What features do I want?

[Sally415]

I am trying to outfit all 4 of our cars (two adult children and two parents) with dash cams for Christmas. I know nothing about them, but have been looking online at video reviews.

I have a few questions:

1. Do I need/want cloud? If so, which decent recommendations would you have for free cloud streaming/storage? I don't want a subscription. I am asking because it looked like cams like the Viofo a229 and they don't seem to have streaming or cloud storage? It seems like a nice feature to have, but maybe not necessary?

2. I want the Starves 2, right?

3. Anything with dual cameras (front and back), with cloud, without a paid subscription, that would would recommend under $200 or is that too much to ask?

Thank you for any help you can give.

 

[Nigel]

1. Do I need/want cloud?

If there was a great cloud dashcam available with a free cloud service, then many people would want it, but not everyone, simplicity if a big feature for many people, and configuring/using cloud dashcams is not exactly simple. Everyone is different, so you have to answer you question yourself.

What do you want the cloud to do for you?

The idea that it will track your cars for you, so that you know where everyone is, seems very desirable to some people, an invasion of privacy to others. If you do want to track family members, that feature is built into your phones, and implemented better than a dashcam is going to implement it.

Most of the other potential cloud uses are similar, with the exception of the camera being able to store video in the cloud, so that you don't lose it when the car/dashcam is stolen. We very rarely hear of dashcams being stolen, and when they do store video in the cloud it tends to only be a low resolution version, because the full resolution video is just too big for upload, and if the thief had any sense, they would wear a mask/disguise, so the video may not be any use anyway. I reckon 99.99% of times that a dashcam is genuinely useful, it does not require the cloud.

The main purpose of a dashcam is to assist in an insurance claim, it can be a very big help, but that almost never requires use of the cloud. If the insurance claim is because the car was stolen, it doesn't really matter if the dashcam and video was also stolen, you do not need to prove that it was not you at fault.

2. I want the Starves 2, right?

Sony Starvis 2 is the latest and best type of image sensor, it is significantly better than previous generations, as long as the dashcam makes good use of it. Yes, you should look for it, but it will cost a little more than a last generation dashcam. Any working dashcam is better than no dashcam.

Also, go for a dashcam that has super capacitors instead of a lithium battery. The batteries tend to get too hot and fail after 18 months, while a super capacitor will likely last 10 years +.

3. Anything with dual cameras (front and back), with cloud, without a paid subscription, that would would recommend under $200 or is that too much to ask?

Currently, "without a paid subscription" is asking too much for a cloud connection that is going to be useful.
Currently under $200 for a dashcam with cloud is a bit much, at least for a good dashcam with a good cloud.

Just go for an excellent dashcam without cloud!

This may be a little out of date, but it will still be fine for your budget:

 

[Sally415]

If there was a great cloud dashcam available with a free cloud service, then many people would want it, but not everyone, simplicity if a big feature for many people, and configuring/using cloud dashcams is not exactly simple. Everyone is different, so you have to answer you question yourself.

What do you want the cloud to do for you?

Mostly I was thinking of things like having the car vandalized and being able to see it if you are like in a restaurant or something, kind of like I do with the RING camera when someone comes to the door. Maybe that isn't a feature I need.

And it would eliminate the need for an SD card.

The idea that it will track your cars for you, so that you know where everyone is, seems very desirable to some people, an invasion of privacy to others. If you do want to track family members, that feature is built into your phones, and implemented better than a dashcam is going to implement it.

Most of the other potential cloud uses are similar, with the exception of the camera being able to store video in the cloud, so that you don't lose it when the car/dashcam is stolen. We very rarely hear of dashcams being stolen, and when they do store video in the cloud it tends to only be a low resolution version, because the full resolution video is just too big for upload, and if the thief had any sense, they would wear a mask/disguise, so the video may not be any use anyway. I reckon 99.99% of times that a dashcam is genuinely useful, it does not require the cloud.

The main purpose of a dashcam is to assist in an insurance claim, it can be a very big help, but that almost never requires use of the cloud. If the insurance claim is because the car was stolen, it doesn't really matter if the dashcam and video was also stolen, you do not need to prove that it was not you at fault.


Sony Starvis 2 is the latest and best type of image sensor, it is significantly better than previous generations, as long as the dashcam makes good use of it. Yes, you should look for it, but it will cost a little more than a last generation dashcam. Any working dashcam is better than no dashcam.

True

Also, go for a dashcam that has super capacitors instead of a lithium battery. The batteries tend to get too hot and fail after 18 months, while a super capacitor will likely last 10 years +.

Yes, I do plan for that. We are in a hot climate in the summer.

Currently, "without a paid subscription" is asking too much for a cloud connection that is going to be useful.
Currently under $200 for a dashcam with cloud is a bit much, at least for a good dashcam with a good cloud.

Just go for an excellent dashcam without cloud!

This may be a little out of date, but it will still be fine for your budget:

Thanks

 

[Nigel]

And it would eliminate the need for an SD card.

You will still want the SD card for a dashcam.

Mostly I was thinking of things like having the car vandalized and being able to see it if you are like in a restaurant or something, kind of like I do with the RING camera when someone comes to the door. Maybe that isn't a feature I need.

The car is a bit different to your house door, people don't normally come to the car, so it is only the vandals that are of interest, and how often do you actually watch vandals on your Ring camera? I hope not often!

Also, if I am enjoying a meal in a restaurant, I would rather finish enjoying my meal than be interrupted by vandals, there will be a problem to be sorted either way, but it is safer to deal with it after enjoying the meal. Possibly I could reduce the damage to the car if I went and damaged the vandals, but then I wouldn't enjoy the meal, and damaging vandals is generally considered illegal. I can't actually see a good outcome from the meal being interrupted!

The Ring camera is a different situation, cloud on that is easy because it can connect through the house wifi, and cloud on that is actually useful because people do visit your door. For the dashcam, the times it is actually useful are almost all when you are there, so don't need the cloud, when you are not there, nothing is supposed to happen, if something does happen, it can always be dealt with later, and the dashcam can't communicate through the house wifi when it is not at home, so you probably need an extra mobile data subscription.