New Car, New Dash Cam

D

DeadEnd

Member
Joined
Jul 22, 2016
Messages
72
Reaction score
28
Country
United States
Hello,

Bought a new Infiniti 2020 Q50 Red Sport last September and drove it a month, it's been sitting in storage since October and planning to take it out soon so want to equip it with a new dash cam. My current G37 is currently running a Street Guardian SG9665GC V2 for the front and a Street Guardian SGZC12RC 2016 v2 in the rear. I've been out of this for a while so not up to date on the new tech and quality improvements

Looking for:
  • Best Day and Nighttime performance (want to capture US plates)
  • WiFi/Bluetooth connections to phone or car (car has built in hotspot)
  • 2K 4K - have no idea on the impact
  • High Bitrate - not sure either
  • Cloud - is there a monthly fee?
  • GPS will probably not use (don't want to run the extra wires)
  • Parking monitor - not sure if I would use (the stock car battery in the Q50 is pretty weak)
  • Non interference with onboard car computers (read some people had interference issues that traced back to the dash cam)
  • Price less than $700 but can go to $1,000
  • Also my front and rear have LLumar FormulaOne window tint not sure if that matters, did not seem to matter on the old SG's
Was thinking about BlackVue DR900X 2Ch and Thinkware U1000 2Ch just because they are the most expensive, probably not the best thinking but gotta start somewhere...
Is there a better alternative than the two? Is one better than the other?

Thanks in advance!
 
Last edited:
- "want to capture US plates" - then you need a dual system as US cars often only have one plate, so if it is in the back and the car are oncoming, you will only get a shot at its plate on your rear camera.
- wifi are pretty common in dashcams today, but mainly for doing settings and maybe DL a single file now and then, the transfer speeds are still low VS the memory card in a food card reader.
- 1440p and 4K cameras lack a little in night time performance due to smaller individual pixels, 4K on the other hand shine in daylight, best low light sensors are still 1080p ones, IMX291 are popular.
- Bitrates are still modest in dashcams, so in scenes with a lot extra for the camera to process like trees lining road / light filtering thru / shadows on road, will challenge any camera VS a nice open highway across the prairie.
- Some have minimal cloud for free as i recall, anything usable and you have to pay.
- GPS are often in the mount, otherwise the 1 wire from the camer to a upper corner on windscreen are the easiest of all wires to deal with in a dashcam, should take 30 seconds to install.
- Parking guard require a hard wire kit with a build in low voltage cut off ( some 12 V cameras have this cut off in the camera itself ) i use parking guard on F&R camera with 1 hour timer cut off, this cover all my shopping, and go easy on the small battery in my equally small car.
You can get dedicated dashcam power packs to use instead of car battery, just remember you can not do parking guard for 23.5 hours every day, you need to drive to replenish what you have used, but a hour or something like that daily will make sure you keep up.
Minimum low voltage cur off for lead acid batteries 12.2 volts, AGM batteries you can typically run a bit lower than that.
Installing hard wire kit in new cars can be a bit of a problem due to smart circuitry ASO, but most often it can be done, just got to use the right fuses / circuits.

- Tint only matter if you use a CPL filter, in which case you can get a rainbow halo in the footage, for the front camera which are most often the issues in regard to dashboard reflections in glass, you can use a dashmat instead of CPL, must be a flat black one in suede or velour like material.

Dashcams have indeed moved on since your old hardware, but do not expect a quantum leap, or any system will let you down.
 
Of those two I prefer the DR900X. BV seems to be the best with connectivity features and in more recent times seems to have stepped up the pace of product development. Better video can be had with other cams but none of those offer similar connectivity. Don't know the scheme for cloud storage, I think you get a limited amount free for a year.

Something to be aware of is that the higher pixel count of 2K and 4K sensors means each pixel 'sees' less light at night, so while daytime images are generally much better, there's a tradeoff to get that. Some still do OK at night, I feel most are acceptable but you may not. IMHO the IMX291 sensor is the best for night but it's not capable of 4K daytime so again a tradeoff.

The EMI issues (interference with car functions) may or may not happen. They are usually reducible, sometimes curable, and rarely insurmountable. Installation plays a big role here with reac cam location and cable routing. If you can find someone with your exact same car with a 2-channel cam installed they can give you a clue what to expect, otherwise each case is 'try and see'. Car seems to be a bigger part of the equation than the cam, but sometimes a different cam helps- and sometimes not. Just can't be predicted.

Bitrates have gone wild compared to old cams and that's a good thing, but it also means you need cards which can handle them and the cams tend to be more picky about cards than before. Check the forums for both cams, suitable cards are a hot topic.

Probably a good time to buy as dashcam techbnology isn't set to jump forward and as of right now the worldwide chip shortage hasn't affected prices and availabilitty yet but likely soon will. It's killed one popular cam already so we may be seeing big problems and soon, nobody knows for sure.

Phil
 
Thank you both for your quick reply!

I guess if the 2K/4K are not as good at night would there be other alternatives that you would suggest that has a good balance of both?

Kamkar - I did not think of the smart circuitry ASO. I believe my car does have that so I may use a separate battery option that charges during driving and power off that if I use parking mode.. The problem is my car will sit for days on end before being driven and usually is not driven for any more than 30 min at a time. Is the separate battery safe to be in a car during summer? Black car with a black interior, would hate to have anything go BOOM.

SawMaster - I do have some EMI issues in my current G37 that interferes with the TPMS on occasion, I believe that was a result of adding the rear cam. Did not bother to try to fix that since I can feel when my tires are low. But I read of other situation that put a car into limp mode.

Any other suggestions on any other cams that I should consider/research? Any thoughts on a Viofo A129Pro Duo?
 
Last edited:
Most often it is still possible to do a hard wire kit install, but it is a fact some owners of newer cars have run into problems, often finding the best circuit for the +12 V ACC wire.
The power packs are using the safer kind of lipo batteries, so should be good in that regard, but even these extra batteries you of course also need to drive to charge.

I think most of these systems dont provide power for more than 20 - 24 hours of parking.

The A129 pro duo appear to be a nice 4K system ( not familiar with it myself other than posts in here ) 4K i think can have some say in regard to parking guard as a 4K sensor on its own run hotter than lower resolution ones.
Higher resolution cameras like 4K do suffer a little for night footage, but its not like they are worthless at night, far from it. They will easy document all you do with your car, and that go a long way with claims against you.
There are no smarts in it in the way of cloud stuff ASO in the A129 pro duo, but i also advise against that not least if it is just to make " my car is more geeky than yours" and i have a hard time seeing anyone actually needing it.

Though i do know in this day and age many do not have a PC at home and use their phone for everything digital / online, i prefer to eject the memory card and put it in my PC now and then to look over the footage and grab what ever i have locked away for my occasional youtube uploads.
In my USB 3.0 card reader i get the full read / write speeds of the memory cards, where as wifi or using the camera as mass storage devise connected to a PC only give you 1/4 of that speed, but of course if you just grab a file now and then it dont matter much unless you are a very busy person with very little time for such things.
With the memory card in my card reader i can also browse and playback directly from the card, this is much slower using wifi or the camera as card reader, so make it easy browsing the memory card directly.

Interference are some times a issue with TPMS - DAB radio - satellite radio - there was also a guy where that had interference with the build in satnav in his Subaru as i recall.
I have none of that smart stuff in my little car, only use a tablet for NAV with google maps, and my phone + its GPS for a waze like app telling me where people have spotted the cops doing speed traps with their vans.

As a old Street guardian user, you could probably also secure yourself a little loyal customer discount :) SG now have 2 year warranty if you register your product online, and their service have not become worse over the years.
 
EMI issues can't be predicted and no cam (or car) is immune so I can't really recommend a specific cam, as none are better than others except as a specific car/cam combination where problems have been found and solved (or not solved as occasionally happens).. There's no pattern to it at all.

Given that US plate capture is so hard to begin with, I'm happy to take the daytime gains of a good 2K/4K cam even if a little is lost at night. You'll still get very good nighttime images compared to what could be done even just a few years ago, so unless you drive mostly at night I wouldn't worry too much about it. Just be sure to look at vids from others with the cam(s) you're considering being sure to see them in all the driving conditions you expect to encounter, then judge for yourself if they're good enough.

One big difference from years past is that some of today's mid-priced and budget cams have much better video performance than you might expect; you no longer need to buy top-end cams to get good vids. But same as always to get the best features (especially connectivity and cloud) you'll have to look at the higher-priced stuff same as ever.

Phil
 
I do have memory card readers that I can use on my phone that allows me to play back videos from my current dash cam setup but really like the idea of being able to stream it to the phone when needed. I am heavily leaning toward the Thinkware U1000 with radar and battery (was not planning on the battery but...), very close to my max of $1,000. I saw a YouTube video from "Vortex Radar" that had a comparison between the three I mentioned and the Thinkware seems to be the best in terms of video only slightly better than the Viofo. Are you guys aware of any issues with the U1000?
 
No experience with that brand myself, so only "know" what pop up in the Thinkware sub forum.
I have noticed a guy lately apparently going away from a U1000 to something else,,, and i believe also have problems / disappointments with that too.

I think most of these cameras time out after a while, or the 4G mobile modem people use do.
The Blackvue X series i like for the fact it have the AP build in to the camera, which of course do not matter if your car have a AP and it remain on while the car is parked.

Personally i am very selective with smart stuff, my stomach churn every time i say smart phone, as i feel the phones have not made people one bit smarter, actually it look more like people have gotten more stupid with those.
And while i do have one, i am often thinking about the 10 years or so not that long ago when i did not carry one :) but i must carry one now so my dear old sick mother can get a hold of me.
My use time of it also prove this, i talk on it for about 1 hour every month and might use 2-3 GB of the data, it only see serious use when on a drive and i use the waze like app on the phone, otherwise my screen time daily are like 5 minutes.

On my PC,,,,,,,, lets not talk about screen time, cuz i think i might get far too much of it :) even without the corona factor.

I think most wifi cameras today, while they will let you play the videos from the camera on the phone, most often it is best to DL the video first, in which case casually browsing videos on the camera become a PITA.
I do like doing settings changes that way cuz my eyes are too old and tired to read the small screens on dashcams, but i have no reason to share or view videos while out and about.
Police here ( if involved at all ) can wait until i am able to share what i want to share, and last time i did they was very happy as perp did a runner but not before standing next to my car and its side camera, and as he was one of the usual suspects they could go and pick him up right away.
In that case it took a hour or so before i was at the station with the footage.

 
I actually think it's social media that's making people stupid, they no longer think for themselves nor do they do any research on important subject matter. I also think the PC (political correctness) culture is a bit too much. Afraid to question, afraid to disagree less they be labeled... Debate is out of the question, unless is for agreement but then that's not a debate it's a pat on the back.....

Anyway back to dash cams... Total cost on the Thinkware is close to 1,000, I would hate to spend that and it be a HUGE disappointment.

Oh and I checked street guardian, but they really did not have anything that compares, which was disappointing.
 
Last edited:
you will find me to be very un PC :) the Teaxan living inside me is often finding it very hard with the potty trained commies that run Denmark.

No SG do not have any smart cameras yet, they also held back on doing parking guard in the old days as they did not feel it could be done right with the hardware at the time.
Also holding back on 4K cameras at the moment.
But i do think they know that it is sadly the future of dashcams, i think for many it is the first thing they look for, and so some are stacking it on, hell some cameras you can even talk to as it it was one of those voice things for the phones.
In general it seem that the smarts in all those cameras often come at the expense of some image quality at least, and IQ are the top priority for me.

1000 bucks are indeed a lot of money, for sure not rush a buy like that.
 
kamkar - I really like the way you think! Texan huh, love it!

jokiin - will it be soon like a month or two?
 
jokiin said:
not for everything you've listed
Click to expand...
Bummer, I really like the Street Guardian cams, never had a problem with the two that I have it been running for 4 plus years. Great cams!
 
Damn corona threw a spanner in the works, i cant even get into my bank, though most other banks are open to some degree. but mine took upon itself to protect me too.
And every one look at me as if i just fell out of a tree when i mention i have a 15 kilo heavy piggy bank that need to be emptied to pay bills,,,,, hell my bank dident even offer me a loan.

Other banks i called to get my piggy bank tallied there even offered me a loan, if i was to change to their bank, and then i could even get my piggy bank emptied.

But i stay with my bank, so evil and bad for Denmark, and since running the country into the ground seem to be the order of the day i am glad to help where i can, just too bad i dont have any millions to get past the tax man, or laundered, the 2 biggest banks here seem good at those things.
But if i was the dictator here, those 2 banks would have their banking permit withdrawn and get 1 year to get the hell out of here, sadly i am not "El Presidente"
 
Well my friend will appreciate if i am able to work more on the model trains in his field, instead of climbing all over my own car and his car all the time.
So if 2021 are a bit on the dull side in regard to dashcams i am sure i will manage to keep occupied.

Also still have a couple of CCTV cameras to hang out there, but he need to find funds for long network cables.

Probably also have to help at my nieces place build a barn for her horse, which i fear she will get this year, though still plenty of work to be done on their old house ( i thought i was bad at mismanaging money, but it seem like kids today got me whipped on that )
Hell even the youngest of my nieces she procured a German shepherd dog, which she really can not afford to have, so when she have gone really fond of it, it will probably have to go,,,,,,, which are even sadder for the poor dog.
And i am not taking it in though i love dogs.
 
Build a barn, yeah that will take some time. I've never owned a horse but knew someone who did, she said it was very expensive but she was boarding the horse at a local stable. You'll take the dog, you know you will....
 
When you want so many features, the list of possibilities shrinks to nearly none. I like the vid quality of Viofo but its not going to have your features. From what I've read and seen the Blackvue "X" series does what you ask for more easily, more smoothly, and more reliably. Thinkware is good but seems to have more people having problems getting the features to work and also with SD card related issues.

There's nobody else currently in the game at this level and I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for that, for by the time others get to this level, the technology will have advanced further and those others will be behind again. In my ~6 years of dashcam interest and usage Blackvue and Thinkware have always had the most advanced features and probably always will- it's their market niche.

Phil
 
Well I found out the radar won't work for me so not purchasing that part. I guess what I was hoping to do was connect the car to Wi-Fi (most likely my home, can extend if needed) while my car is parked out front and use the cam to monitor and as a security feature but again there will be times when my car will not be driven for days so was going to attach to a battery BI-750.

I saw a YouTube video from "Vortex Radar" that had a comparison between DR900X-2CH, U1000 and the A129 PRO DUO ULTRA and the Thinkware seems to be the best in terms of video only slightly better than the Viofo.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top