Parking monitoring from 4 sides

[Sunny007]

Hello folks,

I've been looking for a way to monitor my car's parking from all four sides for a long time. I stumbled across a blogger on Youtube who uses 2x BlackVue 2x Ch with G-sensor and motion detection (4 cams in total). In addition, he installed a BlackVue battery pack. The Problem: The BlackVue cameras are anything but cheap.

Can you recommend a good alternative to this?

My primary goal of the dashcam installation is parking surveillance from all four sides.

The alternative should...

....Enable parking monitoring (incl. motion sensor or motion detection)...
...enable recording from 4 sides...
...consist of relatively small cams (like BlackVue)...
...provide good night vision...


I would like to install the whole thing permanently, including a permanent power supply. Wifi / app control / cloud are not that important to me. storage via a micro SD would be ok. it doesnt have to be 4k, Full HD works fine for me.

 

[StrayCam]

Hello folks,

I've been looking for a way to monitor my car's parking from all four sides for a long time. I stumbled across a blogger on Youtube who uses 2x BlackVue 2x Ch with G-sensor and motion detection (4 cams in total). In addition, he installed a BlackVue battery pack. The Problem: The BlackVue cameras are anything but cheap.

Can you recommend a good alternative to this?

My primary goal of the dashcam installation is parking surveillance from all four sides.

The alternative should...

....Enable parking monitoring (incl. motion sensor or motion detection)...
...enable recording from 4 sides...
...consist of relatively small cams (like BlackVue)...
...provide good night vision...


I would like to install the whole thing permanently, including a permanent power supply. Wifi / app control / cloud are not that important to me. storage via a micro SD would be ok. it doesnt have to be 4k, Full HD works fine for me.

If cloud features are not important to you, you should consider buying 2 pairs of Viofo dashcams. The A139 seems to be one of the most popular models. I would double check on the A139 parking mode. Other models to consider from Viofo would be the A129 Duo (cheapest with adequate parking mode) or the A129 Duo Plus (1440 resolution).

Using a viable battery system can be expensive. On the light side, Viofo is much less expensive than Blackvue. - Good luck!

 

[Sunny007]

If cloud features are not important to you, you should consider buying 2 pairs of Viofo dashcams. The A139 seems to be one of the most popular models. I would double check on the A139 parking mode. Other models to consider from Viofo would be the A129 Duo (cheapest with adequate parking mode) or the A129 Duo Plus (1440 resolution).

Using a viable battery system can be expensive. On the light side, Viofo is much less expensive than Blackvue. - Good luck!

Hey StrayCam, thanks for your reply Do the "Sidecams" of the A139Set have Motion Detection as well? Bcz i dont want somebody to scratch the car on the side and to escape right after...

 

[StrayCam]

Hey StrayCam, thanks for your reply Do the "Sidecams" of the A139Set have Motion Detection as well? Bcz i dont want somebody to scratch the car on the side and to escape right after...

Viofo's A139/A130 are actually 3 channel dashcams suited most for those who care about having an internal cam.

If you went with the A129 Duo Plus (1440 resolution) you get 2 channels (front & rear). With a package like that, you could buy 2 sets and copy Vortex Radar's setup where he mounts cams front, rear, and both sides.

You will need to have a suitable place to mount your side-cams and a means to keep your dashcams powered while parked.

The A129 Duo Plus has parking mode with motion detection. You will want to review that feature to make sure it's working to users' satisfaction. - Viofo has continually added new firmware to their dashcams, sometimes adversely impacting desired features like parking mode. - Good luck!

 

[kamkar]

I use the K2S pro system for side cameras, it is the smallest remote cameras around.
This however do not give you 360 coverage right up against the car, to do that you would need lenses that are close to 180 degree, which would give a distorted fish eye effect.
A few feet / meters from the car and you are good with a overlap of footage between front/rear and the 2 side cameras.
I have my side cameras on fixed glass on my rear door, so the side view are somewhat biased towards the rear even if a drive a small almost micro 5 door hatchback

I have recently deleted my YT channel so sadly not able to link to a video

I would not put a full sized "front" unit on my rear glass, that is simply too much "in your face" with the almost flat rear end of my little car.

Running 4 cameras, and on a permanent parking guard duty, that require some battery, and not least daily driving to keep the battery at 100% charge.


Regarding doing the job, i am pretty sure most dashcams, you can easy key the whole side of a car without the G- sensor detecting that as it is after not a "G" force event as such,,,, at least lesser force than most cameras will detect i think.
I prefer to use always record low bitrate, this footage are just 1/3 in size, and have sound too, and it dont miss anything as it record all the time, problem is it also do not create events, so alongside that i have G - sensor on too,,,,, BUT !!!!!! I only use parking guard on my front & rear camera, i dont even know if my side camera system support low bitrate parking mode.

Low bitrate recording test on my F & R system, thisd system also with remote cameras it do support low bitrate, but the camera units are a bit larger than theK2S system cameras.

 

[Sunny007]

Thanks, so much guys.


Well, the A129 Duo Plus is a good recommendation though! I will consider it.

I saw an offering for used dashcams.
The offer conatins a Package with 1x BlackVue DR650-2CH and 1x BlackVue DR590-2CH (4x Cams in total) and asked price is around 400$.

1. Can you recommend the 590/650 Cams at all or would you prefer the 2x A129 Duo Solution?

2. Do you think its possible to realize the setup mentioned at the beginning with the 590/650 models? Bcz vortex uses for his setup the 750/900 models.

3. Do the sidecameras 590/650 have parking mode with motion detection as well or only the frontcameras?

 

[Dashmellow]

@Sunny007, keep in mind when mounting side facing cameras that you'll need to be careful to avoid running cables or mounting the cameras in any location where they will interfere with side curtain air bags. If the air bags deploy, the cameras as well as the cables can become dangerous projectiles inside the cabin of your car. Another consideration is that it can be difficult to mount side cameras near a window that opens. The best situation is if you have a vehicle with a fixed glass panel.

There is an older thread here on the forum that you may find useful as it has some good discussion, information and examples.

Is there such thing as a side view dashcam?​

 

[Sunny007]

@Dashmellow Good Point! Since i have an Audi Q5, i want to fix the Cameras on the windows between c pillar and tailgate. Those windows dont go down, neither have airbag...





Anyone who can help me with my questions below? Thanks!

Well, the A129 Duo Plus is a good recommendation though! I will consider it.

I saw an offering for used dashcams.
The offer conatins a Package with 1x BlackVue DR650-2CH and 1x BlackVue DR590-2CH (4x Cams in total) and asked price is around 400$.

1. Can you recommend the 590/650 Cams at all or would you prefer the 2x A129 Duo Solution?

2. Do you think its possible to realize the setup mentioned at the beginning with the 590/650 models? Bcz vortex uses for his setup the 750/900 models.

3. Do the sidecameras 590/650 have parking mode with motion detection as well or only the frontcameras?

 

[StrayCam]

If cloud features are not important to you (immediate notifications, etc) you might just as well go with Viofo. The 650/590 dashcams have a lower bitrate, so the A129 Duo Plus (2k camera - 1440) will give you clearer videos. And Viofo will give you a 2 year warranty.

What would be the cost difference if you went with Viofo?

 

[Dashmellow]

@Dashmellow Good Point! Since i have an Audi Q5, i want to fix the Cameras on the windows between c pillar and tailgate. Those windows dont go down, neither have airbag...


View attachment 60244


Anyone who can help me with my questions below? Thanks!

That should work well. The one issue is that with the fixed glass panels so far to the rear you may need to angle the side cameras forward to obtain proper coverage. Another related consideration is that lateral facing cameras should have a wide enough angle of view to that you can overlap with the coverage from the front and rear cameras. You want to avoid any blind spots if at all possible. HERE is an example of the full 360º coverage I achieve on my pick-up truck where each camera significantly overlaps each adjacent camera. Keep in mind that I put this particular system together before two channel cameras became available. I use a somewhat different array now but still use single channel cameras. Generally speaking, those of us who have been experimenting with side camera for years now have reached a consensus that you want at least 130º angle of view or wider for side cameras.

 

[DrekiTech]

The best option for full time 360 coverage is an external security camera.

It was my understanding the A129 Duo Plus does not have buffered parking mode so if impact is detected you'll only see after the impact and not x seconds before it.

I would go with 1x A129 Pro Duo (4k cam up front) and 1x A129 Duo. This will have the one high res cam for forward facing and 1080p cams for the sides and rear. In my opinion this is a good balance between budget and functionality.

Another thing to keep in mind is that additional cameras will drain the car battery faster so now you may go from having 15h of parking mode with one dual cam to less than 10 (as an example). A dashcam battery does help with this, but adds to cost.

 

[Dashmellow]

The best option for full time 360 coverage is an external security camera.

I agree. That's what I use when my vehicle is parked in my driveway. Then again, there's nothing like full 360 degree coverage when I'm out driving and especially when I park somewhere, like at the supermarket.

I also agree about car battery drain. With multiple cameras that can especially be a problem. So, I used two 20,000 mAh power banks when I park and they will power my four cameras for an entire day if I need them to. For that reason, when I'm out and about I plug the cams into the power banks when I arrive at my first destination of the day and usually just leave them running on the power banks for the rest of my journey rather than get into a plugging and unplugging routine, unless I have a long drive home and won't be needing the power banks any further for the rest of the day. This is not as convenient as having cams run off the car battery but it works if you want four camera coverage and I don't find it to be much of a hassle.

 

[Sunny007]

If cloud features are not important to you (immediate notifications, etc) you might just as well go with Viofo. The 650/590 dashcams have a lower bitrate, so the A129 Duo Plus (2k camera - 1440) will give you clearer videos. And Viofo will give you a 2 year warranty.

What would be the cost difference if you went with Viofo?

I would save approx. 100$ if a go with a new Viofo Set instead of buying used BlackVue Cams. I also agree, that the Viofo has better Video Quality than the 590/650. Well, what i like about the BlackVue Cameras is, theyre very tiny.
What external Battery Package would you recommend for the Viofo?


@DrekiTech @Dashmellow You are right guys. Best 360 coverage will be sustained with an external security camera. Unfortunately, i dont have a garage or private parking space, so i need to consider Dashcams.
Im not sure if 360 coverage is necessarily needed in my case, bcz if someone scratches the car at a blind spot, he/she will most likely pass the monitored section (green). The camera angle may differ...





The actual crime may not necessarily be monitored, but at least it can be found out who got very close to the car.

 

[StrayCam]

I would save approx. 100$ if a go with a new Viofo Set instead of buying used BlackVue Cams. I also agree, that the Viofo has better Video Quality than the 590/650. Well, what i like about the BlackVue Cameras is, theyre very tiny.
What external Battery Package would you recommend for the Viofo?


@DrekiTech @Dashmellow You are right guys. Best 360 coverage will be sustained with an external security camera. Unfortunately, i dont have a garage or private parking space, so i need to consider Dashcams.
Im not sure if 360 coverage is necessarily needed in my case, bcz if someone scratches the car at a blind spot, he/she will need to pass the monitored section (green). The camera angle may differ...



View attachment 60246

The actual crime may not necessarily be monitored, but at least it can be found out who got very close to the car.

If a given Viofo dashcam doesn't have buffered parking mode, I wouldn't buy it. And that's one weird thing about Viofo... A model less than the A129Duo plus has buffered parking, and one model above it has buffered parking mode (A129 Duo Pro)... so why doesn't Viofo have buffered parking with their A129 Duo Plus??? It makes no sense!

Another thing people routinely throw out as a suggested dashcam is a 4k dashcam (could be Viofo or Blackvue), but they do not mention the downsides of 4k dashcams. The downsides may or may not be that important to you, but you should at least be made aware of them.

4k Cameras run much hotter than lower resolution dashcams; they take up lots more SD card space and they are not as good in like light situations (nighttime). If any of these are important to you, I would not recommend a 4k dashcam. On the other hand, if those downsides don't matter to you, then go ahead and consider a 4k dashcam which will obviously be more expensive.

Depending on how volatile/dangerous things are in your area and how proactive you want to be would be a factor in deciding if you want cloud features, ie, Blackvue or not. I personally choose to be proactive with immediate push notifications and therefore have gone with Blackvue's DR750 2Ch LTE Plus.

 

[Sunny007]

If a given Viofo dashcam doesn't have buffered parking mode, I wouldn't buy it. And that's one weird thing about Viofo... A model less than the A129Duo plus has buffered parking, and one model above it has buffered parking mode (A129 Duo Pro)... so why doesn't Viofo have buffered parking with their A129 Duo Plus??? It makes no sense!

Another thing people routinely throw out as a suggested dashcam is a 4k dashcam (could be Viofo or Blackvue), but they do not mention the downsides of 4k dashcams. The downsides may or may not be that important to you, but you should at least be made aware of them.

4k Cameras run much hotter than lower resolution dashcams; they take up lots more SD card space and they are not as good in like light situations (nighttime). If any of these are important to you, I would not recommend a 4k dashcam. On the other hand, if those downsides don't matter to you, then go ahead and consider a 4k dashcam which will obviously be more expensive.

Depending on how volatile/dangerous things are in your area and how proactive you want to be would be a factor in deciding if you want cloud features, ie, Blackvue or not. I personally choose to be proactive with immediate push notifications and therefore have gone with Blackvue's DR750 2Ch LTE Plus.

Hey Buddy, idk if i got you right: The A129 Duo Pro has buffered parking but the A129 Duo Plus doenst have it??
What about the VIOFO A139 3CH-G?

 

[kamkar]

I live in a 2 floor apartment, but i have put a CCTV camera on my balcony door, filming the car parked below.
The camera are also zoomed in a bit as otherwise you would not get a identifying shot, and also as i use the AI motion detect on the whole frame, this is just within 1M of my car, CUZ there are other cars parked in the back yard, but zoomed in like this i only get 1 - 2 notifications during the day.

Problem is if German law allow for CCTV use, i can not film public spaces, but the back yard while not closed for the public it is not a place where none relevant people come.




My camera do take up some space as it is a full size PTZ camera, but i could easy use a supersmall camera with a larger lens like 24 mm or so on it, i do adjust ( remote as it is PTZ ) some times as i dont park in the same place all the time, but it would be little problem to manually reposition a much smaller camera.

 

[StrayCam]

Hey Buddy, idk if i got you right: The A129 Duo Pro has buffered parking but the A129 Duo Plus doenst have it??
What about the VIOFO A139 3CH-G?

Yes, your understanding about the A129 Viofo dashcams appears to be correct.

And as far as I know, the Viofo A139 offers buffered parking mode.

A problem with Viofo is they are constantly changing their firmware... sometimes removing features and sometimes adding features.. Oftentimes it's a "chef's surprise" what a new firmware does to a given Viofo camera.

If you are zeroing in on a particular model or models, I would recommend sending an email to Viofo to get firm confirmation of the features that you are seeking.

 

[TonyM]

If you are considering the A129 or A139 cameras I would recommend using them in continuous low bitrate recording mode for parking. That way you are not relying on motion or impact detection to trigger a recording. I never found buffered parking mode to be very reliable on the A129.

 

[thomas-dash]

continuous low bitrate recording mode for parking

I liked the full resolution Auto Event Detection provides, but it would miss stuff. I eventually caved and switched over to the low bitrate recording mode as well.

 

[SawMaster]

When considering FOV coverage, few dashcams reach or exceed 120 degrees FOV horizontally, with most 'wide angle' ones being closer to 110 degrees. The usual diagonal measurement given may be of some use for security cams but is just misleading here. And oftentimes that stated FOV comes from something unmeasured like a spec stated by a lens manufacturer. In much of my cam testing/reviews I actually measure the horizontal FOV since that's what we really need to know. as the coverage we're seeking is pretty much on one plane horizontally.

For longer parking protection times auxiliary power is best, and at least you should use the fewest processors possible to reduce power draw. Also for parking protection you probably don't need highest resolution anyway, as the images of damage will be from very close proximity so with a good cam details will be clear even at 1080P. This can also enhance low-light capture with the right sensors.

With my 80A van battery new, I can power 4 medium-bitrate 1080P cams recording normally for 8-10 hours and still start the engine. I can do similarly with one 3-channel A139 for around 12+ hours, and using motion detect or low-bitrate around 16 hours. But this is very hard on the battery and cranking was noticeably slow, so is NOT recommended as it will probably cut the battery service life in half. Doing 2/3 of this time regularly probably takes 20% of the battery service life away. I calculated those costs about 2 years ago, and that broke down to around $0.75 daily for the lower recording times. Mine is a common and cheap battery, many are not, so those costs may be much higher for you. A smaller battery will not have this much ability. It does however show what is possible.

Auxiliary power via powerbanks etc is best for this kind of use, and low-bitrate recording ensures nothing will be missed, though it may not capture plates on fast-moving card as well as other recording modes. It will be plenty for close-in recording, and that's what you need. Always use a HWK with low-voltage cutoff if parking with car battery power, and never set the cutoff lower than 12V; as the battery ages you'll need a higher setting to have adequate power fior starting and thus have shorter recording times. Now if I could just afford to set up a 100A LiFePO4 auxiliary power system I could be happy, very happy, with my parking recording abilities

Phil