Front and back installation

egalitarian

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Is B1W any good for dual-cam installation (front and back)? Do I need two hardwire kits or just one will be enough? And will it drain the battery too fast if both cameras are in parking mode? Thanks
 
It's a good choice front or rear or both. You'll need a seperate hardwire kit for each cam. In my experience using one B1W, I'd guess you'll be OK with 3-4 hours parking with both cams running, but this may significantly affect your car battery if it's old or weak. If it's a larger battery (bigger car) and in good shape it shouldn't be any problem. If you want longer parking protection it's best to use a powerbank.

Phil
 
Does the parking hardware kit come with battery protection?
ie. Stops the cams recording if the battery voltage drops to a certain voltage.
I'm also interested in this front and rear cam set up with the B1w and parking mode feature.

BTW if the B1w is hardware wired and has the new park mode firmware ( supports Park mode by button double press), can park mode and recording be turned off totally when I've parked my car in my garage?
 
I've just fitted two in my car, using separate permanent live feeds which have built in battery protection.
The power supplies were two wire kits, and not the ones with a third yellow wire.
I have also installed the autoparking mode firmware with default wi-fi on. So no need to remember to press the button twice to enable the parking mode.

So far I am very impressed with the image quality and ease of use, although I have ordered polarizing filters which will hopefully stop some of the reflections/glare from the windscreens.

Over the past two evenings, both units have remained powered up, so the vehicle battery mustn't have dropped to the point where the power supplies cut out.
The car started fine this morning after two days without use.

What I really like about these B1W is the size. They can be mounted very discretely and don't block any of the driver's visibility.
The rear view image is excellent. I mounted the rear camera centrally at the top of the glass (Skoda Superb estate car).

Tech support from estore009 (Vicky) has been second to none, with all my questions answered quickly and clearly within hours. Top job.
 
Welcome to DCT @lohr500 :) The B1W has the lowest power draw of any cam during recording and is bested by only one other in parking mode for power usage. Getting 48 hours from 2 cams is doing good; many single cams won't go that long. When you install the CPL's you might need to adjust the exposure settings as those tend to darken images a bit, especially at night.

Phil
 
Does the parking hardware kit come with battery protection?
Welcome to DCT @Rafraf :)
The 3-wire kit from Blueskysea does have low voltage battery protection according to an answered question on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/B075WPSZYH
It is the one I use, but I can't say how well it works for this as the car I'm using it in has a high power draw itself when not running and the battery nay be on the way out too. I can park all weekend OK but after a full week the car battery is dead whether the cam is on or not. I haven't tested anything in between these extremes. I'm on the first firmware which goes into g-sensor mode on parking (it works great!), not sure how the never firmware versions function. When I want power off I just unplug it at the cam.

Phil
 
Thanks Phil.

I'm still undecided whether to pull the trigger for 2*B1Ws or Mini 0906. Video quality wise they appear similar, price wise Mini 0906 is about usd20 more but its one dual unit and has remote lock button.However don't think mini 0906 has wifi to remotely change setting and view recordings on a smart phone (depending on where the front unit is installed, guess it could be cumbersome viewing LCD panel and pushing buttons)
Which do you think is better and more reliable in a hot climate? Maybe wishful thinking but expecting it to last for at least 5 years.
 
Welcome to DCT @lohr500 :) The B1W has the lowest power draw of any cam during recording and is bested by only one other in parking mode for power usage. Getting 48 hours from 2 cams is doing good; many single cams won't go that long. When you install the CPL's you might need to adjust the exposure settings as those tend to darken images a bit, especially at night.

Phil
Thanks for the tip on adjusting the exposure settings Phil. I will do this once the filters are fitted.
 
@Rafraf - My personal choice shouldn't influence your decision, as I don't mind the extra amount of time and effort involved with separate cams which I sometimes swap around. Most folks don't see dashcams as a hobby like I do and would probably be better served with simplicity and ease of use ;)

I can vouch for the B1W's tolerance to the summer heat I get, but you're going to have even higher temperatures to contend with there. I think it will do well there as long as you keep the cams out of direct sunlight and have some airflow in the car. I don't have any direct experience with the 0906, but many people in climates like mine have no heat-related problems with it. I like saving money and I like the B1W a lot- just my opinion.

Phil
 
@Rafraf - My personal choice shouldn't influence your decision, as I don't mind the extra amount of time and effort involved with separate cams which I sometimes swap around. Most folks don't see dashcams as a hobby like I do and would probably be better served with simplicity and ease of use ;)

I can vouch for the B1W's tolerance to the summer heat I get, but you're going to have even higher temperatures to contend with there. I think it will do well there as long as you keep the cams out of direct sunlight and have some airflow in the car. I don't have any direct experience with the 0906, but many people in climates like mine have no heat-related problems with it. I like saving money and I like the B1W a lot- just my opinion.

Phil
Thanks Phil for your input, much appreciated. I like saving money too, one of the plus points of B1Ws as well as the WiFi and regular firmware updates/enhancements.

What's holding me back on the B1Ws are the complications with managing the rear cam, it lacks a remote so it'll be difficult to lock files on the spot. Also if the rear cam is hardwired to support parking mode but I want to turn the rear cam off when it's parked in the garage I'll have to go to the back and disconnect the USB cable and reconnect it again before I start driving...a recipe for disaster as I'm likely to forget! Age related
If you have any simple suggestions/work arounds to address these issues, I'd be more than happy to hear them!
 
Thanks Phil for your input, much appreciated. I like saving money too, one of the plus points of B1Ws as well as the WiFi and regular firmware updates/enhancements.

What's holding me back on the B1Ws are the complications with managing the rear cam, it lacks a remote so it'll be difficult to lock files on the spot. Also if the rear cam is hardwired to support parking mode but I want to turn the rear cam off when it's parked in the garage I'll have to go to the back and disconnect the USB cable and reconnect it again before I start driving...a recipe for disaster as I'm likely to forget! Age related
If you have any simple suggestions/work arounds to address these issues, I'd be more than happy to hear them!
I believe 1 hardwire kit can drive 2 B1W if you have one with suitable connectors, or with the ability to add a Y adaptor, that would allow you to turn both off together at night.

The B1W records at quite a low bitrate, so with a reasonable sized card it will hold several days of normal driving, pressing the lock button is not normally necessary, and if you actually have an accident then the G-sensor will lock it anyway.

The 0906 should have the better video and has the better front sensor, certainly for making movies with, however when it comes to number plates, in my experience the B1W normally wins over the 0906.

A difficult decision, in your situation I would probably go with the B1Ws because they seem better built and will cope with higher temperatures since they use less power and generate less of their own heat.

Also, if you want to make sure a bit of video is safe, with the B1W and its wifi you can stop and use your phone and the app to copy the video onto your phone - two copies are much safer than 1 locked one!
 
believe 1 hardwire kit can drive 2 B1W if you have one with suitable connectors, or with the ability to add a Y adaptor, that would allow you to turn both off together at night.
Hi Nigel, Read in another post that it was recommended to use 2 hardwire kits but if using 1 hardwire kit is reliable and safe, I'd appreciate any details eg. Addon fuse cables, installation etc.
Also how can the rear cam be easily turned off?

A difficult decision, in your situation I would probably go with the B1Ws because they seem better built and will cope with higher temperatures since they use less power and generate less of their own heat.

Also, if you want to make sure a bit of video is safe, with the B1W and its wifi you can stop and use your phone and the app to copy the video onto your phone - two copies are much safer
Good points! Reliability and the capability to operate in a hot climate like Malaysia are important. Stop method and save maybe workable.
 
Good idea from @Nigel on using one hardwire kit for both cams. If vou buy the 1.5A kit sold for the Viofo "A" series cams I'm pretty sure it would wotk with the B1W's, as they have very low power draw. By inserting a switch on the kit's power lead that one point would operate both cams. The only part iof this I'd be concernbed with would be the long rear USB cable which would need to be top quality to avoid power losses. Or you could use 2 kits and tap both from a switch in the same way. Half of the cams in my van are wired like that. A 64GB card will give you ~8 hours recording, which is plenty of time to save a file.

Phil
 
The only part iof this I'd be concernbed with would be the long rear USB cable which would need to be top quality to avoid power losses
@Nigel what are the specs for a top quality USB cable?
How is the rear cam USB cable connected to the front cam hardwire kit? Would want to utilize the hardwire kit battery protection to minimize the risk of rear cam draining the car battery.
Also will a larger addon fuse be required since 2 cams are connected to the hardwire kit? If yes how large a fuse?

Not sure if this is a workable idea, but I'm thinking about getting a battery jump starter like this https://m.aliexpress.com/item/32919...d=2656amp-_Ft9ueDHY-z90jPdstMRXg1547188336605

It looks like a glorified battery pack, so thought it might be an idea to connect both front and rear cams to the jumper starters USB ports, and connect the jump starter to the cigarette lighter. In this way if I've the car in the garage I can switch off the jump starter to power off the cams. Or switch on the jump starter to power on cameras if I'm driving or want it in parking mode. Also can still use the jump starter as a jump starter if I need it!
One concern I have is the reliability and safety of the jump starter as it's a lithium ion battery, that's why I thought it better to connect the jump starter to the cigarette socket rather than the hardwire kit to prevent overcharging/overheating of the jump starter battery.
@Nigel @SawMaster would be interested in hearing your thoughts this jump starter idea?
 
what are the specs for a top quality USB cable?

First of all the makeup of the wire, so you will want a pure copper wire and not cheap CCA wire ( Copper Clad Aluminum )
Second you will want the wires to be nice and thick ( gauge )

You can easy get by with a 5A fuse for powering 2 cameras, they only use 1 - 1.5 A when running, but you need the hard wire kit of be of decent quality, there are some really cheap and bad ones out there.
You will need BDP ( Battery Discharge Protection ) to be part of the hard wire kit as the camera don't have that build in.
Using batteries like power banks and so on, you have to make sure they support charging while powering something, if they don't it can be a hazard or at least a strain on the battery so it will last shorter time.

To not have too large USB wires you could lenghten the 12 V side of the hard wire kit, so the USB wires only have to reach from the middle of your car and to the front / rear.
I have once tried a bad / cheap 4 M long USB wire, and due to that i dident get a recording of me getting rear ended, i knew the cable was no good but i put it off getting a better one.
 
To not have too large USB wires you could lenghten the 12 V side of the hard wire kit, so the USB wires only have to reach from the middle of your car and to the front / rear.
Good idea @kamkar1 , it should be easier to source this than a good long USB cable.
Regarding the power bank, the battery in the jump starter I'm looking at is 508000mAh capacity, how long would it be able to power two B1Ws?
 
Many days i would say, but that's also as good as i can tell.

I was thinking maybe have your hard wire kit in / under the center console and all the way to the rear, but it depend on what kind of layout you have in your car.
Myself i drive a little Suzuki car, and the 4K USB cable i used back then was plenty long event to reach from the glove box and out back.
I have only been to Malaysia on a short layover in "KL" airport, but it was mighty hot so no problem for me keeping warm for the 4-5 hours until my plane to France and then on to Denmark.
If you park in the sun i am sure the cameras will do a thermal shutdown.
One reason some cameras have moved to time lapse parking mode is the camera then generate less heat internally and so should be able to cope with higher cabin / windscreen temperatures.
 
@Nigel what are the specs for a top quality USB cable?
How is the rear cam USB cable connected to the front cam hardwire kit? Would want to utilize the hardwire kit battery protection to minimize the risk of rear cam draining the car battery.
Also will a larger addon fuse be required since 2 cams are connected to the hardwire kit? If yes how large a fuse?

Not sure if this is a workable idea, but I'm thinking about getting a battery jump starter like this https://m.aliexpress.com/item/32919...d=2656amp-_Ft9ueDHY-z90jPdstMRXg1547188336605

It looks like a glorified battery pack, so thought it might be an idea to connect both front and rear cams to the jumper starters USB ports, and connect the jump starter to the cigarette lighter. In this way if I've the car in the garage I can switch off the jump starter to power off the cams. Or switch on the jump starter to power on cameras if I'm driving or want it in parking mode. Also can still use the jump starter as a jump starter if I need it!
One concern I have is the reliability and safety of the jump starter as it's a lithium ion battery, that's why I thought it better to connect the jump starter to the cigarette socket rather than the hardwire kit to prevent overcharging/overheating of the jump starter battery.
@Nigel @SawMaster would be interested in hearing your thoughts this jump starter idea?
Good USB cable is 24AWG or less, poor stuff is maybe 28AWG. One B1W doesn't use much power so it would probably work OK with poor stuff, but look for 24AWG or less, for some other cameras 22AWG is preferred.

2 B1W will only use the same as some dual cameras, a 5A fuse is fine.

I have not heard of anyone successfully using one of those car starter powerbanks as a dashcam battery yet...
I don't believe the capacity claimed, I'll make a guess at 12 hours for 2 B1W, but it would be days if the capacity specification is correct!
It will be LiFe, not lipo chemistry inside.
 
On USB cables, also avoid "CCA" types (copper clad aluminum) as those degrade over time while all-copper one's don't. If the spec isn't listed and the seller doesn't know, find a better supplier. Monoprice brand cables are widely used by folks here, and are of good quality- usually a safe bet.

Phil
 
I don't believe the capacity claimed, I'll make a guess at 12 hours for 2 B1W, but it would be days if the capacity specification is correct!
It will be LiFe, not lipo chemistry inside.
Yes I too doubt the claimed battery capacity, suspect it'll be around 10-16000mAh.
How much current does a B1W draw during normal recording and in parking mode?
I'm planning to buy one of these battery jump starter anyway so I'll likely try using it to power the cam. If it does not work then I'll hardwire it.
Thanks for the advice on the USB cables @Nigel @kamkar1 @SawMaster.
 
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