Just bought my first dashcam - the K2S

[knwatkins]

Hi all,

I've wanted a dashcam for a number of years but I've always been put off by the size of them until I saw the K2S. So, I've taken the plunge and made my purchase from Lee at Combi in the UK.

I already have a 64GB SD card. It is a SanDisk Ultra 64GB Micro SDXC. Will this be okay to use?

 

[CaptureYourAction]

Hi all,

I've wanted a dashcam for a number of years but I've always been put off by the size of them until I saw the K2S. So, I've taken the plunge and made my purchase from Lee at Combi in the UK.

I already have a 64GB SD card. It is a SanDisk Ultra 64GB Micro SDXC. Will this be okay to use?

View attachment 48634

Not the card pictured, but the newer Ultra A1 (must say A1 on the card) should be OK.

 

[knwatkins]

Thank you for getting back to me. The one pictured is the exact one I have already so I will need to look to get a new one.

Just so I understand, why must the card be A1 please?

 

[kamkar]

The older sandisk ultra cards have a controller that can cause problems for dashcams for some reason, i guess it is based on the SOC the cameras use as those same memory cards can be fine in other kinds of cameras or equipment.
The new A1 marked cards have another controller, and as far as i know have proven to be good memory cards for dashcams.
It is noot a given that the old ultra cards will give you grief, some have used them and had no problems, but far more have run into problems sooner or a little later, so they have been advised against for some time.

 

[knwatkins]

Thank you kamkar1. Also, thank you for your great input on this forum concerning the K2S. I have bought this camera specifically because of your testing and feedback!

On the subject of SD cards, I notice that Rayman said in one of his previous posts that they use Sandisk High Endurance cards in the factory during development. Do you think there is any benefit in one of these cards or will I be okay with just the A1 card?

 

[kamkar]

most endurance memory cards offer warranty if used in dashcams, that's not the case with many of the regular memory cards many of us have used over the years.
I am personally slowly transitioning over to endurance cards.
My latest purchase was the new Kingston endurance cards, one of the cheapest on the Danish market ( not by much though )

In the old days endurance cards used to be horrible expensive compared to regular cards, but now they are down in prices where people should consider those too.

 

[knwatkins]

Thank you kamkar1. After looking at prices on Amazon, I have seen a SanDisk A1 card for £22.29 for 200GB. I think this price is very good and is a lot lower than the endurance ones for similar size.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/B073S99KPQ

If it wears out or I have problems, I think I will consider a smaller size endurance card.

 

[egonvdv]

Got my k2s yesterday.
looks very well built, has a "solid" feeling to it.
now need to find the time to install!
Note: https://www.camdii.store/ sends the camera from the UK, so not sure what will happen after the brexit when it comes to import tax...

 

[jokiin]

not sure what will happen after the brexit when it comes to import tax...

you'll be paying taxes, like everyone else at that stage

 

[knwatkins]

Got my k2s yesterday.
looks very well built, has a "solid" feeling to it.
now need to find the time to install!
Note: https://www.camdii.store/ sends the camera from the UK, so not sure what will happen after the brexit when it comes to import tax...

Same here, mine arrived yesterday too. I agree, it is a neat little unit. Mine is branded Combi because I bought it from Combi in the UK. It is ironic that the the CAMDII store ships from the UK but they do not ship to UK But obviously this is due to the Combi being the exclusive supplier in the UK, which is fine because I hear their customer support is great.

Unfortunately it is raining a lot here in the UK at the moment but when the rain stops, I will be installing it and documenting the process.

 

[kamkar]

I installed mine in February in a shop underground parking lot as it was cold and rainy outside, easy for me to do as i know my car so well from so many dashcam installs + it was just a quick install for testing.
The current install of the cameras on the side windows did take a while longer when i moved the cameras a few months ago, but its also as a permanent install now,,,, though i still need to move the main unit to another place and switch from the OBD power source to regular power as i will not be using parking mode for side cameras.

 

[egonvdv]

you'll be paying taxes, like everyone else at that stage

yes but the question is how much….

 

[jokiin]

yes but the question is how much….

based on feedback I've had from some or our sellers some countries are going to have some pretty steep charges, wait and see I guess but it doesn't sound good

 

[Nigel]

Note: https://www.camdii.store/ sends the camera from the UK, so not sure what will happen after the brexit when it comes to import tax...

Depends on what agreement is made between the UK and EU, but you will probably still end up paying one lot of import tax and one lot of sales tax, so the end result will probably be the same as before! There must be a possibility of an extra import tax, but that would be a small amount, no more significant than the changes in exchange rate that happen regularly anyway.

 

[TonyM]

based on feedback I've had from some or our sellers some countries are going to have some pretty steep charges, wait and see I guess but it doesn't sound good

So I should buy my Christmas presents now?

 

[TonyM]

Unfortunately it is raining a lot here in the UK at the moment but when the rain stops, I will be installing it and documenting the process.

I look forward to seeing your documented install. It should help others who are considering a dual remote camera, to see some of the pros and cons vs a regular dashcam.

 

[LCM2]

Got my k2s yesterday.
looks very well built, has a "solid" feeling to it.
now need to find the time to install!
Note: https://www.camdii.store/ sends the camera from the UK, so not sure what will happen after the brexit when it comes to import tax...

Do you know exactly where in the UK they are being sent from? is there a return address or company name? Thanks

 

[SawMaster]

MEGtech site lists these authorized retailers worldwide:

https://www.camdii.store/network

Phil

 

[knwatkins]

So today I installed the K2S into my 2010 Range Rover Sport. Please see my writeup below....

Here are all the bits you get in the box…


Compared with my key this shows how tiny the cameras are…


I wired straight into the internal fusebox with the hardwire kit provided. I used fuse 29 for the permanent live and fuse 54 for the ignition live. The little box on the left is the power controller that will shut the system down if the battery level drops to a particular voltage. This is configurable between 11.8V to 12.4V.


Earthed using one of the earth points behind the passenger kick panel…


The front camera is mounted behind the rear view mirror so I cut a little slot in the housing to hide the cable…


I wanted to hide the GPS receiver and it worked out that the base of the A-pillar was the most convenient place for this. The GPS receiver also contains the microphone to record the audio….


In order to minimise any rattles, I wrapped all of the cables with automotive fabric tape…


And ran them from the top glovebox...


For the rear camera, I ran the cable under the sill covers…

 

[knwatkins]

I also removed the internal rear quarter panel to run the cable along the existing loom. I also took the opportunity to tidy up the rats nest that someone created whilst fitting aftermarket towing electrics…


And here is the end result.
Front camera…


Rear camera…


Control unit in the top glovebox…


There is also a little wireless remote control that can be used to snap still images when pressed. I mounted that on the side of the steering column…


Footage can be viewed either by opening the videos files directly or using an application called RCam. This is pretty cool as it simultaneously displays the front and rear cameras along with a moving Google Maps showing your GPS location. It also gives you a speed and G-sensor readout…