Using front and rear cams for the sides as well...

vlad_nada

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Hi, I live at a condo complex and over the years have gotten about 20 dings in each door. I originally wanted a 4 cam system for my hatchback, front, rear and both sides, motion sensor recording 24/7 but its expensive and would need extra batteries and would not get the recording time needed etc. Its a pain.

A simpler solution could be to wire it for 4 cams w/ 4 mounts, use the front/rear while driving then unplug them and move them to side mounts while parked.
What do you think of this idea? I wouldnt need extra batteries and would cover myself for the door dings.

Id need motion sensor recording on them. Any recommendations for cams that can detach easily?


Thanks
 
For your purposes any reliable cam might do the job. Rather than rely on motion detect or shock sensors, which never function as you'd want them to, I prefer continuous recording. With most single cams a 64GB card will get you 8+ hours of recording time. These are affordable though not exactly cheap. The downside of this is that if you discover damage, you'll have to watch the full recording till you find the event. There are a few tricks to mak that easier but it does rely on you finding the damage before the cam over-writes the event. What will matter most is the lighting around your car- no cam sees in the dark. And you'll want one with a Sony sensor-the 323 is pretty common now and does well at night, but isn't great daytime. I think it's good enough though as do many others.

Car batteries aren't meant for a continuous low load like a cam, but I have found that there isn't much loss of lifespan running one cam constantly for 12 hours, and a larger one will handle 2 cams for 8 hours easily. It isn't the best way to do this but it works if your battery is in really good shape. In my work van I drive with 4 cams running, and at least one runs constantly. Not all cams will handle constant usage and it will void the warranty, but again I have no problems-YMMV. If you have 4 cams you might as well use them all when driving. There are often things you want to capture on the sides which even the widest-angle front cams may not see, like cars to the side at intersections and cars directly beside you.

So your idea is possible, but I'd recommend using a power bank for parking recording, even though that may not be necessary. I'd also recommend checking into the B1W cam as it both has a Sony 323 sensor and the lowest current draw of any cam on the market. It's shock sensor works well for heavier impacts; I haven't tested it on the most sensitive settings. I still wouldn't rely on that function though, since at best there is a boot-up delay of at least a couple seconds involved. It's very reliable recording continouosly, even in high heat. If money is no object, a few cams pre-buffer the parking mode recordings so you get a few seconds before the event straight through to some time afterward. You're still relying on a motion detect or shock sensor that may not activate though. The one issue with all these is current draw which isn't much less than full-on recording.

So yeah, your idea is sound and eminently workable with a few small alterations, and you can do this for under $500 if you shop wisely.

Phil
 
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