Dumb question - do all dash cams record as soon as the car starts up? Can you tell without viewing the footage?

[RubyJolie]

Sorry, I've been researching and it just adds to my headache, and I know I'm super dumb.

I want to know if a dash cam is supposed to start recording as soon as you start your car, because I saw all the products say "automatically captures impact events", which just worries me. I thought "you're supposed to be capturing the whole time, not just when you sense impact. Wouldn't that be too late by then?"

Help me out. I want a dash cam that records the entire time I'm driving, and that it shows, so I know it's recording. For example, a blinking light, etc. Then it shuts off either when I shut it off or when the power is out.

I looked at Viofo A119S V2. Additional question: does the GPS function matter?

Thanks a lot!!

 

[Harsh]

Yes, all dash cams start recording when you start the car. Impact events recording are when parked, Parking Mode.

Besides an overlay of the coordinates and speed, GPS keeps the date and time accurate.

 

[RubyJolie]

Yes, all dash cams start recording when you start the car. Impact events recording are when parked, Parking Mode.

Besides an overlay of the coordinates and speed, GPS keeps the date and time accurate.

Thanks a lot! In your experience, do the dash cams indicate that it is recording?

 

[Harsh]

The record button LED remains on when the camera is recording. Plus on the screen there a blinking red dot indicating the camera is recording.

 

[kamkar]

Also new cameras will beep / buzz if it is not recording ( memory card error - no memory card )
Also if you have stopped a recording, after a little while of inactivity it will start recording again.
You have to stop camera recording to get into menu, when you exit menu again camera will automatic start to record again.

 

[BC Rural]

By "default" settings, the device will turn on when the power is on & the Rec button will glow red. Each Mfg will do this a different way. Parking Mode is probably NOT on by default to get "parked" impacts & there is a G Sensor mode as well to record "most" impacts. These devices are AIDs. They are NOT 100% accurate & not all modes work 100% of the time in ALL circumstances. It doesn't matter if you buy a cheap one or a really expensive device, they all have their pros & cons & they also rely on USER INPUT to customize the device settings, a good reliable (larger better) quality SD card AND a proper power supply!!!! Meaning, you need to understand the device settings AND how to configure the power supply for the device to work properly in as many situations as possible. NO power = no parking / impact mode. Parking modes can run down car batteries if not configured AND wired properly. YOU need to do this as it doesn't happen out of the box & often a separate hardwire / fuse kit is required to set up the parking mode power supply. And so on ......

There are LOTS of YouTube videos on whatever make or model you are interested in. Watch a few review videos to learn how these units are supposed to work & to learn the settings. Do a YouTube search or a general web search. Also search "parking mode" on YouTube for dash cams & or whatever other feature that you want to learn about.

Also, go the the Mfg website & download the manual for whatever make or model that you are interested in & the manual will explain the features. Be skeptical of any Mfg hype. These devices are not 100% fail safe & fool proof to record with perfect clarity every incident in all types of lighting conditions. The features set, the image sensor technology nor the tiny computing power just isn't there yet for perfect REAL world use, no matter the Mfg advertised features.

Also, make sure that you understand how these devices work & adjust your expectations to REAL WORLD USE & user input.

 

[RubyJolie]

The record button LED remains on when the camera is recording. Plus on the screen there a blinking red dot indicating the camera is recording.

Thank you. One last question, is your A119 Viofo? Do you like it?

 

[RubyJolie]

By "default" settings, the device will turn on when the power is on & the Rec button will glow red. Each Mfg will do this a different way. Parking Mode is probably NOT on by default to get "parked" impacts & there is a G Sensor mode as well to record "most" impacts. These devices are AIDs. They are NOT 100% accurate & not all modes work 100% of the time in ALL circumstances. It doesn't matter if you buy a cheap one or a really expensive device, they all have their pros & cons & they also rely on USER INPUT to customize the device settings, a good reliable (larger better) quality SD card AND a proper power supply!!!! Meaning, you need to understand the device settings AND how to configure the power supply for the device to work properly in as many situations as possible. NO power = no parking / impact mode. Parking modes can run down car batteries if not configured AND wired properly. YOU need to do this as it doesn't happen out of the box & often a separate hardwire / fuse kit is required to set up the parking mode power supply. And so on ......

There are LOTS of YouTube videos on whatever make or model you are interested in. Watch a few review videos to learn how these units are supposed to work & to learn the settings. Do a YouTube search or a general web search. Also search "parking mode" on YouTube for dash cams & or whatever other feature that you want to learn about.

Also, go the the Mfg website & download the manual for whatever make or model that you are interested in & the manual will explain the features. Be skeptical of any Mfg hype. These devices are not 100% fail safe & fool proof to record with perfect clarity every incident in all types of lighting conditions. The features set, the image sensor technology nor the tiny computing power just isn't there yet for perfect REAL world use, no matter the Mfg advertised features.

Also, make sure that you understand how these devices work & adjust your expectations to REAL WORLD USE & user input.

Thanks! I'll definitely check out the youtube videos.

 

[Harsh]

Thank you. One last question, is your A119 Viofo? Do you like it?

My A119 V2

Logged onto Banggood to buy a housing for the Mobius, ended up buying the A119 as well during one of their sales for $67. $67. That's cheaper than a Mobius! This one took unusually long to reach, exactly a month. Received bumped on one side due to inadequate padding and shabby packaging...

dashcamtalk.com

 

[BC Rural]

I got the Viofo A119 v2 after MUCH research & comparisons as the best value for the price of quality & features for MY needs. I've had it several months & am still very satisfied. I bought it on sale too. It's not perfect, but NONE are. But it has very useful features, good quality, good price when on sale & a very active A119 forum here with features modified via firmware to even further improve quality.

Review MANY YouTube videos of different brands & models in your price range. There is much to learn about real world use, features & what you THINK you want or will actually work. Everything has compromises & there is a lot of hyped features.

I personally would NOT buy online from Asia sites, no matter the price. Been there done that, PITA, all around, lesson learned. Use Amazon.ca or blackboxmycar.ca & if money is tight wait for sales, which is what I did from blackboxmycar.ca

 

[RubyJolie]

I got the Viofo A119 v2 after MUCH research & comparisons as the best value for the price of quality & features for MY needs. I've had it several months & am still very satisfied. I bought it on sale too. It's not perfect, but NONE are. But it has very useful features, good quality, good price when on sale & a very active A119 forum here with features modified via firmware to even further improve quality.

Review MANY YouTube videos of different brands & models in your price range. There is much to learn about real world use, features & what you THINK you want or will actually work. Everything has compromises & there is a lot of hyped features.

I personally would NOT buy online from Asia sites, no matter the price. Been there done that, PITA, all around, lesson learned. Use Amazon.ca or blackboxmycar.ca & if money is tight wait for sales, which is what I did from blackboxmycar.ca

Thanks for your input and advice!