Looking for the best inconspicuous DVR dashcam

Scally

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I've never had a dashcam, but the need for one is becoming a real burden. I had an incident the other day where a dashcam would have been a real benefit. Thankfully, nothing came of it, so I can just put it behind me and move on.

I know Lukas makes one of the best, and the Blackvue DR750S-2CH is a favorite choice for me right now.

But I would rather have a DVR velcro mounted under the dash, and wired up through the a-post, and across the headliner to the dashcam, discretely mounted next to the rear-view mirror, where no one will see it. I would even love to scrape off some of the black fleck they put on the edges of windshields to make a hole for the camera, but I'm not sure if that can be done.

The reason I would prefer this is so that I never have to access the dashcam itself to get the data from it. I would rather remove the DVR from under the dash.

The Blackvue is dual channel, which is great. Ideally, I would like to have four independent cameras; front, back, and both sides, and I would like all of them hard-wired to the vehicle system.

I used to work in vehicle repair at the auto factory, and I could take apart about 75% of a minivan and put it all back together, so installation is no problem for me, except the electrical. I'd need help with that part.

So, does anyone know of a DVR dashcam like I described? All I need is a high quality HD camera at the end of a wire, and with as small of a profile as possible.
 
Welcome to DCT! Your ideal solution would be the upcoming SG dual remote but it's probably a year away. I was considering using their SG9663DC similar to what you describe but with the main unit as a side cam. Currently the only thing I can think of which would do what you seek is a truck cam where all the cams are remotes but those are very expensive :( The Mini 0906 might be a good option for you but it's relatively new so it doesn't have a long-term history yet.

There are some one-channel cams with small footprints which might work- the original Mobuis is popular for that. The black 'mask' on your windshield is called "frit". Even it it's on the surface (sometimes it's in the glass) you'll find it extremely tough to remove as it's bonded on under heat. While it might be 'stealthy' to mount there, it's almost always past the area which your wipers keep clean, so in the rain your cam might become nearly useless :rolleyes: I like my 4-cam set-up but really most of what you need to show that you have done nothing wrong is provided by a front cam. It's usually all you really need. With a rear cam 95%+ of what you'll ever need is covered but more is always nice :D

So my suggestion is that you might do best to re-think your plan and base it more closely on what's currently available. I'd also suggest that you study a bit more about what makes for good video quality as 720P is at best barely adequate daytime and nearly useless at night. 1080P with 30FPS is general considered the minimum for good dashcam performance. You'd do well to also research the customer support and service people have experienced with cam's you're interested in as that varies wildly ;) There's something out there which will fit many of your requirements but not all of them so like the rest of us you're going to end up with a compromise but it can still be a very good compromise given the right cams :cool:

Phil
 
Thank you, Phil. After my first post I did more searching, and found this site:

https://www.sonicelectronix.com/cat_i960_dash-cams-vehicle-dvr.html

This narrows my search down much better, as there are DVRs here, but I still don't understand how they work, and they are more 'fixed' than I want.

What I want is something like a Western Digital Passport HD stuck with Velcro under my dash. When I need the data I would remove it and take it in the house to process. Or, alternatively, if it is a DVR that takes an SD card, I would just remove the card. Either is better than 95% of the dashcams on the market right now, but a Passport style DVR has the added advantage of an insane amount of storage capacity, and probably a 1 year loop. That would be crazy. What would you do with a 1 year loop? A better plan would be a DVR that you install an SSD into, like the 250GB Samsung C: drive I have in this desktop.

I built this desktop myself, so I'm partial to customizing my own configuration. I like the idea of buying the DVR and cameras separately, but I don't know what is available. I'll have to ask some IT guys about these things. I'm wondering if a 4K camera is available by itself. Then I have to deal with the connectivity issue.

My mind works in funny ways sometimes. I can just imagine an accident scene where I'm removing a memory card from my dashcam on the windshield, and a guilty motorist sees me doing it, and we end up in a violent conflict because he knows I have video evidence. I don't think a display screen visible on your windshield is a very wise idea. It attracts attention, and reveals more about you than you should be letting people know, or it arouses unwanted curiosity about what you're up to. In any difficult situation, no one should know anything about what you've got until you're ready to reveal it.

I should be able to get a 4K camera the size and shape of a car key with a wire sticking out of it. That's all I need. I'll buy 4 of them, and route them through my vehicle trim to a DVR. Looking at the size of the DVRs on that site, I think it would have to go under my seat.
 
I think one of the 'truck' cams uses a SSD for storage but TBH I don't keep up with those much. I googled "truck camera recorder" and got a bunch of hits including a couple names I remember seeing mentioned here on DCT in the past. I think that studying those might give you some ideas of what cams to seek and maybe even some hardware ideas for a DIY recorder :) Or perhaps you'll find an existing system or parts thereof which you can use.

While our humble forum is focused mainly on 'plug-and-play' type dashcams which use the SOC approach and SD card memory, we do what we can to help anyone who comes along. And there are some very knowledgeable folks here who might have something more for you than I can offer. I sure as hack wasn't going to just let your post slide to the bottom unanswered because in seeing the words and thoughts of others I learn things too :D

Best of luck to you on your quest and if you get a system together please return and let us have a peek as we all like anything related to our little slice of the camera world ;)

Phil
 
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