Using the A139 two small cameras as side cameras for a 4ch system.

Probably depends on the rear window size, in what type of a car it's installed and how/where you install it.
Definitely, in my car, if I look in the rear view mirror, I can't see the camera.
 
An old habit for me stemming from the days when dash cams tended to be far more unreliable than they are now, I like being able to have a quick look in my rear view mirror to see the reassuring flashing red pilot light or recording indicator on my rear camera letting me know that it is up and running properly. Same with my side cams.
 
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An old habit for me stemming from the days when dash cams tended to be far more unreliable than they are now, I like being able to have a quick look in my rear view mirror to see the reassuring red light pilot light or recording indicator on my rear camera letting me know that the camera is up and running properly.
Well, A139 is pretty chatty if one doesn't disable it. I hear switch from parking mode to normal mode as soon as I open door, also I can check via bluetooth button under my steering wheel which triggers event and camera beeps again (if there are no constant beeps, then it's recording).
 
Well A139 is pretty chatty if one doesn't disable it. I hear switch from parking mode to normal mode as soon as open door, also I can check via bluetooth button under my steering wheel which triggers event and beeps again (if there are no constant beeps, then it records).

Yeah, like I said, it's an old habit and cameras are much improved these days. Those of us who began using dash cams ten years ago or more recall how common it was to discover that your camera had stopped recording somewhere during your journey or not boot up properly in the first place. One of my earliest rear cameras (a first gen Mobius) wouldn't boot up in sub-freezing conditions (-15º F or colder) unless you left it plugged in for 60-90 seconds and then re-booted, so I would sit there until I saw the pilot light start to blink in my rear view mirror. Another factor for me is living on a dirt/gravel road on a mountain where bumps and vibrations have a tendency to loosen cable connections occasionally. Hence my ongoing habit of vigilance.
 
Probably depends on the rear window size, in what type of a car it's installed and how/where you install it.

View attachment 61627

Through rear-view mirror:
View attachment 61628
you gave me an idea but instead of putting the A139 on the back I will put the IR camera. which will give me a complete view of the passenger compartment because by putting the IR camera (for example above or below the rearview mirror) I notice on certain videos of testers like Vortex Radar that the side view of the driver and passenger begins to half of the window.
 

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I bought 2 sets of A139 back over 18 months ago (when they were first released!) with the intention of setting up a 4ch system. Unfortuately I have been working on house stuff. I will post my findings when I finally get round to installing!

I am planning on having the 2 main units front/back and rear cameras on the sides.

A few thoughts:
  • I don't think having a bigger camera on the rear window will be a big issue, this will obviously depend on the size/shape of the window and how high up I am able to mount it.
  • Having the interior camera mounted in the back facing forward is a good way to get side coverage with just one unit if you don't want the expense of a second unit.
 
Hi guys!!

Maybe I found a solution for a 360 degree view.

Idea: Buy a Viofo 2CH + this dashcam.

What do you think ? :D
 
Hi guys!!

Maybe I found a solution for a 360 degree view.

Idea: Buy a Viofo 2CH + this dashcam.

What do you think ? :D
Yeah, there are some of these fisheye dashcams but to my knowledge, none of them has resolution high enough(pixel density) to be "usable" (I guess? Probably for Uber for basic documentation). I was thinking about buying something like a 360° action camera (Kandao Qoocam 8K has very nice output) and sticking it to a sunroof but then I retracted from this idea quite quickly when I found out that those are basically not able to record for extended period of time in 60°C+ temperature.

In my setup the side cameras actually can capture some details which front or rear are unable to.
 
Idea: Buy a Viofo 2CH + this dashcam.

What do you think ? :D
A three channel viofo using one of them as the cabin camera seems an excellent idea, so why has Viofo not done this?

I think the main reason is that most cars have things like headrests blocking the view, you need something with a high roof before 360 works. Note that in your video, the problem of lack of view through the headrests has been hidden from view! They do not show you the view of the rear seats or out the rear windows.

Second reason is that 4K is quite low resolution when it has to cover 360 degrees, so a standard cabin camera produces a better image.

Third issue is exposure, a single 360 lens has to cover looking into the sun through the windscreen at the same time as a dark vehicle interior made even darker by tinted glass!
 
Note that in your video, the problem of lack of view through the headrests has been hidden from view! They do not show you the view of the rear seats or out the rear windows.

Yeah, you can't see through the back windows at any point, the camera is mounted too low for this.

There have been 360 cameras in the past, one that comes to mind is the waylens 360

Does look pretty cool having a 360 camera though, although the connectors are a bit bulky on that yakola!
 
It will make inside your car hotter
 
I have a variation on this theme. My A139 main camera is mounted on a driver's side window, where it does not interfere with my view. The long cable runs to the 'rear' camera which is mounted on the passenger side. The short cable reaches the 'interior' camera which is mounted on the rear hatch.
 
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Also do turn off the auto Infrared for the interior cam on the rear, as it could reflect off any dirt on your side window and cause issue. This absolutely does work and is great if your car has a rear fuse panel or 12V to connect it up.
Interesting to know. I plan on using the interior cam using auto-made for night time so it can record thru the windows. I have tint on the windows too. I seldom clean them from the inside but may have to if any dirt will cause reflections.
 
I am not big on using 2 conventional systems, with the big main units front and rear and then putting the remote "rear" cameras on the sides.

I did do a conventional system front and rear, but for side cameras i when with a dual remote system, mainly the K2S as its remote cameras are much smaller / about half the size of any other rear camera i have seen.


_dsc0575-jpg.44287


The K2S camera beside a conventional mini wedge rear camera as used by viofo - street guardian and many others.
img_20190126_141410-jpg.44306


Mind you the K2S have since died on me, so ATM i have no side cameras, but i did get +2 years out of the system.

Side cameras on my car.
img_20190709_214021-jpg.47290


Of course using 2 similar systems, that is a plus in the way that they will have the same boot time ASO, ans so files from all 4 side should be in sync, strait off the memory card.
Mind you most video editing softwares do support some form of auto sync between several cameras, this are often a audio thing, but if you dont like to mess with such things well then 2 similar systems are nice.
 
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I have a variation on this theme. My A139 main camera is mounted on a driver's side window, where it does not interfere with my view. The long cable runs to the 'rear' camera which is mounted on the passenger side. The short cable reaches the 'interior' camera which is mounted on the rear hatch.

Do you mean the main unit is mounted on the drivers side rear window? What is the coverage like considering the main unit only has 140 FOV? Apologies if you have already posted this setup elsewhere, I am currently catching up on missed posts :)
 
Do you mean the main unit is mounted on the drivers side rear window? What is the coverage like considering the main unit only has 140 FOV? Apologies if you have already posted this setup elsewhere, I am currently catching up on missed posts :)
Yes, that is correct. The coverage seems good. I don't trust the FOV figures. I believe the A139 has a wider view than say the A119 or A229.
 
Yes, that is correct. The coverage seems good. I don't trust the FOV figures. I believe the A139 has a wider view than say the A119 or A229.

Interesting, I would ideally like to have the main unit on the rear hatch but that means the bulkier power cable (with ferrite bead) would need to go through to the hatch. That means I wouldn't be able use the grommets on the hatch.

Not a big issue just means I would have to leave some slack on the cable/s for opening the hatch. And of course if it was too big I might just have to move it to the side window anyway! :)
 
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