Main Feature: Motion Activation While I'm Away

[knowlgo]

I effectively would like a Ring for my car. I'm much less interested in capturing every moment of my drive. I just want a small, preferably wireless camera that will pick up and record motion around my car. I am in a fairly quiet parking garage so I'm not concerned with battery drain, although the longer the battery lasts the better. Like the Ring cam battery will go for several weeks. This doesn't seem so hard! But most of the manufacturers Ive seen are concerned with the driving part. Much thanks.

 

[StrayCam]

The best parking mode dashcams appear to be Blackvue and Thinkware. They cost a bit more, but I think you get what you pay for.

I went with Blackvue for a number of reasons, one of which is "customer service".

With Blackvue (and I believe Thinkware) you can view what's going on in front of or behind your car at any time you want from anywhere in the world. And you can adjust the "motion detection regions" as well as the sensitivity. If anything or anyone comes within the range you select, you are immediately notified on your phone.

I'm like you and really couldn't care less about g-sensors when driving... I personally don't need that. However having footage, both front and back, if something weird happens around you while driving can come in handy.

As I said, Blackvue and Thinkware seem to be the best with parking mode (surveillance) and instant cloud features.

Good luck with whatever you decide on!

 

[SawMaster]

I have to agree with the above, but there are cheaper options which might suit you. One thing to remember is that whichever cam you choose, the card will fill up and 'loop' over the oldest recording eventually, so if you plan on long parking times you'll need a large card.

But most importantly here is that few dashcams self-power, and those do not have long recording times. There are accessory cam battery systems you can get; those will add some complexity and cost to the install, and even the best of those is somewhat limited in recording times. An alternative some use is adding a large LiFePO4 battery system of 100A or more but that requires a fair amount of work, knowledge, and mechanical skill to DIY. There are some threads on this kind of thing with good info on how to go about it.

If what you're looking for is something at the "plug-and-play" level then recording times will be rather limited, and probably less than what you want. Dashcams aren't really designed for 'surveillance' purposes though some can do it.

Phil