So many options, so confused!

[Barbara Quigley]

I am looking to purchase my first dashcam, and have been comparing price and options for days. Thank goodness Amazon.ca directed me to this website for more information.
Seems to me that besides good quality, discreetness is important. I would think having wires to plug into cigar letter isn't very discreet at all, but I can't find any that are wireless other than WI FI, which I'm not interested in. Are there not any models that have receivers, so the camera itself does not have this plug attached, or perhaps a rechargeable battery like most GPS units? Price is a concern too but not so much as reliability and size.
Thanks for any help/suggestions you can give me.

 

[Jrlivin2]

You've come to the right place. The people here are very knowledgeable and helpful. I'm relatively new here but to my knowledge most cams today will require you to route wires to a power source. It will help if you can be more specific about your price range. Also, are you looking for one camera that faces the front or a dual camera model that has one in front and one in the rear? There are a few cams in the $60-80 price range that get good reviews but upping your price range can get you better hardware, better firmware, and better support.

 

[Jrlivin2]

....and, the wires that route to the power source (most commonly to the cigar lighter or fuse box) are done so along the headliner and down the A-pillar which makes them out of sight.

 

[Barbara Quigley]

It would be nice to have dual cameras, but I've seen that really increases the price and quality of video, so I was just looking for front camera. I would like to keep it under $100 if possible.
And, I should mention portability also. I was hoping to be able to use the same unit in 2 vehicles. I was hoping that would be easy if I were to buy a second cable, so I'm not ripping that out when I need to move the camera. Is this a viable option, or should I really be looking to buy a second unit, eventually?

 

[Jrlivin2]

The additional info helps. Yes, reliable dual channel models will be much more than $100 so we will rule those out.

Others will chime in soon but for discreet models in your price range I would check out the Mobius and the A118C (the new capacitor version of the A118).

Check out the comparison tool available on this site (link at top of page).

The A118C has a small screen and very discreet form factor. The Mobius has no screen and is very small.

 

[Jrlivin2]

It is possible to move both the Mobius and A118C between vehicles. You would need to purchase a second windshield mount (minimal expense) for the A118C. Mounting options for the Mobius are extensive but you could probably use the same suction mount for two vehicles. I've never tried moving the Mobius between vehicles but my guess would be that the A118C would be easier to move because the windshield mount would always be in the same location so you wouldn't need to adjust it each time.