New to dash cams and having some ideas.

[Acker]

Hello,
I just got into dash cams. Some questions/observations/ideas:

Making wedge cam discrete?

I have the lens of a wedge cam just below the "third visor" (the dots area shading the rear view mirror). Can I make the dots area darker? Some newer cars have this area very dark or even black (because something is mounted in the area).

Can I also make the tinted strip at the top of the windshield darker? So the cam will not be so obvious from an angle.

My older cars don't have the dot and strip. Can I add the dots and strip myself? I'm checking tint laws too.

For the rear window ...
I have a flat-type cam mounted on the flat-rear window of an SUV. Any suggestions for making it discrete when the car is parked?

I'm thinking of motorizing shades to go down when the car is parked, covering the cam from all angles, and shades go back up when the car is started. It'll be obvious that something is there, but it won't be obvious it's a cam. Or, I'm just not keeping it simple.

Maybe create a black cardboard box to permanently cover the cam, save for a hole (or filter) for the lens.

 

[jokiin]

you might find some inspiration in some of the threads in the DIY section

 

[Deleted member 46308]

Welcome to DCT @Acker

 

[SawMaster]

Allowed windshield tints and treatments in the US are generally under State regulation, though most do not allow more than factory tinting below the A-1 line. The black-dotted part on newer car's windshield is called "frit" and it usually coincides with the A-1 area. More often than not now, the frit will be embedded in the glass- I don't know if there's anything similar for aftermarket surface applications but I'd be surprised if there weren't AFAIK most or all states allow almost any grade of tint above the A-1 line though some restrict lettering placed in that area. You have to check locally to know for sure.

Cams do not always have to be mounted close to the glass. The more vertical the glass is, the less chance there is of reflections which is what close-mounting is meant to help with My rear cam sits 4-6 inches away from the rear van door glass and does just fine Although you will probably have to fabricate something, you might also do well using a rebated mounting scheme. That alone can go a long way to making the cam less visible. I've also considered a very-close mounted cam covered by a bumper sticker on the glass, with the cam peeking through a cut-out letter "O" on the sticker which would be almost invisible from outside

The thing is to remember that most people in the US still aren't keen on dashcams, aren't going to be looking for one, and unless is is very obvious probably will not know it's a cam if they notice it at all unless they study it hard The exception here is those "GoPro" shaped action cams which many people are aware of (including thieves) If I had one of those it would be highly disguised. What you do not want to do is stand out as something people (including thieves) will want a closer look at. Don't make yourself a target, blend into the average scenery instead. If it looks like you are trying to hide something thieves will home right in on that. I've gone so far as to deface some of my stuff just to make it less sellable and thus less tempting to thieves who prefer to get high prices for nice-looking stuff. It also makes my stuff unique and easily identifiable. Even though I've lost resale value too, it still does the job I wanted which is good enough for me

Phil

 

[throrope]

I suggest you don't go to extremes to hide your dashcam. Unless you're up close, they don't stand out. When navigating traffic by car, motorcycle, bike or foot, people don't look to that detail. For that matter, the greatest danger to motorcyclists is other driver's that just don't see them as a vehicle or provide them equal respect.

On the other hand, avoidance is much more rewarding than establishing liability and those who seek to fraud are the first to run from a camera.

 

[tabetha]

I have my thinkware F770 which is a large cam positioned in front of rear view mirror and as it is black inside a a tinted window(factory tints) in front of black mirror it does not stand out, no one has even mentioned it, I have the rear cam mounted direct onto glass and don't even notice it when walking behind car, again neither does any one else, it's tinted on back too, but cam footage still great, I get in a routine now, ignition on wash/wipe front screen, wash/wipe rear window turn radio on start engine by then the ridiculous 42 second start delay is over ha ha

 

[Rajagra]

Don't worry about hiding them, just make them look tidy. Just my two cents worth.

I currently have two wedge cams and a mini0806 in the front windscreen. But because they are high up and in the corners/central, they don't stand out or look ridiculous. At least I don't think so!

 

[DT MI]

...then the ridiculous 42 second start delay is over ha ha

Ridiculous is right - some of my trips are shorter than that.

 

[tabetha]

Ridiculous is right - some of my trips are shorter than that.

I am 51 so usually fall asleep by then on a hot day just make sure the ac's on ha ha

 

[AceEngineer]

I've got all four very small self contained traffic cams that do not have on board displays, hidden inside the glass all four directions in my Honda. I have an aftermarket Android unit with a 7" display in my dash that I can view the cameras output with. The front camera I bought from the head unit dealer and it is 1080P and you can run the controls and view files thru the Android unit. The other three cameras record in 720p right to an onboard SD chips in the recorders and have a raw video out instead of a display. They have control buttons on the camera and cannot be controlled remotely. I can view the live view of the cameras, but have no control with the Android unit. I simply pull the memory chips if I need to view recorded files. Works just great and you cannot see any of the cameras from outside the car. The cameras have BATT and ACC inputs and start and stop automatically with the car. No start no delay and I put the ACC line to all four cameras on a 30 minute time delay relay so they stay on the first 30 minutes when I park and the relay resets if I hit the alarm button on my key fob. I bought the three 720p cameras on AliExpress and they were only $12 apiece. Here is the link: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Min...32796832596.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.sSTlHL
Since my android unit has only one AUX video input the cameras go to 3 way video switch under my dash to select which rear or side camera I am viewing real time.

AceEngineer