Outfit Contractors Van with multiple DashCam DVR's Parking Mode Motion Detection. (Clear Portholes)

JazJon said:
All very interesting things to know about thanks everyone. But yes, back on topic please :)

It seems the more Spy'ish or Hunting'ish you get, the worse quality the video format gets. (mostly all non-HD)
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yeah I think for those applications the detail is not as critical, perhaps Spytec can offer some better suggestions

I know this is a problem even in Australia when a tradesman might have 20k or more in tools in their work van, I know one friend of mine that is a plummer that has over 100k worth of gear in each of his work trucks due to the specialist nature of some of the tools, besides insurance not covering them it's often the owners livelihood at stake if they go missing, must be a market begging for the right product I would think
 
You can't get camera that is small, hd, and cheap, there's always compromises to be made.
Car dvr is cheap and small and full hd, but they can't see at night if you try to identify a thief. They are meant to use inside a car with car 12 volt power, so if you are going to use it elsewhere you have to do a lot of work with wiring, and they are not meant to be used 24/7 so it is somewhat unsure does it record 100% of time, meaning that you should check it at least once a day. Dvr like gt550hw is about 100$, video quality in daytime is very good, night time with bright workplace lighting is average, average natural city night light it is poor (to recognize someone).

Trail camera or hunting camera is built to one purpose, take good picture or video of living objects in any circumstances, night or day, working alone long period of times. They do that work very good, bad thing is that they are not cheap, but if you buy one you have 100% working camera, it takes good photos day or night, newer cameras take at least 1280x720 hd video, also day or night. And what's more, they have infrared flash that no one can see with bare eyes.
Here is one example of one
It is quite new so there is not sample videos in youtube yet.

Spy cameras are very small, but since they are small cameras then by nature camera lense is small too, meaning that night view is very poor.

Personally in occasional daytime use i would use car dvr and power it with usb power bank, it will work with it hole day easily, no special wiring needed. If i have to see something at night then trail camera would be my choice, even cheap cameras take very good photos and that is usually better than shady dark video.
 
The motion detect on this Mio 368 I have does work well, but it only seems to work when the power is removed, meaning it'll only run for about 1hr, which is probably fine if your cars only parked up for a short time like popping to the super market or similar, but no good if you want to use the motion detect for several hours or permanently.
 
Ok, an answer to the original post:

1. Hunting Cameras are great for these purposes, only issue is they are obviously not covert at all. We do not sell them, but I do know that the difference between the $100 and the ~$200 price range is great in terms of reliability.

2. In terms of what we sell, a product that comes to mind is the Z12 by zetta (https://www.amazon.com/gp/B00B7733E0) it is a great little security camera for the price and it is very small. Built very well, and can be triggered by vibration, sound or motion (or all 3). Battery life is 90 days standby, 8 hours of video, but it can be plugged in (or powered by a power bank obviously). Only downside is that the video quality is poor (640 x 480) and it doesn't see well at night at all. Now, this company also makes a 720p version of this camera with IRs (IRs that actually work), but they white label it for one company that has an exclusive on the molding. They are making it in a different shape for us, but in the meantime here is the company selling it (talk about high margins, huh?): http://www.brickhousesecurity.com/product/black box hd hidden camera.do?sortby=bestSellers&refType=1.

3. Another option which isn't a camera is using this: http://www.dewaltmobilelock.com/main.asp which is basically a GPS tracker built for construction sites.
 
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Thanks I'll check those out.

I just saw this post might be interesting enough to try.

http://dashcamtalk.com/forum/threads/another-mobius-rival-the-dimika-action-cam.3024/

http://dimika-camera.com

"The DIMIKA Action Cam is an extreme powerful video camera which is designed for all activities where light-weight, small-size and high performance are required. Equipped with a true 1080p High Definition (HD) Video Image Sensor and a latest Video Processor, the DIMIKA supports high-end features such as G-Sensor, Slow Motion Support, Time-Lapse, Wide Dynamic Range, Motion Detection and Low-Light-Sensitivity. Use it as a flying eye on a Quad -Copter or RC-Aircraft, as a Dash-Cam in your vehicle, as a Black-Box on your bike, as an Action Cam on your Hang-Glider or even as a Webcam on your computer - the DIMIKA camera is an all-rounder.

Free Shipping - US$69,-"
 
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spytec said:
Ok, an answer to the original post:

2. In terms of what we sell, a product that comes to mind is the Z12 by zetta (https://www.amazon.com/gp/B00B7733E0) it is a great little security camera for the price and it is very small. Built very well, and can be triggered by vibration, sound or motion (or all 3). Battery life is 90 days standby, 8 hours of video, but it can be plugged in (or powered by a power bank obviously). Only downside is that the video quality is poor (640 x 480) and it doesn't see well at night at all. Now, this company also makes a 720p version of this camera with IRs (IRs that actually work), but they white label it for one company that has an exclusive on the molding. They are making it in a different shape for us, but in the meantime here is the company selling it (talk about high margins, huh?): http://www.brickhousesecurity.com/product/black box hd hidden camera.do?sortby=bestSellers&refType=1.
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This one looks like a winner so far! I'll see what my friend thinks. Motion detection AND The battery life is amazing too. (36 hours!)
http://www.brickhousesecurity.com/product/black box hd hidden camera.do?sortby=bestSellers&refType=1.

It's too bad your model is available but thanks for sharing what's out today.
 
Yes like I said, it's made by Zetta and they make great reasonably priced products (though brickhouse charges a LOT for it) specifically designed for security purposes. Only issue with this one is that it doesn't have IRs so low light might not be so great.
 
spytec said:
Yes like I said, it's made by Zetta and they make great reasonably priced products (though brickhouse charges a LOT for it) specifically designed for security purposes. Only issue with this one is that it doesn't have IRs so low light might not be so great.
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Yeah at $199 it might be better to try the DIMIKA with a USB battery bank attached. (To get FULL HD and WDR) it's unproven yet though.
 
Personally, I would buy the Zetta product from Brickhouse or a hunting cam if I was going to be using it primarily for security purposes.
 
Ok, so on a related subject. My General Contractor friend has bigger plans now. He owns a Chevy Express Van.

He would like to outfit this Van with DVR cameras ("Parking Mode") on the front, back, and inside.

(including a backup camera)
We could outfit display screen(s) if needed as well.
(maybe Pioneer AppRadio with HDMI input, or more for example)

Any suggestions? This is obviously getting into some advanced DashCamTalk.

He even said he's willing to raise the roof a bit and place camera's into their own secured level with clear port holes etc.
XCEZRdjl.jpg
 
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...Any suggestions? This is obviously getting into some advanced DashCamTalk.
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No it isn't! If you're losing contractor equipment steadily, investigate putting GPS tracking devices (generally $50-200) hidden in some of the gear. Like LoJack, but for "stuff". Guaranteed arrest and conviction.

But -- if the intent is to have a 360-degree recording nighttime surveillance van, you want MUCH better cameras than $200 dashcams. Talk to your local police department!

I'd like 360 degree coverage (for on-street parking dings), and that's as far as I'd go with this range of 1080p dashcams. (Don't waste time on 720p; don't waste time on wireless b/g/n this year.)
 
@jginnane_
You can't exactly attach GPS tracking devices on small tools. (maybe a toolbox)

Yes he now wants a 360 degree coverage surveillance van. If I go with a DashCam they will have to be 4 high quality single DashCam units. If I exact to find anything combined as one DVR, I'll probably have to research home/business type suvelilance type equipment. And yes 1080P is the minimum, and needs to be a good as the WDR in the Vicovation TF2+ We could also add bright IR lights OUTSIDE the van to prevent the usual reflection problem for night vision.
 
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JazJon said:
Yes he now wants a 360 degree coverage surveillance van. If I go with a DashCam they will have to be 4 high quality single DashCam units. If I exact to find anything combined as one DVR, I'll probably have to research home/business type suvelilance type equipment. And yes 1080P is the minimum, and needs to be a good as the WDR in the Vicovation TF2+ We could also add bright IR lights OUTSIDE the van to prevent the usual reflection problem for night vision.
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I was wondering what you and your friend decided, or is this unsolved? I am looking for surveillance camera options that are similar to what you were describing. It seems like I need something between a hidden camera, trail camera, and dash camera, that they don't make (below $300-350 anyway).
 
Have read NO replies...
With the space available in large cargo van such as that, I'd rig up more of a 'home' cctv system than a dashcam system.
Netgear Vuezone cameras are battery operated. Just need to figure out how to power the base unit part

http://www.vuezone.com

many accessories http://www.ebay.com/bhp/vuezone

I'd tinker with something like this perhaps.
 
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