Dash cam ideas

For the dongle & garmin mini setup: does this come with the short usb cord needed to power the camera?

 

Has anyone checked out the Fitcamx 4K? I like the OEM look...

$220 Fitcamx Front 2K and Rear 1080P Dash Cam Adapts for Toyota Tacoma 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 Limited SR5 SR TRD Sport Off-Road Pro, OEM Look, Dual HD Video WiFi, Loop Recording G-Sensor, 64GB Card

Amazon.com: Fitcamx 4K Dash Cam Compatible with Toyota Tacoma 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 Limited SR5 SR TRD Sport Off-Road Pro, OEM Factory Look, 2160P Video WiFi, G-Sensor Loop Recording, Plug&Play, 64GB Card : Electronics

 

I've had a Blackvue for 7~ years. Never an issue and thankfully I never needed to refer to it for an accident.

 

I have it. It's plug and play, has great picture quality, and isn't noticeable to anyone looking for something to steal. I also really like the oem look and no external wires. A little more pricey, but I love it.

 

I’ve had great experience with Garmin Dash cams, I’ve had 3 total.

 

Just bought the new VIOFO A229 duo for my wife’s Sienna. Too new to review yet. I mention it because a few things to think about. Do you just want front facing or front and rear? Are you satisfied with it only on while driving or do you want parking modes? If the latter, you need to hardwire to fuse box as that rear view mirror dongle won’t work. Do you want smartphone integration? I think the decisions are more about options and price rather than quality (unless you are a content creator). If you need it strictly for insurance reasons you can overpay for resolution.

 

I have it as well. It is well hidden with the exception of the rear camera hanging down over the back window.

 

My Blackvue has been working perfect for 5 years as well. Zero worries, parking monitor, 2ch.. Used it a bunch of times to help other drivers. Wifi makes it easy to download and email videos.

 

I use the FitcamX . Have used for over a year now with no problems.
https://fitcamx.com/collections/toy...ash-cam-for-all-toyota?variant=40686041333932

 

I also have a Garmin mini2.
I really love that it connects right to my phone via bluetooth (or wifi maybe) and I can download the segments I need.
And it's so small and unobtrusive as well...you forget it's there honestly.

 

https://youtu.be/jAO6tnhVngw

 

The kit comes with a 10 to 12 foot long cable and USB to 12V outlet charger and a shorter cable about 5 feet. I purchased a 4 pack of USB buck converters and 6 inch USB cables with a right angle into the camera. I then attached the buck converter to the mirror power above the headliner using a 2 pin connector for service. Then the buck converter is tucked away in the headliner and the usb cable comes down to feed the camera.

 

I liked my Garmin mini 1 and will be getting a Garmin mini 2 for my current truck. Only issue I had was that the app started sending pop up notifications on my iPhone about connecting to the dash cam that no matter what I could not turn off. Even deleted/reinstalled app and same bs. Hopefully that’s been fixed.

 

oh jeez. Any app that does this, I just turn notifications off entirely. I haven't had this issue with the Garmin (although i can't think of a reason the app would want to send me a notification at all)...that is to say that anything that I perform between my phone and the device was intentionally done and won't require an alert - as i'm actively using it for some intended purpose (transfering of a video clip, etc).

 

That was the weird thing, I turned off all notifications for the app but it kept giving me an actual pop up, not like a notification banner or Lock Screen notification. I finally just left the cam recording and deleted the app and pulled footage off the card if needed. Probably something I could have troubleshooted but I sold the cam with the vehicle it was in.

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/fit-cam-x-dash-camera.774259/

 

That is still an issue. I just delete the app until I need it. Other than that, I have no issues.

 

I really like my Garmin mini 2

 

Question regarding the short power cord. Does the Garmin mini 2 come with a short (20cm) USB cord? If not, when I pick one up on Amazon. Which end do I buy? USB C or Micro?

 

It does come with one, but it's like a "data transfer cable" as well. So it's pretty thick and has that big "interference eliminating loop/thing" in the middle. The Micro USB side of this data transfer cable does not come with a right angle micro usb adapter -- it is just straight.

I opted to get one on Amazon (came in a pack of 3) where both sides are right angle. It's just a much cleaner look having that right angle connector (at least the Micro USB side). The one thing I did do, was leave the image up on my computer, and go out to examine which side of the Micro USB was smaller (vs bigger) to ensure my right angle connector was going to be facing the proper way.

This is the one I ended up with (some of the other ones complained of the micro usb side being cheap and not *fitting securely*).

$7 Right Angle Micro USB Cable Short USB to Micro USB Charging Cable 90 Degree USB Micro Charger Cord with Gold Plated Connectors for Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge S6 S5 Kindle Fire TV Stick More (3-Pack)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08BZD66H4?ie=UTF8

This one, there are reviews where folks use this connector on their motorcycle. So I'm assuming it's pretty well-made and fits properly/snugly.

To *directly answer your question* -- one end is Micro USB, the other is USB-A (like normal USB). I don't know if there is a *newer* garmin mini that is not micro USB so check your tech specs.

Hope that helps.