VEHICLE Vandalized & Wheels STOLEN! NEED HELP picking a dashcam!

[TexasGirl]

Hi guys,

I just moved into a new area where I park OUTDOORS. I have been finding all sorts of dents and scratches on my car. However, this morning I discovered my vehicle's blades were broken overnight and my wheels were missing (my car was put on cinder blocks).

I am certain that this was done overnight, likely around 3 AM (when it is darkest outside).

I am looking for the best camera setup for NIGHTTIME recording of when the car is PARKED. I don't need it to record while I drive, I just need it to record in stellar quality when the car is parked NIGHT or DAY. I need to catch anyone who damages my car intentionally.

Questions:

1) Is there a particular setup or camera that could alert me by text message or email once something happens? That way I can run out and catch this person while he is still there. I am 30 seconds away from the car most times.
2) Is live streaming possible (especially if I put a wifi hotspot in the car or park near a strong wifi signal)


Advice, comments, & suggestions are much appreciated.


Thank you!

 

[kamkar]

Welcome to the forum TexasGirl.
Too bad i dont live there, i am retired so got the time, i would open carry, and i dont take kindly to thieves, or people not behaving as gentlemen.

A dashcam will not capture much if there are no light, as these have build IN IR light to aid filming in total darkness.
If possible i always recommend to use CCTV instead if possible.
I myself have a IP camera on my 2 floor balcony door, aimed at my car parked below in the pitch black back yard, there are a PIR LED light there, but that would just backlit a person approaching my car where it is parked.

Another advantage is my camera have AI motion detect, so only something human or vehicle shaped very close to my car ( zoomed in ) will trigger a notification on my phone and tablet.
Of course me have a downward angle mean i do not have cars passing by in the background, so i only get 1 - 2 notifications daily if one of the people living here / parking here get too close, cats - rats and what not else do not trigger a notification.




Some of the smart cameras from Blackvue and thinkware will have options for notifications ASO, but i am not much familiar with these, but the user named vortex radar ( on here and youtube ) have reviewed these kind of systems and will know more.
The new plus models actually have build in "phone" so you just have to put in a SIM card, older model will rely on a separate wifi access point, but thats just 1 more thing to wire in and keep powered.

Also hard wire in many new cars can be problematic due to the" smarts" that are creeping in, even in the fairly simple wire harness of a car, some cars you can even get to where it can only be done getting a dashcam power bank and via that get the system powered, a plus to this is you then dont load the cars battery, but it is of course a additional not insignificant extra cost.

Also using parking guard, well what you use of power doing parking guard, you of course have to replenish bu charging, usually by driving, but if you drive a hour - 2 hours daily you should be able to keep up if you use parking guard the rest of the time in a day.
Though if possible it is recommended to just use it when needed, so maybe not use it when working as you there might park in a secure location.

 

[Lothar]

BlackVue is the best when it comes to cloud for dashcams.
With a dashcam in parking mode, you will always be limited by your car's battery.
What if your dashcam stops recording 3 hours after it started recording in parking mode based on the voltage cutoff that you set, then what?
If those people come 4 hours, then there would be no footage and you will not receive any notifications because the camera has already shutdown.

However, it sounds to me like what you need is either a CCTV or maybe a Google Nest Outdoor camera assuming that you have a line of sight to your car.
Either of these would be much better than using a dashcam to record in parking mode for the purpose that you describe. A stand alone camera's AI capabilities would always beat using a dashcam.
Is this a townhouse (where you have more flexibility in parking in front of your house and can also install this camera on your property) or is this an apartment?
Do you have a designated assigned parking spot where you park at the same place every night and do you have a line of sight from your place? If not, then a maybe a stationary Google Nest or CCTV camera may not work for you.

 

[Kremmen]

I agree that CCTV and PIR is the best solution if possible. If these thieves see a dashcam they might break in to get that as well.

Wheel locking nuts will help when you get new wheels.

 

[StrayCam]

If someone takes a Blackvue Dashcam from a car that is connected to the cloud AND if the "triggered event" (impact or motion) is set to "automatically upload to the cloud" , then the video is still captured in the cloud and you can possibly see just who is interested in ripping you off.

One of the reasons I like Blackvue is you get automatic real-time push notifications to your phone when something has impacted your car or (if you have it set for this) when motion has been detected in front of or behind your car... and of course you can also have it pick up any audio. So if someone breaks into your car and happens to say anything, you'll probably have access to that audio.

The Blackvue dashcam that I have and would most likely work best for you is the DR750X 2Ch LTE Plus. This model has a spot to insert a 4g SIM Card. That way you don't have to buy a separate module/router for your in-car hotspot.

 

[Vortex Radar]

Ah man sorry to hear that!

Yeah if you want a dashcam instead of a CCTV type of system (or in addition to one), I’d go with a Blackvue as well. A 750 Plus series would be good, (either 750X Plus or the 750X LTE Plus) along with a battery pack for overnight recording. Do you drive regularly to recharge the battery?