Dual channel, strong parking mode with battery pack, tiny car

[loljoho]

I've been keeping an eye on dashcams for quite some time now, and I nearly pulled the trigger on a Viofo A129 last night before I realised they no longer support Buffered Parking Mode, and that other users were encountering problems.

I'm back to considering a BlackVue (the DR750X-2CH) which seems to be historically reliable and hassle-free, paired with the B-124X Power Magic Ultra Battery Pack, which will be hardwired to my car. In spite of being 1080p, I'm thinking a partial plate and a vehicle make/model would be enough for insurance purposes.

My car is a 2008 Mazda MX-5 Miata with PRHT, which rules out quite a few possibilities for various reasons.

Main factors:

• $350-ish or under, or I might as well just get the DR900X-2CH
• Front camera can't be too large, and preferably mounted firmly if not permanently
• Rear camera needs to be easily mounted (permanently) on something other than a window
• External primary power source
  • Compatible with the Cellink NEO, BlackVue B-124X, or another similar setup
  • Hardwired via fusebox
• Strong parking mode functionalities
  • Buffered recording that I can rely on
  • Something that'll put my mind at ease when I'm parked up to 8-10 hours for work or visiting friends/family
  • I absolutely loathe people who park over the line and throw their doors open at my car
  • Same with people who'll scrape my bumper in a tight parking lot, even after I parked in the furthest corner
• Hopefully something known to endure sunlight in the summer, but also workable in mildly cold winters (NJ/NYC)
• Don't need a display
• Don't need ADAS or any such driver aids

I'd like any suggestions I may have overlooked ... especially anything with better video quality--I haven't been impressed by the DR750X-2CH based on footage I've seen so far. 4K seems like overkill and out of my current price range but 2K doesn't sound too bad.

I still have to investigate Thinkware's less expensive 2K and 1080p choices this evening.

Thanks so much in advance!

 

[kamkar]

Welcome to the forum.

I dont like buffered parking mode as most often you get so little time from before the event, personally i prefer low bitrate recording and then having G- sensor on in case something big happen.
This give me everything and the G sensor event to tell when, otherwise having to sit thru hours of footage to find the place manual are bad, probably not good for the anger levels already high.
But G - sensors do not catch everything, for instance a idiot keying the whole side of your car, that would probably not trigger the G sensor.

It is my understanding the dedicated dashcam power packs are best to hard wire.

I absolutely loathe people who park over the line and throw their doors open at my car

Me too. Lets hope there is a especially hot corner of hell for those people.

Heat can be a issue, cameras can only go so hot, mitigations are. 1: park with windscreen facing away from the sun so the camera do not get direct sun - 2: maybe go for a remote system like the SG9663DR its main unit you can place where ever out of the sun,,,, i assume that would last a bit longer on a hot day.

Remember any camera pretty much do one ting 100% and that is logging your own driving in relation to roadside - lane markings and traffic lights, so that alone can fend off most outrageous claims against you, even without filming the actual hit.
Do not focus too much on plate capture, if you do any camera will feel like a loss to you, you can get a plate capture alright, but many things can also make sure you dont, and it dont have to be big things.
It is simply a limitation of the sensors currently found in all dashcams.

 

[SawMaster]

The "door dingers" won't be caught by a 2-channel cam mounted normally, so given that it's reliable and it has good prebuffered motion-detect and low-bitrate parking modes I'll suggest the A139, where the cabin cam might add considerably to your coverage. For the days you want to go 'topless' the rear cam and cable could be removed with the roof, or you could devise a mount for it and run the cable under the door sills or carpet.

Or if excellent rear coverage isn't a big issue for you, one of the 'rideshare' cams might suit your needs as it will offer some rear coverage, just not as good. Sadly, as good as the vid quality is, all the A129 series cams seem to have an issue. That won't be a problem with Street Guardian cams which you might also want to consider. Some other 2-channel cams at lower prices seem to do good, but aren't quite in the same league as these. I'm not a Blackvue fan, but the 750X seems to be good, and BV has a well-refined motion-detect parking mode which almost nobody else can match.

Phil

 

[loljoho]

I dont like buffered parking mode as most often you get so little time from before the event, personally i prefer low bitrate recording and then having G- sensor on in case something big happen.
This give me everything and the G sensor event to tell when, otherwise having to sit thru hours of footage to find the place manual are bad, probably not good for the anger levels already high.
But G - sensors do not catch everything, for instance a idiot keying the whole side of your car, that would probably not trigger the G sensor.

Yeah, my purposes for G-Sensor recording would be, for instance, someone scraping my car pulling into the next spot.

From what I understand, the amount of time before the event varies between models? Some seem to only get a few seconds. That's something I'll definitely look further into.

Heat can be a issue, cameras can only go so hot, mitigations are. 1: park with windscreen facing away from the sun so the camera do not get direct sun - 2: maybe go for a remote system like the SG9663DR its main unit you can place where ever out of the sun,,,, i assume that would last a bit longer on a hot day.

Intimately familiar with this. I've been relegating old smartphones to dashcam duty, and those things get HOT in the sun, especially when I try to park far away from the rest of the cars.

Street Guardian is another brand on my list of things to investigate further, but the SG9663DR doesn't seem to have buffered recording?

Remember any camera pretty much do one ting 100% and that is logging your own driving in relation to roadside - lane markings and traffic lights, so that alone can fend off most outrageous claims against you, even without filming the actual hit.
Do not focus too much on plate capture, if you do any camera will feel like a loss to you, you can get a plate capture alright, but many things can also make sure you dont, and it dont have to be big things.
It is simply a limitation of the sensors currently found in all dashcams.

Very helpful, thanks. I'm a software developer with some experience working lower level programming, so I totally get the inherent limitations of the hardware.

Given the insanely high population density (and thus, too many damn cars on the road) here in NJ, I felt plate capture could prove valuable in some cases, e.g. hit-and-run accidents.

Lastly, given my recent discovery with Viofo no longer supporting their advertised buffered functionality, I would really like to get a better sense of Street Guardian and Thinkware as brands, especially if I need to work with their customer service to iron out potential issues.

 

[loljoho]

The "door dingers" won't be caught by a 2-channel cam mounted normally, so given that it's reliable and it has good prebuffered motion-detect and low-bitrate parking modes I'll suggest the A139, where the cabin cam might add considerably to your coverage.

I pretty much ruled out Viofo's entire product line based on what I've seen regarding their product support, especially re: firmware issues that go unfixed while they're still releasing new models; and coming out to say that the A129/A139 don't, in fact, support 100% of the Parking Mode features they promised.

For the days you want to go 'topless' the rear cam and cable could be removed with the roof, or you could devise a mount for it and run the cable under the door sills or carpet.

I'll be permanently installing these--I purchased a convertible with a power hardtop this time, so I don't see myself leaving the top down when I'm parked. There are also two viable mounting points on the bar behind the seat, and behind the wind blocker.

Or if excellent rear coverage isn't a big issue for you, one of the 'rideshare' cams might suit your needs as it will offer some rear coverage, just not as good. Sadly, as good as the vid quality is, all the A129 series cams seem to have an issue. That won't be a problem with Street Guardian cams which you might also want to consider. Some other 2-channel cams at lower prices seem to do good, but aren't quite in the same league as these. I'm not a Blackvue fan, but the 750X seems to be good, and BV has a well-refined motion-detect parking mode which almost nobody else can match.

Rear coverage is a priority, for sure.

And again, for such an expensive purchase, I would really like to go with a brand that I don't have to worry too much about when it comes to dealing with their customer service, not to mention how they've handled issues in the past. So far, BlackVue rates far better than the likes of Thinkware and Viofo based on what I currently know.

 

[loljoho]

Thanks so much for your input, I really appreciate it!

Currently I've added a few more products to further research, and I'll update this thread as I gather more information:

• Thinkware's mid-range 1080p and 2K models
  • FA200 PRO
  • F800 PRO
  • Q8000 PRO 2K
• BlackSys CH-200 2-CH (?)
• Street Guardian SG9663DR (?)

Again, if I've missed any other potential candidates, I would love to hear suggestions!

 

[kamkar]

Yes buffer cameras are most often only 10 seconds before, and then the recording most often only run for 20 - 30 seconds after that before camera revert to parking guard.
The sensors can be pretty sensitive too, i tested a camera and i was able to trigger a event by kicking the rear wheel of my car, and you cant kick a steel rim that hard wearing snickers.

Not the SG9663DR deal in segments, and save either the current one + the previous or the following one, in my case i use 3 minute video segments so 2 X 3 minutes are saved from each camera.
I am not 100 % if that go for any parking mode to be honest, but ill tag the company boss in so he can enlighten us @jokiin

Yeah a plate capture with a hit and run would be very nice, but it is a tall order for many hours of the day, actually up here in Denmark ( we are about as far north on the globe as Canada ) in the winter i dont have much chance of plate captures, only if it is a sunny day or at least only a thin cloud cover.
Made this recording not long ago on a rainy day, i was a bit surprised to see the plates i got ( easy to read large EU plates )
This was 80 km/h - 55 MPH Danish highway speeds-

I prefer low bitrate + G sensor on while parked, low bitrate record it all, G sensor lock if anything big happen.
Testing first time last year i was a bit apprehensive low bitrate would be okay for capturing a moving plate, so i set up shop on a local road, and was pleasantly surprised.

 

[loljoho]

Yes buffer cameras are most often only 10 seconds before, and then the recording most often only run for 20 - 30 seconds after that before camera revert to parking guard.
The sensors can be pretty sensitive too, i tested a camera and i was able to trigger a event by kicking the rear wheel of my car, and you cant kick a steel rim that hard wearing snickers.

I would think 10 seconds is more than enough. Watching some YouTube reviews and footage, it seems like some of the lower end options only manage to get closer to 3-5 seconds. I could be wrong.

Also given my limited background in video encoding and editing, I figured that when getting a license plate on the move, a 1080p@60fps with the BlackVue might be better than the 1080p@30fps offered by most other front-facing options?

Not the SG9663DR deal in segments, and save either the current one + the previous or the following one, in my case i use 3 minute video segments so 2 X 3 minutes are saved from each camera.
I am not 100 % if that go for any parking mode to be honest, but ill tag the company boss in so he can enlighten us @jokiin

Sorry, I don't understand the first bit about the SG9663DR, was there a typo?

My current setup is just a smartphone recording at 1080p using the DailyRoads app, which I have set to capture at 150s intervals. The G-Force autosave is finnicky. So any features beyond that would be a nice upgrade.

Yeah a plate capture with a hit and run would be very nice, but it is a tall order for many hours of the day, actually up here in Denmark ( we are about as far north on the globe as Canada ) in the winter i dont have much chance of plate captures, only if it is a sunny day or at least only a thin cloud cover.
Made this recording not long ago on a rainy day, i was a bit surprised to see the plates i got ( easy to read large EU plates )
This was 80 km/h - 55 MPH Danish highway speeds-

That is pretty much what I'm hoping for in terms of quality. I'm not expecting a miraculously clear shot of every character on a plate.

I prefer low bitrate + G sensor on while parked, low bitrate record it all, G sensor lock if anything big happen.
Testing first time last year i was a bit apprehensive low bitrate would be okay for capturing a moving plate, so i set up shop on a local road, and was pleasantly surprised.

This is where I'm still a bit fuzzy on the details of Parking Mode. What sort of advantages would low bitrate mode provide over buffered capture + event-based?

Also, what kind of wiring/battery/power setup do you use? I figured that a Nellink Ceo tier battery pack would be more than enough.

 

[kamkar]

Yes 10 seconds before i also recon are fine, it is more the fairly short time after that worry me.

Some years ago i tested 2 similar cameras only one on 60 FPS the other on 30 FPS, exposure ASO to automatic, i found no evidence that the 60 FPS camera was better, it was extremely marginal if the 60 FPS camera made a plate and the 30 FPS one did not.
60 FPE only really mean that the minimum exposure for that camera cant be as slow as on the 30 FPS camera, and either way both are way too slow wxposures for anything moving faster than a baby can crawl, so motion blur are a familiar face for dashcam operators to see.

The "SG" approach to events ( i have only tested with the manual event button while driving ) is that depending on where i am in the current file it will put the previous or following + the current one in the RO folder )
So say i an 1 minute into a recording ( 3 minute segment ) when i press the button, then the camera would put the previous 3 minute file + the current one being made in the RO folder, meanihg i will have 3 + 1 minute from before the event, and 2 minutes after.
On the other hand if i am 2 minutes into the current file when i hit the event button the camera save the current one + the next one in the RO folder, and in that case i have 2 minutes before the event and 4 minutes after.

It is also this way on the A139 viofo i am testing only it just save the current file, which can be a little problem in my eyes if the current file started 2 seconds ago. So in that case i would just have 2 seconds from before the event and 2 min 58 seconds after locked away in the RO folder.

I dont think low bitrate + G sensor have much advantage over buffer + G sensor, that is if the G sensor trigger, a person keying the side of your car would probably not set off a G sensor.
The other way around, if you park for many hours low bitrate might be less optimal, cuz those recordings do not go in the RO folder, they are regular files and so will also get deleted when the card have filled up and they are suddenly the old files around.
BUT ! with a sufficient sized memory card i dont think it is that much of a problem, personally i only use parking guard for 1 hour on the timer, to safeguard my little car battery, and at home i have CCTV on my car.
And 1 hour cover all my shopping, and i dont get out much among my fellow Danes, but if need be i can always up the timer if i should feel the need for it.

I am powering strait of the little 55AH battery in my little car, using a 12.2 volt cut off, the dedicated batteries are nice and i do home someone send me one to test,,,,,, and a 4K dashcam too, cuz i am on a pension so any funds i can divert towards other hobbies ASO is much appreciated.

I am also affiliated with SG and now also viofo i assume in that they have sent me free cameras to beat on, even if none of them get any special treatment, if i find something wrong i say so, probably with a well planned wall of text so they know why i feel so and so about their product.
My aim are simple get more cameras on the roads, so skum can pay for their wrong doings, and be able to help people spend their hard earned money in a enlightened way, cuz there are so many dashcams out there you should walk strait past.

 

[kamkar]

On my Sg9663DR camera the regular files ( highest bitrate ) are 350 MB, where as the low bitrate parking files are only 128 MB in size, and as i use 256 GB cards on my primary cameras, and only drive on average 20 minutes or so daily, then i have room for weeks on a memory card.
The smaller file size make the low bitrate files easy to spot among all the other regular files, so no problem the 2 being mixed up.
The events i create with the button, of little things in traffic, they are safe and sound in the RO folder for weeks before i get in gear and get them copied to my computer.
The SG camera do reserve some of the memory space for the RO files, how much i cant recall but plenty even if the dual channel camera put 12 min video ( 4 X 3 min ) of recordings in there with every press of the button, there are room for plenty before the RO folder also eventually fill up and get recycled like the regular files when the card are full.
I have yet to see that RO folder fill up, for the most i do a scheduled maintenance format of the memory card before that happen.

 

[loljoho]

Yes 10 seconds before i also recon are fine, it is more the fairly short time after that worry me.

Ah, gotcha!

The "SG" approach to events ( i have only tested with the manual event button while driving ) is that depending on where i am in the current file it will put the previous or following + the current one in the RO folder )
So say i an 1 minute into a recording ( 3 minute segment ) when i press the button, then the camera would put the previous 3 minute file + the current one being made in the RO folder, meanihg i will have 3 + 1 minute from before the event, and 2 minutes after.
On the other hand if i am 2 minutes into the current file when i hit the event button the camera save the current one + the next one in the RO folder, and in that case i have 2 minutes before the event and 4 minutes after.

Yeah, that's very similar to the setup I have on my mobile app right now, but requires me to be in my car, right?

I dont think low bitrate + G sensor have much advantage over buffer + G sensor, that is if the G sensor trigger, a person keying the side of your car would probably not set off a G sensor.
The other way around, if you park for many hours low bitrate might be less optimal, cuz those recordings do not go in the RO folder, they are regular files and so will also get deleted when the card have filled up and they are suddenly the old files around.

From what I gather, the BlackVue Timelapse+Event, which means the timelapse capture will also capture an event. Are you aware of any other cameras that offer this?

I think our use cases might be very different.

Primarily, I'd like to leave my car for long periods of time (e.g. 6-12 hours at work, visiting friends, etc) and have a setup that catches a hit-and-run on my parked car while I'm away from it.

Having video footage as I drive on the road is probably more a secondary priority.

 

[kamkar]

Thats why i tagged in the company boos ( only brand where you can get to the boss )
I know event handling work that way wit the manual event button, and i also think it do of you have G - sensor for driving on ( which no sane person should have ) but i an unsure how it act in other supported parking modes like time lapse ( i dont think SG have motion detect in their cameras it is a flawed mode cranking out too many false events )

The way i have my SG9663DR "installed" G - sensor for parking dont really work as the main unit are sort of just draped in its bundle of wires across the transmission tunnel, so any swift force to the car body dont really transfer to the main unit, but dropping a match on the unit itself do set off a G _ sensor event alright.
Need to be right attached to the car for forces to travel to the G - sensor to be picked up i assume. ( i will be moving this system to side camera duty in a month or so, just awaiting more comfortable weather to work outside.

The SG cameras also do time lapse, its also okay but that mode then do not have sound, so thats why i bypassed that mode, but SG have 1-2 -5-10 second or something interval time lapse too in parking mode.
I think more cameras have it today, the mode started to start to pick up ground / popularity a year or two ago, and is also fine for cutting down size of parking files, the no sound just nag me.

If someone door ding my car while shopping, and the person know / see / feel / hear it, and is a smart ass about it like saying " i know the guy he is a A-hole", i am so moving heaven and earth to get that person to pay.

With the right sized power source and memory card size you can get parking mode for a long time, some just forget that you also have to drive some afterwards to restore what you have used.
But if your daily routines ASO can accommodate that then it is fine, and many people drive a lot for work, i think the average here is a little over 50 KM ( and here you get a tax deduction for KM past the first 25 KM every day )
So this can easy add up to 15.000 - 20,000 DKkr ( 2400 - 3200 USD ) every year in transport deduction, it is automatic added now as they know where you live and where you work and how many work days you have ( Danes are one of the most registered people in the world, have been so for decades )

This was the view from my computer / cameras earlier today, the red car i am zoomed in on is my little car, the other camera is the street down below the apartment building.


The CCTV system are smart ( AI ) , so cats and dogs can run around me car and motion detect do not trigger, but a human shape or vehicle shape and my tablet / phone start beeping with notifications.

 

[jokiin]

Street Guardian is another brand on my list of things to investigate further, but the SG9663DR doesn't seem to have buffered recording?

correct, the reason we don't use buffered mode is we don't use motion detect, motion detect is unreliable and varies from 'too sensitive and never stops recording' to 'not sensitive enough and misses things' as well as you adjust it the results can vary depending on the lighting, how much activity there is etc so it can work in one location and not another without you having changed anything, buffered parking mode is a band aid fix to try and make motion detect workable by lowering the sensitivity and hoping that if something does move enough to trigger it then it is within the amount of video that you have buffered (about 3 to 10 seconds depending on the model) and you hopefully catch what you want, works sometimes, not always, rather than offer a flawed method we offer 3 timelapse options (1, 2, 5fps) or constant recording at a reduced bitrate (the reduced bitrate saves heat, power and storage space)

I see people all the time looking at cameras and wanting buffered recording but they very often don't understand how it works and what the limitations are (in some models it also limits how emergency files are saved), just one of those marketing terms that people are attracted to I think

 

[jokiin]

The SG camera do reserve some of the memory space for the RO files, how much i cant recall but plenty even if the dual channel camera put 12 min video ( 4 X 3 min ) of recordings in there with every press of the button, there are room for plenty before the RO folder also eventually fill up

the space is dynamic, if you have no RO files the camera will use all the memory space for normal recording, as files are added to the RO folder that will reduce the equivalent amount of available space for normal recording, we don't do like some cameras do where they partition the card and have say 30% of the space pre-allocated for parking files, 10% for emergency files etc

 

[kamkar]

Aaaa thats nifty

 

[kamkar]

When i finally get to do a in camera format on a memory card, and even if i am using the RO folder for storage of little things, then the RO folder are not that big.
I have also just shrugged my shoulders when i see something in traffic, there is little if any reason for my uploads cuz being stupid just seem to be the order of the day in all aspects.

I must say yesterday on my drive to my mothers place i had a full blown BMW in my rear view mirror, and it stayed there is spite of me "humming" the Jaws thing for minutes, and then a little later when i wanted to clap my hands, the BMW was gone.
Only to be replaced by a AUDI that in spite of me doing just about 90 on a 80 road, just blew past me and was soon out of sight.

Parking guard to me is just about sorted out now, all i have left to want is a notification if something have happened while parked.
My flavor is the Low bitrate sprinkled with a light dusting of G - sensor, other might find other favors more appealing.

 

[NARider]

Rear coverage is a priority, for sure.

And again, for such an expensive purchase, I would really like to go with a brand that I don't have to worry too much about when it comes to dealing with their customer service, not to mention how they've handled issues in the past.

I've been very happy with my Street Guardian SG9663DCPRO dual-cams. Both front and rear run at 1080p and provide nice clear video, especially with the included CPL polarized filter on the front cam. You would need more than these two cams to capture activity on the sides of the car. The SG customer support is outstanding and are very active in these forums (examples of their support here https://dashcamtalk.com/forum/categories/guardtrak-street-guardian.103/ ). I initially had a NextBase (UK-based) camera but shortly after installing it I found it was not recording correctly. It turns out that the summertime internal temp of my car (+120 F) was above the operating limit of the NextBase (-4° F to +113°F). I returned it and found Street Guardian which uses supercapacitors in their cams. The SG cameras can operate -4 F to +158 F and I've never had a temp-related issue with my cam. I also got the hardwire kit (HWK) so I could use parking mode. The 5 frames per second gives good evidence of what happens in front and back of your car, without audio. You can set it to stop recording after various durations (5, 10, 30 minutes; 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 12, 18, 24 hours) assuming your battery or battery pack provides sufficient power. The HWK allows you to set a voltage level where it will shut off the camera in parking mode to save your car's battery if it occurs before the timer turns it off. Overall, I've been very pleased with its performance and the customer support.

 

[loljoho]

Thanks so much, everybody! Sorry to bother you all again.

@jokiin and maybe @kamkar @NARider could answer a few questions I have about Street Guardians:

1. What are the dimensions and weight of the GPS Antennas, and how long is the cord?
2. Does the SG9663DR require the LCD display to be installed, or will it operate without the display?

Unfortunately I have very, very, very limited space on the windshield and in the cabin. Although it would be great if I could purchase just the SG9663DR front and rear cameras à la BlackVue, but that doesn't seem to be something Street Guardian offers.

The SG9663DCPRO+ does look very tempting at $250 (especially the extended two year warranty with product registration) but it also requires an external GPS Antenna.

And while not necessarily a dealbreaker, I just really dislike the wedge style front units. Looks like the dimensions are roughly comparable to Viofo's models. I'll have to take some measurements later to make sure I have no notable restrictions on my potential rear camera mounting points.

 

[loljoho]

Regarding buffered mode...

correct, the reason we don't use buffered mode is we don't use motion detect, motion detect is unreliable and varies from 'too sensitive and never stops recording' to 'not sensitive enough and misses things' as well as you adjust it the results can vary depending on the lighting, how much activity there is etc so it can work in one location and not another without you having changed anything, buffered parking mode is a band aid fix to try and make motion detect workable by lowering the sensitivity and hoping that if something does move enough to trigger it then it is within the amount of video that you have buffered (about 3 to 10 seconds depending on the model) and you hopefully catch what you want, works sometimes, not always, rather than offer a flawed method we offer 3 timelapse options (1, 2, 5fps) or constant recording at a reduced bitrate (the reduced bitrate saves heat, power and storage space)

I see people all the time looking at cameras and wanting buffered recording but they very often don't understand how it works and what the limitations are (in some models it also limits how emergency files are saved), just one of those marketing terms that people are attracted to I think

A bit confused now. Let me get this straight.

Buffered parking mode merely entails a short duration of footage before and after an event is included when locking/protecting a file, right? This doesn't necessarily have to be motion detect--depending on the camera it can be configured for impact events of a certain force. That's how I understand it.

Does Street Guardian just automatically lock the current file in case of an impact, or will it lock the file prior (and the next) as well? Does the recording cycle end there, or does it wait to finish? What if an impact occurs at the beginning of a new recording cycle?

My current setup with the DailyRoads Voyager app simply protects the current file if it detects an impact, and starts the next one. I'm looking for something more advanced than that.

 

[loljoho]

I've been very happy with my Street Guardian SG9663DCPRO dual-cams. Both front and rear run at 1080p and provide nice clear video, especially with the included CPL polarized filter on the front cam. You would need more than these two cams to capture activity on the sides of the car. The SG customer support is outstanding and are very active in these forums (examples of their support here https://dashcamtalk.com/forum/categories/guardtrak-street-guardian.103/ ). I initially had a NextBase (UK-based) camera but shortly after installing it I found it was not recording correctly. It turns out that the summertime internal temp of my car (+120 F) was above the operating limit of the NextBase (-4° F to +113°F). I returned it and found Street Guardian which uses supercapacitors in their cams. The SG cameras can operate -4 F to +158 F and I've never had a temp-related issue with my cam. I also got the hardwire kit (HWK) so I could use parking mode. The 5 frames per second gives good evidence of what happens in front and back of your car, without audio. You can set it to stop recording after various durations (5, 10, 30 minutes; 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 12, 18, 24 hours) assuming your battery or battery pack provides sufficient power. The HWK allows you to set a voltage level where it will shut off the camera in parking mode to save your car's battery if it occurs before the timer turns it off. Overall, I've been very pleased with its performance and the customer support.

Thanks for reminding me--the Street Guardian does lack in viewing angle (127°, versus 139° on the DR750X and 140° on the Q800PRO) which isn't a very good note for my use case.

Good to hear about their customer service quality though.

How do BlackVue and Thinkware (and other companies) compare with support?

I've seen anecdotal reports of Viofo being particularly questionable with issues going unresolved for years, all while they continue to release new models. Thinkware seems to be a mixed bag. I'd rather not be forced to purchase a new setup prematurely whether or not the obsolescence is planned.