Which Dashcam for me in the UK? Help appreciated!

[tommysport]

Hi guys,

First post here -

I've been wanting a dashcam since Christmas and still not gotten round to it. I have read numerous reviews, loads of amazon reviews ect and still haven't found 'the one'...

I've researched many forums/websites etc (Techmoan etc) but the amount of variety available to buy is just mental.

I was hoping to spend say £50 - £100 on one, the main thing is I'd like it as discreet as possible, as it will stay attached. Hopefully behind the rear view mirror. Not fussed about having a screen on the back unless it's worth it and turns off. So long as it loop records onto 2/3 minute sections on an SD card and you can save sections by pressing a button, and I can put into my laptop to read it.. I don't mind!

Wondering if anyone has one on here that does the job and can recommend it, save me reading nine thousand more reviews.

Can any see any problems with my idea of using the rear cig lighter to power it? Main question is if I leave it plugged in, does my car stop power to it when I turn engine/ignition off? As I believe some dashcams will turn on/off automatically with this. I don't mind plugging it in and out every journey for the time being.

Here's how I reckon I will run the cable in my head lol, I rarely have anyone in the back so won't be an issue. I will need a bloody long cable though - ? Actually it's only what 3 metres at a guess. Hope that's not an issue. Also I'm not sure what to use to attach it to the roof on the way round. Something decent must exist out there!

Here's my thoughts on cable run:

Then down the pillar behind the headrest.. along the floor or under mat and up.

Really appreciate any help, especially any decent places to buy in the UK as I don't want to be ripped off on eBay etc buying a fake.

Cheers,
Tom

 

[Deleted member 46308]

Welcome to DCT Tom

 

[kamkar]

Welcome Tom

 

[tommysport]

Thanks for the warm welcome chaps. Seems most of you guys are based outside of the UK!

 

[kamkar]

In the UK i can only think of Joovuu and then nicos little online shop.

http://hiniko.com/
https://www.joovuu.com/gb/

 

[BMbler]

No brainer!
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/B00KFYG0K0
Hello and welcome!

 

[tommysport]

No brainer!
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/B00KFYG0K0
Hello and welcome!

Interesting.. thanks. Do you have this model?

Looks rather sizeable.. really appreciate the link though - have you got any pics of it on a windscreen?

Some reviews say the power cable isn't that long - any ideas? Cheers mate!

 

[DT MI]

...
Can any see any problems with my idea of using the rear cig lighter to power it? Main question is if I leave it plugged in, does my car stop power to it when I turn engine/ignition off? As I believe some dashcams will turn on/off automatically with this. I don't mind plugging it in and out every journey for the time being.

Here's how I reckon I will run the cable in my head lol, I rarely have anyone in the back so won't be an issue. I will need a bloody long cable though - ? Actually it's only what 3 metres at a guess. Hope that's not an issue. Also I'm not sure what to use to attach it to the roof on the way round. Something decent must exist out there!...

I'm running a front and rear camera powered by a 12V USB adapter in the rear of my vehicle - works like a champ for me. I ran the cables under the weather stripping around the doors, under the floor mats, behind molding, etc. to get them where I needed.

https://dashcamtalk.com/forum/attachments/rearpower-jpg.20550/

 

[2000rpm]

In the UK i can only think of Joovuu and then nicos little online shop.

http://hiniko.com/
https://www.joovuu.com/gb/

What the man above said.
I suggest two different front cams and one rear cam. Any cam can stop working; user error or sd card failure is not unknown! Having two front cams greatly reduces the risk of missing an important moment. Having a rear cam can help put your actions into context or show exactly what happened if something occurred behind you.

Alternatively, the CF-100 mentioned above is worth looking at, although I bought one to experiment with and I'm getting a suspicion that it seems to struggle a bit more than I would expect for a short time before and around dusk, especially with a dirty windscreen. Excellent light-gathering at night, although the very wide-angle lens' downside is that a lot of things appear quite small.
Field of view vs level of detail is a trade-off with most dashcams, although the JooVuu X set on 2560p x 1080p gives an outstanding balance between field of view and size of objects/level of detail.

The Transcend cams - DP100 or DP200 - are worth a look, too.

 

[BobbyG]

I bought a Möbius a year or so ago, in fact maybe two.
It's discreet and just records away. Every so often I bring it in to house and hook up to laptop to update the firmware and check the recordings are still doing fine and they are.

Not the greatest for nighttime but I don't think any cameras really cope with oncoming headlights and dazzle anyway.

One pointer, if you are going to use a suction mount I have discovered it won't stick to the black dot areas you get around rear view mirrors which is where you are most likely to position the camera. I have used a self adhesive mount which sticks to the casing of the rear view mirror and that works a treat.

 

[Deleted member 46308]

I bought a Möbius a year or so ago, in fact maybe two.
It's discreet and just records away. Every so often I bring it in to house and hook up to laptop to update the firmware and check the recordings are still doing fine and they are.

Not the greatest for nighttime but I don't think any cameras really cope with oncoming headlights and dazzle anyway.

One pointer, if you are going to use a suction mount I have discovered it won't stick to the black dot areas you get around rear view mirrors which is where you are most likely to position the camera. I have used a self adhesive mount which sticks to the casing of the rear view mirror and that works a treat.

+1

 

[tommysport]

I bought a Möbius a year or so ago, in fact maybe two.
It's discreet and just records away. Every so often I bring it in to house and hook up to laptop to update the firmware and check the recordings are still doing fine and they are.

Not the greatest for nighttime but I don't think any cameras really cope with oncoming headlights and dazzle anyway.

One pointer, if you are going to use a suction mount I have discovered it won't stick to the black dot areas you get around rear view mirrors which is where you are most likely to position the camera. I have used a self adhesive mount which sticks to the casing of the rear view mirror and that works a treat.

Thanks BobbyG, appreciate that! I have looked at the mobius as it seems to do everything I want. I have a couple of questions about the Mobius;

1. Can it be powered by cig lighter constantly? It won't mind me unplugging / plugging in every journey will it?

2. How long is the cable - enough for my thoughts above to work lol?

3. How long are the segments it records.

And finally, where is the best place to buy a Mobius in the UK!? As one I've seen on ebay is £60 and doesn't come with any mounts etc.

Cheers guys!

 

[russ331]

I have a couple of questions about the Mobius ...

1. Yes

2. The cable offered by Mobius sellers is 3 metres. Longer cables can be bought elsewhere.

3. See options ...



4. Avoid fake Mobius cams by buying only from Mobius-approved sellers ...

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showpost.php?p=25170905&postcount=2

 

[tommysport]

Thanks Russ much appreciated! I think I've decided it's the one to go for. Suits my needs as far as I can see!

That's a cool options list available. I take it that's viewed just by plugging it in?

3 more questions (Sorry!)

1. Say something happens on the roads, what do you do? Is there a button you can click to save it and not be overwritten?

2. With me turning it on and off manually using the cigarette lighter, will this affect the date/time on video?

3. More importantly does it affect the video stored on the SD card or will it just continue to cycle, e.g. Not delete any saved footage!

I've found it here but they are out of stock; http://www.carcamerashop.co.uk/mobius-action-camera-dash-cam-version.html

So I will look at your list of suppliers.

Thanks guys,
Tom

 

[russ331]

Thanks Russ much appreciated! I think I've decided it's the one to go for. Suits my needs as far as I can see!

That's a cool options list available. I take it that's viewed just by plugging it in?

3 more questions ...

Mobius is supplied with a short data cable to connect it to a PC. The mSetup program enables you to customise Mobius settings to your preference. These are my settings ..



The User Manual & mSetup are available from ...

http://www.mytempfiles.info/mobius/index.html

Re Q1, from the Manual ... File Protection (write protect) while recording The current clip can be Write Protected by briefly pressing (max. 1 second) the Mode button while the camera is recording. This will set the file's read-only attribute which will prevent the current recording from being deleted. Note that formatting the card will delete all the files, including the protected files with the read-attribute set. Depending on the length of the current recording, the previous or the following clip may also be automatically locked. If the current recording file is less than 1 minute, both the previous file and the current file will be locked. If the current recording file will be closed in less than 1 minute, both the current file and the following file will be locked. If the current file has been recording for over 1 minute but will only be closed after at least another 1 minute of recording, only the current file will be locked.

Re Q2, the date / time stamp is preserved by the camera's internal battery.

Re Q3, clips will be recorded until the card is full, then the oldest clips will be overwritten by new clips. When external power is cut, the internal battery saves the clip being recorded at that moment, to the MicroSD card.

 

[BobbyG]

Re your question on the power to it, that depend on your car and you will need to check that yourself.
If the power goes off automatically with the ignition. (Like mine does) then you won't need to do anything with it. Plug it in and leave it forever. You will only need to unplug it if the power stays live with ignition off.

There is another alternative, you can hard wire directly into the fuse box and then thus frees up the cig lighters and usually helps keep cables clear but I haven't done this myself.

 

[russ331]

Can any see any problems with my idea of using the rear cig lighter to power it? Main question is if I leave it plugged in, does my car stop power to it when I turn engine/ignition off? As I believe some dashcams will turn on/off automatically with this. I don't mind plugging it in and out every journey for the time being.

I didn't notice this question until now. Some accessory sockets appear to be permanently live, but power is cut say 5 or 10 minutes after locking the car. Some lose power when the ignition is switched off, & some are permanently live.

Checking video clips an hour or so after parking the car will reveal which type you have, though it'll be obvious from the behaviour of the dashcam if power is cut when the ignition is switched off.

 

[tommysport]

Mobius is supplied with a short data cable to connect it to a PC. The mSetup program enables you to customise Mobius settings to your preference. These are my settings ..

View attachment 21007 View attachment 21008 View attachment 21009 View attachment 21010

The User Manual & mSetup are available from ...

http://www.mytempfiles.info/mobius/index.html

Re Q1, from the Manual ... File Protection (write protect) while recording The current clip can be Write Protected by briefly pressing (max. 1 second) the Mode button while the camera is recording. This will set the file's read-only attribute which will prevent the current recording from being deleted. Note that formatting the card will delete all the files, including the protected files with the read-attribute set. Depending on the length of the current recording, the previous or the following clip may also be automatically locked. If the current recording file is less than 1 minute, both the previous file and the current file will be locked. If the current recording file will be closed in less than 1 minute, both the current file and the following file will be locked. If the current file has been recording for over 1 minute but will only be closed after at least another 1 minute of recording, only the current file will be locked.

Re Q2, the date / time stamp is preserved by the camera's internal battery.

Re Q3, clips will be recorded until the card is full, then the oldest clips will be overwritten by new clips. When external power is cut, the internal battery saves the clip being recorded at that moment, to the MicroSD card.

Thanks Russ, you're a legend. I haven't been able to find that information anywhere!

Following on from your answer to Q3, it saves it to the SD card, so when I next return to the car and 'power on' it starts recording and saving to the SD card from this point onwards yes?



I will check my ignition tonight - whether it stays live or not I'm not sure but I had already thought about this!

 

[russ331]

.. so when I next return to the car and 'power on' it starts recording and saving to the SD card from this point onwards yes?

When the ignition is switched on, recording will start automatically, provided that 'Loop Recording' & 'Power On Auto-Record' have been enabled via mSetup. None of your previous recordings will be erased, unless the card is already full, in which case the oldest clips will be overwritten.

 

[tommysport]

Perfect. Really appreciate all your help Russ!!

I've found a UK outlet (One I linked above) that only sell the 'standard' type lens of 87 degrees. Is this any good or worth finding one with the 'wide angle' ?

Also I'd like it as high as I can near to the main mirror, I can't work out whether adhesive or suction is going to work better? I don't want the camera to become bulky so I'm assuming maybe adhesive is the way to go? As BobbyG suggested maybe even try and get it on the mirror itself...

Will update this when I find one / buy one !

All the best.
Tom