Tacoma Dash Cam & Rear Cam BlackVue DR500GW

After seeing a thread of a driver who got t-boned and had video footage of the accident on his Dash Cam I decided to install two of those cameras on the Taco.

These are the cameras that I used:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DRE8AWG/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This is an additional accessory to prevent camera from draining battery:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008B8ERIO/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1


Front dash cam:






Rear dash Cam:



Discharge Prevention mode power controller:




Front Dash Cam View:


Rear Dash Cam View:




If anyone is interested I can upload video footage, the quality is good. The Camera has parking mode and driving mode. When in parking mode I set the camera to stay on for 12 hours. If the controller detects that the battery is below 11.8v it will turn the cameras off to prevent battery drainage. the memory card is 32GB. Once the video footage reaches 32 GB it simply beings recording on a loop and deletes older video.

The camera connects to smartphones via wi-fi so you can see live view of the camera (this feature is really to show off) and you can also stream videos that are recorded on the camera (Lets say you get in an accident or incident you can immediately show the footage on your smartphone, no need to download the video through a computer)

When the camera is connected via wifi, pandora will freeze or internet wil be unavailable because a smartphone assumes that you are connected via wifi and looks for connection, but fails to find it since the connection is to the camera.

Let me know if anyone has questions. So far I love the cameras.

 

thank you!!! this post just came in time for me.

i'm in the market for a dash cam as well. i want to simple enough to install and able to hide all the wiring.

i want to be as stealth as can be. i would consider this model because it doesn't drape all over the rear view mirror, matter of fact, it is kinda "flat" and hides behind (front) of rear view mirror.

possible to show me how you route the cables? or just a video pointing out which panel to take off and etc.

thanks!

 

I just ordered my equipment about an hour ago, and then decided to check and see if anyone on here has a setup. Lo and behold, I see that this thread was started 1 day ago! Crazy..

After a bit of research, I decided to go with the Mobius Action Cam:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wmIyD1fM4M

I'll be more detailed in my build thread, but I can see this thread as a jumping off point for dash cam tech.

Edit: Here is a slightly more active thread on the same topic. http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacomas/330253-dash-cams.html

 

nice...ive been looking for something like this for a while...

 

Hi, Thanks for your comments. I had it professionally installed at an audio/video store in Miami Lakes- They charged me $50 per camera. I really wanted the install to be done correctly so that's why I hired professionals to do it; I am aware that they ran the cables so they wouldn't be visible so they removed a few things in order to run the camera wires.

Here is the manual for the camera that shows the wiring and functions:
http://dashcamtalk.com/cams/dr500gw-hd/Pittasoft BlackVue DR500GW-HD User Manual.pdf

Here is the manual for the battery discharge that will show you the configuration:



Here are some installation videos for the BlackVue that were helpful to me:

Battery Discharge video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CdwNxarVRs

Product Demonstration:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7vKNJztL5Y

 

I've heard of someone tapping into the wire for the mirror to keep it powered, wonder how it works. I would only do it that way.

 

I like what I'm seeing could be very handy in city driving situations.

 

Used a ton of these back when I was building covert law enforcement vehicles:

It's not hard to find an ignition switched circuit in the fuse panel, and just add a new circuit with the fuse tap.

 

thank you!! that helps alot how i can chose which camera i want...

but, i notice our cigarette lighter cuts off the power when the key isn't inserted. do we still need that gadget?

 

Cig power is an easy fix.

 

This is the one I have been looking at.
I guess you give it the Tacoma seal of approval.

 

what do you mean easy fix?

please shed more lights to us....

 

I am very interested in this type of set up.

Currently I use two Go Pro's for my dash cam system. The quality is great but there are some drawbacks and limitations.

Do you currently have yours set to record when the vehicle is OFF ? Have you had any problems with battery drainage ?

Can you post any night time videos so we can see the low light quality ?

My gopro 3 black edition has GREAT low light capabilities and the footage is excellent.

 

Yes, I have the setting so it continues to record after the vehicle is OFF. Its called "Parking Mode"

It will shut off in two instances:

1. After 12 hours of recording OR
2. If the battery power hits 11.8V (To prevent from killing the battery)

The parking discharge mode allows you to set it to 6, 12, 24 hours and different settings.

It works great. Specially if you are paranoid about people getting close to your Tacoma while you are parked in public.

I usually come back to my car, scan it for scratches, dents and so far nothing- but if I were to find a dent I would look up video on the spot, find the individual, track them down and most likely saw his/her hands off.

 

The place where I installed it cut off the cigarette lighter adapters and rigged it directly to the battery. I DID NOT want all those wires on my dash and occupying my cigarette lighters at all times.

 

ah....i see...

thanks for the update on that inquiries...!!

base on the Amazon's review, seems like its a hit or missed.

how long have you had this product thus far?

 

I've had it for about 3 weeks.

My friend has had it for about 8 months. He has no complaints. I did see a few bad reviews and I crossed my fingers when I bought the cameras. I suppose its a mix between luck and user error whether a product like this works out or not.

 

Got the Mobius in the mail yesterday, and had it installed by 8pm local time. There's still some cleanup work to be done on my bracket, but the positioning is good. If y'all want a detailed write up, I'll work on it ASAP.

 

yes, please....more data I can gathered, the less unforeseen consequence I desire...LOL

all i'm saying....i think there are many "good" companies/manufacture out there. I was into manufacturing as well, so, I understand there will be some yield rate.

what BolsonShaft is also correct. User interface has lots to do with bad reviews, I have always kept that in my mind.

 

good point...thanks!