Too High a Theft Target

[aircraftlame2]

I want a unit with a black box or DVR I can mount anywhere in the vehicle and 2 pen size camera`s for front & rear windows. This would reduce likelihood of having vehicle broken into as it would take time to find the hidden black box/DVR.
I want to "fit & forget" because I know that the one time I forget to fit will be the one trip I have an incident/accident, and the one time I leave a full unit attached to my windscreen, will be the one time an opportunistic thief will damage my car/s to steal it.
Anyone know of such a unit? Cost is secondary, but hey, how much could 2 x 4 metre video cables plus connections add to a quality unit? Microphone could be with camera or with black/box/DVR.

 

[DashCamMan]

Hi aircraftlame2,

Many of the mobile DVR units (cameras separate from the main unit) have poor video quality, usually 480p. Also, I haven't seen any pen sized cameras that have good video quality.

That being said, the following are your 2 best options.

The Itronics ITB-500HD. Has 2 cameras, shoots at 720p, 15fps and you can read one of our member's feedback here.

Another alternative is the Lukas LK-7300G. This is a single lens camera but the quality is very good.

Let us know if that is what you are looking for.

 

[ExMet]

Get the ITB-100HD and stick one of those stupid ornaments over it with just an opening for the lens.
You could try to mount it to your dash and cover it with a bobblehead ornament.

 

[Quantum]

I agree with the OP. I think a camera should be a lipstick-sized deal up in front of the mirror and out the top of the back window, each connected to a black box of some kind like the Rasberry-Pi. Maybe USB cameras.

Record software, and a very large flash. Bluetooth to connect a GPS pod and smartphone or tablet to watch video.

Do I have to make all this myself?

 

[DashCamMan]

Hi Quantum,

You may have to build that yourself since it doesn't exist yet for high resolution (1080p). The new cameras are getting closer to that and perhaps we will see something in 2013.

 

[Quantum]

I was thinking assemble two USB cameras (front/back), but then I realized that there's alot more software support for ethernet cameras. So my nanocomputer would need to have multiple rj45's, but the kicker is they'd have to be power-over-ethernet, and I don't think that's possible in a nanocomputer.

Still thinking.

 

[rjgscotland]

You could attach a small Ethernet switch to the computer, but this will obviously add to the size of the installation, and need its own power, etc. Some PoE webcams have a splitter device that "injects" the power into the cable and uses a standard AC adapter into that. It would be easier to rig up a power supply for those type in the car than it would be to power true PoE devices that typically expect 48v from a PoE switch. Also, there is good enough USB support in V4L so I'm sure that if you used a Raspberry Pi running Linux that you would find suitable compatible webcams quite easily.

On a side note, I have thought about putting a computer in my car but it's not happened yet. I have a proper rugged Atom based vehicle PC with 3G, GPS, wifi etc but it will be a fair job to install it, and I'd need to purchase a small monitor if I wanted to interact with it. But these days, what with a basic Android tablet costing about the same as a small monitor, I can't help but think that that's the better route to go down for multimedia purposes.

 

[Quantum]

I've had a good look around, and without exception USB cams are designed for telepresence, IOW they are not designed for nighttime or wide-angle.

So it looks like it would be network cams. There's alot more choice for night vision, viewing angle, and HD, given their use in the security industry. These would necessarily be PoE, and thank you for reminding me that there are in-line injectors.

Another issue though is that it will be difficult to get 720p or 1080p over any but a 1GB network, and compressing that video would require a dedicated compression engine for each camera. This is a problem in a nanocomputer. The only camera I know of that can compress internally is the Mobotix, and that is way too big. Anyway, I know from experience that they can't do more than 5fps.

 

[rjgscotland]

There are manufacturers such as Logitech who make HD USB webcams that have reasonably good night time performance for a webcam. It's true however that while they're also fairly wide angle in comparison to traditional webcams, they're nothing like the almost fish-eye lenses that you typically get on dedicated dash cams.

 

[saabdriver]

Has anyone seen those shows where law enforcement have hidden cameras positioned at several angles inside a "bait car"? The recording and broadcasting equipment is generally in a locked trunk or hidden area. Those cars are likely customized for completely hiding the surveillance equipment, but I'm wondering if something similar could be a DIY project. Even if the quality of the equipment isn't professional grade, it might be a fun project to wire up my car in this way.

Do most of you leave your car cameras installed overnight or take them with you? I'd have a hard time leaving a $200 camera in my car overnight unless it was completely hidden from view.

 

[AmericanDriver]

Apple now makes the Mac Mini with a quad core proc. you can have a solid state drive installed along with an inverter to supply 120v ac. It already has wifi built-in so finding a wifi camera would be easy. The Mac mini uses very little power even under load and will provide the horse power to encode 1080p video signal from multiple cameras. According to Apple, the Mac mini uses 85watts max continuous power. This is less than a 90watt lightbulb.

 

[ExMet]

So because you are worried (and rightly so) about leaving a sub-$200 camera in your car, your solution is installing a much more expensive computer and leaving that in your car?

 

[Quantum]

Well. A much more expensive HIDDEN camera. There's a difference.

I'll look at the Mac Mini, although 90w is actually alot for a vehicle appliance. And yikes, $600? I would probably bypass the brick and feed it straight DC. But it sure wouldn't be an option for a parking cam. Also wireless cams are gigantic, so it would need to be a small network cam woth PoE. Maybe I'd have more in mind something like a Raspberry-Pi or other nanocomputer running Linux.

 

[AmericanDriver]

I am not the person worried about leaving a $200 camera in the car. Yes, sticking a huge camera in a car in plain view is a target for car prowlers. There are ways to hide cameras and Mac Mini computers inside a car. I was just pointing out that a multicam dvr system can be built with off the shelf parts.

 

[aircraftlame2]

Hi All,
I am the OP & thank all for ur inputs, mostly informative but sadly confirming my own conclusion.

I still think 2 lipstick cameras, single or bi-direction, is the way of the future. Easier to disguise, therefore less inviting to a thief. Cables 4 metres/yards long would permit installation of the high cost item, the DVR/Vibration Sensor package, somewhere in the vehicle where it could be secured by a metal security box or `safe` which would take a thief too long to find & remove. It would NOT need a LCD screen, (cost saving) just Memory Stick, SD card or cell phone download ports, or wifi/bluetooth. Facility for a remote micropone could be an option.

The KISS principle needs to apply (Keep It Simple Stupid). I believe a smart manufacturer will recognise a market opportunity here. Seemsl I need to be patient for another year or so for a mass produced complete package, inc. 1, 2 or 3 cameras. I expect the package would retail at around $300 to $500, with replacement cameras available when needed, maybe $50 each. Then all a thief could grab quickly is 1 or 2 tiny cameras, of little use without their power unit.

Cheers, OP.

 

[tallen84]

I am also in the market for a dash cam, however, last year my car was broken into to steel my radar detector. As a result, I have since been concerned with adding devices that would add additional temptation for a potential thief.

I was wondering, has anyone tried taking a good quality dash cam (such as the ITB-100HD) and tried modifying it by separating the camera from the remainder of the unit? I was wondering if it would be possible to mount the camera (sensor and lens) to the backside of the rear-view mirror and then mount the rest of the unit under the dash out of view.

I noticed the review of the ITB-100HD shows the camera separated from the circuit board but I can't tell from the photos how the camera is attached (socket, cable, etc...).