Looking to buy a dash cam for my dad

[DashCamCurious]

Hey, I have no experience with dash cams, but my dad asked me to help him find one. This would be for a 2019 Ford F-150 XLT SuperCab truck. He isn't sure if he wants a 1 channel or 2 channel setup, but is leaning more towards the former. An in-cabin facing camera isn't something that interests him. Parking features are something he'd like. Price range is probably <$500 with the aim of getting the best image quality for that.

One of the big obstacles we're having when looking up cameras is the reliance on network connections. My dad does use a smartphone, but he doesn't have a data plan, so I'm not sure how usable the ones without screens would be given the circumstances. He also parks overnight in the city, so there is a concern that the camera might attract thieves, too.

He likes the look of the FITCAMX and the install seems as easy as can be (at least for a single channel setup - I don't know how easy it would be to do 2 channel or hardwire it for the parking mode - can it even do the latter? The Amazon listing says no, yet their own website says it can ...), but the reviews are kind of dicey. Lots of people trash the app (thankfully, that doesn't seem to be required despite the lack of a screen), but more importantly, the recording time seems weirdly limited. I also notice they're not bragging about having a Starvis 2 sensor so image quality might not be up to the competitors.

Any recommendations for what he's looking for? I know there's lot of love for the Viofos (when he asked me about dash cams, they were my first thought), but they have a bunch of models and I'm not sure which would be the best for his use case. I'm likely going to be the one who installs it and as I said, I have zero experience with doing this. I've never played with the fusebox of that truck either. Something that doesn't drive me crazy would be nice, haha.

I appreciate any help. I'll have to dig up threads recommending Micro SD cards, too.

 

[Nigel]

I know there's lot of love for the Viofos (when he asked me about dash cams, they were my first thought), but they have a bunch of models and I'm not sure which would be the best for his use case.

From your specification, the A229 Pro, which has a screen that can access the full setup, so the app is not required. The app is good to use though, and does not require a data plan for anything, I've used it on a tablet with no mobile connection. You do need wifi, for connecting to the camera. The A229 Pro is available in single or dual channel, and you can add an extra camera later. The Viofo A119 Mini 2 is significantly smaller if you want it more hidden, but the screen is pretty small, so needs good eyesight.

I don't think you will find many people here recommending the FITCAMX, it does look more like original equipment, but the Viofo cameras do not stand out, and if the thieves bother to look for cameras then they are more likely to avoid cars where they see something installed, because by the time they have seen it, it will have seen them, and may have put their image on an internet cloud server. The Viofo ones don't have a cloud connection, but the thieves are not going to have a close look at what it is, because that will get the camera's attention!

I've never played with the fusebox of that truck either. Something that doesn't drive me crazy would be nice, haha.

You can start by using the accessory socket; if you want parking mode then it has to be the fuse box, but it isn't too complicated, watch some of the installation guide Youtube videos, you will soon work it out.

 

[Panzer Platform]

Welcome to the club.
FITCAMX image quality is not good.
Your father sounds like he has no patience for technology, and I don’t blame him, so he will do better with a dash cam with a screen, so he doesn't have to use his smartphone to change basic settings.
He is also correct in his lack of interest for an Interior camera, but it will provide excellent evidence in parking mode situations.
It will be able to see out the side windows, where the front & rear cameras can not.
He can easily disconnect the interior camera while driving down the road, and reconnect it for his overnight parking in the city.
If he doesn’t want the Interior camera looking him in the face, you can install it on the rear window looking forward like this;

@viofo is working on an OBD2 Power Cable that would enable parking mode without hardwiring to the fusebox.
Viofo, can you give us an update on the release date for the OBD2 Power Cable?

As far as SD Cards, if you get a Viofo dash cam “only” use Viofo Brand SD Cards, especially since it will be you, your father will call for malfunctions.
Of course you should be able to use any brand of SD Card you desire that meets specification, but that is not reality.
My pick is the A229 Pro 3-CH.
There are 5% Off promo codes in the description box of these videos.

 

[DashCamCurious]

I appreciate the input.

I managed to scare him off of the Fitcamx with the reliability issues, but he's still concerned about thieves breaking into the truck. He had someone do that a few years ago despite there being nothing of value inside. Obviously, he can just take the camera out of its in-car mount, but that's a task he'd had to add to his routine every morning and night. I can hide the mount in the truck's dot-matrix sun shade without worry about it damaging that, right?

I've looked up some of the rearview mirror dash cams. A Wolfbox or 70mai with the additional mount that makes it an outright replacement for your OEM mirror is a pretty clean look that probably would fool most thieves into thinking it was built-in to the truck. The thing is, a lot of them outright appear to use an added rear camera (which is something he doesn't think is necessary) to replace the mirror in terms of functionality. As an older person, I'm not sure he'd like that (his truck has a rearview parking camera he always ignores) or having to swipe through the screen to change angles. The ones that have the screen limited to just a section of the mirror appear to be trash.