Looking for Beginner's Dash Cam

Cowcakes

New Member
Joined
Nov 21, 2015
Messages
7
Reaction score
0
Country
Canada
Hello,
  • I drive a 2013 Honda CrV
  • I'm looking for a Dash Cam that's easy to configure and use - I assume I just plug it in the cig port??
  • Mainly used in day time when I'm driving my car to/from work
  • I don't know anything about hardwiring or how to hide in the wires in the pillars of the car
  • Budget: ~$125 CAD
  • Additional question: Are there dash cams that just run on their own battery without any wires? But I guess the battery life would not be ideal and it might be hazardous if my car gets hot?
Thank you so much!
 
Welcome, once you get a dashcam it's something you'll want to have in every car you drive into the future. So you want a starter cam eh? sound fun.

- Plug and play in Honda is easy
- Check out the front page: http://dashcamtalk.com (all the entry level priced units use cig port power) A118C would be the easiest to setup, and would blend right in since it has a glass hugging wedge shapped design. Other budget systems include Mobius if you don't mind not having a screen.
- Many lower priced systems are not always the best at night, so if you're driving mostly in the daytime, getting something in your budget should be good enough
- You can shove the wires around the headliner and down the pillar. (there is a small gap, need a plastic wedge type tool to get the wire in) You can optionally use stick on mini cord clips too but won't look as pretty.
- See my 3rd point above
- Don't get a dashcam that has it's own battery, those are actioncams (like a gopro) and won't survive multiple hot amplified sunny days. Get one that uses a supercapacitor. A dashcam is designed to use your own cars power. If you need the camera to record while the car is off while you're away, that's when you need to hard wire the power into yoru fuse box using a battery discharge prevention hard wire kit. (more advanced, you can outsource the work to a local car audio install shop)

If you're ready to try anything more advanced up in Canada, check out http://calgarydashcam.com
 
Yes, the A118C, Mobius, and I'll add the Papago! GoSafe11o as a good first dash cam.
 
The reason why I'm hesitant about shoving the wires down the pillar is that I've got airbags there. Also, doesn't it void the warranty of my car?

Thank you everyone for your suggestions! I'll definitely look into those.
 
If you're not confident the wires will be out of the way of the airbags even when using the very edges its best to take the covers off and route the wires behind the airbags. You can outsource this advanced install option work to your local car audio install shop and they can help. I don't see how this would affect warranty. People have been installing DashCams for many years and I've yet to hear of that happening.
 
The reason why I'm hesitant about shoving the wires down the pillar is that I've got airbags there. Also, doesn't it void the warranty of my car?

Thank you everyone for your suggestions! I'll definitely look into those.

The "complexity" (I say that lightly) of shoving the wires behind A pillars can vary. On the Kia I had to remove the plastic cover where it says Air Bag, then remove a bolt and then remove the A pillar completely. On the Prius I only had to loosen the A pillar by popping it off in a couple spots. I looked at what I think is a photo of the interior of your car and it looks like yours would be the latter.

This point is moot though if you aren't comfortable hard wiring, unless you want to tuck wires from a very very long cigarette charger.
 
Depending on the vehicle, and wiring, you may be surprised on what you can do without removing any parts, by pushing the wires into seams or joints with a popsicle stick or other 'not sharp' object. Get the cam you are interested in, stick it in the windshield temporarily, then look for solutions. :) There may be other power source options you can use closer to the cam, also, negating long wire runs.
 
You can always keep the wire exposed, tucked over the A pillar on the headliner, no airbag blockage.
 
Thanks everyone! I'll get the A118C cam first and then go from there. Can someone recommend some reputable sellers that ship to Canada?
 
I had 2 good experiences ordering from SpyTec, but through Amazon; ordering directly didn't go smoothly so I 2nd going through Amazon.
 
Thanks for the heads up.....now I'm just debating whether or not to wait for Black Friday to see if SpyTec will have any sales lol.
 
Back
Top