So I got a car with a USB port...

[Lou_Stuhl]

Is that where I plug a dash camera into? If so can I leave it plugged in all the time? When I plug my phone into the USB port for music it quickly charges to 100% & gets hot so I unplug it. I don't want to cook a new dash camera. Most techie stuff is over my head.

 

[LateralNW]

Still having problems?
Your old thread here - https://dashcamtalk.com/forum/threads/one-usb-port-2-devices.47689/#post-581073

These are the 3 kinds of ports my car has. I use the USB port to charge my iPhone. Can the other 2 ports be used for a dash cam? The one on the right reminds me of the old cigarette lighters that used tons of current. I'm guessing this isn't the same thing. Left port, I have no clue. Do I have to choose between a dash camera or my phone? If so is there a USB cable splitter?

Thanks for the help. I just learned what a parking mode is & that I have to hardwire the dash cam to have parking mode so I'm rethinking how I'm going to install it. Digging up all I can find on hardwiring. The unit I'm looking at is a

A129 DUO DUAL CHANNEL 5GHZ WI-FI GPS FULL HD FRONT AND REAR DASH CAMERA & it's going in a 2022 Chevy Spark.​

I'm guessing you never purchased a dashcam or you didn't realise you have other areas you have discussed this before.

Do you still have the same car and did you ever purchase a dashcam?

I'm happy to try to help you but need more information.

Cheers

 

[Lou_Stuhl]

I forgot I left off trying to hardwire it, then got over my head & dropped it last year. Then I forgot everything I learned. I'll just do without parking mode & plug it into the ports.

 

[LateralNW]

I forgot I left off trying to hardwire it, then got over my head & dropped it last year. Then I forgot everything I learned. I'll just do without parking mode & plug it into the ports.

I'm happy to help you have a go.
No question is dumb.
One thing to consider if the ports have power when the car is switched off. If it does have power when the car is off the dashcam when connected to the cigar connector (cigarette lighter / 12V auxiliary power) would flatten the car battery.

An easy way to test it is plug in the supplied cigar adapter and see if the dashcam stops working when the car is switched off.

Cheers

 

[Lou_Stuhl]

Thanks. I'm shopping again & went from looking at dual cameras to 360 cameras then to 4 channel dash cams.

 

[OldEastSider]

To complicate matters, some USB ports stay on for a few minutes after the engine has been switched off. Usually up to 5 minutes, so no threat to your battery. Don't assume therefore that if your USB is still supplying power after the engine is off it won't cease supplying power in just a few minutes. Every car seems to be different these days, and I have no experience of the Chevy Spark. On my Mazda CX-5 there are three 12V sockets, two of which are always live, and four USB sockets, three of which are always live. The 12V socket which is switched dies as soon as the engine goes off, but the one USB continues to supply power for five minutes after the engine is off. Crazy!

 

[kamkar]

If a port / socket stay on a for a few minutes, that is alright delaying the stop of recordings like that, if it dont and the camera just keep filming, aside for the eventual battery drain, well then parked in the sun and the camera working as hard as it can, a thermal shutdown are probably going to happen.

In car USB ports are / have been notoriously underpowered, and have caused many problems over the years, along with people using multi port USB chargers in the 12 V socket to be able to run / charge more things.
So if you see anything weird in regard to startup or general operation while using creative power source, you should at once suspect power and try the provided power source.

 

[kamkar]

O the provided 12 V plug, well you can still hard wire that if you want to keep your dash socket free or just dont like a wire across your console, all you need to do is buy a female 12 V socket and a piggy back fuse adapter.
Mind you it will be a good idea to tape the two plug halves together CUZ they might wiggle loose down there under the dash.
Of course then tapping into a +12 V ACC fuse, you will not have parking guard.
And you can of course also get a inline fuse and just splice into a wire, i did that to my 12 V in dash socket instead of the fuse box, so the two X 3 socket 12 V extenders i now have in my glove box, they are powered from my in dash 12 V socket, just not from the front by plugging into it, so that plug have been vacant in my car for may years now.

Back in the early days i put one 3 port 12 V socket extender under my rear seat to have a power source closer to the rear window, as back then there was just single cameras, and as i found out getting rear ended, a long cheap USB cable from the front,,,, no good.

 

[Lou_Stuhl]

I ordered my dash cam. 4 channel. Not high spec but fits my budget, 4 channel & 60 bucks off. Arrives here Monday.

Rexing R4 4 Channel Dash Cam W/ All Around 1080p Resolution, Wi-Fi, and GPS. I know nothing about any dash cam company but it got decent reviews. I can't control print size when I paste.​

 

[LateralNW]

I ordered my dash cam. 4 channel. Not high spec but fits my budget, 4 channel & 60 bucks off. Arrives here Monday.

Rexing R4 4 Channel Dash Cam W/ All Around 1080p Resolution, Wi-Fi, and GPS. I know nothing about any dash cam company but it got decent reviews. I can't control print size when I paste.​

Hows that new Dashcam going?
I find it interesting when a brand not mentioned on here is given a go.
I sometimes wonder if the expensive dashcams are overpriced in some cases.

Cheers

 

[Dashmellow]

Hows that new Dashcam going?
I find it interesting when a brand not mentioned on here is given a go.
I sometimes wonder if the expensive dashcams are overpriced in some cases.

Cheers

That's a really good question as so many cameras are basically made from the same components.

From my experience, the lower priced more generic cams have lower build quality and perhaps more importantly they often don't get the level of firmware development and updates that the better name brands provide.

Still, it's worth checking out what's out there.

 

[Panzer Platform]

I sometimes wonder if the expensive dashcams are overpriced in some cases.

The first year of my “dash cam life” (2019) I bought exclusively the cheapest dash cams I could find at my local Walmart, or Amazon.
$33 was the most I ever spent, $5 was the lowest.
They were all reliable, and never had a malfunction.
But they were all 720p, 1080p, fake 4K, and all had terrible image quality.
During the day they were passable.
It wasn’t until I bought my first “real” dash cam February 2020 (A129 Pro Duo) that I started to experience my first malfunctions.
But, I think my cheap, junk cameras were “underdriven” and did not create much heat at all.
Conversely, Viofo’s are like race cars running their engines at redline the whole race.
Kind of like the saying; “If you’re not breaking parts, you’re not making enough horsepower”. Lol

This is the Pilot 1080p from Walmart. It was $25 regular price, and I found 3 of them on clearance for $5 each.

This is the AD-520 Fake 4K from Walmert. It was $33 on clearance.

This is the $27 Apeman C550

This is the $20 Crosstour CR250

On the other side of the spectrum, here’s the
$470 BlackVue DR970X
$470 DR900X Plus
$550 Thinkware U3000.

The BlackVue’s were so bad I sent them back, and told them if I made a YouTube Video review about them it would be overwhelmingly negative.
Planning to do the same with the U3000.

 

[Agie]

The first year of my “dash cam life” (2019) I bought exclusively the cheapest dash cams I could find at my local Walmart, or Amazon.
$33 was the most I ever spent, $5 was the lowest.
They were all reliable, and never had a malfunction.
But they were all 720p, 1080p, fake 4K, and all had terrible image quality.
During the day they were passable.
It wasn’t until I bought my first “real” dash cam February 2020 (A129 Pro Duo) that I started to experience my first malfunctions.
But, I think my cheap, junk cameras were “underdriven” and did not create much heat at all.
Conversely, Viofo’s are like race cars running their engines at redline the whole race.
Kind of like the saying; “If you’re not breaking parts, you’re not making enough horsepower”. Lol

This is the Pilot 1080p from Walmart. It was $25 regular price, and I found 3 of them on clearance for $5 each.

View attachment 67554

This is the AD-520 Fake 4K from Walmert. It was $33 on clearance.

View attachment 67555

This is the $27 Apeman C550

View attachment 67556

This is the $20 Crosstour CR250

View attachment 67557

On the other side of the spectrum, here’s the
$470 BlackVue DR970X
$470 DR900X Plus
$550 Thinkware U3000.

The BlackVue’s were so bad I sent them back, and told them if I made a YouTube Video review about them it would be overwhelmingly negative.
Planning to do the same with the U3000.

Blackvue disappointing considering the amount of money charged to the customer. Welp.

 

[Panzer Platform]

Blackvue disappointing

Don't forget the redesigned Smartphone APP after the DR970X release that put all their existing customers in uproar.
They turned it into a social media experience;

 

[Agie]

Don't forget the redesigned Smartphone APP after the DR970X release that put all their existing customers in uproar.
They turned it into a social media experience;

Unbelievable, that is dodgy behaviour with the app and massive security concerns! Way to bring down your brand!

 

[LateralNW]

But they were all 720p, 1080p, fake 4K, and all had terrible image quality.

Lol 720 your lowest res. I'll dig up something from my past experience and we really can see the fantastic improvements Dashcam have come.
Mind you they cost a lot more than the US$33 units.
When I'm home I'll check out your videos.

Cheers.

 

[Lou_Stuhl]

Hows that new Dashcam going?
I find it interesting when a brand not mentioned on here is given a go.
I sometimes wonder if the expensive dashcams are overpriced in some cases.

Cheers

I read that heat can sometimes ruin dash cams & it's been 105-109 all summer so I waited to install them. A few days ago it finally dropped & it's now under 100. I have a home security project today so I'll install the dash cams tomorrow I hope. Summer returns next year but I doubt I'll see 4 months of 105-109. I'll see if I can keep them out of direct sunlight.

 

[kamkar]

If just in the car while parked ( NOT sandwiched between the window and some sun blocking / reflecting device CUZ that can pretty much make dashcams literally melt )
Then YES some times the focus can slide, but these days it is pretty rare, where a decade ago it was not unusual with cheap cameras at least, BUT ! even now top dollar brands can also have this happen.
But not a worry you should have a good chance with a proper camera from a source / brand where you stand a chance of doing a RMA.

Also if that happen, well with just a little DIY skills and very basic tools you can refocus the lens, or even exchange the lens CUZ in some rare cases the lens can even break, but if focus slide and stay there no matter temperatures, then you can change the focus by turning in / out the lens a few degrees.

If you use parking guard while parked in the sun, then yes this compound the heat issue, but all dashcams should shut down due to high heat to protect themself, so even that should not be much of a issue.
Of course if you expect to have parking guard running it is a problem, but it is a simple physics challenge all dashcams have, so if there are any way to pay your way around that it will be extremely marginal the gain you would get for your top dollar paid.
There are not really any extra heat resistant sensors / capacitors / resistors ASO, at least not where you can still make a dasahcam that regular mere mortal people can afford it.

We had many a lone star state members in here doing quite well with their cameras.

Of course with ANY dashcam, you should check your footage now and then, every few months or so should be fine if there are no irregularities going on, it take me 15 minutes or so inspecting a full 256 GB memory card with 10 -15 hours of driving footage.
CUZ i do of course not play every file 1:1, i focus on first and last files in drive sessions, easy zeroed out by their time /date name and file length, after i have checked those and found they are from relevant places, then i sample a few random files.

relevant places for me is. Where i live - my favorite shopping place - my favorite gas station - my mothers place - my friends place - my sisters place, so if a session do not start or stop in any of those places, well my alarm go off,,,,, often for nothing i just forgotten that new place i went to 2 weeks ago.
But ! if a session start in some random street or end in such a place, that should warrant concern and further investigation, like checking memory card integrity ASO.

Also in my inspections of recorded footage, i tend to focus on just the front / primary camera, the rear i consider a secondary camera even if there is no way in hell i would be without one there, and this even more important for people in the US with just 1 plate on cars, and often in the back, CUZ then you are chance less with just a front camera against a oncoming offender, with a rear camera that get a chance of a plate capture once he / she pass by.

PS: i am inspecting recordings on PC with memory card in fast reader, if you are just phone,,,,,, well good luck.

 

[LateralNW]

I read that heat can sometimes ruin dash cams & it's been 105-109 all summer so I waited to install them. A few days ago it finally dropped & it's now under 100. I have a home security project today so I'll install the dash cams tomorrow I hope. Summer returns next year but I doubt I'll see 4 months of 105-109. I'll see if I can keep them out of direct sunlight.

I read that heat can sometimes ruin dash cams & it's been 105-109 all summer so I waited to install them. A few days ago it finally dropped & it's now under 100. I have a home security project today so I'll install the dash cams tomorrow I hope. Summer returns next year but I doubt I'll see 4 months of 105-109. I'll see if I can keep them out of direct sunlight.

Thanks for updating us.
Australia is about to go into a heat wave and I'm expecting temperatures are going to break records and that won't be fun.

Last time Australia went into a heat wave i found it affected my ability to do things. Basically i couldn't be stuffed and if it was something i found difficult to do then it slides down the todo list lol

Cheers.

 

[Agie]

Thanks for updating us.
Australia is about to go into a heat wave and I'm expecting temperatures are going to break records and that won't be fun.

Last time Australia went into a heat wave i found it affected my ability to do things. Basically i couldn't be stuffed and if it was something i found difficult to do then it slides down the todo list lol

Cheers.

That's summer for me in Australia too just in general. My bigger fear is that it's going to get worse and worse, more fires, more houses more damage and sadly more deaths. We only have to look to California to see what damage is wreaked and what Australia could turn into, so sad to see ....