New camera

[Ianinc]

New to dashcams. I would like recommendations for the following. A dashcam with a cable that permits being run off the car battery rather than just a small interior battery. I want to record longer than the life of most batteries. A camera that attaches to the windscreen via a sucker rather than a sticky pad. I have heard some sticky pads bake in hot sunshine and eventually fail and leave a nasty crust on the windscreen. I need the camera to be able to swivel. It needs to communicate with a smartphone. Movie quality needs to be minimum 1080p and preferably better.

Are there dashcams that come in pairs (one for the front and one for the back), where if the front camera eventually fails out of warranty, the rear camera can run as a front camera and doesn't need the front camera to work at the same time.

Price - Anywhere up to about £150 for a front camera and up to £200 for a pair.

Looked online at various places but its confusing, the questions are rarely answered, its usually just marketing bull.
Thanks for your help
Ian

 

[Dashmellow]

Just so you know, suction cup mounts tend to fall off far more easily than properly installed adhesive mounts. Also, whatever camera you decide upon it is best to get one that uses a super-capacitor rather than an internal battery. The battery is not there to operate the camera anyway but to keep the date and time and save the last video clip after you shut the engine off. Many cameras have a small separate battery for the clock, especially those that have super-capacitors. Most decent cameras today have the ability to plug into your 12V cigar lighter or can be hard wired to your fuse box.

 

[Agie]

New to dashcams. I would like recommendations for the following. A dashcam with a cable that permits being run off the car battery rather than just a small interior battery. I want to record longer than the life of most batteries. A camera that attaches to the windscreen via a sucker rather than a sticky pad. I have heard some sticky pads bake in hot sunshine and eventually fail and leave a nasty crust on the windscreen. I need the camera to be able to swivel. It needs to communicate with a smartphone. Movie quality needs to be minimum 1080p and preferably better.

Are there dashcams that come in pairs (one for the front and one for the back), where if the front camera eventually fails out of warranty, the rear camera can run as a front camera and doesn't need the front camera to work at the same time.

Price - Anywhere up to about £150 for a front camera and up to £200 for a pair.

Looked online at various places but its confusing, the questions are rarely answered, its usually just marketing bull.
Thanks for your help
Ian

I can confirm suction mounts (even the ones with the plastic clip that locks the mount on), are still pretty flimsy. The major dash cam brands now tend to use quality adhesives, like 3M VHB. This will attach securely to your windscreen even in 45 degree Celsius weather on a black car (this is me for years with a Viofo dash cam). Removing these aren't too hard, you can use a plastic pry tool to slip under it and pry it off, and use alcohol wipes to clean the excess adhesive off.

Brands that have good and reliable models with after-sales support (a must) are Viofo, Blackvue and Vantrue. 70mai may also warrant a look.