Dashcam recommendation for someone overwhelmed with choices

krosswindz

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I am a dashcam virgin and after going through the forum it just has made things overwhelming. I would like some advice on what would be good dashcam to buy. Here are my requirements
  1. Need to be wifey compatible.
    1. Dont want to worry about formatting regularly as wifey will not care about those warnings.
    2. Something that informs me when there is a incident detected so that I dont have to worry about wifey figuring it out.
  2. Front and rear dashcam. Video quality and with reasonably good storage capacity option.
  3. Parking mode because my wife has to park in mall parking lot for work and people are really not nice any more. Spent enough with parking lot incidents.
  4. Something that can deal with high temperatures. Temperatures goes over 100s in the summer so something without a battery that explodes as she has to park outside.
  5. I dont need all the collision warning stuff because my vehicle already has it.
  6. Most nights my car is parked in a garage but occasionally is parked on the street. Not sure if night time enhancement is required.
  7. Not sure if I need the two channel or one channel camera.
  8. Dont care too much about display, as long as I can see the video on my computer or mobile phone.
  9. Should I get it professionally installed as I dont want to worry about things like messing up my airbags while installation.
  10. I am trying to keep the budget around $500 which would include installation if required.
 
there's no camera that ticks all the boxes so it might be better to list in order of priority what you want and see what comes closest
 
there's no camera that ticks all the boxes so it might be better to list in order of priority what you want and see what comes closest

Requirements in order of priority is
  1. Wifey compatible, i.e no format warning and I can be notified of incidents
  2. Parking mode
  3. Handle high temperature
  4. Video quality
  5. Reasonably good storage
  6. Night vision
Not sure if I need dual channel or two separate cameras
 
memory card is a point of failure in any camera so even if you don't have something with format warnings I'd suggest you make a habit of checking the card and format occasionally anyway, that goes regardless of what camera you buy

parking mode being higher on your list than most of the other things I'd probably suggest a Thinkware F770 or F800, video quality is not class leading but certainly acceptable, storage is not as big as some either, their parking mode is better than most of what else you'll find in the market right now though so is probably the closest fit to your needs overall
 
memory card is a point of failure in any camera so even if you don't have something with format warnings I'd suggest you make a habit of checking the card and format occasionally anyway, that goes regardless of what camera you buy

parking mode being higher on your list than most of the other things I'd probably suggest a Thinkware F770 or F800, video quality is not class leading but certainly acceptable, storage is not as big as some either, their parking mode is better than most of what else you'll find in the market right now though so is probably the closest fit to your needs overall

Thanks for the recommendation. I can definitely format the SD card myself every few weeks.

Also, with regards to installation is it better to get it professionally installed or can I do it myself easily.
 
Thanks for the recommendation. I can definitely format the SD card myself every few weeks.

Also, with regards to installation is it better to get it professionally installed or can I do it myself easily.

if it's a late model vehicle I'd strongly suggest paying for install, even more so if you go with a two channel system, it's important when dealing with airbags and correct routing of cables, computer controlled electronics is something to be aware of when dealing with parking mode also, a good car stereo installer is the best option for this type of work, the other work they do like car alarms, stereos, handsfree kits etc means they're familiar with dealing with routing cables through interior trims etc and will do a neater job than your average mechanic or auto electrician
 
if it's a late model vehicle I'd strongly suggest paying for install, even more so if you go with a two channel system, it's important when dealing with airbags and correct routing of cables, computer controlled electronics is something to be aware of when dealing with parking mode also, a good car stereo installer is the best option for this type of work, the other work they do like car alarms, stereos, handsfree kits etc means they're familiar with dealing with routing cables through interior trims etc and will do a neater job than your average mechanic or auto electrician
Thank you.
 
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