Budget dash with buffered parking mode

[abhi8881]

Hello everyone, I am new to the world of dashcams and seeking help to choose a dashcam that works for me.
I am looking to install a budget friendly dashcam in my Mazda CX-30. I am looking for buffered parking which I feel helps in case anything happens in parking lot when I am not around.

Can you all please suggest the best budget friendly dashcam that support buffered parking mode? Accordingly to my research I found Vantrue E2 and Viofo A129/229 dashcams. However, they are little over the budget for me. Do we have a better value alternative to these?

 

[runtohell121]

Viofo WM1 single channel. Is dual channel a must? If so, try to get the Viofo A129 or A229 or Vantrue E2 like you were researching - probably worth the spend a little extra to get quality and reliable dash cam than to cheap out.

 

[OldEastSider]

The popular and reliable A119v3 offers buffered parking mode for less money than the A129/229. Often you can get it on Amazon for $79.99 (USD) with the GPS module. You won't be disappointed with the image quality either.

Best Dash Cams of 2023 - DashCamTalk

Check out the best dash cams available for 2023 that offer good value for your money.

dashcamtalk.com

 

[abhi8881]

Thanks guys for your suggestions. I forgot to mention that will be looking for a dual channel one.

 

[Dashmellow]

Thanks guys for your suggestions. I forgot to mention that will be looking for a dual channel one.

 

[Dashmellow]

Sad that you forgot to mention what you were actually looking for, therefore soliciting useless helpful replies?, or sad that you can't take a little ribbing about it because someone posted a humorous emoji?

 

[abhi8881]

Sad that you forgot to mention what you were actually looking for, therefore soliciting useless helpful replies?, or sad that you can't take a little ribbing about it because someone posted a humorous emoji?

Absolutely not. I am sorry if you felt that way. I just wanted to add the part that I missed as a part of that comment. I wanted to check the suggestions/dash-cams mentioned in the comments and then reply to them.

 

[abhi8881]

Viofo WM1 single channel. Is dual channel a must? If so, try to get the Viofo A129 or A229 or Vantrue E2 like you were researching - probably worth the spend a little extra to get quality and reliable dash cam than to cheap out.

Thanks. Yes, I am looking for 2ch, which sadly I missed to add. I am mostly inclined towards the Vantrue E2 for it being little sleek compared to Viofo's.
I was also taking a look at the Redtiger F7NP and 70mai A800S. However, they dont seem to support buffered parking.
Which makes me wonder, doesnt the parking modes like motion detection/low bitrate/timelapse drain out the car battery?

 

[Dashmellow]

Absolutely not. I am sorry if you felt that way. I just wanted to add the part that I missed as a part of that comment. I wanted to check the suggestions/dash-cams mentioned in the comments and then reply to them.

If you want a front and rear camera, consider two A119 V3s. There are advantages to this approach and the V3 is probably the best price/performance value for the money available in the dash cam market today and is also one of the most reliable. I personally have used this set-up for last three years now and have been quite pleased. If you are patient you will find the camera on Amazon for $79.95 on a periodic basis.

 

[abhi8881]

If you want a front and rear camera, consider two A119 V3s. There are advantages to this approach and the V3 is probably the best price/performance value for the money available in the dash cam market today and is also one of the most reliable. I personally have used this set-up for last three years now and have been quite pleased. If you are patient you will find the camera on Amazon for $79.95 on a periodic basis.

Oh !!
I wasn’t aware of this setup. So you hardwired both the A119s to the car battery? Sorry, I am little confused about the setup and how you connected them. In the app you have two separate cameras?

 

[Dashmellow]

Oh !!
I wasn’t aware of this setup. So you hardwired both the A119s to the car battery? Sorry, I am little confused about the setup and how you connected them. In the app you have two separate cameras?

I do not have them hard wired, but they could easily be if one wanted to. The V3 has buffered parking mode like you asked for but no app as the camera does not have Wifi, which you did not mention in your OP.

 

[abhi8881]

I do not have them hard wired, but they could easily be if one wanted to. The V3 has buffered parking mode like you asked for but no app as the camera does not have Wifi, which you did not mention in your OP.

Noted !!
The buffered parking mode only works when hard wired, right? I now its a novice question but wanted to confirm on this.

 

[OldEastSider]

Noted !!
The buffered parking mode only works when hard wired, right? I now its a novice question but wanted to confirm on this.

Yes, you need to hard wire a dashcam to your battery, fuse box or OBDII port for it to record in parking mode. On most manufacturer supplied hardwire kits the system will shut-off when battery voltage has reached a preset level (so as not to drain your battery). Vantrue has a nice OBDII power kit, though the voltage cutoff is low at 11.4V. (I have seen 11.6V quoted also, so not sure which is accurate.) Alternatively, you can use a stand-alone power bank but they can be expensive.

If it's of any interest many Viofo cameras will run straight from your car's 5V 2A USB port without having to use the supplied 12V charger. I run an A119v3 and WM1 this way. But of course you don't get parking mode with this setup.

 

[abhi8881]

Yes, you need to hard wire a dashcam to your battery, fuse box or OBDII port for it to record in parking mode. On most manufacturer supplied hardwire kits the system will shut-off when battery voltage has reached a preset level (so as not to drain your battery). Vantrue has a nice OBDII power kit, though the voltage cutoff is low at 11.4V. (I have seen 11.6V quoted also, so not sure which is accurate.) Alternatively, you can use a stand-alone power bank but they can be expensive.

If it's of any interest many Viofo cameras will run straight from your car's 5V 2A USB port without having to use the supplied 12V charger. I run an A119v3 and WM1 this way. But of course you don't get parking mode with this setup.

Thanks for the valuable information. I researched around and seems that Mazda CX-30 doesn’t expose fuse box. So OBD port seems to be the only option to hardwire the dashcam. However, isn’t 11.4V or 11.6V too low for a car battery?

 

[Dashmellow]

I researched around and seems that Mazda CX-30 doesn’t expose fuse box. So OBD port seems to be the only option to hardwire the dashcam.

This statement made no sense to me because every vehicle would need a way to access and change a blown fuse. While you didn't mention what year Mazda CX-30 you own, a little research reveals that there should likely be two easily accessible fuse boxes in your car. One would be in a compartment in your driver's side kick panel and the other would be in the engine compartment. Many vehicles use a similar arrangement.

https://www.mazdausa.com/static/manuals/2021/cx-30/contents/07031600.html

 

[abhi8881]

This statement made no sense to me because every vehicle would need a way to access and change a blown fuse. While you didn't mention what year Mazda CX-30 you own, a little research reveals that there should likely be two easily accessible fuse boxes in your car. One would be in a compartment in your driver's side kick panel and the other would be in the engine compartment. Many vehicles use a similar arrangement.

https://www.mazdausa.com/static/manuals/2021/cx-30/contents/07031600.html

View attachment 65452

View attachment 65453

Sorry for being a rookie here. This will be my first car and I never have had experience dealing with car wires and dashcams.
About the fuse box thing I had mentioned, I got this information from couple of CX-30 forums:

"I bought a Viofo T130 dashcam recently and was fairly shocked to hear not only would it not work with the cabin fuse box, but also that Viofo is one of the only manufacturers who have not got an OBD2 powered option."
"CX30 doesn't have ACC fuse in the inside fuse box. Therefore, I cannot hardwire it.
So, can I use the ODB2 power adapter for the dashcam for parking mode?"

Because of this I assumed that for CX-30, I need to use the OBD2 port only for parking mode.
Just to add, I will be getting my car in coming weeks and it is 2023 Mazda CX-30. Apologies for not adding all the information initially.

 

[Dashmellow]

I'm fairly sure your new car should have fuse boxes and there is a good chance you can hook up a camera to one of your fuse slots and have it work properly. I guess you'll have to see how it goes. I see online that the 2022 CX-30 has both fuse boxes.

 

[Dashmellow]

"CX30 doesn't have ACC fuse in the inside fuse box. Therefore, I cannot hardwire it.

Apparently, the ACC fuse in the CX-30 is in the engine compartment, but there is no reason you can't access it. Every car has various rubber plugs in the firewall where wires enter the cabin from the engine compartment and so all you would need to do is run the wires through one of those rubber grommets out to the engine compartment fuse box. This is a bit more challenging than accessing a fuse in the kick panel but certainly doable.

 

[abhi8881]

Apparently, the ACC fuse in the CX-30 is in the engine compartment, but there is no reason you can't access it. Every car has various rubber plugs in the firewall where wires enter the cabin from the engine compartment and so all you would need to do is run the wires through one of those rubber grommets out to the engine compartment fuse box. This is a bit more challenging than accessing a fuse in the kick panel but certainly doable.

Noted !!
May be I will finalize the dashcam after check the fuse boxes in the car. Apparently the OBD2 port option seems easiest but the 11.6V voltage cutoff is a deal breaker.

 

[OldEastSider]

Noted !!
May be I will finalize the dashcam after check the fuse boxes in the car. Apparently the OBD2 port option seems easiest but the 11.6V voltage cutoff is a deal breaker.

There are plenty of universal OBD cables available (on a well known online retailer for example) that would work with most brands of dashcams. Some come with adjustable voltage settings so you can choose to set it at say 12V, 12.2V, 12.4V or whatever you feel comfortable with. Just make sure the connector on the dashcam end is the same as the cable that came with the camera (eg: mini, micro or USB-C).