Where to install front and rear camera?

[kevindd992002]

So this is my first ever dashcam and so I'm starting to learn about it. In the manual, it has a picture where the proper place to install the front cam is on the right side of the rear mirror (when you face the road). Why is it not in the center just below the rear mirror? My car is a 2018 Subaru XV that doesn't have Eyesight but has a front-facing camera for the auto bright headlights function.

 

[nutsey]

Why is it not in the center just below the rear mirror?

I guess the idea is to place the cam to the highest point to get less front car's license plates reflection when your headlights are on.

 

[Gabi]

Also depends on how much reflection of the car dash is.
Mine is on the left of the mirror, on top, almost you can't see from outside.
Another important thing is to be able to reach the lock button on camera if you don't have the remote bluetooth button.

 

[Nigel]

So this is my first ever dashcam and so I'm starting to learn about it. In the manual, it has a picture where the proper place to install the front cam is on the right side of the rear mirror (when you face the road). Why is it not in the center just below the rear mirror? My car is a 2018 Subaru XV that doesn't have Eyesight but has a front-facing camera for the auto bright headlights function.

My A129 is in the centre, just below the rear view mirror, offset by about 5mm because the power cable leaves the mount vertically and the mirror mount would be in the way without the offset.

You should not have the camera blocking the driver's view.

 

[DMW]

Also depends on how much reflection of the car dash is.
Mine is on the left of the mirror, on top, almost you can't see from outside.
Another important thing is to be able to reach the lock button on camera if you don't have the remote bluetooth button.

Get the Bluetooth remote for it as its a brilliant piece of kit

 

[DMW]

My cam is to the left of the rear view and from where I sit I can only see the l/h/s upto the first red light as all in all you don't need to see it or you shouldn't see it and especially not need to see it to press buttons

 

[SawMaster]

Only one point is really mandatory- you want the cam to 'see' through where the wipers will clear away rain. Center mounting makes it easier to determine lane position from video, and captures both sides equally well. High mounting allows you to aim the cam down slightly so that exposure and brightness is better overall. Some places have legal restrictions which may mandate a less perfect mounting position, and even without such laws you don't want your cam blocking any important part of the driver's view. Also good to think of whether you can access buttons and see indicator lights on the cam. Always be sure to allow for cam removal from the mount, to allow for it's cabling, and if possible to have access the card with the cam in place.

My 'scissors wiper' equipped minivan mean I had two reasonable choices: Mid-height center with a small cam to not block the view, or a high mount on the corner of the driver's side. I chose center, but until I got a suitable cam I used the high mount location with a suction cup. Both worked fine.

Phil

 

[kevindd992002]

Ok, so yeah I do have the bluetooth remote so no issues with that. But I agree that I would need to be able to access the camera easily.

What do you guys mean I shouldn't see the camera? Are you saying I shouldn't see the screen but should be able to see the buttons so that I can easily press them?

My Subaru XV has the center camera (behind the rearview mirror) like in these pictures. So if I mount it like what he did, it would be around the mid-height center of the windshield. Is that the optimal place for my case? Or just place it on the left side on the back of the rearview mirror?

 

[Gabi]

No ) I've said to not be so obvious from outside. Harder to see.
I don't know about "optimal" place, you should try different positions and see what is the proper one. My concern is that mounted there it will block your view field on right. Also you should consider the wire for the rear camera and power wire.

 

[DMW]

With the viofo it has a movable lens so easy to get it into a decent view but always best for it to not be in the drivers view of driving the vehicle as there should be no need to touch any buttons while driving, I will take a picture and post it where mines is later

 

[kevindd992002]

Ok. Yes please, if you guys can post some picture of how yours are setup I'd appreciate it very much

 

[SawMaster]

My Subaru XV has the center camera (behind the rearview mirror) like in these pictures. So if I mount it like what he did, it would be around the mid-height center of the windshield. Is that the optimal place for my case? Or just place it on the left side on the back of the rearview mirror?

The A129 has a different form-factor and would not work well where the BlackVue in the pics showed. You should consider things in this order:

1- Is the cam within the area my wipers will clear in the rain?
2- Is the cam going to interfere with my driving view to a degree where my safety is compromised?
3- Is the cam going to interfere with a car function?
4- Can I see the indicator light of the cam to know it is working from the driver's position?
5- Can I easily reach buttons I might need to use when driving?
6- How visible is the cam going to be from outside of the car? (Helps to deter theft)
7- Can I see things on the screen of the cam like parking mode and recording indicators? (Not really necessary but good to do where possible.)

And in all this, remember that the cam and cable needs to be removable from the mount, and when it can happen the card should be removable from the cam with it in the mount.

If you are considering which cam to buy, get it's dimensions from the website, cut a piece of cardboard to that size, mark on it approximately where the buttons and indicator lights are inside and where the lens is outside, then temporarily tape your cardboard model to different places as a test with you sitting in the driver's seat normally. Think about cable and mount removal space, and remember the cam has thickness your model won't have which might interfere with mirrors and such.

This should help you find what the possibilities are and guide you to the best location for that cam in your car. If you can't find a good location consider a cam with a different form-factor which might work better for you. Above all, never compromise your safety by having the cam block your needed view while driving. The whole idea of a dashcam is to enhance your driving safety, not to lessen it.

Phil

 

[kevindd992002]

The A129 has a different form-factor and would not work well where the BlackVue in the pics showed. You should consider things in this order:

1- Is the cam within the area my wipers will clear in the rain?
2- Is the cam going to interfere with my driving view to a degree where my safety is compromised?
3- Is the cam going to interfere with a car function?
4- Can I see the indicator light of the cam to know it is working from the driver's position?
5- Can I easily reach buttons I might need to use when driving?
6- How visible is the cam going to be from outside of the car? (Helps to deter theft)
7- Can I see things on the screen of the cam like parking mode and recording indicators? (Not really necessary but good to do where possible.)

And in all this, remember that the cam and cable needs to be removable from the mount, and when it can happen the card should be removable from the cam with it in the mount.

If you are considering which cam to buy, get it's dimensions from the website, cut a piece of cardboard to that size, mark on it approximately where the buttons and indicator lights are inside and where the lens is outside, then temporarily tape your cardboard model to different places as a test with you sitting in the driver's seat normally. Think about cable and mount removal space, and remember the cam has thickness your model won't have which might interfere with mirrors and such.

This should help you find what the possibilities are and guide you to the best location for that cam in your car. If you can't find a good location consider a cam with a different form-factor which might work better for you. Above all, never compromise your safety by having the cam block your needed view while driving. The whole idea of a dashcam is to enhance your driving safety, not to lessen it.

Phil

Thanks for the mini guide, Phil. I already have the A129 Duo and will proceed in installing it this week. I'll follow those points in order.

Since I'll be using Parking mode, the hardwire kit needs to be directly connected to the camera, not the mount. So the mount simply servers as a mount and GPS. It's a shame that Viofo still doesn't have a solution to this.

So I guess, to sum it all up I need to place the camera in a position where the wipers will clear the rain, does not block my driving view, and is easily accessible if I need to. Even if it's not necessarily placed in the center, you can still get a good view of both sides of the car within the FOV of the camera, correct?

How about the position of the rear camera? Any pointers on that?

 

[DMW]

Here's where I've got mine

 

[kevindd992002]

Thanks. That's where I'm actually thinking of installing mine too. It's the best place I can think of with all the criteria above met. I'm not entirely sure why in Viofo's manual, they say the optimal place is to the right of the rearview mirror where you can't easily reach any of the buttons unless you really reach for them.

 

[Gabi]

Sorry, being on the go I've posted in the wrong thread the pictures...

Recommended memory card for Viofo 129

I have finally ordered the Viofo 129 Duo and shall receive it tomorrow, i was planning to put in a mainstream 128 GB SDXC sandisk (class) SDXC (mainly for android): It will still work though on any device... but am having second thoughts to not destroy that card as i heard dash cams are write...

dashcamtalk.com

 

[SawMaster]

How about the position of the rear camera? Any pointers on that?

Yes, near-center will give a good horizontal FOV, and very few have their cam perfectly centered because of the mirror. High center is also optimum for a rear cam, but here you might or might not find problems with the cam interfering with the car radio, key fob locking, ABS system, or whatever as there are often antennas for things back there in the center. So try and see, but be ready to shift to the side, or run the cam cable differently if you have problems like this. Sometimes with a given car/cam combo there's no solution except to live with the interference or unplug the rear cam. Sometimes a different cam can help; sometimes that or movement only reduces a problem.

There are some "RFI" threads here where you can find some specifics, but AFAIK nobody has yet created a list of cars, cams, and mitigation results to help out with this. That would be quite a big project it would be nice to have anyway. So just try and see, and if you discover problems we can offer some hope of resolving them.

Phil

 

[kevindd992002]

Yes, near-center will give a good horizontal FOV, and very few have their cam perfectly centered because of the mirror. High center is also optimum for a rear cam, but here you might or might not find problems with the cam interfering with the car radio, key fob locking, ABS system, or whatever as there are often antennas for things back there in the center. So try and see, but be ready to shift to the side, or run the cam cable differently if you have problems like this. Sometimes with a given car/cam combo there's no solution except to live with the interference or unplug the rear cam. Sometimes a different cam can help; sometimes that or movement only reduces a problem.

There are some "RFI" threads here where you can find some specifics, but AFAIK nobody has yet created a list of cars, cams, and mitigation results to help out with this. That would be quite a big project it would be nice to have anyway. So just try and see, and if you discover problems we can offer some hope of resolving them.

Phil

Got it.

So for the front cam, I'm thinking of two options as shown in the pics below:



Which do you think between the two is better? I'm thinking the one in the left of the rearview mirror. Even though not near center, I can see the device and see all lights.

But then if I go with the one on the back of the rearview mirror, I get better horizontal FOV for the sacrifice of not being able to check the lights of the camera.

 

[kamkar]

I would put the camera as high as you can on the dotted area, so only as little as possible are visible blow that, this way the install are most stealthy.
The higher you put it the better you will have a chance of seeing the LCD screen above the mirror, this is how i have it in my car so of the 3 cameras there it is only the farthest one that are blocked by the mirror stalk.

The partss that probably come with the camera to hide the wires going into the camera, you dont really need if most of the camera and all of the wires are already hidden by the dotted area.

 

[Jonro2009]

I would put the camera as high as you can on the dotted area, so only as little as possible are visible blow that, this way the install are most stealthy.
The higher you put it the better you will have a chance of seeing the LCD screen above the mirror, this is how i have it in my car so of the 3 cameras there it is only the farthest one that are blocked by the mirror stalk.

The partss that probably come with the camera to hide the wires going into the camera, you dont really need if most of the camera and all of the wires are already hidden by the dotted area.

Sometimes the dimpled area stops the base from sticking properly so beware of that. You also need to make sure the dimpled area isn’t in the FOV as it will make the footage useless.

I’d also recommend having the camera on the other side of the mirror so it’s not in your line of sight


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