Help a brother out

[cltjames]

Seems you still don't understand. I asked how to manage the constant recording, not how much it used.

 

[jokiin]

your power question was answered already by @SawMaster

 

[cltjames]

I know. He took the time to actually read what I wrote.

 

[SawMaster]

Well good morning folks. I dropped away to get some much needed sleep Jokiin is correct about the lighting, the far side will not be doing well in that spot. In all truth, the best way to get the protection you seek is by external surveillance cams which will view the entire car and all around it. This will also be a cheaper option and even with that can offer much better video because this is the job those cams are meant for, while dashcams are meant mostly for driving protection. Of course this approach will only work for that one spot (or very close to it) and doing this is not always possible or easy to maintain. We have a section on this HERE but there are plenty of better places to find info on this approach. As an example a pair of basic "NEST" brand wifi capable cams cost under $60 but aren't waterproof and need somewhere to plug into house current for power.

And on parking modes, you've got different ones. "Motion detect" and "g-sensor" detect either movement or a bump to the car, then start recording. Two problems with this- the event may not be detected (especially slight/no 'bump' detected such as with 'keying' the paint), and that from detection to recording takes a few seconds. The latter can be compensated for by cams using "buffering:" or "prebuffering" which will save fronm a short time before the event to a short time after. Detection is the real problem with these modes, as they tend to either be too sensitive and create lots of "false alarms" or too insensitive and not catch events. Even the cams which do this best don't alweays get this right, so for your purposes I wouldn't recommend using these. A recent variation is "radar" detection which does have promise but doesn't seem to be worked out well yet- again not recommended for the same reasons.

Time-lapse takes a 'snapshot' picture repeatedly- varies from a few per second to many seconds between pics. You will positively see something (if it's visible) but it will not tell you where in time, so you'll have to watch the video and find it yourself. Constant recording works similary but is hard on the cam and will void it's warranty. It is what I do personally but I do not recommend this method either because of the potential loss of the cam.

Low-bitrate records constantly, but since you're not moving it can give good images without needing rapid-fire shutter speeds to eliminate motion blur and constant changes in auto-exposure functions in the cam. This does not over-stress the cam like constant recording does, misses nothing, and keeps the warranty. You slightly lesser images but not by much. You're still left with the problem of having to view the video to discover when the event was recorded. My own self and many others feel that this is currently the optimum parking mode but not all cameras offer it. Would only be bettered by a perfected pre-buffered motion detect or radar detection which isn't really in the cards for the forseeable future.

Thinkware and Blackvue have cams which might meet your needs using their parking mode schemes but are expensive and do not have the vid quality of the A129 Duo. I've mentioned a couple lesser choices. There's also plenty of single-channel cams which can do what you need well but darn few folks want to bother with something like the 5 cams/7 video views I have going right now (I use only one 2-channel cam for overnight parking which lets me use my van battery to power things). Powering more than one cam overnight or for longer times means adding another power source which can get equally complex. There's no perfect solution and no easy one for you, but something IS possible.

Maybe you can arrange for external wireless IP security cams. Maybe you can add lighting where you park. Maybe you can use IR cams and add external illumination to your car (needs even more added power). Unless you are into mid-level DIY stuff, the only easy way for you here that I can see is two A129 Duos and two Cellink Neo powerbanks (possibly with the B124 extended power units) - this is as close to 'plug-and-play' as you'll get using dashcams. And because of the lighting issues this may not do as well as you want or need. This will all run well over $500 US by the time you're done however you go about it using dashcams, and in the end no cam can prevent vandalism, only hopefully help you catch who did it. Your real protection is your car insurance policy.

Not trying to discourage you here and willing to help with the specifics, but this is not going to be an easy way forward to get what you want, just so you know

Phil

 

[cltjames]

Am I able to hook 2 2ch up to one Cellink neo if I have the extended battery pack? There seems to be ample lighting in my parking spot, and again I never said I parked on the far side of my pic. Why are you all assuming I would park anywhere but where I already said I park?

 

[cltjames]

I provided a pic. It has light. Low bitrate is clearly recommended. It won't be hard, there is YouTube. A129 does not have much better video, so as long as it has reliable parking mode, as I don't want it shutting off. Why would I have insurance for vandals on a 10 year old car? The deductible alone would cost almost as much as the dashcams lol

 

[SawMaster]

I am speaking of the spot you intend- the apparent lighting is on one side or direction only, and if that is correct the other side will be shaded by the parked car and thus darker. You could use one Cellink Neo, but you'd have to buy or make a splitter for the output and of course the run-time would be half. You might also run into some powering issues doing this if the cable(s) between the Neo and the cam are too long causing a current drop. Viofo cams do seem to need a more robust than usual power supply to function well (which they are supplied with, but you won't be using them with the Cellink device). You could try using one, then if a powering problem arises rewire things and add another one later. If a lack of runtime becomes a problem the B124 extender might solve that provided you drive often enough and for long enough to keep it all charged up well. Which many people do not do. Other powering methods exist but get more complex or harder to use.

On the A129 Duo reliability, you will have to decide that for yourself. Not all these units have problems and I honestly believe it will be fixed but I can't say when nor can Viofo, because he needs better workability of the processor chip programming, which hasn't been released by Novatek yet. This is the only 2-channel cam with both very good 1080p resolution on both channels and low-bitrate recording I can recommend. There are possibly some other cams which have similar specs but of those which I am aware of they have other various issues which I feel makes them a bad choice (usually reliability issues or more universally found problems affecting all the cams).

I can't make the cam choices for you- you need to research the ones you're considering for yourself because no cam is perfect and they all have issues of one sort or another.
Most of us just go with whichever cam seems to give us the best functionality of the aspect(s) we need most, then live with the rest. The aspects I consider most important are reliability first, then consistently good vid quality day and night second. Nothing else matters much to me. You on the other hand need a parking mode, so that forms another aspect which you must fit into the ranking where you feel it belongs. If you want alternatives to look at I'd suggest the Blackvue DR750S- possibly the best motiion detect scheme around, reliable, fair to good vid quality, very pricey! Or one of the Street Guardian offerings: SG9663DC or their SGGCX2Pro with the additional rear cam option- good vids, very reliable, top customer support, costly but worth it.

Phil

 

[cltjames]

Ok so two a129 duo's running low bitrate all night and then regular when driving, what would I need power supply wise? I will not hardwire the cam, but I don't mind hardwiring a battery supply

 

[SawMaster]

Check out the Cellink Neo HERE You can also ask that supplier about Blackvue cams- he's their Authorized seller in CA and good people to do business with. He's also on the forum here too. To get the rapid-charge times the Neo offers requires hardwiring, but they do also supply a ciggie-lighter plug which charges at a slower rate. Also take vthe 'runtime' figures with a grain of salt; you may get slightly less and certainly will get less when the batteries begin to show their age. Hardwiring this is easy and does not require any permanent alterations to your car or it's wiring. Basically fuse adaptors and running a ground wire to a convenient bolt connected to the chassis.

You can use standard USB powerbanks, many folks do. The easiest way here is to have two- one in use as the other charges at home, swapping them daily. Cheaper than the Neo too. Plug-and-play easy, and you'll get into the habit of swapping them daily quickly.

BTW, don't be shocked at the prices from Canadian suppliers- apparently there's a high tax up there for importing this stuff we don't have down here. the 'workaround' is apparent if you visit the US much, but not exactly legal.

Phil

 

[cltjames]

I appreciate the help. Do you have a power bank you use personally? Blackboxmycar willingly lie to you for a sale, so I'll avoid them.

 

[SawMaster]

I don't use them, but member @Dashmellow knows and uses some excellent ones. All I know of these is to avoid the cheap ones which may be unsafe and are always highly over-rated.

Phil

 

[Dashmellow]

I don't use them, but member @Dashmellow knows and uses some excellent ones. All I know of these is to avoid the cheap ones which may be unsafe and are always highly over-rated.

Phil

I'll try to provide further comment about power banks later when I have the time. In the meantime, I just want to respond to your remark about avoiding cheap ones. While I would avoid purchasing any generic "no-name" Chinese brands you may find on eBay and elsewhere, the fact is that these days there are some outstanding bargains available for very little money. The requirement is to purchase ONLY from a name brand that offers a decent warranty and solid customer support.

About two years ago I purchased a Sentey LS-2186 Brio Lux 20800mAh power bank for 20 dollars and it has been an outstanding, reliable product. I'm not sure how they can even provide something of this quality for the money but the model is still available and I can highly recommend it. It has a durable rubberized finish, a very solid feel and it has held up extremely well showing no noticeable deterioration in charging capacity after two years in service. My only complaint is a very minor one in that the LCD charge display isn't always easily readable from every angle.

https://www.sentey.com/en/ls-2186

 

[cltjames]

Awesome that looks like a good fit. So buy 2, charge one while using other. Is there a way to set low bitrate to activate when i turn the car off? Is there any cam i can run in lowbitrate while off, that will return to good quality and notify me of events when i get back in?

 

[Dashmellow]

Awesome that looks like a good fit. So buy 2, charge one while using other. Is there a way to set low bitrate to activate when i turn the car off? Is there any cam i can run in lowbitrate while off, that will return to good quality and notify me of events when i get back in?

There are other options. I'll post more about them when I can get back online but for the moment I have some work to do.

Also, I purchased the Brio Lux on Amazon but for some reason I'm not seeing their power bank products listed at the moment even though their other products such as headphones are available. Need to see what's going on.

 

[HonestReview]

Hi guys,

Looking to outfit a 2010 Nissan Rogue with 360 coverage (say for keying). Must haves: buffered parking mode, low light visibility. From browsing the forums, it seems like 1080 is the way to go for night instead of 4k. Probably a 2 2ch connected to a hardwired battery pack with an extra battery pack.

ZenFox is releasing a new product T3 3 Channel. If they get a hardwire kit going, it records front, rear, and cabin, including parking mode. So you'd have about the best possible chance of 360 degrees without physically drilling into your mirrors and installing a camera into them.

Other option is a front + rear street guardian or viofo a129 hardwired to the car to support low bitrate recording. Captures live video while the car is parked, just at a lesser quality. Low Bitrate recording is suitable for most occurrences that would transpire while a car is parked. You'd need to hardwire the camera to the fusebox or a battery park. Same with the T3 3 Channel Zenfox once the camera manufacturer releases one.

You'd then want a Taxi Cam to compliment the Vifo or Street Guardian. Some have tried the Insta 360. Or could find a suitable model to face inward and record the cabin view.

 

[SawMaster]

@HonestReview - Seriously man, have you read this thread carefully? You should do that so that you'd understand why the Zenfox won't work here. James is concerned about both sides of the car up close too, which no matter how you install it the Zenfox it isn't going to cover nearly as well as 2 dual-channel cams. And it's internal IR illumination will 'blind' the cabin cam from capturing exterior images then because of glass reflecting the IR back to the cam. Nor do we know if the Zenfox is reliable; after all it is brand new and you're being sent one for free to test that kind of thing for us.... Man, you're sounding like a 'shill' here We don't mind your thoughts or input, but please do keep up with what's going on before posting

Awesome that looks like a good fit. So buy 2, charge one while using other. Is there a way to set low bitrate to activate when i turn the car off? Is there any cam i can run in lowbitrate while off, that will return to good quality and notify me of events when i get back in?

Not when using this kind of powerbank but I think it switches automatically with the Neo.

To achieve normal driving recording needs only one power source which is switched on and off with the ignition key. This is usually a ciggie lighter plug or 2-wire HWK, but a 3-wire HWK can be configured to work this way too.
To achieve parking mode as well requires a wire connected to an always on source, and the other wire mentioned above. This takes a 3-wire HWK.

You'll see above that these are car power circuits, so to use a regular powerbank means that you're not tapped into the car any more- thus you lose the automatic switching between modes as well as power coming from the car. Thus you would have to switch between modes on the cam yourself (which I believe is one button press) and the powerbank would be your only power source. Alternately (and the way most folks do this) is to use a aftermarket ciggie-plug PS with USB ports for power while driving, then switching the cable(s) there to powerbank(s) for parking. You still need the button-press to switch modes. Takes maybe 10-15 seconds if you have all this arranged and laid out well.

There are also one or two good "pass-through" powerbanks which are fed by a HWK or ciggie-plug PS, and their output goes to the cam. These charge as you drive, and only feed power when their power source drops (engine turns off). Again you'll need to do a button press on the cam to switch modes. Closest you'll get to a Neo for ease-of-use.

If you're hardcore DIY, you could use a large AGM battery and 5V PS for cam power, and a battery isolator or relay system to allow it to charge while you drive. This will be my approach eventually.

Phil

 

[cltjames]

Alternately (and the way most folks do this) is to use a aftermarket ciggie-plug PS with USB ports for power while driving, then switching the cable(s) there to powerbank(s) for parking. You still need the button-press to switch modes. Takes maybe 10-15 seconds if you have all this arranged and laid out well.

Any power supplies you would suggest? So what has a reliable lowbitrate mode since I see the A129 Pro Duo reliability is rated poorly on this site. I was looking at the A129 Pro, however I see it has had an unresolved duplicating frame issue for over 6 months. I like the A119 v3 and have even considered using two for back and front. I still want to do the sides, should i grab 4 A119 v3's? I would hardwire instead of power banks, im just unsure if it would mess up my car battery.

 

[HonestReview]

@HonestReview - Seriously man, have you read this thread carefully? You should do that so that you'd understand why the Zenfox won't work here. James is concerned about both sides of the car up close too, which no matter how you install it the Zenfox it isn't going to cover nearly as well as 2 dual-channel cams. And it's internal IR illumination will 'blind' the cabin cam from capturing exterior images then because of glass reflecting the IR back to the cam. Nor do we know if the Zenfox is reliable; after all it is brand new and you're being sent one for free to test that kind of thing for us.... Man, you're sounding like a 'shill' here We don't mind your thoughts or input, but please do keep up with what's going on before posting



Not when using this kind of powerbank but I think it switches automatically with the Neo.

To achieve normal driving recording needs only one power source which is switched on and off with the ignition key. This is usually a ciggie lighter plug or 2-wire HWK, but a 3-wire HWK can be configured to work this way too.
To achieve parking mode as well requires a wire connected to an always on source, and the other wire mentioned above. This takes a 3-wire HWK.

You'll see above that these are car power circuits, so to use a regular powerbank means that you're not tapped into the car any more- thus you lose the automatic switching between modes as well as power coming from the car. Thus you would have to switch between modes on the cam yourself (which I believe is one button press) and the powerbank would be your only power source. Alternately (and the way most folks do this) is to use a aftermarket ciggie-plug PS with USB ports for power while driving, then switching the cable(s) there to powerbank(s) for parking. You still need the button-press to switch modes. Takes maybe 10-15 seconds if you have all this arranged and laid out well.

There are also one or two good "pass-through" powerbanks which are fed by a HWK or ciggie-plug PS, and their output goes to the cam. These charge as you drive, and only feed power when their power source drops (engine turns off). Again you'll need to do a button press on the cam to switch modes. Closest you'll get to a Neo for ease-of-use.

If you're hardcore DIY, you could use a large AGM battery and 5V PS for cam power, and a battery isolator or relay system to allow it to charge while you drive. This will be my approach eventually.

Phil

You didn't see my secondary suggestion about Street Guardian / Viofo A129 + Interior Taxi Cam I take it?

I suggested Zenfox as a potential option if camera proves reliable. I'll find out when my sample gets here tomorrow about the quality of the image and how well it operates.

 

[cltjames]

You didn't see my secondary suggestion about Street Guardian / Viofo A129 + Interior Taxi Cam I take it?

I suggested Zenfox as a potential option if camera proves reliable. I'll find out when my sample gets here tomorrow about the quality of the image and how well it operates.

Yeah I havent mentioned wanting an interior cam once. Stop suggesting a product that hasn't even been released, let alone time to work out potential problems that went unnoticed. Go shill on your own "What should I buy" thread.

 

[HonestReview]

Yeah I havent mentioned wanting an interior cam once. Stop suggesting a product that hasn't even been released, let alone time to work out potential problems that went unnoticed. Go shill on your own "What should I buy" thread.

Um...My comprehension skills are "Just Fine".....

Looking to outfit a 2010 Nissan Rogue with 360 coverage (say for keying).

Front + Rear Cameras LACK SIDE COVERAGE. Street Guardian / Viofo A129 for Front + Rear. The ONLY WAY to get side coverage is:

1. Secondary Interior tax Cam facing towards passengers.
2. Insta 360 (similar to Taxi Cam).
3. Drilling holes in your mirrors and wiring cameras into them to capture the sides with an unobstructed view.