Do any dashcams connect to factory installed cameras?

[comadose]

Lots of cars have factory installed cameras already. Front, rear and both sides. But no way to record them.

I'm guessing most are just ordinary analogue video that could be tapped in to. You can get multi channel camera recorders.

Has anyone done this? Does anyone offer kits?

 

[kamkar]

No.
And often the cameras used in car sensors are not of video quality.

Thinkware have a 4 channel kit, others too, but so far it is a small market.
Not least in regard to the side cameras and how to install them without drilling holes in the side of your car.
The thinkware system use cameras that glue to the door side i think it is and the wire feed in they the door weather seal.

some are however meant for semi trucks.

 

[comadose]

The Tesla cameras are not nearly as good as proper dashcams either, but they are there and good enough for stuff like sentry mode.

 

[kamkar]

There are also the question of what language the cameras talk, or rather what language it is being transmitted with, as i understand it there are many options to digital transmit a video signal over a wire.
Thats why you cant take a viofo rear camera and put that on a SG front camera and so on, even if the sensor are the same and the plug in the end of the wire, the protocol used to transmit the signal are probably different.

Also personally i don't like cameras looking down the side of the car, i would prefer side cameras that film strait to the side at a 90 degree angle.
Side cameras need to be wider angle compared to the stock cameras of the K2S system i use for side cameras.

I do have full coverage as you can tell by things in the background, but not up close to the car.

 

[Dashmellow]

The Tesla cameras are not nearly as good as proper dashcams either, but they are there and good enough for stuff like sentry mode.

Tesla's cameras are an integral part of their car's autopilot system. I would imagine the last thing Tesla would permit is for aftermarket consumer devices to be connected to such a mission critical system.

 

[kamkar]

Thats probably the #1 reason it will never happen, at least commercial, what hackers and crackers will do only the good lord will know.

 

[comadose]

For example the new Honda e has front low, front high, rear, side wing x2 and side low x2 cameras already fitted. It doesn't have wing mirrors or a rear view mirror, just cameras, but two on each side: on for the virtual mirror and fish eye facing down for the 360 parking assist.

At least the rear and front view cameras factory fitted in most cars are just basic NTSC video using composite over coax cable like you can plug in to any CCTV receiver. Maybe the higher quality ones use some kind of digital encoding but I think aside from the ones used for autopilot systems they are all just SD. Even the Tesla ones look pretty crap. Even if it is digital it's going to be some standard system, they aren't going to create something custom just for the sake of it.

You can get into most stuff in cars because it's CANBUS and I would be surprised if the cameras were much different. The only tricky part is finding where you can easily and cleanly splice in to the wires.

 

[Dashmellow]

This notion that Tesla's cameras are "crap" suggests a misunderstanding of the differences between cameras designed for capturing high resolution video and camera systems designed for machine vision and motion capture (including the highly specific types of lenses they use). Machine vision lenses are generally well corrected optically for distortion but of lower resolving power than typical camera lenses.

The Honda e seems like it may have interesting potential for recording what its camera see but if indeed they are SD, the videos captured by such cams would be of limited value in many situations. A camera and display that works well as a live rear view or side mirror may very well not work well for evidentiary video capture because they are not optimized for this purpose. So far, Honda doesn't seem to be revealing the specifications for the cameras in the e so we can't really evaluate the potential without more information. Then again the Honda e features a prominently positioned HDMI port which raises some interesting questions about possible video-out capability already being in place.

 

[HonestReview]

Lots of cars have factory installed cameras already. Front, rear and both sides. But no way to record them.

I'm guessing most are just ordinary analogue video that could be tapped in to. You can get multi channel camera recorders.

Has anyone done this? Does anyone offer kits?

There are two major hurdles to having your vehicle act as a reliable video recorder.

1. Such recordings would need stored to an SD Card that is removable and upgradeable. As storage eventually fails and capacity is always increasing.

2. Camera Quality and long term benefits. Most cars use Lidar for Blindspot Detection these days and 360 Cams I doubt are HD. And even if manufacturers use or began installing HD cams in vehicles, technology is ever changing. So will that camera installed in your vehicle be viable 5 years down the road? Technology changes rapidly, and cameras installed in vehicles would most likely not be subject to upgrades.

Of Course there's always a price argument. Are most people going to shell out money for high quality cameras installed in their vehicle to act as a Dash Camera? I'm sure you could count 1000 vehicles and probably find less than 10 or 20 that utilize a dash camera. So the demand for manufacturers to undertake the expense seem lacking at present.

 

[kamkar]

I assume rescue people will soon have to be paid much better, and in turn be educated much better.
There are significant risks trying to free a person trapped in a crashed electric vehicle, for one thing there are no norms / standards at all about routing of cables ASO
So what could be a safe cut to make to get a door off on a Tesla, could be certain death with another electric car.

PS: Another wind turbine are on fire here today, ( one of the around 5700 we have on land ) firefighters letting it burn down, too dangerous to deal with.

 

[comadose]

This notion that Tesla's cameras are "crap" suggests a misunderstanding of the differences between cameras designed for capturing high resolution video and camera systems designed for machine vision and motion capture (including the highly specific types of lenses they use).

The Honda e seems like it may have interesting potential for recording what its camera see but if indeed they are SD, the videos captured by such cams would be of limited value in many situations. A camera and display that works well as a live rear view or side mirror may very well not work well for evidentiary video capture because they are not optimized for this purpose. So far, Honda doesn't seem to be revealing the specifications for the cameras in the e so we can't really evaluate the potential without more information. Then again the Honda e features a prominently positioned HDMI port which raises some interesting questions about possible video-out capability already being in place.

No I fully understand the reason Tesla cameras are the way they are... I won't get started on why they won't work for FSD or point out that they don't have any self cleaning system. I am saying that they are crap by dashcam standards yet still useful.

The HDMI socket on the Honda is input only. You can display HDMI video on the dashboard screens. Japanese cars have had TVs in them for years but Honda limit their HDMI ports to only working when stationary in the West.

It just seems like madness that you have all these cameras but then end up sticking yet another camera right next to them because there is no way to record the factory fit ones. The Honda ones may only be SD but that would be enough for a decent parking mode to catch door dingers and you could always supplement with HD dashcams front and rear.

I'm hoping that Honda did a good job with the 12V battery management too. EVs top up the 12V battery from the main traction battery but most have a lock-out to catch a failed 12V battery that limits the number of times they will top it up while the vehicle is powered down. If they were a bit smarter they could run a dashcam in parking mode almost indefinitely.

 

[HonestReview]

There are also the question of what language the cameras talk, or rather what language it is being transmitted with, as i understand it there are many options to digital transmit a video signal over a wire.
Thats why you cant take a viofo rear camera and put that on a SG front camera and so on, even if the sensor are the same and the plug in the end of the wire, the protocol used to transmit the signal are probably different.

Also personally i don't like cameras looking down the side of the car, i would prefer side cameras that film strait to the side at a 90 degree angle.
Side cameras need to be wider angle compared to the stock cameras of the K2S system i use for side cameras.

I do have full coverage as you can tell by things in the background, but not up close to the car.

What setup are you running to capture all four sides? I see your front + rear are a street guardian.

 

[kamkar]

SG9663DC front and rear, and K2S as side cameras.

 

[comadose]

1. Such recordings would need stored to an SD Card that is removable and upgradeable. As storage eventually fails and capacity is always increasing.

2. Camera Quality and long term benefits.

1. Most cars have a USB socket or three now. Tesla uses theirs for recording video onto a USB flash drive. Durability is an issue but manufacturers will step up and they are so cheap you could just replace yours every year.

2. Catching door dingers is a major benefit.

So what could be a safe cut to make to get a door off on a Tesla, could be certain death with another electric car.

If you mean risk of electrocution there is none. There are standards for EV batteries that require them to be fail-safe and never make the body of the car go "live". A petrol fire is a serious hazard for rescue crews though.

I mean it's insane when you think about it. A tank full of flammable liquid in a car powered by explosions. What could go wrong?

 

[HonestReview]

1. Most cars have a USB socket or three now. Tesla uses theirs for recording video onto a USB flash drive. Durability is an issue but manufacturers will step up and they are so cheap you could just replace yours every year.

2. Catching door dingers is a major benefit.

Cameras integrated into the vehicle system are most likely not a dedicated recorder and will be utilized by other systems. I imagine you can't just pop out Teslas's camera and install a new one in it's place. If manufacturers did make their cameras user upgradeable, that'd be a different story and more of a selling point. I doubt this will happen.

 

[Dashmellow]

No I fully understand the reason Tesla cameras are the way they are... I won't get started on why they won't work for FSD or point out that they don't have any self cleaning system. I am saying that they are crap by dashcam standards yet still useful.

The HDMI socket on the Honda is input only. You can display HDMI video on the dashboard screens. Japanese cars have had TVs in them for years but Honda limit their HDMI ports to only working when stationary in the West.

It just seems like madness that you have all these cameras but then end up sticking yet another camera right next to them because there is no way to record the factory fit ones. The Honda ones may only be SD but that would be enough for a decent parking mode to catch door dingers and you could always supplement with HD dashcams front and rear.

I'm hoping that Honda did a good job with the 12V battery management too. EVs top up the 12V battery from the main traction battery but most have a lock-out to catch a failed 12V battery that limits the number of times they will top it up while the vehicle is powered down. If they were a bit smarter they could run a dashcam in parking mode almost indefinitely.

I agree that built-in cameras would be useful for parking mode. Of course, that's the basic idea behind Tesla's "Sentry Mode" which begins a recording 10 minutes prior to the time a threat is detected.

Thanks for clarifying the use of the HDMI port. As you mention, here in the west having a video screen operating in view of the driver while moving is prohibited. (As if today's drivers are not already too distracted!)

 

[HonestReview]

SG9663DC front and rear, and K2S as side cameras.

How is the K2S mounted? Or more so where is it mounted to get a view of the side?

 

[kamkar]

on some fixed glass on my rear doors.

 

[SawMaster]

Maybe someday someone other than Tesla will address the situation with built-in cams, but nothing after-market will ever be allowed to interface there for safety and insurance reasons. As the concept takes hold, you might be able to order upgraded cams as an option but it's still something for the long-range future.

All the electric and hybrid car manufacturers have video and printed instructions made available to emergency personnel on how to deactivate the electrical power and otherwise safely work with their vehicles when crashed. There are always points where the power can be disaconnected in case there is a need to open the bodywork where HV wiring may be present. The real issue with these is when the batteries catch fire as the gasses given off can be permanently disabling or fatal, affecting people dozens of meters away downwind who are plenty safe from the fire but not the fumes. If you're trapped in one of these all it might take is for a few cells to vent, and you're in deep trouble even if there's no resulting larger fire. They do design in plenty of safety but nothing can withstand all possibilities.

Moreso than the seeming craziness of cayrrying a tank of highly flammable liquid with you in a car is that with today's high pressure fuel injection systems, you're almost certain to have fuel sprayed all over hot engine parts in a major frontal collision. Why there aren't more fires because of this escapes me, but I'm happy to trade off maximized fuel economy for a simple carburetor and low-pressure fuel supplies; much safer and easiewr to maintain and repair too.

Phil

 

[kamkar]

I also have fixed glass on my front doors of the Suzuki Splash, but that glass are right beside the mirrors so they will be in the footage, and i don't think the angle would fit so that gave you a look out back too, but TBH i did not even test that.
But the rear doors are also fine i think, not least since i never have people back there