A dashcam for a hot climate?

J

Jose Caraballo

New Member
Joined
Sep 6, 2015
Messages
14
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5
Location
Santo Domingo
Country
Dominican Republic
Dash Cam
Mobius A-lens
Hello, everyone! I'm new to dashcams, and considering how "well" people drive in my country, i'm looking forward to buying one. I live in the Dominican Republic, especifically in the capital city. Temperatures here are almost always between 25 °C and 35 ° C, it rarely drops below 20 ° C and rarely gets above 40 ° C. There's 2 places in the whole country where it can get below 10 °C, but freezing temperatures are pretty much unknown. I've read about dashcams that don't perform well in hot climates, that they kinda "melt" or the battery explodes....

Which would be an ideal dashcam for tropical climates, with other features like...?
-Good quality during daytime (I wanna be able to read license plates and other details), i don't drive much during the night, but quality here is also needed
-GPS
-Discreetness..... really needed! Dominican thieves are always on looking inside cars to see what people might leave in them! Even if the see a bag (wich might have only worthless things like gym clothes or papers) they could try to break the glass to see if it has money or valuable things.....

I've been taking a look at the Mobius, the B40-A118 and the Mini0806.... they look great because of the size, but how well do they perform in hot climates?

Also, i've seen dual-channel cameras (front and rear window), but they are too expensive...! I can't afford more than $140-$150... wouldn't buying two cameras of the same type have the same effect, mounting each in a windshield?

By the way, would a "windshield protector" reduce somewhat the heat that gets inside the car when you park it in the sun? To protect the camera? I've seen a lot of people using them here.
 
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I too live in a hot climate; 40-45 C is the summer temps while winter is in the 15 C range (with the occasional freezing.) I too was comparing the 3 you're asking about - mainly the Mobius and the Mini, I don't really like the look of the B40, but the GPS addition was appealing.

What I like about the Mobius is that finding and buying a super capacitor and the hard wire kit was easy. The super capacitor withstands more heat than the original battery and if you're really concerned I've seen where you can add to the existing heat sinks to help draw the heat out. I haven't had it very long and the max outside temps around here have been 30 C, but so far I'm very impressed.

I ended up getting everything I needed; Mobius, Super Capacitor, Hard Wire Kit, Add-A-Fuse, 3M Adhesive Mount for around $130.
 
I think the problem with heat and B40 is due to direct sun exposure in the car windshields? (Not as much of a problem with the more upright big truck windshields) More of a problem with the plastic deforming, I think.

The mobius is always a good choice. Are you hoping to leave the camera running while it is parked?
 
MiiHere said:
I too live in a hot climate; 40-45 C is the summer temps while winter is in the 15 C range (with the occasional freezing.) I too was comparing the 3 you're asking about - mainly the Mobius and the Mini, I don't really like the look of the B40, but the GPS addition was appealing.

What I like about the Mobius is that finding and buying a super capacitor and the hard wire kit was easy. The super capacitor withstands more heat than the original battery and if you're really concerned I've seen where you can add to the existing heat sinks to help draw the heat out. I haven't had it very long and the max outside temps around here have been 30 C, but so far I'm very impressed.

I ended up getting everything I needed; Mobius, Super Capacitor, Hard Wire Kit, Add-A-Fuse, 3M Adhesive Mount for around $130.
Click to expand...

Everyone has given positive feedback from this camera. Did you buy the Super capacitor thing separately and then opened the camera to change it for the battery? Any links to amazon?
 
dash riposki said:
I think the problem with heat and B40 is due to direct sun exposure in the car windshields? (Not as much of a problem with the more upright big truck windshields) More of a problem with the plastic deforming, I think.

The mobius is always a good choice. Are you hoping to leave the camera running while it is parked?
Click to expand...

Not really, as far as i know mobius doesn't have parking mode, i'm planning to use it only as a dashcam while driving. (Hit and run while parked is uncommon anyway, and i think you would have to plug the Camera into the car's battery or something like that)
 
Jose Caraballo said:
Everyone has given positive feedback from this camera. Did you buy the Super capacitor thing separately and then opened the camera to change it for the battery? Any links to amazon?
Click to expand...

I did find the Mobius, super capacitor, sd card and hard wire kit on amazon. Come to think of it I think just about everything was on there, including the mount.

I removed the battery and put the super capacitor in when it got here. It doesn't come with one automatically.
 
Pier28 said:
Ah yes, if you have a strict budget in mind, can't go wrong with capacitor Mobius.
Click to expand...

Well, to be honest i'm a bit low on money, but if people living in the desert are using the SG9665GC without problems, then it is worth considering. It also falls just behind $200, which means i don't have to pay extra taxes in my country (for exceeding $200). Perhaps i should start with mobius and in a near future try to get de SG9665GC.
 
Jose Caraballo said:
Well, to be honest i'm a bit low on money, but if people living in the desert are using the SG9665GC without problems, then it is worth considering. It also falls just behind $200, which means i don't have to pay extra taxes in my country (for exceeding $200). Perhaps i should start with mobius and in a near future try to get de SG9665GC.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure what the taxes are but check with @Pier28 I know they've helped out some other people where the tax rates are exorbitant to keep things to a minimum
 
I have experience with the Mobius in hot climates in Mexico. What I can say is that even when I showed people the Mobius, they didn't know what it was, so no worries of someone breaking into your car to get it. Those smash and grabs are common in the city that I lived.

I would say the A lens is the best choice for your needs. I have the A and a C lens next to each other for the best of both worlds set up. The A is better to see real life distances and read plates, while the C is wide and fantastic at night.
 
As long as you don't want parking coverage, just get a camera that is easily removable. Easiest solution. Remove it, take it with you, or hide it in the car.
 
GJHS said:
I have experience with the Mobius in hot climates in Mexico. What I can say is that even when I showed people the Mobius, they didn't know what it was, so no worries of someone breaking into your car to get it. Those smash and grabs are common in the city that I lived.

I would say the A lens is the best choice for your needs. I have the A and a C lens next to each other for the best of both worlds set up. The A is better to see real life distances and read plates, while the C is wide and fantastic at night.
Click to expand...

I also went the the A lens. It seems most folks use or suggest using the B or now C. While that makes sense to catch a bit more side action, it makes everything so tiny. Of course you've solved the problem by just using both. :)

As for links to the products on Amazon - sorry I missed that bit, you'd be better off ordering from somewhere else if you can. Amazon currently is a few dollars more expensive and when I bought my second camera set up last week I couldn't get the super capacitor or hard wire kit. I ended up getting everything from Spy Tec, but I'd look around.
 
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Jose Caraballo said:
Well, to be honest i'm a bit low on money, but if people living in the desert are using the SG9665GC without problems, then it is worth considering. It also falls just behind $200, which means i don't have to pay extra taxes in my country (for exceeding $200). Perhaps i should start with mobius and in a near future try to get de SG9665GC.
Click to expand...
I have both and you cannot go wrong with either. Mobius is a great camera. Small, discreet and no problems in the heat for me. The SG9665GC is really a great camera with excellent day and night time quality. The service and support is simply the best you are going to find with any of these cameras. The popularity and support you are going to get with the Mobius is outstanding as well. There is an entire thread on this forum with great installation tips. You will be impressed when you see this great little camera. Good Luck
 
MiiHere said:
I also went the the A lens. It seems most folks use or suggest using the B or now C. While that makes sense to catch a bit more side action, it makes everything so tiny. Of course you've solved the problem by just using both. :)

As for links to the products on Amazon - sorry I missed that bit, you'd be better off ordering from somewhere else if you can. Amazon currently is a few dollars more expensive and when I bought my second camera set up last week I couldn't get the super capacitor or hard wire kit. I ended up getting everything from Spy Tec, but I'd look around.
Click to expand...

I've seen some stuff in amazon by following the links they provide in this page. Apparently spytec isn't selling the suction cup, or even the car charger adaptor. They're selling the camera and capacitor only. Novotm and Mobius sellers seem to provide accesories as well as the camera. (e.g. https://www.amazon.com/gp/B00H0LLML8) , that plus the capacitor will sum up some $142.43..... I think i'll definitely have to buy it from Eletoponline365 in ebay. Even the capacitor seems to be cheaper, but is not sold by eletopo (https://www.ebay.com/itm/271862500557), this one is out of stock, guess i'll have to order it from 2 other vendors from China.... I already have a memory card.
 
Ah, see I didn't look into either of those accessories; car charger or suction cup. I read reviews that the suction cup mounts don't stick and that is surprising considering the Mobius is so light. I also hard wired into the fuse box so it turns on and off with the ignition. You MAY want to browse more on the web and make sure you want to install using a suction cup, or is it going on the dash? Not sure what sort of laws you have. They make a rear view mirror mount also.
 
MiiHere said:
Ah, see I didn't look into either of those accessories; car charger or suction cup. I read reviews that the suction cup mounts don't stick and that is surprising considering the Mobius is so light. I also hard wired into the fuse box so it turns on and off with the ignition. You MAY want to browse more on the web and make sure you want to install using a suction cup, or is it going on the dash? Not sure what sort of laws you have. They make a rear view mirror mount also.
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The only serious regulation here with regards to the front windshield is that it cannot be tinted. There are several recomendations on not to hang big objects in the rearview mirror as they may be distracting, but since it's not a law most people (including me) ignore it and hang all kinds of stuff such as Air fresheners, mini teddy bears, dices, round things, crucifixes.... I will look for the thread mentioned by @Gabacho, what particular mount did you use? Suction cups seem to be rather big....
 
I bought this mount:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/B008OXRBLG
GoPro also makes one, but I think you have to buy some bundle. The only thing the above one doesn't come with is the windshield mount. I had to buy those separate and you can't just buy 1.

3 Pack of 3M Mounts:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/B00CBSDP0Q
I plan on installing 2 cameras in each car and have a friend might be installing one also so I eventually will need all these mounts.

I removed the large screw knob and replaced it with a...10/32 screw (I think. I even went and bought 3 more today, but the guy behind the counter sized it up and grabbed me what I needed.) I also got rid of the orange stopper.

20150806_122918_resized.jpg
It ends up looking like this.


20150817_145130_resized.jpg
Then this.

The only issue I've ran into with this mount set up is the screw that holds the camera on is hard to tighten and keep that way. I just give it a quick turn when I go to view the videos. Loctite might also do the trick.

The camera also slides in and out of the mount. It's been in 4 weeks in semi hot hot weather and so far so good. My only concern would be sliding it in and out of the mount will eventually cause the 3M adhesive to loosen. Just speculation at this point though.
 
One advantage of the Mobius is it uses standard 'tripod' threaded mounts, 1/4x20.
You can find a lot of inexpensive mounts on ebay, amazon, etc. (US $4.00 or so)
You don't have to buy a 'mobius' specific suction cup mount. :)

Suction cup mounts work OK, if you clean the windscreen, dampen the the suction cup a little before you apply it to the glass, and they should have a tension lever of some sort.
I've been using suction cup type mounts in a truck for 7-8 years, for a large GPS, satellite radio, action cams, smart phones, dashcams.

Yes, they come loose at times,usually after a month or so, a little quicker in summer if the windshield gets hot. They're a temporary mount but will stick on there weeks or months if you do it right. It's annoying, but nothing breaks if they come off. :)
 
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