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Dash cam decisions... need some advice/help

Discussion in '2nd Gen. Tacomas (2005-2015)' started by pearing, Nov 9, 2019.

  1. Nov 9, 2019 at 3:55 PM
    #1
    pearing

    pearing [OP] Well-Known Member

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    I have been thinking since I bought my truck that a dash cam made sense. Additionally, my daughter will start to driving soon, and I see the logic in having a camera in her car as well (we picked up a 2015 VW tdi wagon this summer for her.) So... here it is. I am overwhelmed with the options. As such I want to defer to my TW family for advice. Here are the requirements I have: front and rear view, must be able to survive in very cold (-20 and colder) environment, I don't really want to spend more than $500 for the pair and I am a terror with electronic devices-they are the bane of my existence; so, they must be user friendly (whatever that means!)

    I have looked at hundreds of reviews, and what I want is some honest hands on experience. Let me know what works, what doesn't and what you would do different.

    Thanks!

    Pat
     
  2. Nov 9, 2019 at 4:00 PM
    #2
    joeyv141

    joeyv141 Well-Known Member

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    I have a blackview and I dislike the computer program, it only records in 20 second clips if I remember. Also I've had some problems with my cameras, keep putting off dealing with it though, out of one year warranty though.
    Basically I wouldnt recommend blackview, for $250 I expected something better.
     
  3. Nov 9, 2019 at 4:01 PM
    #3
    rnish

    rnish Well-Known Member

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    Wait for Black Friday etc sales. I picked up a vantrue NP2 pro for 50% off on Amazon Prime day. Got to be flexible for the best deals.
     
  4. Nov 9, 2019 at 6:22 PM
    #4
    JoshS

    JoshS Well-Known Member

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    I've got the Viofo A119 V3 (front only), and it's great. I'd recommend looking at Viofo's dual channel packages like the A129 Pro.
     
    Steve_nm and cytocycle like this.
  5. Nov 9, 2019 at 7:34 PM
    #5
    Fullboogie

    Fullboogie Well-Known Member

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    Look into the Rexing V1. About $100 on Amazon with a hardwire kit. I have two and they work great.
     
  6. Nov 10, 2019 at 5:05 AM
    #6
    vwbuggsy

    vwbuggsy Well-Known Member

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    I picked up an anker roav g1 camera on a lightening deal with Amazon back in July because I was driving a lot more and had witnessed a lot of stupid stuff.

    It was $20 less than the current Amazon price due to the deal (about $35). It is front only, I plan to add a second dedicated camera for the rear (since I run a truck cap) when I see a good price come along. They do have the same model with a second rear camera but I don't really care if the cams are connected.

    I'm glad I got it. It works very well and is pretty easy to use. It uses its own Wi-Fi to transfer videos to my phone or tablet in its own app, which is user friendly and fairly intuitive.

    I wish the camera connection allowed a "live feed" video, mostly just so I could more easily set the view of the camera. The parking mode is useless because it doesn't start recording immediately. There is a few seconds delay if the truck is bumped before it starts recording and by then whatever happened is over. It's held up fine since July but no extreme cold.

    If you have any specific questions about this one, just ask!

    Best of luck!
     
  7. Nov 10, 2019 at 5:47 AM
    #7
    SH7mi

    SH7mi YotaWerx Pro Authorized Tuner PA MD DE NJ

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    I've had a Blackview for 2 plus years dual channel. I haven't had any issues with it. I also haven't recorded anything interesting either, which is a good thing. I spent about $450. It's easy to view the recordings on my smart phone. It's there when and if I need it.
     
  8. Nov 10, 2019 at 6:31 AM
    #8
    JHCJ700

    JHCJ700 Member

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    I have a Garmin Dashcam 66W. I've been pretty happy with it. It's on Amazon for $250. It has a lot of features and the quality is decent. The only thing I don't like about it is the installation manual wants you to run the power cable up the B pillar and across the roof down to the camera on the dashboard. So the power cable is ridiculously long. It can run on it's own battery power, but only for 30min or so. Other than the obnoxious power cable I really like the camera.

    https://www.amazon.com/Garmin-Extra...electronics&sprefix=garmin+das,aps,147&sr=1-3
     
  9. Nov 10, 2019 at 6:51 AM
    #9
    SocalTaco15

    SocalTaco15 Well-Known Member

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    The wife and I both have the Garmin Dashcam 55. They are tiny and record in a continuous loop. The shock sensor will save the last minute of video automatically.
     
  10. Dec 3, 2019 at 6:00 PM
    #10
    joeyv141

    joeyv141 Well-Known Member

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    What model do you have? And have you had problems with the computer system or the date/time stamp? I think I have a 490 2 channel and it worked fine till almost out of warranty and what they did never fixed it but it's out of warranty now so I'm fucked.
     
    klavender1 likes this.
  11. Dec 4, 2019 at 2:33 AM
    #11
    SH7mi

    SH7mi YotaWerx Pro Authorized Tuner PA MD DE NJ

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    The DR750S-2CH.
    I haven’t had any issues that I’m aware of. I haven’t needed to ever view the video. Luckily!
    I’ve had it over 2 years.
     
  12. Dec 4, 2019 at 5:25 AM
    #12
    96carboard

    96carboard Well-Known Member

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    Here's the problem with dashcams. 100% of the commercial dash cams that are available are mass produced unreliable TRASH, and it doesn't make any difference if it costs you $10 or $800. The ONLY way to do a good dashcam, is to DIY something together with one or two USB cameras and an SBC.

    That is, unless you particularly enjoy the notion of it randomly deciding not to record that moment when somebody crashes into you.

    Its not as hard as you would think to configure some dirt cheap SBC, like a raspberry pi, to automatically start running ffmpeg to record from a couple of cameras upon power up.
     
  13. Dec 4, 2019 at 5:31 AM
    #13
    taco king

    taco king Active Member

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    Ome, 887s, Dakar, lruca, rims, tires, brake lines, rear view mirror, dynamite, prinsu, lots of small stuff
    I have this too. It's super low profile and records solid video. Pair it with a 128g card and micro sd reader for your phone and your all set.
     
  14. Dec 4, 2019 at 5:37 AM
    #14
    Bannerman

    Bannerman Tasteful Thickness

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  15. Dec 4, 2019 at 6:19 AM
    #15
    Bubbarut

    Bubbarut Well-Known Member

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    I have the A129 in all of my trucks. Really happy with them so far.
     
  16. Dec 4, 2019 at 6:33 AM
    #16
    stickyTaco

    stickyTaco Fuck Cancer

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    What models have you had this issue with or are you just making stuff up? My dash cam records whenever the truck is running and when parked it'll record based on shock/proximity.
     
  17. Dec 4, 2019 at 10:10 AM
    #17
    Musubi3

    Musubi3 Well-Known Member

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    Did you end up deciding on a dash cam yet?
    FWIW, I've been using a ThinkWare F800 for a couple years now (front and rear camera) and so far it does well at capturing very clear driving footage (night and day) and any "parking incidences". I've never had to use it because of an incident or accident, but it's been reliable and a set-it and forget-it deal. I do check on it frequently.

    I'm not super familiar with wiring things up, but I believe there are a couple options available for connecting to the vehicle like to the cigarette/12V plug or hard wiring it. I hard wired it and followed a youtube video. If I can do it, I figure anyone can figure it out.

    My friend got into an accident last week and it was a he said/she said deal. I told him to consider getting a dash cam since it probably would've proved he was in the right and easily paid for itself with his $500 deductible. He shrugged it off, but recently bought a simple one off of Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07VC8C45H/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

    You hope you never have to use it, but I'm glad I have it.
    +1. I've never had an issue with recalling recordings of "incidences" with my cam, parked or on the move.
     
  18. Dec 4, 2019 at 10:48 AM
    #18
    klavender1

    klavender1 Well-Known Member

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    I currently have that camera. Had the same date/time issue. I added a GPS antenna and it fixed that. However, at some point the rear camera stopped working. Don't know when because I don't check it that often. You can't buy just a rear camera for this model. Blackvue suggested I upgrade some firmware. I did but keep forgetting to check and see if that fixed it.
     
  19. Dec 4, 2019 at 10:52 AM
    #19
    taco57

    taco57 Well-Known Member

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    KDlinks X1. Have 2 now, just bought another for my wife's RAV4. Excellent customer service.
     
  20. Dec 4, 2019 at 10:54 AM
    #20
    klavender1

    klavender1 Well-Known Member

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    I see a "REC" button on the Viofos. Does this allow you to capture and save when you push the button? Basically if I see stupidity on the road and want to record said stupidity into a separate file so I can find it quicker, can this camera do that?

    Currently with the Blackvue, I have to use my laptop to go thru all of these clips to find the one I want.
     
    PasswordIsTaco123 likes this.
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