dashcam for specific needs

[BAPPT]

I'm waiting for a new car and i need a dashcam for certain occasions.

What is the most important thing for me? Record while parking, BUT it will be only used 2 or 3 times a week, up to 3 hours max continuous recording each time.

I though about using a powerbank so i could record in those occasions. I would drive the cable all the way to the cigarette lighter so i could switch between the lighter and powerbank whenever i need it. Is this making any sense?

What are my options?

I would need only a front cam, about 100$ to spend. Night image quality is a must have.

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I currently have a crappy chinese dashcam i bought so i could try to install it. It is powered by the cigarette lighter, and was easy to hide all the cable all the way down to the ashtray, so i guess i wont have problem installing it.

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Thank you

 

[Nigel]

For 3 hours you can use the car battery, run it off the accessory socket if it is powered while parked, if not then a fuse tap into the fuse box, or possibly use an OBD socket adaptor. A low voltage cut off would be sensible, just in case you forget to turn it off.

I'll suggest the new Viofo A119 V3, along with its hardwire kit which includes the low voltage cutoff.

 

[kamkar]

It is only for use at night, that parking mode that is ?
Otherwise portugal could be a problem in the daytime now in the summer time, at least if you are parked in direct sun.

 

[BAPPT]

For 3 hours you can use the car battery, run it off the accessory socket if it is powered while parked, if not then a fuse tap into the fuse box, or possibly use an OBD socket adaptor. A low voltage cut off would be sensible, just in case you forget to turn it off.

I'll suggest the new Viofo A119 V3, along with its hardwire kit which includes the low voltage cutoff.

Thank you very much.

Since that Viofo camera comes with the hardwire kit, it seems like a good option.
Can i manualy turn on/off the camera being hardwired?
Even with the voltage cutoff, would it represent any danger to my battery or shorten its lifetime?
Would i need to manually switch between regular recording and parking mode each time?

Thank you

 

[BAPPT]

It is only for use at night, that parking mode that is ?
Otherwise portugal could be a problem in the daytime now in the summer time, at least if you are parked in direct sun.

Thanks

So, would the direct sun be a problem for the camera or the powerbank? Or both?

Would be mostly for parking mode, and 99% in nightime.

 

[Nigel]

Thank you very much.

Since that Viofo camera comes with the hardwire kit, it seems like a good option.
Can i manualy turn on/off the camera being hardwired?
Even with the voltage cutoff, would it represent any danger to my battery or shorten its lifetime?
Would i need to manually switch between regular recording and parking mode each time?

Thank you

You can manually turn the camera off, and it will wake up again next time you drive. You would need to remember to turn it off though.

For 3 hours you can set a high voltage cut-off (if using the 3-wire hardware kit which has adjustable cutoff voltage), then there will be only a little loss of battery lifetime.

 

[BAPPT]

You can manually turn the camera off, and it will wake up again next time you drive. You would need to remember to turn it off though.

For 3 hours you can set a high voltage cut-off (if using the 3-wire hardware kit which has adjustable cutoff voltage), then there will be only a little loss of battery lifetime.

Thanks

What about parking mode? Does it turn auto when the ignition is off? Do i need to launch it manualy?

 

[kamkar]

power banks are often made with lipo batteries, and those can be a fire hazard in a warm car in summer.

Yes you can manual turn off a hard wired camera, most often i think by long pressing the power button, i think the viofo hardwire kit have both a voltage cut off but also a timer.
Using a dashcam as parking mode will put a additional drain on your car battery, but as it is only 200 MAH or so when parked it is very little and should not impact car battery life much in the long run.
Only if you dont have a cut off and discharge your car battery to a low voltage will it be bad, car batteries are not meant for deep discharge, so best to keep cut off over 12 volts, and that with a fairly good battery will easy give you at least the hours you ask for ( i use 12.2 volts myself )

The camera should switch modes automatic between normal driving recordings and parking mode recordings, if you arrive a place where you don't want parking guard, just stop your car, camera will then change to parking mode in seconds, then long press power button and it should turn of, and automatic turn on once you start your car again.

 

[BAPPT]

About the camera, i've read the parking mode triggers based on GPS location, so that's good. Will the camera always turn the screen on each time, or produce those beeping noises?

This hardwire kit works in any car? Which fuse should i pick?

The car will be the one in this video, and the guy says theres some problem related to the fuses at 3:21 mark. Would you check if it brings some kind of problem?

 

[kamkar]

Some cameras support parking mode enable on G-sensor trigger ( or in this case lack of it, so park and your car don't move and after a minute or so G-sensor will trigger parking mode ) i think thats the normal way to do it, this then only need a 2 wire hard wire kit as it is not a signal from the 3 wire that trigger parking or normal mode.
This 2 wire approach i think is something most of the big brands avoid.
There are a range of cheap hard wire kits on the market, i would avoid those if the brand camera you go for have their own, many of the newer cameras actually need this and will not work with generic hard wire kits, even if they too are 3 wire.
Some cameras still support this 2 wire approach too, but the 3 wire hard wire is what most of us will recommend.

It is a little different what cameras do or don't do in parking mode, i would prefer that it just record and not draw attention to itself.

 

[BAPPT]

So, the viofo v3 is compatible with the 2 wire kit, and will trigger parking mode with the g sensor?

What should i buy then? The camera, the hardwire kit and the fuse adapter?

If i need to buy the 3 wire kit, how do i install it?



Thank you v.m.