dumb question of the day: can I leave dash cams in the car 24/7/365 regardless of weather?

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Jaranson

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dumb question of the day: can I leave dash cams in the car 24/7/365 regardless of weather?

I would imagine that dash cams are meant to stay inside the car no matter what. That's the whole purpose of having one, no? Assuming it's a reasonably well-made dash cam, there should be no reason to remove it from the car whether it's 20-degree or 100-degree outside. Or am I wrong about this?

Examples of the dash cams I have in mind for this question: Out of these 5 dash cams, I own two of them... and considering 3rd dash cam, but not sure if I want the same thing or try something else)

mini_0801_1.jpg

dr32-1.jpg

dvr207-5.jpg

mio-mivue-358p.jpg

GS1000.jpg
 
I think just about all those Camera's have batteries in them. It's never a good idea to let Batteries bake in the heat.
(green house effect in the car)

So as long as it's not some crazy desert condition hot weather, should be pretty ok. Nothing lasts forever though. You'll see other threads on here that talk about high heat DashCam's.
http://dashcamtalk.com/forum/search/18528/?q=heat+capacitor&o=date

The higher end DashCam's will use a heat resistant Capacitor instead of a battery to gracefully shut down.
 
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Not a dumb question at all... infact, we would encourage our customers to remove the unit from the windscreen especially when exposed to extreme heat over summer periods.
Believe it or not, electronic consumables don't last forever... and half the time people complaining about over-heating issues is a result of use after such exposures.

If practical, just like a portable GPS.. when away from your vehicle secure it from the windscreen or dash. + leaving it on also attracts thieves :p
 
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Its always better to ask than stsy in shadow.
If you dont need 24/7 parking monitoring, then of course its better to remove dash cam.
Also consider theves possibility ;)
Most dash cams cost many times less than time, money, troubles you have to go after theve brakes car glass, depending if your car insurance covers front or side glass, or non of them.

Considering to buy something else, you may check my latest test

http://dashcamtalk.com/forum/thread...1-vs-dod-ls300w-vs-panorama2.2866/#post-31458
 
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although it probably affects the life expectation of the cam.... its just too much hassle to always remove it and put it back...
i leave my dashcams always there during summer and winter....in europe that can mean +40°~-20°
no problems with that yet.... (besides the fact that once or twice a year it drops down from windscreen)
 
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cheap_newbie said:
although it probably affects the life expectation of the cam.... its just too much hassle to always remove it and put it back...
i leave my dashcams always there during summer and winter....in europe that can mean +40°~-20°
no problems with that yet.... (besides the fact that once or twice a year it drops down from windscreen)
Click to expand...

I spent two years south of Hamburg and stayed with a host family almost 20 years ago. While I was there, they bought a Mercedes S320(W140, SWB) and I went along to pick up the car at the dealership. I was absolutely stunned that a top-of-the-line luxury car like that did not come with air conditioning. It was an optional equipment. They didn't feel that it was worth the expense.(surprisingly, they ordered just about every other option available) During the 2 years, I learned that AC was really not necessary in those parts of Germany. :)

I have my dash cam mounted on the glass, just behind the rear-view mirror. It's can't be seen from outside of the car, unless you are right up against the glass. I also painted or covered everything on the dash cam so that it's completely black.

Since my dash cam has a 3-year warranty that covers accidental damage, including water, I'm just going to leave it inside the car forever.... :)
 
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JazJon said:
I think just about all those Camera's have batteries in them. It's never a good idea to let Batteries bake in the heat.
(green house effect in the car)

So as long as it's not some crazy desert condition hot weather, should be pretty ok. Nothing lasts forever though. You'll see other threads on here that talk about high heat DashCam's.
http://dashcamtalk.com/forum/search/18528/?q=heat capacitor&o=date

The higher end DashCam's will use a heat resistant Capacitor instead of a battery to gracefully shut down.
Click to expand...

what about the cold? it is just as bad?
 
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Jaranson said:
what about the cold? it is just as bad?
Click to expand...
I've had mine in winter here where it'd drop around -30c. It worked fine. Some part ended up frying the board. Being from the cold or a cheap knock off, I'm not sure...
 
I agree with jokiin, the condensation can be the biggest problem for me, even I am afraid most about the heat, not about the cold. I am not so afraid of heat because my dashcams are never under direct sun, but just a little part of them, from the front side. In a truck I have a dashcam more protected, mounted in an usual place and the videos are looking great.

Here is how I like to mount the dashcam in my car. I have an advantage because the windshield wipers are cleaning the surface to the top most position and only when using a dascham like 808 models, Mobius, or the future Innovv I can use that place. Unfortunately in that place I must to invent some radar detector type mount and not to use the official mounts.

But because people can't always hide the dashcam under some roof or black dotted windshield area I expect the manufacturers to concept their PCB with heat sensitive components and chipset on the opposite side of the windshield.
Regarding heat I expect they are making some holes in the bottom and the upper side of the dashcam so the airflow to enter from bottom, cool and exit from top. But I don't know if this hole idea is bad for the condensation problem.

From Jaranson examples, the most protected dashcam against heat can be the DVR0801 if his car have the place for hidding.

enjoy,
Mtz
 
depending on the make/model of the car, the airbags are much more desirable/profitable for thieves. :(

according to a recent news article, my car has the 2nd highest airbag theft rate in the US. At $1000 a pop, I would steal the airbag if I were the thief. It's scary that the car manufacturer made it so easy to remove the steering wheel airbag. I recently installed a new Bluetooth button to the side of the steering wheel. To remove the steering wheel and the airbag, I just need a $6 security screwdriver that I bought from Amazon. I disconnected the car battery and then unscrewed three little security screws behind the steering wheel. After disconnecting 4 wires, the airbag came right off. It took a newbie like me less than 60 seconds to do it... I imagine a "professional" thief can do it in 10 seconds. A stolen airbag is not covered under my comprehensive insurance... well it is, but I have a $1,000 deductible.

I probably won't bother stealing a $100 dash cam that I can't sell. :) (unless I'm a bored 16-year-old juvenile delinquent)
 
JazJon said:
I think just about all those Camera's have batteries in them. It's never a good idea to let Batteries bake in the heat.
(green house effect in the car)

So as long as it's not some crazy desert condition hot weather, should be pretty ok. Nothing lasts forever though. You'll see other threads on here that talk about high heat DashCam's.
http://dashcamtalk.com/forum/search/18528/?q=heat capacitor&o=date

The higher end DashCam's will use a heat resistant Capacitor instead of a battery to gracefully shut down.
Click to expand...
Jaranson said:
dumb question of the day: can I leave dash cams in the car 24/7/365 regardless of weather?

I would imagine that dash cams are meant to stay inside the car no matter what. That's the whole purpose of having one, no? Assuming it's a reasonably well-made dash cam, there should be no reason to remove it from the car whether it's 20-degree or 100-degree outside. Or am I wrong about this?

Examples of the dash cams I have in mind for this question: Out of these 5 dash cams, I own two of them... and considering 3rd dash cam, but not sure if I want the same thing or try something else)

Jaranson said:
dumb question of the day: can I leave dash cams in the car 24/7/365 regardless of weather?

I would imagine that dash cams are meant to stay inside the car no matter what. That's the whole purpose of having one, no? Assuming it's a reasonably well-made dash cam, there should be no reason to remove it from the car whether it's 20-degree or 100-degree outside. Or am I wrong about this?

Examples of the dash cams I have in mind for this question: Out of these 5 dash cams, I own two of them... and considering 3rd dash cam, but not sure if I want the same thing or try something else)

mini_0801_1.jpg
Thfffffffffrr
dr32-1.jpg

dvr207-5.jpg

mio-mivue-358p.jpg

GS1000.jpg
Click to expand...


dr32-1.jpg

dvr207-5.jpg

mio-mivue-358p.jpg

GS1000.jpg
Click to expand...
 
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The new Mobius looks good. Built in heat sink, programmable & update-able, dynomite sound record and cheap. Been a while since I saw the video, but I think around $80.
 
@Lewis Ratliff Your first post quoted everyone but didn't see a response below that.

Lewis Ratliff said:
The new Mobius looks good. Built in heat sink, programmable & update-able, dynomite sound record and cheap. Been a while since I saw the video, but I think around $80.
Click to expand...

"new"? It's been around for awhile now. There are several threads on Mobius OVER heating.
http://dashcamtalk.com/forum/threads/the-mobius-heat-issues.2392

Here is a new Mobius alternative where the whole body is aluminium.
http://dashcamtalk.com/forum/threads/mobius-rival-stylish-innovv™-c1-from-808-family-1080p-30fps-wdr-g-sensor-action-dash-camera.2829/
 
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Lewis Ratliff said:
The new Mobius looks good. Built in heat sink, programmable & update-able, dynomite sound record and cheap. Been a while since I saw the video, but I think around $80.
Click to expand...

$69 delivered from eletoponline365. On sale since June, so I agree that it's still a new model.

Many dashcam models are obsolete within a few months of launch, & are often plagued by firmware problems that don't get resolved.

The Mobius is continually being improved through firmware upgrades by it's developer. I think it'll be on sale for much longer than the average dashcam.

Mine is permanently in the car, though if parked in direct sunshine on a hot summer day, I will take the Mobius with me when I leave the car, as the battery may fry if the cam remains in the car in such conditions.
 
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russ331 said:
$69 delivered from eletoponline365. On sale since June, so I agree that it's still a new model.

Many dashcam models are obsolete within a few months of launch, & are often plagued by firmware problems that don't get resolved.

The Mobius is continually being improved through firmware upgrades by it's developer. I think it'll be on sale for much longer than the average dashcam.

Mine is permanently in the car, though if parked in direct sunshine on a hot summer day, I will take the Mobius with me when I leave the car, as the battery may fry if the cam remains in the car in such conditions.
Click to expand...



Based on what's listed the owner's manual of one of my dash cams, I think it should
be relatively safe to keep the dash cam inside the car, as long as it's not in direct
sunlight in the summer. :) Even in the middle of summer, I've never seen the
interior of my car go up above 138 degrees F, according to a $20 Radio Shack
thermometer that I keep inside the car. (after it sat under the sun all day long in
95-degree temperature)

specs take directly from HP's own website:
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/manualCategory?cc=us&lc=en&product=5341725

HP F200 Cam Camcorder

Operating temperatuer: -10 to 60 C (14 degrees to 140 degrees F )
Storage temperature: -20 to 80 C ( -4 degrees to 176 degrees F )
Operating humidity: 20 to 70% RH
 
For heat I would expect LCD screens to be the weak link. I think LCD displays that will survive and operate in high temps are costly.
 
the battery dies first :D
it doesnt like heat, it doesnt like many charging cycles....it doesnt like cold....
 
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