Mobius 1, 2, Mini, or Maxi?

[Stratus]

A rather silly question but I can't find a comparison/explanantion between these 4 Modius models. Offical vendors also seem to skip models. One site does have a comparison page but to me it's mostly gibberish or unclear.

If it helps I'm looking to use a Mobius as a hidden cam with motion detection. I'd probably get the optional lens extension cable.

Cheers

 

[SawMaster]

The original Mobius is one of the best most completly developed action/dash cams made. It's only real shortcoming is the older hardware which has been surpassed in low-light, and the bitrate. Can use supercaps for dashcam work. Still a very good cam.

The M2 is no longer made, it has been essentially abandoned by Mobius and never got developed. Not worth a second thought.

The Mini is an action cam, not a dashcam, as it cannot tolerate high heats from summers without some active airflow. It was meant mainly for RC aircraft use and does that type of job well.

The Maxi is meant as a follow-on to the original cam. It's still hasn't been fully developed and while they are occasionally releasing firmware updates to that end, those are slow in coming and the cam still has some bugs which haven't yet been addressed. It has the potential to exceed the original Mobius on all counts, but it is not even close to that point yet, and some of us are concerned that it might be abandoned like the M2 was. Can use supercaps for dashcam work. Due to the slow and erratic development I won't recommend it, but if you can tolerate it's issues it is an OK cam overall as it is now.

I'm not sure your purpose or the setting you intend to use a cam in, but you might do better with a purpose-built "Trail Cam" or one of the other dashcams which may have a better motion detect system. You might also consider something like the "Wyze" cam which is built more toward this purpose. Also you might want to consider recording in low-bitrate as an alternative to motion detect, as that is a more certain approach compared to motion detect which may not activate or be delayed in recording thus missing your target.

Phil

 

[TonyM]

Mobius 1 is probably the best of the 4 for motion detection, and has the option of low bitrate for extended recording duration of that's useful for you.

 

[Stratus]

Thanks for your informative reply Sawmaster.

Someone is coming into our community garden and specifically poisoning and pulling out my plants. There is no accessible power so we need something battery operated which will last a couple of days (with a powerbank if need be) before needing to be recharged. There is some street lighting so it won't need to operate in a very dark setting.

We don't want to spend a lot of money in case the cam is taken. On the otherhand it needs to be reliable. If it could be repurposed as a dashcam later that would be a bonus.

In the past we have had those very cheap ribbon spycams. They all worked but they also all failed after just a few weeks/months. I suspect 3 of them failed due to hardware damage, and the fourth due to software. They were also hugely powersource hungry. The included batteries never lasted more than 30 or 40 minutes despite being advertised to last at least 90 or even 120 minutes. Adding a 4,400mah powerbank would only entend use for a few more hours.

Seems a trail cam is the way to go.

 

[SawMaster]

@Stratus

A trail cam should work for you if you conceal it good enough. "Plain sight" concealment often works like on a pole or in a tree where nobody is looking for a cam. Theft can be an issue as will be a "second round" use after it catches the first person then becomes known about, so be looking for alternate spots to mount it as they may be needed. The nice thing about these cams is that they are self-contained and weatherproof already. Alternately a small cam with a separate battery could be more concealable depending on the situation.

Hope you get this resolved well and soon

Phil