Are there any dashcams that are designed to sit on the dash?

Infrequent Driver

New Member
Joined
Aug 5, 2017
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
Country
United States
I don't own a car, but I'd like a dashcam for when I borrow one, so I want to avoid cams that need to be "installed". I guess the sucker approach is the best, but are there any that are actually designed to sit on the dash instead of around the rearview mirror/at the top of the screen, or have a generic enough key layout and an upside down mode?

Also I live in a city that gets hot, but seeing as I don't have a car to keep it in and I like AC, I'm not too worried about that.

Thanks!
 
The suction cup mount will work well enough for occasional use. Probably a smaller cam with a screen would work best for you. Depending on the car, you can put the cam at the bottom of the windshield, but the field of view isn't ideal. Up high, and centered usually gives the best view.
A lot of the cams don't seem to have an easy way to mount them from the bottom.
Some of the earlier cams I had with a display had a tripod mount thread on the top, and bottom of the body. Not seen many with that recently.

I use cams in rental cars and just resign myself to the suction cup mount, and the wire to the cig lighter adapter dangling. :)

I still like the mobiuses, they're small, and reliable. Not the best at night. No screen, about the size of a tic tac box or small matchbox. ($80 -/+ with a suction cup mount, and it's usable as a small action cam)

If you're a habitual smartphone user, one of the cams with an app to control and view may work out OK.

The YI you can buy on Amazon (Currently at $50) is a pleasant cam to use overall, not small, has a screen, and usable app, and is easy to live with.

The WR1 has nice video, app controlled, but has some usability problems that may be changed with firmware updates. (I hope)

Whatever you end up with you'll end up with re-setting the time every time you plug it in 'occasionally'. No big deal, but some scrolling and fumbling with the menu.
One of the app controlled cams may be easier to live with, since they'll automatically set the time on the cam when you access the cam for settings or adjusting the view via your smartphone.
 
Last edited:
Welcome to DCT :)

The Mobius is rarely a bad choice, but if you don't want it for anything other than a dashcam I'd suggest having one with a screen. Same screen-less problem with the WR-1 plus it is so new it's longevity can't be assured yet. Wedge cams are quite impractical for non-permanent installs. On the low-price end I'd recommend the G1W-HC from Banggood. Good daytime vids, poor but usable at night, easy-to-use and reliable- about $35. Next up I'd look at the G1W-S; fairly good daytime vids, very good nighttime, high build quality- about $60 from OCD Tronics. The already mentioned YI is another good choice; very good daytime and good at night. The Garmin55 is proving to be a very good cam now with more features. Towards the top is the Vico Opia2, very good all-round.

With any of these you'll need a good micro SD card as dashcams are very write-intensive and cheap cards can't handle that. I recommend the Transcend premuim cards, either 300X or 400X. Samsung EVO Plus also does well. Kingston's premium cards work well too. Most SanDisk cards should be avoided as they are known to give trouble in cams, and Lexar is ceasing production so a warranty return might be a problem. A 16GB card with these cams holds about 2+ hours, a 32GB about 4+, and a 64GB about 8+. Anything over 32GB will need reformatting to the fat32 file system via freeware and a PC. Make sure you're getting a genuine card from a known-good seller as fakes abound. Check delivery times as all factory production is far behind the current demand and delays are happening with some sellers.

On sellers, stay with those recommended here on DCT as being reputable, or buy from Amazon where the DCT-recommend seller or Amazon fulfills the order. With other sellers you may get an older version, clone, or fake and after-sales service will be a problem if you need that. Buying direct from China (such as the G1W-HC from Banggood) is cheaper but adds slow shipping and huge hassles if you need the warranty to the problem of fakes and clones. Never buy SD cards this way.

If you have any questions about specific cams, sellers, or cards ask away- the people on DCT are always glad to help :cool:

Phil
 
Back
Top