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Dashcam, Anyone?

47K views 117 replies 37 participants last post by  richrack 
#1 ·
Hi, Has anyone installed a dashcam in their RAV4? Would like any input as to make, model, etc.
Thanky.
 
#42 ·
Good choice.
Have been reading your posts in dashcamtalk.
Maybe it's just me. But do you find yourself driving more careful after having a dashcam?
 
#43 ·
Absolutely! I am more cautious, keeping my thumb on the horn button when in traffic. It make me more alert because I'm always looking for some idiot driver doing something stupid!

Have you noticed that all the other drivers on the road (except for you and me of course) have gotten much worse over the past few years? :frown
 
#47 ·
Not webcam, use dashcam. Can hardwire with low voltage cutout protection to prevent draining car battery or run them on rechargeable powerbanks, or set them to record on motion detect only.
Look in "https://dashcamtalk.com/forum/".
 
#52 · (Edited)
Ausdom A261 is a good camera. Form factor is what throws me off. I have a Mobius. Small and inconspicuous. I also use it off car as a action cam. It's internal battery last 80 minutes. Great day shots. Night is only so-so.

 
#55 ·
I am rocking the BlackSys CH-100B. I have hard wired it to have continuous power and detect accessory mode. With that setup, it switches into driving mode recording when the car is started and parking mode when the engine is off. It records constantly while driving (front and rear with GPS) and motion/impact detect while parked. I put in a 128GB high-performance micro SD card which holds a about 3 days of normal commuting. It has been working as expected. The video quality is good but reading license plates is a challenge. Night recording is not bad.

I do recommend it if you want front and rear recording. I did NOT personally compare it to any other brands. It has not been through a mid-Atlantic summer but I have seen claims it is able to withstand Florida summers.

I format the memory card in the device about monthly. This is recommended by some dashcam experts.

Here is a sample I have seen on Youtube:

 
#56 ·
I format the memory card in the device about monthly. This is recommended by some dashcam experts.
I don't recommend this at all. These SD cards have a limited number of write cycles, so the constant formatting will wear them out prematurely. What I have are 2 identical Sandisk 32GB micro SD cards that I swap into the dashcam every couple of months or so. I used to do it every month just to check the card and make sure there are no corrupted files or lots of files in the read only directory. So far, after almost a year and a half, I have seen no problems whatsoever. And I only formatted the cards once using the dashcam itself.
 
#59 ·
My unit use FAT32 only, otherwise it won't loop record. Computer will format card to exFAT and camera can record but will not loop record. I use a 32 gb Kingston cl 10. Download/review every 2 weeks and format in camera. About 2 years now and fw upgraded 4 times have been trouble free.
 
#61 ·
Wise choice. With Jokiin and Pier 28's excellent after sales support and FW upgrade when needed you're in great shape. Once wife realize what a dashcam is capable of she might want a "toy" for her car too.
I download mine every couple of weeks if nothing unusual happen and delete them. If something interesting is recorded, I'll keep the clip and may take screen shots of happening.
 
#62 ·
Attached photos of my Street Guardian SG9665GC mounted. In the 2016 Limited, the big sensor cover behind the rear view mirror makes mounting a bit more difficult: If it's too close to center, the sensor cover obstructs the camera.

I considered mounting on the passenger side, but that would prevent me from safely using the button to lock the current video file (and also make removing the microSD card on the left side very difficult.) I also considered mounting it ON the sensor cover, but I wasn't happy with that when I tested it (using 3M command strips to temp mount.)
 

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#63 ·
Nice install. That's where I mount mine too. RVM blocks my operation blinking red LED. Have to move mirror to make sure it's recording.
Do you find it hard to aim without capturing too much engine hood?
 
#65 ·
Do you find it hard to aim without capturing too much engine hood?
Mine is currently aimed "high" compared to the suggested "40% hood+dash." I actually only have about 20% hood (and just a sliver of dash) which puts the horizon at around 50% if I'm on flat ground.

My reasoning for aiming it this high is that the area where I live is very hilly, and wanted to ensure I was able to capture the color of a traffic light regardless of those hills. So, if I'm driving downhill, coming to the bottom of valley (where the intersection itself is at the lowest point), then I'll just barely capture the traffic signal near the top of the frame as I'm approaching the intersection.

Take care
Gary
 
#70 ·
I owned a G1W for about a year. Then they came out with the G1WH which has a flat black bezel instead of a chrome bezel. I have had that for about 8 months.

Lots of good reviews is why I bought it. I owned one of those dash cams they sell on TV before they became popular.

My dash cam is mounted to the rearview mirror with a special bracket. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Car-Rearview-Mirror-Bracket-Holder-Mount-For-Dash-Camera-G1WH-G1W-C-GT550WS-TR-/141667042555?hash=item20fc0384fb:g:T74AAOSwZQxW28vm

Here is a good review of the G1W

https://dashcamtalk.com/g1w/
 
#71 ·
I owned a G1W for about a year. Then they came out with the G1WH which has a flat black bezel instead of a chrome bezel. I have had that for about 8 months.

Lots of good reviews is why I bought it. I owned one of those dash cams they sell on TV before they became popular.

My dash cam is mounted to the rearview mirror with a special bracket. Car Rearview Mirror Bracket Holder Mount for Dash Camera G1WH G1W C GT550WS TR | eBay

Here is a good review of the G1W

https://dashcamtalk.com/g1w/
My camera is mounted the same way as yours with a DIY mount. Have to check it everytime I drive though as wife drives car too and she's much shorter than me

The G1W is a great camera for the price but too many fakes even from established sellers.
 
#72 ·
I run with a Garmin Dashcam 20. And I have to say that it really saved my butt. Just two weeks after purchasing my RAV, some arse in a jacked up pickup cut in front of me too close. BANG! The final bill was close to $3,000, and I didn't have to pay a penny. I have a $2,500 deductible on my insurance policy, but when my adjuster viewed my dashcam video, she obtained management approval to waive my deductible and their recommended shop fixed the RAV. Still don't know if my insurance company recovered their funds from the idiot's insurance company. A quick internet search of his insurance company revealed that they are not very highly regarded and have numerous complaints filed against them. Yes, the dashcam saved me. I'm a believer now!

My dashcam is mounted on the suction cup mount just below the black polka dot windshield 'sun shield' and to the right of the rear view mirror. It just hangs down slightly and really doesn't obstruct vision. More than a few law enforcement officers have seen it and not a one made mention of it. I have the power cord running straight down the center of the dashboard and plugged into one of the cigarette lighters. My dealer service advisor is obtaining a schematic of the area above the rear view mirror and I'm going to tap into that so I don't have a cable hanging down.
 
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#76 ·
Have to Google "Kelmark GT" to find out. Personally have never heard of the name.
What you see when driving is what the camera will see. Maybe camera will record drive train and underside of car you're following. Ha ha.
 
#80 ·
As already mentioned before in this thread, I too use a Street Guardian SG9665GC dash cam for the front. For the rear, I use a cheaper variant known generically as the A118-C, which is sold by a bunch of vendors (I purchased mine from Spy Tec). Both dash cams were ordered from Amazon and they don't have batteries. Instead, they use capacitors so they only power on when the car is started. Although they don't have parking mode, I'd rather avoid the headache of having a dead battery after leaving the car parked on a busy street. The dimensions and shape of the two dash cams are perfect, in my opinion, because they're discreet and you don't notice them unless you actually look.

Although they both have adhesive backings that clip onto the back of the camera to allow easy adhesion onto the glass, I only went that route for the rear dash cam. For the front, I followed an approach that was suggested in a youtube video.



I purchased an Escort Sticky Cup Windshield Mount, which is for radar detectors, and some coin sized magnets from Home Depot. I stuck the magnets onto the adhesive backing, which is a separate piece that clips onto the back of the dash cam. Positioning the windshield mount behind the rearview mirror, I simply let the magnets do their jobs and the dash cam stays attached to the windshield mount. This lets me remove the dash cam or re-position it when I like (flexibility in situations where I might want to record my interaction with police).

As for the power cables, I run the ones for the front dash cam along the sun visor and down the passenger side pillar and through the rubber trim between the dashboard and passenger side door. The power cables for the rear dash cam are long enough that I just run it under the rear passenger seats and under the front passenger seat. Rather than hardwire the dash cameras, I use 2-way 12v splitter that powers both dash cameras through one of the two 12v outlets under the HVAC controls. Everytime I start up the car, I just plug in the splitter and sometimes unplug it or leave it as it when I leave the car. The dash cameras don't power up when the car is turned off so no need to worry about unplugging the splitter.

Since investing in this setup (over 7 months ago), I record at least one instance of questionable road behavior every time I'm on the road. Fortunately, I haven't been in an accident. The video quality from both cameras is phenomenal. The Street Guardian SG9665GC is better when it comes to night recording, thanks to its sensor. But the A118-C in the rear doesn't disappoint either. I'm actually surprised by the wide angle lens it has because even when drivers are practically inches from my rear bumper, the footage upon review shows the front of their car as if it were a couple of feet away. All in all, money well spent for peace of mind.
 
#81 ·
I'm actually surprised by the wide angle lens it has because even when drivers are practically inches from my rear bumper, the footage upon review shows the front of their car as if it were a couple of feet away. All in all, money well spent for peace of mind.
That's normal for wide angle FOV. Recording seems further than actual and fisheye effect. I set my camera to narrow setting to reduce this and of course sacrifice some side view. Just a personal preference.
 
#83 ·
Just brought home a new SE...putting in the dash am that was in our 12 year TDI I traded in for the RAV....and yes...I got very little for the TDI.
What dashcam do you have? I just bought a new unit with wifi for the front and moving the Mobius to rear. Still figuring the best way to mount the rear unit without too much butchery to my new car.
 
#86 ·
Just installed my new cam today A118C. Mounted it just to the right of the rear view mirror mount where the camera is just below the factory spots on the windshield. Seems good so far. Waiting on 1 more part to do a full hardwire without having to plug it in. Will check the video when I get home today to see how it looks.
 
#88 ·
I installed a new A118C with GPS module on the front windshield to replace my older A118 battery model. I took the old one and mounted it on the back glass to keep an eye on the weavers and tailgaters:

 
#89 ·
I installed a new A118C with GPS module on the front windshield to replace my older A118 battery model. I took the old one and mounted it on the back glass to keep an eye on the weavers and tailgaters:

Nice picture. You must love your A118 to buy another.
How did you wire your rear camera?
 
#94 ·
I have had this Vantrue R2 for several months and am quite happy with it. It goes on sale now and then. Glad I didn't get around to hard-wiring in my last vehicle because I traded it in for my RAV4. Now I'll have to figure out how to hardwire it in. Support from the vendor is very good, the picture quality is decent and it's functioned flawlessly for several months.
 
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