dash cam with apps

[hajiwilliams]

Hi all! New to the community. I just got in an accident...and of course did not have a dash cam so I am looking for a good cam since I am on the road much more than I used to be. I see some of the dash cams come with apps, is that something that I should invest in? Is that the way of the future? Or is it one of those add-ons that cause just as much or more frustration than it is really worth?

Any thoughts, pointing in the right direction, articles, and/or brands worth looking at is much appreciated in advance!

Thanks!

 

[SawMaster]

Welcome to DCT @hajiwilliams

Apps vary. Some work great and have a lot of options while others are more basic, with some not working with certain phones. iPhones are more affected than Android it seems and there's the usual delay from Apple in approving apps. It's hard to make an across-the-board statement with cam apps, but they are gaining in popularity and usage and most work reasonably well or better. Part of this is that many cams are screenless now, thus requiring an app for set-up and use.

The real issue here is the wifi connection itself, the units used in dashcams are slow in speed so downloading a file to your phone can take a few minutes. This may be where an app is most useful, allowing you to show and share recordings at the scene of an incident. Usually faster to pull the card and put it in an OTG reader hooked to your phone, and for more intensive work it's always faster to put the card in your PC or laptop.

One thing you need to be aware of is that dashcams don't like heat, and in LV you'll be wanting one which handles heat well. When they overheat some cams shut themselves down while others 'freeze up' and don't record but may still be on. Either way you won't have recordings till the cam is restarted. Overheating is generally a parking mode problem; driving modes are rarely affected since you'll have the A/C on or windows down to cool the car and cam. In researching this aspect look for a general consensus; if a lot of people are having overheating issues that's probably a cam to avoid. If only one or two are having problems theirs may be in a situation you won't have. Do note that multi-channel cams and those with highest video performance tend to run hotter and therefore will be more prone to overheating than some single-channel cams do.

There's a good dashcam for everybody but none are perfect. I still wouldn't be without a dashcam with the way traffic and drivers are now. Just the comfort of knowing I can prove that I did nothing wrong is well worth their relatively small cost.

Phil

 

[Screen name taken]

I use a 70Mia camera. That has an app. I really do not see the advantage of it. The cam can be set up without it. The issue I have is that two files of the same footage is saved. Filling up the card quicker. One file is at a lower bit rate so you can view the file via the app on your phone. Something I never do. It does it for all files, photos, normal cam, and events or saved footage.
I personally prefer that the cam would store one file and give me more hours of saved footage.

 

[DAP]

I have two A129 pro cameras. I went for a year before I bothered to setup the app on my phone, and I did not do that until I misread a thread about a similar camera and thought mine had the capability of connecting to my home wifi.
The app allows you to set up the camera and view video on the phone, but the camera can be more reliably set up on its own screen (the camera and phone software versions sometimes are out of sync), and I much prefer watching the 4k video on my 49" 4k TV that I use as a computer monitor.
The app might be useful if I ever need to show video of an accident or other crime to the police at the scene, but otherwise, I doubt I'll use it again. Much easier to take the memory card out and look at it on my computer.