4ch custom stealth setup

Altron2000

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I'm looking to do a 4 camera setup but still trying to narrow down the platform. I was all excited about extending 4 Mobius lenses then the devices to the glovebox. But soon realized the lens extension cables go no where near that length. Sigh...back to the drawing board.
Requirements:
1080p capabilities (720 ok)
Motion detection, or always on
Good low light it abilities (don't we all);)
Remote lens on all 4 cameras
Of course wide-angle lens on the front and back.
Left and right waterproof 360/eyeball OR wide angle, fitted in the undercarriage of my Thule crossbars. Which are perfect mounts for a nice door ding video I can send to the assailant/ insurance company/lawn force meant.
Can I just get one of those mobile DVR's on ebay and build from there??
 

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sorry about that. and thank you!
 
The AXIS F44 specs aren't good for quad channel, it's 15FPS only. I'm not sure what quad view 1080p means, whether it's 1080p with 4 streams in 1 resolution or 4 streams at 1080p each in separate files.
Bitrates aren't listed, even average ones. Probably going to be way different anyway because they'd quote you surveillance of static walls and you'd drive up the bit rate because the scene is always changing.
14W of power will only last 7 hours on 100Wh Li-ion battery bank, that's not powering the NAS which you'd want to use with SSD in order to store more video than the silly SD 256GB in 1080p with 4 concurrent streams. Maybe it's 18Mbit/s, that'd require 760GB for 24 hours to store 4 cameras. Personally, I'd want at least 2-3 days. That's $1500 in 4TB SSD plus NAS enclosure because that's what AXIS supports, NAS only, no direct drive.

$550 for F44 main unit
4x $300 for cameras
$800 for Li-ion banks for 800Wh (2.5 days) plus $150 for distribution wires and charging equipment
$1500 for SSD
$200 for NAS enclosure
$300 misc equipment like mounting hardware, tools and power to run in car
===
$4700 for 4 channel setup to run 2.5 days
 
/me make sound of old school cash register.
 
I was thinking about this recently. Maybe using a small POE based camera for each like this one. Then for the NVR use one of these or a minnowboard running blue iris or another software like that. The only problem is you would also need a POE switch and some sort of router for the car to run the network, mainly just how to power the POE switch and router. I was also thinking when you get to your house you could potentially make it wirelessly connect and download all the video to a computer in your house. Would be quite a bit cheaper then that Axis system.
 
Really as a mere mortal human you will have little need to save everything your camera pass by every day.
Even if spinning disk storage are pretty cheap today compared to the old days which i come from, then i would prefer to spend my money on something else than hard drives.
I am in the process of trying to lure another mobile provider to match my current plan and then throw in a SIM card for shared data and 1000 Dkkr discount towards a new phone.
If they take it i might well change provider and get a new phone ( Nokia 5 ) for 299 Dkkr.
But i doubt they can match my current 20 / 20 ( GB /hour ) plan for 79 Dkkr/mo as their similar plan cost 199Dkkr.

Anyway the 18 Gb or so of data i dont use every month might come to use elsewhere via a access point in my car.


Dont use wifi at home, at least not in regard to anything in connection with my computer.
 
I've had 4 Mobius cameras for a while and have been using them for diffrent purposes, but just set up 2 of them as left and right car cameras. They are small enough to be discreet without any remote mounting. I set the framerate to 4fps, low bitrate, 1080p. I set them to only run while driving so they should store months' worth of footage on 128GB. But you could run them 24/7 if you wanted and have a lot of retention time
 
Good? Enough? 720p? You must be cheap and crazy.
What do they look like at night? Probably ****.
When you look at a test chart, do you see lens warpage from the center to the edge?
These aren't even meant for cars.
 
I think the technology are there right now to make a good 4 channel system, but its a thin market so no one are pulling the trigger and start making them.
Production price Vs selling price Vs number of people buying one just dont add up.

Its a little sad cuz really myself and quite a few others in here would like a quad setup all in one unit, but not for the price such a unit would cost today, maybe in a year or two when component prices have come down.
 
I think the technology are there right now to make a good 4 channel system, but its a thin market so no one are pulling the trigger and start making them.
Production price Vs selling price Vs number of people buying one just dont add up.

Its a little sad cuz really myself and quite a few others in here would like a quad setup all in one unit, but not for the price such a unit would cost today, maybe in a year or two when component prices have come down.

the biggest stumbling block is the side cameras, coming up with something that fits a majority of vehicles is not easy, installation is also a problem as the costs to install can easily outweigh the product, not a good value proposition for most consumers
 
Indeed.
I was thinking having a really small barrel shaped camera, that can then slide into a few different mounts depending on your install option.
I think we have to think really universal for side camera mounts / install.

Could probably also do kinda the same with a little cube shaped camera, but i think it would leave a less neat install, and i am not sure that shape are more optimal, the barrel shape do lend itself mostly to mounting up high or down low.

Also we must assume most customers have little to none knowhow of installing stuff in a car, so cant be too complicated.
 
the biggest stumbling block is the side cameras, coming up with something that fits a majority of vehicles is not easy, installation is also a problem as the costs to install can easily outweigh the product, not a good value proposition for most consumers
Should use mobile phone size sensors and lenses for the side views, no need for the side cameras to be able to read a number plate at midnight, more important to cover the full length of the car and down to the ground, preferably mounted at the front of the drivers door so that it sees the same as the driver when pulling out of a junction, and without mounting it on the glass because some cars don't have any fixed glass in the doors. The front and rear cams can do the plates.
 
Should use mobile phone size sensors and lenses for the side views, no need for the side cameras to be able to read a number plate at midnight, more important to cover the full length of the car and down to the ground, preferably mounted at the front of the drivers door so that it sees the same as the driver when pulling out of a junction, and without mounting it on the glass because some cars don't have any fixed glass in the doors. The front and rear cams can do the plates.

if it was something installed during vehicle production then you'd go with cameras in the bottom of the door mirrors much like factory birds eye view systems use, to make something universal enough for this though is too involved, installation afterwards is also a big challenge, very labor intensive on a lot of vehicles, I think side view cameras are going to be in the realm of the DIY enthusiast for quite some time
 
Should use mobile phone size sensors and lenses for the side views

Something like that would be optimal, current barrel style cameras are already as small as a 12 mm mount allow for, and really you would like to go a little smaller, and i am not sure 8 mm lenses / mounts can do it.

The innovv C1 used a 8 mm lens, and it worked okay i think, the phone cameras are pretty nice in size, but then sensors for them i am not sure what you can get or drop in such a camera unit.

On my Mitsubishi pickup i had those window wind deflectors on the front doors, i was thinking the way those mounted, maybe you could do the same with a dashcam unit high on a door frame.
 
if there's a fixed window you have more options than if you don't have a fixed window, there's really no one size fits most solution, not based on current tech at least
 
i do have a little fixed window on the front of my front doors, my phone are mounted off it on its suction cup.
I have contemplated trying to put a camera there, but i keep forgetting it, one thing is for sure a lot of my mirror will be in the frame.

6.jpg


As you can see on the passenger side door, sadly not the part of the mirror we use as a driver, but up as high as it can get it might be a good place.

Actually i have the same on the rear doors, but in the back end of the door so will have to wire all across the door to get to the back of it.

s-l1600.jpg
 
My car are really well build for a dashcam addict, plenty of room in the normal places and wiper coverage.
And good options to get creative.
 
if it was something installed during vehicle production then you'd go with cameras in the bottom of the door mirrors
I suspect that for people with normal DIY skills (close to zero) the best place may be to 3M pad them to the bottom or ends of the interior mirror rather than the door mirrors. Note that in Kamkar's car image above we can fully see the rear view mirror from outside. For people with more skill and ambition you can provide longer cables.
 
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