or Halfords. Halfords offered a proctective bag for the camera as well
Which Make?
wow this was a real concern, not only for features but picture quality day and night. Like most electronic items different manufactures have slightly different menus
Eventually I decided on a Nextbase 312GW as it has good reviews and the videos seem to back this up. within this decision I went for the 32 gig micro SD card with SD adapter and camera bag. Total cost £124
This dashcam has a magnatic contact mount so can easily be removed leaving just the suction cup and plug in unity
I could have gone for the hard wire setup but on my car it meant removing the parcel shelf to get to the fuse box, and to be honest I don't trust anyone to remove and replace the door seal strips to hide the cable as the strip are a tight fit. So I forgo that for the cigar plug option.
Some insurance companies offer a reduced insurance rate if a dashcan is fitted
One of the videos that pursuaded me to go for this one. The night shoot at the end I though was very good.
I have just got a cheap one but it does the job - cost about $100 (£50). The most important thing is whether it records readable number plates when you are travelling (it is easy when you are stationary). Mine does at 1080p but they are indistinct at 720p.
It's a Transcend 100 but is adequate, no bells and whistles like GPS.
This video was taken at 720p and further degraded by Youtube but you can see what I mean by number plate recognition, I stick to 1080p now.
Sorry didn't research to see if the subject had already been posted. Still giving my reasons for getting one is still valid if anyone is considering getting one.
One thing I forgot to mention is the cigar lighter needs checking to make sure it switches off with the engine.
I have had this little gizmo for more years than i can remember
All I have to do is plug it in to test. my cigar sockets are always live so it does mean unplugging when not using car
I have the Nextbase 402G. Did a short drive to test it, put the card into my new PC but the sound was weird. Anyway, I had to adjust the PC internal speaker output but haven't yet tried to view the card since. I also have a recording of when sister and I went to Suffolk a few months ago, but again not looked at it.
Haven't done any long drives since then but hope to put it to good use soon.
I won't have mine hard wired also.
They're a good idea realspeed. Effective in helping with insurance claims in the event of an accident, particularly helpful in those cases where someone in front deliberately brakes with the intent of causing an accident.
Decided to hard wire the dashcam leaving the socket available.
Question is do I piggyback into a live fuse feed or one that is only live with the ignition on.
The kit instructions say the dashcam auto comes on when the ignition is switched on, from what I have read which means I can piggyback off the car seat heating circuit if the spare is always live
Decided to hard wire the dashcam leaving the socket available.
Question is do I piggyback into a live fuse feed or one that is only live with the ignition on.
The kit instructions say the dashcam auto comes on when the ignition is switched on, from what I have read which means I can piggyback off the car seat heating circuit if the spare is always live
fuse layout
Halfords can fit them for you for about 20/30quid, or you can buy a specific piggyback fuse holder that just fits in the existing fuse holder but has a take off for the dash cam