Security/parking dashcam with reliable motion detection

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snovvdog

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Dear DCT,

Like title, I'm looking for a reliable dashcam with motion detection.

We're having problems with vandalism, (scratching). Car is a car with power on the 12V plug at all times, so power is no problem (but a cam that doesn't use to much power when recording is a pro, so the car battery won't die after a few days).
I'm looking for an inconspicuous camera with wide angle lens, that supports at least 128gb SD cards (prefferably 256gb).

Quality: At least something like 118c.

Most important: reliable motion detection, it should record (if not recording) or save to ''read only'' (if recording 24/7, or timelapse recording) when the car is parked and someone walks or drives near the car, hell even if the tree in front moved by a gust of wind.

All other features (impact detection, screen, gps, etc... are not important).

Anyone have suggestions? ? I use a A118c as a rear camera and A119v2 as front in a different car, but these don't seem to have reliable motion detection to save on motion, and also eat quite a lot of space...
 
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For parking protection Blackvue has the best reputation and system with pre-buffering to ensure you get the whole event, though as a dashcam it has other issues which to me render it a lesser choice for most folks. The Goluck T3 also has prebuffering but I don't know how well it's Motion detect works. I believe Tkinkware has some pre-buffered models but I'm not familiar with them to recommend anythingMotion detect with other cams at best involves a delay before recording of ~2-3 seconds or more by which time the actual event may be over. And most motion detect is crappy or worse as you seem to have discovered already. Parking protection is best done with IP cams located outside of the car, but this isn't always possible. Dashcams are limited here because they only capture what they see, and with most being aimed front and rear nothing on the sides is protected without additional cams. Still better than nothing as they might identify the person even if they do not prove the event.

The A119 has a time-lapse option which draws less power and has been proven in use as a security cam at one frame per second, though latest reports is that it crashes after several days constant use in this manner. I don't know if the A118 has a time-lapse function although several other cams do. Used with a BDP it might do the job well enough if it 'sees' what you need, but your car battery won't sustain this operation for more than overnight at best. The A119/A119S/A129 are known to need a strong power supply for reliable operation, so to get days of recording time you'll need a large powerbank. My huge old van battery barely sustains 2 cams overnight and that is definitely stressing the battery, but it can easily handle one cam for ~12 hours. Most car batteries can probably do ~6-8 hours with one cam without significantly shortening their lifespan.

If you're stuck with only dashcams to use, a pair of Blackvue DR750's may be your best choice though the remote (rear) cam doesn't do as wel in darkness. The newer DR900 still has unresolved reliability issues so I can't yet recommend it. Going this way will not be cheap, have someone handy to do CPR when you see the prices. Ditto for any Thinkware models. The Goluck T3 is a lot more affordable but buying several won't be cheap[ either, nor will be powering any of these cam setups. My recommendation will have some specific requirements but will be a lot more affordable. First is that you'll need some light at the car- the more the better- for this to work, and even then it may be marginal. I'd use the A119 in time lapse, then add as many B1W's as you want. These small cams have an IMX323 sensor which does well in low light, but the video is a bit oversharpened which reduces details. These have the lowest current draw of any dashcam and I've had great success with continuous recording with mine. I've used the G1W/S similarly- it has clearer video details but less image brightness at night. Several other cams now use this sensor and might work equally well but I haven't tried them. I would avoid battery-equipped cams for all constant recording uses of a dashcam as there will be a lot of heat needing to be handled. The upside of constant recording is that you can't miss anything. The downsides are that it's hard on lesser cams which may fail and it voids warranties; it can be hard on your car battery if powered that way; but worst perhaps is that you may have to view hours of footage to find a single short-time event and that you must do the viewing before the card begins over-writing past files; and you must find the damage before then too.

As much as we love our dashcams, they are fairly limited in what they can do for us beyond use while driving. far better than nothing, but don't expect too much from them or you'll be greatly disappointed.

Phil
 
Thinkware F800 Pro can do Motion Detection (10 seconds prior to movement & 10 seconds after) or Timelapse recording (2fps) providing it's hardwired it will shut down when the battery gets low too (11.6v - 12.3v you choose) along with a maximum parking timer recording of 72 hours. 128gb max card size (be aware Thinkware Cameras are fussy with memory cards and only originals guaranteed to work as they have SPOR (Suddeon Power Off Recovery)
 
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