Suggestions for dash cams?

[cscottp67]

What dash cams are you using and why.

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[Bonnie6G]

I’m very close to pulling the trigger on the Brandmotion mirror. It toggles between a regular mirror and a rear camera view which can help with the top or spare tire taking upmost of that view. It looks like a great product, but it only has front and rear cameras, with no camera for the cabin, which is something I’d like to have. I found a similar mirror camera setup (Rexing 3M) that has 3 channels for the ability to record the cabin on top of all the other features, but it’s only a snap-on install, not a mirror replacement. I’ve got an email into that company to see if they have different mounting methods.

 

[Vico]

Viofo A129 Plus Duo

2k res in front, 1080 in back. Relatively cheap, effective, and easy to hide away. Rear wiring is juuuust long enough, though.

 

[BrentC]

What dash cams are you using and why.

<edit 2022-05-10 - changed identification of switched and permanent fuses - I had them reversed.>

Funny you should ask - I just came in from taking pics of my dash cam install.

I decided to go with 2 Garmin Mini 2 cameras, one forward and one rearward-facing. My goal was to have one looking at the interior of the Bronco and be triggered by movement in case someone got into it. Both cams are permanently wired to power using Garmin’s Parking Mode cable.

I have determined that spare fuse 35 is <edit - switched> power (at least past 1.5hrs of an undisturbed Bronco) and spare fuse 29 is <edit - permanent>. I used two add-a-fuse adapters to make the circuit addition straightforward. Wires were fished up to the A-pillar then tucked under the trim pieces to the mounting locations at the rearview mirror.

I went with the Mini 2s because of the excellent price point and the small size. You barely notice them.

 

[Megawatt]

Lots of good info and reviews at blackboxmycar. They are in Canada but I had zero issues with sale and support to Vegas. I went with BlackVue cameras.

 

[MLRey]

Between my kids cars, my wife and I we have three Garmins (45,46, and 55), two Anker Roav, and one Vantrue. Biggest reason for them is to be able to prove it when someone else it at fault for an accident or less likely if police were wrong with a citation. Haven't had to use any for that yet. The Garmin's are nice but have some useless features. You want one with good resolution, GPS for location and speed, and the ability to connect wirelessly to your phone. I recently purchased the Garmin Mini2 to add to my wife's car as a rear facing camera. I got several of the dashcams as refurbished ones on Amazon and saved a bunch over the regular price.

 

[Jazer]

Between my kids cars, my wife and I we have three Garmins (45,46, and 55), two Anker Roav, and one Vantrue. Biggest reason for them is to be able to prove it when someone else it at fault for an accident or less likely if police were wrong with a citation. Haven't had to use any for that yet. The Garmin's are nice but have some useless features. You want one with good resolution, GPS for location and speed, and the ability to connect wirelessly to your phone. I recently purchased the Garmin Mini2 to add to my wife's car as a rear facing camera. I got several of the dashcams as refurbished ones on Amazon and saved a bunch over the regular price.

Looking at the Garmins, do you have a preference between them? I’ve never had a dash cam and would like to get one, and there are sooooooooo many options.

 

[MLRey]

Looking at the Garmins, do you have a preference between them? I’ve never had a dash cam and would like to get one, and there are sooooooooo many options.

I'd probably go with the 46/47 or the 5X (55,56,57) series. The 6X series doesn't add enough to make it worth it and the super wide angle might be too much. The 5X is a bit higher resolution than the 46/47 but probably not enough to really matter. Don't get the 45 even if it's really cheap, they don't have wifi connectivity to the app and that's a pain. If you're willing to do everything via the app instead of the screen the Mini2 is a decent choice. The Garmin safety features like forward collision warning and lane departure are more annoying than useful and I turned them off. The red light and speed camera warning might be nice.

 

[VelocityBrew]

I have a Garmin 56 in my Passport, plan to do another or 57

 

[kidk707]

I went with Blackvue 900x+ to be able to "live view" with their added LTE module with a Mint mobile SIM card. I liked their parking mode features and a few others here had recommended them.

 

[DaveInSA]

Funny you should ask - I just came in from taking pics of my dash cam install.

I decided to go with 2 Garmin Mini 2 cameras, one forward and one rearward-facing. My goal was to have one looking at the interior of the Bronco and be triggered by movement in case someone got into it. Both cams are permanently wired to power using Garmin’s Parking Mode cable.

I have determined that spare fuse 35 is permanent power (at least past 1.5hrs of an undisturbed Bronco) and spare fuse 29 is switched. I used two add-a-fuse adapters to make the circuit addition straightforward. Wires were fished up to the A-pillar then tucked under the trim pieces to the mounting locations at the rearview mirror.

I went with the Mini 2s because of the excellent price point and the small size. You barely notice them.

Are you sure about the fuses? 35 on mine is switched with ignition.

 

[BrentC]

Are you sure about the fuses? 35 on mine is switched with ignition.

Well, now I’m not sure though I was when I typed that message! I do know that my parking mode works correctly, as do my cameras.

Can you check and see if I have my labels backwards with fuses 29 and 35? My Bronco is currently an hour away from me.

Note I have a Badlands with the High Package, FWIW.

Appreciate it!

 

[DaveInSA]

Yup I think you just called them backwards. 29 is up top and constant 12v, 35 is on the bottom and switched with ignition on mine. Also badlands but just mid package (man I wish I had that 12" screen)

 

[Gilligans_off]

I just picked up a BlackVue DR900X 2CH Plus... just need the Bronco now to see how it works lol

I wanted the best picture I could get and this one, to me, looks the best. If I had it a month ago I could've proved innocence in a MVA much easier.

 

[nwGTS]

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07SZNL2WT/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Super easy install. Hides behind the front mirror and includes a rear facing cam. Powers on and records automatically. Fortunately, we've not needed to send footage to anyone yet but accessing it via the SD card is easy enough. Just plug into the computer. And it records for a few seconds and saves the video after the car shuts off. Which is important in case it were to happen in an accident.

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