Super frustrated, need a better more reliable option

[trez]

I'm sure all of you guys have been there. I'm now on my 3rd dashcam and I can't believe how frustrating it is to find a quality product. Thank you for this site!
First I bought a Spy Tec A118-C from Amazon. That worked perfectly but somehow it would turn off when I started my car and I had to hit the power button again for it to come on. It was because of the delay in the capacitor and there was no fix. Essentially, when I opened the car door it would turn on, but when I turned on the car, if I didn't do it in the first 10 second or so, that disruption in power would turn it off but not back on again since the capacitor didn't notice the power coming back on in the short outage. Hope that makes sense. And since the Street Guardian looks very similar I'm really weary of trying that for $200+ just to have the same results...

Then I bought a Rexing F9. This thing was very unreliable and would blackout all the time and die but the image quality was excellent. One day, about two weeks in, it just died and never recovered.

Then I thought, okay, forget all these cheap chinese brands, let me buy a nice off the shelf name brand. So I ended up buying a Garmin Dash Cam 20 from Best Buy. This thing was really great out of the box but the image quality was kinda poor. Fine I was willing to live with that. But then about 3 weeks in, it has started to routinely freeze on me. I think once the card fills up it just doesn't know how to overwrite the files fast enough and just hangs. WEAK SAUCE!!!

So now I'm just frustrated and want something that works.
I've bought two hardwiring kits so far for a total for $40 and have spent countless hours doing really clean installs only to have to return it again. I'm hoping to find something with a very reliable firmware but I also do want a screen (So the Mobius is not an ideal choice for me). I want the unit to be hard-wired using the existing mini-usb if possible and I want it to just work every time. I know that's too much to ask. Any recommendations on a camera with a proven firmware that works every time with a hardwired setup?

 

[Deleted member 46308]

And since the Street Guardian looks very similar I'm really weary of trying that for $200+ just to have the same results...

Apples and Oranges..Street Guardian products are very high quality with outstanding service and support. Others may look similar, but are not even close in results. In the US you would be buying from @Pier28 and he simply provides the best service and support. Welcome to DCT

 

[DT MI]

...when I opened the car door it would turn on, but when I turned on the car, if I didn't do it in the first 10 second or so, that disruption in power would turn it off but not back on again since the capacitor didn't notice the power coming back on in the short outage...

From that description it sounds like you've got the camera wired to the interior (dome) light circuit. If that's the case wiring to a different power source should resolve the issue. I have the same camera in my wife's car and it's been flawless since the first day.

 

[trez]

From that description it sounds like you've got the camera wired to the interior (dome) light circuit. If that's the case wiring to a different power source should resolve the issue. I have the same camera in my wife's car and it's been flawless since the first day.

Yes that's where I have it wired but the rest of the cams so far haven't had this issue. I think it's just an issue with capacitor cams vs. battery cams. I suppose I could get the power form someplace else but this is by far the cleanest / easiest install and it makes a lot of sense too being where it is. Does the street guardian use a capacitor or a battery?

Oh, and GPS is really not a concern for me at all, I feel like I'm paying the extra $$ for GPS.

 

[trez]

Apples and Oranges..Street Guardian products are very high quality with outstanding service and support. Others may look similar, but are not even close in results. In the US you would be buying from @Pier28 and he simply provides the best service and support. Welcome to DCT

Good to know! Thank you! That one is definitely on a very short list right now, just waiting to see if Garmin will come up with a resolution or not.

 

[DT MI]

Yes that's where I have it wired but the rest of the cams so far haven't had this issue. I think it's just an issue with capacitor cams vs. battery cams. I suppose I could get the power form someplace else but this is by far the cleanest / easiest install and it makes a lot of sense too being where it is. Does the street guardian use a capacitor or a battery?....

It is a battery vs. capacitor issue - battery has enough 'reserve' to be immune to the power fluctuation whereas the capacitor does not.

The SG9665GC is a capacitor based camera so it would likely function the same if wired the same. It does, however, have an option to delay the boot up sequence for up to, I think, 30 seconds - @jokiin can confirm the delay options. That may give you sufficient time to get the car started without issue while keeping the wiring as you currently have it.

As as aside I have both the A118-C and SG9665GC cameras and the SG is head and shoulders better than the A118-C, particularly when it comes to night time video capture. Don't let the common housing fool you into thinking they are the same internally.

 

[jokiin]

Yes that's where I have it wired but the rest of the cams so far haven't had this issue. I think it's just an issue with capacitor cams vs. battery cams. I suppose I could get the power form someplace else but this is by far the cleanest / easiest install and it makes a lot of sense too being where it is. Does the street guardian use a capacitor or a battery?

Oh, and GPS is really not a concern for me at all, I feel like I'm paying the extra $$ for GPS.

yes battery cams will live better with that start/stop/start process better than a capacitor cam will, battery cams have bigger issues though

 

[trez]

Is there an article I can read about battery vs. capacitor? I feel like I am missing the point. It's possible the Rexing failed because I just didn't understand this point and drained the hell out of the battery so much that it just couldn't recharge again.

 

[DT MI]

Is there an article I can read about battery vs. capacitor? I feel like I am missing the point. It's possible the Rexing failed because I just didn't understand this point and drained the hell out of the battery so much that it just couldn't recharge again.

Batteries are a bit of a crap shoot when it comes to reliability. They have a limited number of charge/discharge cycle lifetimes - but I doubt that would have been the issue in the short time you had the camera. It may have just been a bad battery from the beginning.

This forum has a lot of discussion on batteries/capacitors - https://dashcamtalk.com/forum/forums/batteries-and-capacitors.87/

Browsing through it will probably be informative and might have some links to further information.

 

[DT MI]

Here's an article and a YouTube video (both non-technical) about the differences between batteries and capacitors.

http://machinedesign.com/batteriespower-supplies/what-s-difference-between-batteries-and-capacitors

 

[trez]

yes battery cams will live better with that start/stop/start process better than a capacitor cam will, battery cams have bigger issues though

Can you confirm that you can delay the start of the camera via software setting? Powering via dome light is a pretty high on the list requirement for me ( I know that's not your problem )
Thanks

 

[trez]

Here's an article and a YouTube video (both non-technical) about the differences between batteries and capacitors.

http://machinedesign.com/batteriespower-supplies/what-s-difference-between-batteries-and-capacitors

Haha, thanks. I am actually quite well-versed in what a capacitor is and how it differs from a battert (I have a bs in physics from too long ago). But I can't understand why one is more desireable than the other in case of a dashcam installed in a car. I can definitely understand the charge cycle becoming a big issue with batteries over time with frequent stop/starts specially with very short commutes like mine. I assume that's really the advantage of a capacitor as there is no charge cycle so it never really degrades over time.

 

[DT MI]

...But I can't understand why one is more desireable than the other in case of a dashcam installed in a car....

Environmental issues - batteries are more affected (negatively) by the high temperatures that can be experienced in cars, especially during summer. Shortened life span as well as physical failure can result. Capacitors are reportedly much more tolerant.

Edit: To expand I originally had a G1W-H (battery based) camera in my wife's car and once temperatures got above 85F or thereabouts it would regularly fail to record or would create corrupt files. It was replaced with an A118-C (from SpyTec) which has performed flawlessly since the first day.

I can't say this is due to the battery vs. capacitor but it is suspicious.

 

[Street Guardian USA]

Can you confirm that you can delay the start of the camera via software setting?

Yes, the SG9665GC has several startup delay options in the menu. This option was primarily added to avoid the power fluctuations big diesel engine trucks sometimes have during startup.

 

[MiiHere]

Good to know! Thank you! That one is definitely on a very short list right now, just waiting to see if Garmin will come up with a resolution or not.

Did you hard wire the Garmin? I remember when I started looking awhile back I looked into this and it's not meant to be. While I enjoyed my Garmin GPS unit, the Garmin Dashcam fell short on reviews and ability.

I'd go with the Street Guardian - I don't personally own one, but from my time spent here, it and the JooVuu X are top on my list of likes. Though I could do without all the fancy wi-fi, screen, gps, which is why I currently run 2 Mobius cams.