Outfit Contractors Van with multiple DashCam DVR's Parking Mode Motion Detection. (Clear Portholes)

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EDIT: 26NOV2013

Ok, so on a related subject. My General Contractor friend has bigger plans now. He owns a Chevy Express Van.

He would like to outfit this Van with DVR cameras ("Parking Mode") on the front, back, and inside.

(including a backup camera)
We could outfit display screen(s) if needed as well.
(maybe Pioneer AppRadio with HDMI input, or more for example)

Any suggestions? This is obviously getting into some advanced DashCamTalk.

He even said he's willing to raise the roof a bit and place camera's into their own secured level with clear port holes etc.
XCEZRdjl.jpg


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Original Subject 01NOV2013 was:
Best Motion Detection DVR Camera. (to catch theft of contractor's tools on job sites) $$$$!
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Original Post:

My General Contractor friend asked I do some research to find the best motion detection DVR Camera.

He's had many $$$$'s of tools gone missing the last few months on various job sites. (never ending)

I'm looking for suggestions on the best DVR Camera with the following features.
I'll put them in order of importance.

-Tiny enough to hide, or mount up discretely. (could possibly design our own generic "box" of some kind) It will move site to site as jobs are completed.
-DVR with Motion Detection, aka Parking Mode. (so it only records with movement)
-Motion Detection records a few seconds before each event (so you don't miss anything.)
-HD (720P or 1080P)
-Excellent low light sensor
-Power can be anything really, we can always add an external USB battery pack etc.

The Mivue is supposed to have decent motion detection, but not sure
http://www.techmoan.com/blog/2013/10/1/mio-mivue-358-car-dvr-dash-cam-review.html
http://dashcamtalk.com/forum/threads/techmoan-reviews-mio-mivue-358-car-dvr.2632/

I saw this video that says it doesn't exist, but again this would be for on a job site, not necessarily in the van/car.
http://www.techmoan.com/blog/2013/6...is-best-for-catching-a-vandal-in-the-act.html

So yeah this is blurring the line of "DashCam" talk but I wouldn't be surprised if the product I'm looking for is in the DashCam arena.

He said he's willing to spend money on something higher quality if that's what it takes too.

He's even interested in finding something possibly more advanced (Internet Enabled) that will notify you via SmartPhone.

I'm not aware of any DVR Camera that has it's own celluar based internet connection as an appliance. It probably makes more sense to get something WiFi and have it connect to a 4G Hotspot device near by.

Example:
https://www.dropcam.com
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=dropcam reivew

Any suggestions, thoughts, other creative ideas? I should probably look at standard Security Camera options, but not sure where else to look besides http://SmartHome.com
 
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It does sound like a webcam coupled with a hotspot might be a better fit. If the losses are as high as you're implying, then it would be worth the cost of having live remotely controllable video monitoring & notification. Most of these webcams are less than $100 usd and have integrated SD recording, email & SMS notification and motion detection. You just have to provide internet connectivity. As for low light sensitivity, a few cheap solar charged motion activated floodlights would work better and serve as a deterrence, not to mention cheap. You might also consider trailcams used by hunters. Those typically have IR emitters, are motion activation and usually designed for long term (days to weeks) unattended operation, but they are not exactly small.

KuoH

He's even interested in finding something possibly more advanced (Internet Enabled) that will notify you via SmartPhone.

I'm not aware of any DVR Camera that has it's own celluar based internet connection as an appliance. It probably makes more sense to get something WiFi and have it connect to a 4G Hotspot device near by.
 
I would say that some kind of game camera would be best.
 
I would say that some kind of game camera would be best.

Thanks that first one of the two has "MMS/SMS/Email via GSM Network"

I'll see what he thinks about that one, it's under $200 too.

EDIT:
25fps (yuck)
Video with sound recording: 640*480 AVI (Double yuck)
 
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Spytekinc prices are sky-high. Same products could be found on Aliexpress many times cheaper.
Best in your situation to go with those Hunting cameras as recommended earlier.
 
Thu hunting cameras are a good solution and can be moved around and work off internal batteries. They can be locked down too to slow down a thief taking the camera or SD card. Check for night time operation whether the night time lighting is a visible light flash (not good) or IR light (best, unnoticeable by suspects). Other names for the cameras are "wildlife cameras", "stealth cameras" and "game cameras".
 
Spytekinc prices are sky-high. Same products could be found on Aliexpress many times cheaper.
Best in your situation to go with those Hunting cameras as recommended earlier.

have to keep in mind Spytec is a retailer, not a wholesaler
 
have to keep in mind Spytec is a retailer, not a wholesaler

Yes, I kept this in mind, but still 200-300% margins are too greedy. Usually prices differences between wholesaler and retailer do not exceed 30-40 ( max 50% ), - this would be fair deal, but not 200-300% mark-up !
 
Yes, I kept this in mind, but still 200-300% margins are too greedy. Usually prices differences between wholesaler and retailer do not exceed 30-40 ( max 50% ), - this would be fair deal, but not 200-300% mark-up !

I think we need to be sure it's like for like product though, plenty of products I see listed on their site that I know the cost of don't have those types of margins
 
I think we need to be sure it's like for like product though, plenty of products I see listed on their site that I know the cost of don't have those types of margins

You have a point, agree. Many look similar to the end customer despite being different quality, so end customer ( buyer ) has to do a big / long research to determine what is what. Quickly browsing through spyteinc products list I found few familiar products which are 2-3 times overpriced compare to what I can see on Ali, but it does not mean all of their products can be in same "overpriced category". Of course the best ir every potential buyer would do a home work before deciding where and what to buy, but of coruse for some people that "home work" is not matter, especially if they are not familiar what and how to determine differences between high quality and low quality products. So "this coin" has two sides.
 
Oh boy, a discussion about our margins! Fun.

Let me just tell you that our margins are higher on products where the qc from the manufacturer is very poor. Meaning we have considerable returns(much higher than on traditional electronics), which we pay return postage on if the item is defective. On top of that, we have a tech support staff to answer questions about products which in many cases barely come with legible instructions. When retailers normally sell electronics, the distributor or manufacturer handles returns, tech support and warranty issues. With all that being said, our prices for the spy type of equipment are generally blower or much lower than all our US competitors. On ebay and Amazon the prices are much lower still. And our prices on dash cameras are usually close if not equal to the average prices ordering from china. Even so, there are very few products we sell where the margins are even close to what you are saying. And as jokiin said, most of these generic Chinese products are manufactured in multiple factories all with varying quality levels and price points.

And just so you know, I personally do not have final say on pricing, I am just explaining what goes into what we do.
 
a lot of people that I guess would prefer the comfort feeling of buying on home soil also, support, warranty, taxes etc all sorted and not having to worry if what they're buying matches what they think they're buying like sometimes happens with some of the Chinese online sellers, lot of people get burnt by some seller and never go back
 
Oh boy, a discussion about our margins! Fun.

Let me just tell you that our margins are higher on products where the qc from the manufacturer is very poor. Meaning we have considerable returns(much higher than on traditional electronics), which we pay return postage on if the item is defective. On top of that, we have a tech support staff to answer questions about products which in many cases barely come with legible instructions. When retailers normally sell electronics, the distributor or manufacturer handles returns, tech support and warranty issues. With all that being said, our prices for the spy type of equipment are generally blower or much lower than all our US competitors. On ebay and Amazon the prices are much lower still. And our prices on dash cameras are usually close if not equal to the average prices ordering from china. Even so, there are very few products we sell where the margins are even close to what you are saying. And as jokiin said, most of these generic Chinese products are manufactured in multiple factories all with varying quality levels and price points.

And just so you know, I personally do not have final say on pricing, I am just explaining what goes into what we do.

I totally understand your point being as a local retailer ( I have been in this "boat" myself in the past ) and as I mentioned earlier: - there are "two sides of a coin". If looking into your margins ( or any other high margin retailor ),- then I support you. If look from point of view as an online shopper, - then I support end-buyer, where as we all like to shop-around and get best deal. As we speak here ( online ) I am 51% on consumer side and 49% on retailer. If we speak on the street ( near the physical shop ), then of course I am on retailer side. I know what pros and cons for everyday customer brings if buying online or locally.
 
I'd think you'd find for any retailer you're going to see high and low margin products, most retail is an 80/20 rule, 80% of your turnover comes from 20% of your product (I've worked in electronics retail from both sides of the supply chain for over 20 years), there's a lot of stuff you sell which is there to offer range, choice etc which does not sell through as quickly and has higher costs associated as a result
 
I'd think you'd find for any retailer you're going to see high and low margin products, most retail is an 80/20 rule, 80% of your turnover comes from 20% of your product (I've worked in electronics retail from both sides of the supply chain for over 20 years), there's a lot of stuff you sell which is there to offer range, choice etc which does not sell through as quickly and has higher costs associated as a result

I agree with all what you or spytec says regarding retailer margins if leaving away this or any other online forum. I wanted to make my point on difference between ONLINE and Physical RETAIL where hard decission by end customers are made to buy online or locally..
I am sure majority of those people who read this forum, - they are online shoppers and in most of cases they will have temptation to buy via direct source 3x cheaper rather locally, but of course important thing is to realise taking risks of support, warranty, taxes etc ( as you mentioned earlier ). So this has two sides as I mentioned earlier. Despite understanding benefits of over-paying by buying locally, I am still some time have temptation of buying overseas, taking risk of warranty, support ,taxes etc. In most cases I am lucky and happy with the deal, but in some cases I wish I bought locally, - no worth of time and nervous spent on resolving problems.. So it is just try and learn on your own skin and each buyer decides them selves where to bet :)
 
With dash cameras, I'm going to guess that in most cases consumers in North America are much better off buying from us than directly from China as long as we stock that particular model. That is because our prices are comparable in almost every case but the customer gets a 30 day return policy (with us paying return shipping rates on defective items) and after market support. When a customer has an issue with a lukas camera for instance that was bought from us, they send it back to us, not Korea and we replace the item for him at no additional cost.

That being said, as a gadget lover, I do get the thrill of buying a new product from China and not knowing what you're getting until you open the package.
 
the customer gets a 30 day return policy (with us paying return shipping rates on defective items) and after market support. When a customer has an issue with a lukas camera for instance that was bought from us, they send it back to us, not Korea and we replace the item for him at no additional cost.
.

you see this is the kind of service that your savings don't cover when buying offshore so it's a gamble as to what you get, many people do prefer to pay a bit more and have that backup


Anyway, to drag this thread back on topic @spytec (since Spytec was mentioned and is participating here already), we're obviously more dashcam centric here, but is the hunting type cam suitable for the job, is there something else you'd recommend that might be better solution or any other thoughts about what product is good for the task?
 
All very interesting things to know about thanks everyone. But yes, back on topic please :)

It seems the more Spy'ish or Hunting'ish you get, the worse quality the video format gets. (mostly all non-HD)
 
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