High end F&R Dash Cam with Minimal Wiring, Ideally wireless. Possible?

[jumeriah64]

Evening all. Many moons ago, I posted some Q&A about fitting a system for a long road trip into our 106. That trip never happened but I had great support from folks on the forum and I'm hoping to get your help again please.

In fact it's the same road trip long postponed is now actually going to happen. Only difference being instead of our old base model 106 with 300k on the clock, we actually have a decent near new car. It does have a dash cam built in but I don't think it's enough for the trip. It's a 30 day trip down to the bottom of Turkey and back.

I don't really want to fettle around with the car electronics if I can help it. It's got mad tech built in and I think tinkering might be a problem. But it has a pile of USB ports in the back and front.

Also I don't need to focus too much on the cosmetics of hiding cables too tightly as in a sense it will only be used for this one off trip ..... then proper fitted into our old Ford Focus work horse. The 106 unfortunately we had to move on .... although still incredibility reliable, the welding was just to much for me to factor in .... too many projects, not enough time!!!

So I could use your input for a top end rock solid high function system ideally with wireless connections and just power fed from USB ports. Or as close to that as we can.

Many thanks in advance for any advice and ideas

 

[jumeriah64]

Just a gentle bump ... hoping someone can sketch out the options for a semi wireless system (high functioning) than I can power off in-car USB. Many thanks

 

[DT MI]

...system ideally with wireless connections and just power fed from USB ports...

None exist. All cameras require a wired connection to the main unit.

 

[Nigel]

I posted some Q&A about fitting a system for a long road trip

Viofo's new A329 with the external storage drive connection and the thin coax cable to the rear camera seems a good idea for a long road trip. A multi terabyte disk would save a lot of file copying while on the trip, and the rumoured 100mb/s video would be excellent for road movies, although I suspect a large enough SSD is still too expensive at the moment, and the A329 is not actually released yet!

Viofo A229 Pro is a good choice if you are after image quality.

Thread 'Viofo did it again (updated)'

Sep 15, 2024

Wirecutter, from the New York Times has chosen the Viofo A229 Pro as one of the two best dash cams of 2024. The MioFive S1/ S1 Ultra was the budget winner.

The Best Dash Cam

If you want the peace of mind of having a dash cam record as you drive, we think the Viofo A229 Pro is the best overall choice for most people.

www.nytimes.com

• Dashmellow
• Replies: 20
• Forum: A229 Pro

• 

 

[jumeriah64]

Interesting .... some reading to do there. Thanks for the link and data Nigel. We have a short time to run until the trip so the fact that it's not out yet need not be a problem. And indeed your suggestion headed off my next question about SSD's. I have 2 or 3 large Samsung SSD's which have been doing service on TV's in the house. I could easily use one of those.

And that unit could run off a USB C or A connection or need be hard wired to car? I'm open to doing that on our older car but this new one I'm a bit resistant to meddling too much under the hood. In fact the car doesn't let you open the hood as it goes .... new not entirely desirable trend from some manufacturers.

Many thanks for the steer. A cable could be manageable for the trip with a bit of surface cable management.

 

[jumeriah64]

None exist. All cameras require a wired connection to the main unit.

Thanks for letting me know ..... got some catching up to do here. And just thinking out loud, would two independent systems be feasible? Front and rear? Is that something that's doable or just confusing things some?

 

[Nigel]

And that unit could run off a USB C or A connection or need be hard wired to car?

Viofo normally provide a lighter socket adaptor with USB-A output and a USB-A to USB-C cable, so you can plug it into any USB-A source, however if you want to use 3 channels and 4K, it had better be a powerful USB source, best to use the Viofo lighter socket adaptor, or hardwire kit.

If you are actually interested in the A329 then watch the thread:

Thread 'A329. What is this?'

Sep 6, 2024

There is a section, but the information is 0.0.
Can anyone tell us about the new model?
Previously, the new model would appear first, and then the section.

• Karagandinez
• Replies: 194
• Forum: A329

• 

and don't expect it to definitely be released in the next few weeks, possibly it could be a couple of months before it is ready.

And just thinking out loud, would two independent systems be feasible? Front and rear? Is that something that's doable or just confusing things some?

That is perfectly feasible, especially if you have an accessory power socket in the boot, and it gives you more storage space.
Also, if you are keeping video of a road trip, it is normally the front that you want, so keeping the rear out of the way on a separate card makes things easier.

In fact the car doesn't let you open the hood as it goes

That should be illegal!
Is the engine under the hood, or is it full of dangerous high voltage electrics?

 

[jumeriah64]

Viofo normally provide a lighter socket adaptor with USB-A output and a USB-A to USB-C cable, so you can plug it into any USB-A source, however if you want to use 3 channels and 4K, it had better be a powerful USB source, best to use the Viofo lighter socket adaptor, or hardwire kit.

If you are actually interested in the A329 then watch the thread:

Thread 'A329. What is this?'

Sep 6, 2024

There is a section, but the information is 0.0.
Can anyone tell us about the new model?
Previously, the new model would appear first, and then the section.

• Karagandinez
• Replies: 194
• Forum: A329

• 

and don't expect it to definitely be released in the next few weeks, possibly it could be a couple of months before it is ready.


That is perfectly feasible, especially if you have an accessory power socket in the boot, and it gives you more storage space.
Also, if you are keeping video of a road trip, it is normally the front that you want, so keeping the rear out of the way on a separate card makes things easier.


That should be illegal!
Is the engine under the hood, or is it full of dangerous high voltage electrics?

Yes there's good charging options charging in the boot, the rear seat and front of car. And a hidden cigarette socket under the passenger seat. That could be good.

A couple of months we can easily wait for, no problem. Yes it is partially for the video playback but also for genuine safety reasons. In Albania and Serbia in particular, folks have made a fairly good industry out of throwing themselves at your car then their mate pull alongside saying he's see the lot and arm twisting 'cash or police' options. It's more common than folks think down there. And the driving in Istanbul and Athens can be .... ahem, 'interesting' to say the least. So whilst I'm a confident and not easily phased driver, a little sensible planning is a good option in those areas. But keeping the video will also be good. It's not your average trip.

The bonnet is locked yes, there's a big hepa filter under the bonnet and nothing else, no engine. There is a routine and a hidden lever that you can open it but I think Mercedes take a dim view of it. I lost a windscreen on the motorway a couple weeks back and the Autoglass folks did open it and showed me how

All useful data, I appreciate you explaining and taking the time with this.

 

[Nigel]

but I think Mercedes take a dim view of it.

I came across this comment:

I'm a Merc tech, even we're not supposed to open the hood unless we've gone through special training. There's nearly 30 techs in my shop and only one guy is qualified to touch these. Not like that stopped any of us from messing with it.

The lever to open the hood is still down there, they just put a plastic cover over it. Anyone can pull the cover out and open the hood if they really wanted to. But there's no gas struts or prop so something has to be jammed in there to hold it up.

So Merc are saving a Euro by not fitting gas struts, thus it is not safe for anyone to open it without special training!

 

[DT MI]

Thanks for letting me know ..... got some catching up to do here. And just thinking out loud, would two independent systems be feasible? Front and rear? Is that something that's doable or just confusing things some?

Very doable. Many of us did that before dual channel cameras became as prevalent and reliable as they are currently.

In some ways it's an advantage in that if you were to have front and rear cameras and the front failed you have an 'on board' spare readily at hand. This isn't as significant as it once was as cameras are, for the most part, orders of magnitude more reliable than just a few years ago - assuming you buy from a reputable manufacturer.

There are down sides as well. First you need a power source for the second (rear) camera. Depending on the specific vehicle that can be more annoyance than a problem. Secondly accessing the memory card isn't as convenient as from a front camera. The third 'issue', should the need arise, is syncing the videos from two separate camera is more problematic than a single dual channel unit.

 

[jumeriah64]

I came across this comment:


So Merc are saving a Euro by not fitting gas struts, thus it is not safe for anyone to open it without special training!

Yeah is true that Nigel .... there was definitely no strut to support it .... I'd forgotten that. A piece of 2x4 operated by the "approved technician" sorted the problem at Autoglass

 

[jumeriah64]

Very doable. Many of us did that before dual channel cameras became as prevalent and reliable as they are currently.

In some ways it's an advantage in that if you were to have front and rear cameras and the front failed you have an 'on board' spare readily at hand. This isn't as significant as it once was as cameras are, for the most part, orders of magnitude more reliable than just a few years ago - assuming you buy from a reputable manufacturer.

There are down sides as well. First you need a power source for the second (rear) camera. Depending on the specific vehicle that can be more annoyance than a problem. Secondly accessing the memory card isn't as convenient as from a front camera. The third 'issue', should the need arise, is syncing the videos from two separate camera is more problematic than a single dual channel unit.

Gosh I'd not thought about the video sync. Mind you talking to a man who has yet to video edit his wedding vids from 10 years back!!!!

 

[jumeriah64]

Probably you all saw this already but ..... screenshot attached. For some reason web site not allowing me to insert the image.

A329 pre-sale landing page (Backup）

www.viofo.com

In short .... A329 release date of September 26th! Nice.