What's missing from Dashcams?

[kamkar]

Just tested i can see both my 5 and 2.4 GHZ wifi, but so weak i can not connect to either, and sitting in the car testing 4G speed i get 18 mbit, as for where i live i am with the wrong carrier in regard to the speed i can get.

 

[kamkar]

ot that hard to find.

even easier if you just have to look in the RO folder, i just saved a guy running a full blown red light in front of me ( same direction of travel )
I include him in a upload in a few weeks, when i retrieve the footage from the memory card ( on the computer )

 

[Mauronic]

Useless feature for me.
I can already track my car from the car manufacturer's app. Why would I want to use another app? Any new car bought recently(within the past 5 years) from any of the major manufacturers is already a "connected" car.

Getting notified about parked car incidents does not make a difference whether you get notified instantly or when you get to your car. It does not make insurance claims faster, or better.
You will never catch the person because they would have pulled of and ran long after the incident and before you get there. That is what a hit and run is. Instant notification on a dashcam app or cloud dashcam feature is not going to fix that.

Great point, my car is 12 years old so I am not used to decent OEM tech. And another good point about parked car notifications not being urgent.

 

[thomas-dash]

Even then it would likely be less hassle and faster to just keep an OTG reader in the car (along with your spare mSD ) card and use it to view videos.

Amazon.com : Otg Card Reader

I keep a lightning to SD card reader along with a microSD to SD card adapter in the car, so I can copy footage to my phone if needed while away from home. I tried the WIFI app and it's too slow for my liking.

 

[DAP]

Would it not be so much easier to just connect your PC to the camera by WiFi like you can with your laptop and view/copy/move any file you like.

Since the camera is powered by the car, you would need to leave the car running to have it connect to your WIFI. Does the camera need to connect to the WIFI every time it comes in range? Seems like a waste to have that WIFI running on the camera for something that is done so seldom.

 

[gamesfrager]

Hello. First time posting here.
My ultimate dash cam would be:
- remote lenses: more discreet and mounting options
- allow up to 4 channels
- remote vibration sensors beside just motion activation: would catch door keyers, shopping cart bumps and door dings
- if paired with cloud notification, then now you have a smart alarm too. No more beeb...beeb...beeb...woop...woop...woop

I'm thinking of using Aqara E1 hub and using vibration sensors to make my own smart alarm.

 

[DAP]

Hello. First time posting here.
My ultimate dash cam would be:
- remote lenses: more discreet and mounting options
- allow up to 4 channels
- remote vibration sensors beside just motion activation: would catch door keyers, shopping cart bumps and door dings
- if paired with cloud notification, then now you have a smart alarm too. No more beeb...beeb...beeb...woop...woop...woop

I'm thinking of using Aqara E1 hub and using vibration sensors to make my own smart alarm.

A single system for everything is a single point of failure. The whole system will go down at once. Rather than a four channel system, four separate systems would be more reliable. No currently available dashcam is reliable enough to be fully trusted. There is no current system that you can set up and then just ignore.

 

[gamesfrager]

A single system for everything is a single point of failure. The whole system will go down at once. Rather than a four channel system, four separate systems would be more reliable. No currently available dashcam is reliable enough to be fully trusted. There is no current system that you can set up and then just ignore.

The way I imagine it is like a smarthome setup
There would be a hub that has 4G LTE connectivity as well as wifi.
The dash cam connects to the hub and also has SDCard recording in the event the cloud connection doesn't work.
The vibration sensors for impact communicate with the hub and then the hub will instruct the cameras to save the buffered recording. And then send an alert to the smartphone and the user can view the footage.
I don't see a problem with such setup.
It would be even better if each 2 channels cameras are an individul point. So as you said, if one fails; then you still have a backup.

 

[minus4]

New member here. My ideal dash cam is:
- At least 2K resolution front and rear
- Reliable integrated LTE functionality
- Reliable GPS
- Reliable mobile app and cloud storage
- Reliable and efficient parking mode

Hopefully there will be a good product that fits my wish list soon. So far I see only Blackvue has a high resolution LTE dash cam. But the technology just doesn't seem to be mature yet. I read some connectivity issues on this forum.

I'm excited I found this forum. Lots of valuable and in depth information. It will definitely take some time to read absorb all the info

 

[Julian1415]

My ideal dash cam:

• 2 ch by default (at least 2k front and back)
• does not turn off due to overheating when outside temp is 32 C / 90 F and camera is running in parking mode (so no AC). Cars turn into ovens during summer; dash cam manufacturers shouldn’t ignore this.
• internal storage (512gb / 1TB) or the posibility to use large micro sd cards (512 GB)
• has a separate 940nm IR iluminator that sticks to the windshield a couple of inches away from the dash cam so there are no reflections back into then lens. In this way the dashcam could have proper IR night vision
• optional 4g connectivity not necessarily embedded into the dashcam but as a separate module so the dashcam doesn’t overheat (like Blackvue already does)
• Remote access via Internet and ability to connect to multiple wifi SSIDs while parked (Blackvue like)
• [Mobile app] proper and fluent playback on direct or remote connection with motion detection events properly laid out on a timeline; something like the playback/timeline on Unifi Protect app. I think no other NVR or dash cam matches the playback scrolling/fluency of Unifi Protect. Dashcam manufacturers should get some inspiration from them for their mobile apps.
• Optional side cameras that have their own storage but can be managed from the same app (and communicate with the main dash cam); something like Garmin already does
• GPS

 

[kamkar]

1. YES
2. This is doable i think with big main unit + proper cooling, maybe a active fan, and the main unit as a remote one so no direct sunshine on it,,,,,,, even if cars do get very hot indeed.
3. I have long asked for SSD or NVME storage instead of silly SD cards, this do require a smart offload routine to a thumb drive or via fast WIFI. this ,might also better allow to do encrypted drive, which are requested now and then.
4. IR light dont have to be separate, but the few true night vision dashcams are few and far in between,,,,, as in have a active IR cut filter.
5. 4/5 G modem would not have to be remote, but if it is in a remote main unit maybe deep in the car, it and or wifi might need a outside antenna as what are build into cameras today are pretty weak antennas not meant for range.
6. Station mode i think will soon be the norm, if it only support one or more guest users like a CCTV system can be set up to have i dont know.
7. This depend on proper fast wifi i think, and of course what is in between and the APP to properly take advantage of this.
8. If you have a main unit remote from the cameras, what camera module you connect could be individual, if you have more main units they should be able to sync up, universal side cameras though are hard to design as cars are very different here.
9. this is standard now i think.

If you make a remote main unit it can be pretty large, and so house a proper heat pipe cooler, and as it it hidden a fan could also be used cuz after all in a hot cabin transfer of heat from cooler to air are slower than in a cold car, but exchanging the air over the cooler fins should help VS a completely passive system.
I would galdly take a remote unit that is 5 X 10 X 20 CM in size

 

[mentadent]

- Audio notification of if my car was hit (G sensor) when I return to my car. Perhaps reading it out as a number when I turn the ignition on.
- Automatically sending locked clips to a cloud service or my own server like a FTP server
- Discreet design
- No need for screen
- Option for four cameras

 

[DrekiTech]

I noticed that most Dashcam apps are rated under 2 stars so that is what I was referring to.

Many users don't seem to realize that many phones will automatically disconnect from a wi-fi network when the phone does not detect an internet connection, of course the dashcam is not a hotspot for an internet connection so the phone automatically disconnects. Not the fault of the app or the camera, for the most part, but it has resulted in many bad reviews that stick with the apps even as phones update and/or things have been improved on a UX level.

 

[kamkar]

Phones do seen to be very fixated on being online, i call it the mining quirk / them wanting to be able to report all activity back to their masters.

 

[JamieNYC]

1) What are the most important 3 things to get right in a dashcam app?

1. Robust and consistent connectivity - including website browser access
2. An abundance of customization features
3. Super clean UX design

2) What 3 things are missing from dashcam apps today that you would like to see in the future?

1. 24 hour live feed over internet
2. Apple Watch / wearable integration
3. Apple Carplay / Android Auto integration

3) How do you feel about evidence & incident reporting features? For example, making your own crime report or providing footage if prompted by police looking for evidence in your area?

Useful, but I would not be comfortable with allowing any third party to have access to data I own without my consent​

(If you are interested in providing 1-1 feeback or participating in a an upcoming beta program, feel free to DM me)

Sure!​

 

[mentadent]

Apple watch lol

 

[Nigel]

Apple watch lol

I thought it a good idea...

Apple Watch / wearable integration

What functions do you want supported on your watch?

 

[arcticfire]

I've always wanted to see a proper NVR setup for cars. Being able to record to SSD rather than MicroSD would have a good impact on reliability and would also allow for very discreet installs. The DVR side of it is getting better and smaller. Our newest trucks are now running 4 cameras at 1080p with remote connection to live footage and playback. But it's still BNC connections which can sometimes be troublesome; I prefer POE.

Re. apps, compatibility, ease of connection and reliability surely has to take priority? If you can't even connect then everything else is moot. Connecting to an app and getting a live feed is handy for cameras without a screen, and therefore allowing a smaller footprint.

 

[JamieNYC]

I thought it a good idea...


What functions do you want supported on your watch?

I'd like to see some features similar to how my home camera system pushes notifications; I'm using a Nest setup at home and I receive notifications on my iPhone and Apple Watch with still images of persons/motion is spotted. I think this would be great for a cloud-connected parking mode dash cam. Also, some simple on-off features. I'm currently using a Viofo T130, so there's no build in display, which I like, but I'm dependent on my primary devices to see what the camera sees -- considering I've got this computer on my wrist all the time… why not?

 

[arcticfire]

I'd like to see some features similar to how my home camera system pushes notifications; I'm using a Nest setup at home and I receive notifications on my iPhone and Apple Watch with still images of persons/motion is spotted. I think this would be great for a cloud-connected parking mode dash cam. Also, some simple on-off features. I'm currently using a Viofo T130, so there's no build in display, which I like, but I'm dependent on my primary devices to see what the camera sees -- considering I've got this computer on my wrist all the time… why not?

I've got a few Ezviz cameras and they can do push notifications to my phone which is a brilliant feature along with a whole load of other features in the app (which is also very stable and reliable. For cameras that cost less than £50 it's very impressive, not to mention the image and audio quality is good as well.