Set-Up Recommendation

[kamkar]

Initial "problems" sound strange, i dont think a dashcam should behave like that, in general they work fine with the shipping firmware, at least they should cuz updating such things are something many dont do.
So if i was you i would keep a close eye on the camera for the first few months, so if there is a issue you can get a RMA going ASAP.

If the camera have a low bitrate always option, then thats what i would go for, it is regular video with sound, but at a much lower bitrrate so that put a lot less strain on the memory card.
As i myself is pretty new to using parking guard, and low bitrate always record, i feared that the low bitrate might be too low for capturing details like a plate of a car passing by, so when i got the SG9663DR camera for testing the first thing i did was test this, and i was very pleasant surprised.

 

[Julian1415]

I’ve been running parking mode for the last 4 years on Thinkware dash-cams. I drive very little time, as in 5 to 15 minutes daily (some weeks not even daily but maybe 3/4 days a week). I usually go out for a longer drive in the weekends (at least 30 mins).

From my point of view it’s cheaper to replace the car’s battery every 3 or 4 years (in case you keep the car longer than that) than to install a Cellink or other battery pack if you have a big car battery. My 105 Ah AGM battery was 250 euros to replace and the original battery lasted 6 years. The thing is the car’s battery can accept huge amounts of current from the alternator so it will charge much faster than those auxiliary battery packs. If you drive very little time those packs will not have enough time to fully re-charge so your dash cam might turn off earlier than expected.

My DashCam uses around 3 to 4w in parking mode => 96w in 24 hours. That is around 8 Ah so less than 8% discharge. Of course battery sulfation will occur at some point but if the battery is big enough the impact will be negligible. On smaller batteries the degradation will be bigger.

 

[kamkar]

If i was to use long time parking mode, my approach would also be to put a #2 battery in my car ( probably AGM )
My #2 option would be a lipo battery for the cameras, but not one of those dedicated dashcam packs, a big car battery sized lipo that should also be able to charge pretty fast.

 

[SawMaster]

An AGM replacement for your car battery is another option if you've got a lead-acid type in there now. My 80A L-A battery gives me 24 hours recording time on a 2-channel cam at a cost of maybe 15% to 20% of it's service life. It's a common size and relatively cheap so it's a good deal for me

Phil

 

[wangster]

Just in case anyone is in similar situation as me or want to use parking mode without connecting to the car battery, this is what we ended up doing and it seems to be working well for us so far. It may not be ideal for everyone but I just want to share with everyone that it works.

I purchased two 20,000 mAh battery packs ($25 each) and put my old 10,000 mAh battery pack in the glove compartment as a backup just in case we need it. We start our day off by swapping out the 20,000 mAh battery pack in the car and taking the used battery pack inside to plug into a charger. The fully charged battery pack lasts all day and will have about quarter charge left at end of the day.

 

[kamkar]

What ever keep you afloat i guess
I am glad i dont feel like i have a need for parking guard, or some unknown factor have not given me that need.
I would personally never accept feeling like a victim, so i will go far to not end up there, and i think other should pursuit the same with the means they have.

 

[SawMaster]

Just in case anyone is in similar situation as me or want to use parking mode without connecting to the car battery, this is what we ended up doing and it seems to be working well for us so far. It may not be ideal for everyone but I just want to share with everyone that it works.

I purchased two 20,000 mAh battery packs ($25 each) and put my old 10,000 mAh battery pack in the glove compartment as a backup just in case we need it. We start our day off by swapping out the 20,000 mAh battery pack in the car and taking the used battery pack inside to plug into a charger. The fully charged battery pack lasts all day and will have about quarter charge left at end of the day.

This is probably the best approach for those not wishing to use their car battery for cam power, especially when parked Best overall cost, plug-and-play simple, and no fooling with hunting the correct circuits at the fusebox. And as more cars go to CAN-BUS and computer-controlled power schemes more people will be doing it this way.

Phil

 

[joe384]

I did the 2 powerbank thing for a while with a pair of Blueskysea B1W which worked well, once you get into a routine it is fine.

I am finding I am using the powerbanks a lot more now since I don't really do enough driving to charge my cellink with COVID

Just make sure you get a decent make as cheaper makes have unreliable capacities and voltage regulation