Best option for grandparents

[Graeme]

What's a good dashcam for a grandparent that lives too far away for me to help install? I'd like to send them something they can stick on the window, plug in power, and everything is ready. They don't need parking mode and under $100 would be best.

From reading reviews, a VIOFO A119 looks good. A TaoTronics CD05 also looks easy to use. What else sounds good?

Would it work best if I purchase the dashcam, test and configure it, then ship it to them for final installation?

 

[dash riposki]

How computer savvy are they? They'll need to be able to access files on the dashcam, do some minor settings, and occasional formatting of the card.
The A119 isn't that complicated, but there may be some trial and error getting it in the right position you want in the windshield, meaning they'll need some extra double sided tape.

A suction cup type may be easier for them to deal with, and it somewhat depends on what kind of car it will be used in.

I don't know anything about the Taotronics, but the Ausdom A261 and AD282 have nice video, a screen, fairly easy menu, and are pretty reliable for a battery type dash cam. (Suction cup mounted, also. Both under $100 at Amazon)

 

[Graeme]

Zero computer savvy. They don't have computers or use them at all. No smart phones, either.

Ideally, they could put up the dashcam, have it run whenever they're driving, and if there's an accident they could take down the dashcam and show the police a video of what happened.

 

[Module 79L]

Zero computer savvy. They don't have computers or use them at all. No smart phones, either.

Ideally, they could put up the dashcam, have it run whenever they're driving, and if there's an accident they could take down the dashcam and show the police a video of what happened.

How do you expect them to show the footage to the Police if they don't know how to operate the camera? What if the camera has some problem? You can't go there and fix it and they can't fix it either even if you give them instructions over the phone. Dashcams are never as simple as set and forget.

Your intentions are good but you can't just "throw" technology at people who are not tech savvy.

 

[dash riposki]

They'll have to be able to adjust some simple settings, if nothing else. Maybe update the time occasionally. (If they're not using it often.)
Can they operate a TV remote?


I have an older brother who can't connect speaker wires to a home stereo receiver, but he has advanced degrees. (Sure as hell not in electrical engineering)

These things just aren't 'hands off' 100% at this point.

I'd be scared to hand a memory card or camera to a cop when there is some important footage on it. (without copying it, first.) Not that I don't trust cops, but I've deleted stuff by mistake myself.

 

[Graeme]

They're fine with rebuilding the engine of a tractor or fixing about anything in a home. They simply choose to avoid computers and instead meet with their friends in person.

All it needs to do is record the past X hours of driving. When desired, allow the user to press buttons to play recent videos to show the ones of interest. That's it. If there's an accident with no witnesses and the cops hears two different stories, the video will hopefully clear up what actually happened. I'd never hand a memory card to a cop. The idea here would be to have the grandparent select the recent video showing an accident , play it with the cop watching, and that's it.

So the key here is to find a dashcam that doesn't require a computer or smart phone to configure it. Or maybe one where I configure it once myself and send it to the grandparent. My Livue LB100 wouldn't work because it doesn't have a screen and requires a computer to configure it or watch videos. In an accident, I can't show the videos without other hardware.

 

[dash riposki]

The police generally will need the cam, card, or a copy of the file.

Maybe a cheap smartphone that will run some dashcam program makes more sense?

They're not just for kids anymore.

You wouldn't even need a sim card in it.

 

[Graeme]

That's a great idea. It wouldn't be too hard to include an old smart phone with a card reader.