Anyone get a Car Dash Cam???

[BeachPerson]

I stopped by Best Buy today to look at Car Dash Cams. The salesman showed me this one Rexing V1P Plus

This one was recommended as a top seller with top ratings: Cobra

Anyone have experience getting a Car Dash Cam from Best Buy?

[elforeign]

I don't have experience buying a dash cam with Best Buy, however, I am tech-oriented and I follow the industry. I don't often find salesmen at Best Buy that know very much about any particular tech item, so I don't tend to trust their suggestions.

I do often check tom's guide for reviews and then cross reference an item I am interested on other tech websites and read reviews before making a decision.

Feel free to review on Tom's Guide which has yet to let me down: https://www.tomsguide.com/best-picks/best-dash-cams

[MGBMartin]

I have 3 dash cams of the rear view mirror type, one of them I bought from Best Buy via their eBay store.
I’ve also had in the past the little forward looking ones that stick to the windshield.
What is it you want to know?

[pizzy]

I have 3 dash cams of the rear view mirror type, one of them I bought from Best Buy via their eBay store.
I’ve also had in the past the little forward looking ones that stick to the windshield.
What is it you want to know?

Any wires/plugs visible? That's always been the dealbreaker for me.

[BeachPerson]

I have 3 dash cams of the rear view mirror type, one of them I bought from Best Buy via their eBay store.
I’ve also had in the past the little forward looking ones that stick to the windshield.
What is it you want to know?

Clark Howard on his show, he recommends spending no more than $50 on a Car Dash Cam. The options I am looking at are $119 and $299. Do you get a fine product with spending $119?

[BeachPerson]

I have 3 dash cams of the rear view mirror type, one of them I bought from Best Buy via their eBay store.
I’ve also had in the past the little forward looking ones that stick to the windshield.
What is it you want to know?

Clark Howard on his show, he recommends spending no more than $50 on a Car Dash Cam. The options I am looking at are $119 and $299. Do you get a fine product with spending $119?

[Kenkat]

I have 3 dash cams of the rear view mirror type, one of them I bought from Best Buy via their eBay store.
I’ve also had in the past the little forward looking ones that stick to the windshield.
What is it you want to know?

Any wires/plugs visible? That's always been the dealbreaker for me.

If you have power going to the rear view mirror, they can often be hardwired off of that power source.

[MGBMartin]

I have 3 dash cams of the rear view mirror type, one of them I bought from Best Buy via their eBay store.
I’ve also had in the past the little forward looking ones that stick to the windshield.
What is it you want to know?

Any wires/plugs visible? That's always been the dealbreaker for me.

Mine have wires for power, rear camera and GPS.
Other than a couple of inches behind the mirror the wires are hidden.

[pizzy]

I have 3 dash cams of the rear view mirror type, one of them I bought from Best Buy via their eBay store.
I’ve also had in the past the little forward looking ones that stick to the windshield.
What is it you want to know?

Any wires/plugs visible? That's always been the dealbreaker for me.

Mine have wires for power, rear camera and GPS.
Other than a couple of inches behind the mirror the wires are hidden.

DIY hidden or professional install?

[MGBMartin]

I have 3 dash cams of the rear view mirror type, one of them I bought from Best Buy via their eBay store.
I’ve also had in the past the little forward looking ones that stick to the windshield.
What is it you want to know?

Clark Howard on his show, he recommends spending no more than $50 on a Car Dash Cam. The options I am looking at are $119 and $299. Do you get a fine product with spending $119?

I’d agree for a basic forward looking dash cam just meant to record and my first one was of that nature.
My newer ones are front and back recording with rear view mirror screen. I bought these for one car without a backup camera and the others for SUV were you can’t see out of the rear window when the back is loaded.

Keep in mind that some inexpensive dash cams may have poor resolution in that you cannot read the license plate if needed after a hit and run.

[MGBMartin]

I have 3 dash cams of the rear view mirror type, one of them I bought from Best Buy via their eBay store.
I’ve also had in the past the little forward looking ones that stick to the windshield.
What is it you want to know?

Any wires/plugs visible? That's always been the dealbreaker for me.

Mine have wires for power, rear camera and GPS.
Other than a couple of inches behind the mirror the wires are hidden.

DIY hidden or professional install?

Did it myself, it was easy.
I did buy a hardwire kit for one but never ending up using it.

[bighatnohorse]

You can get the Rexing V1 Basic dashcam for $50. on Amazon. I've got two of them. They record the same as the higher priced units.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07RLTXMWS?ps ... ct_details
Beware the models with GPS - they can record your speed - which means that you must drive no faster than the posted speed limit - or you might record your own infraction in the event of an accident - putting yourself at fault. You might not want that feature.

More importantly, take a look at this: https://dongar.tech/products/10pin-type-d
If your vehicle has power at the mirror this dongle can use it - eliminate the wiring hassle of a cigarette plugin.
The dongle is available for several vehicle types - choose carefully.

[YeahBuddy]

I had a "Peztio" dual dash cam, front and rear, purchased for $47 in 2019. I did not install the rear as I didn't want to mess with the power source issue and additional wires but it served its purpose for a solid 4 years before breaking. I then promptly got into a motor vehicle accident a month later that I could've used that footage from.

[bling]

I have 3 dash cams of the rear view mirror type

+1

there are a ton on amazon going for around $120. the recording both front and back is nice but for me the biggest improvement is that the rear view mirror doubles up as a camera. since it's a wide angle there's basically no blind spots anymore.

[ClaycordJCA]

This topic is now in the Personal Consumer Issues forum (dash cams).

[mjg]

I have bought three of these https://www.amazon.com/iZEEKER-Dash-Cam ... B0BLNTPRSN

One in each of our three cars. Had since March 2023.

Easy to tuck wire in to the roof liner, then down the A pillar, and tuck in below dash to either USB in car dash middle or 12V to USB power in lighter.

Only issue I've had is occasionally the memory card needs to be reformatted (via menu in camera) when it gets a card error (which stops recording - screen goes blank vs showing a recording symbol). I paid less than $40 each.

[galving]

I have 3 dash cams of the rear view mirror type, one of them I bought from Best Buy via their eBay store.
I’ve also had in the past the little forward looking ones that stick to the windshield.
What is it you want to know?

Any wires/plugs visible? That's always been the dealbreaker for me.

Pretty easy to tuck the wires under the roof headliner, down the A-pillar, and into the power outlet.
Cars were assembled piece by piece and it's remarkable how much room there is behind each component.

[rkhusky]

We have a couple of Viofo 119’s. The only interesting video we’ve had is our daughter getting hit in a low speed collision. The impact was on the side so the camera didn’t pick up much of the collision, but we could see what happened before and after, like the fact that she had a green light.

[MangoManiac]

Be sure to use a name brand high endurance microSD card (Samsung or Sandisk) for the dashcam(s). Something like this:

https://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-Enduranc ... 07NY23WBG/

These will handle the continuous writes and last longer.

[zlandar]

I have two. A Viofo and a Blackvue. Both 2ch (2 channel meaning front and rear cameras).

You can buy them from Amazon or from an online shop that mostly sells dashcams. BB is not a place I would buy a dashcam.

First decision: do you want 1 or 2 cams? A front one you can install yourself. Installing a rear cam will require running a wire under the trim and take a lot more work. I paid a car audio shop to install mine because of this. My wife recently got rear-ended so I think have the rear cam is worth it.

Second: brand. Viofo is pretty well-known in the dashcam market. Relatively inexpensive with good picture quality. They do have an app to let you access the recorded video. Changing the settings on the cam is kinda clunky. Blackvue is pricy but is easier to use. There are other brands (Thinkvue, Vantrue, Rexing). You can spend a lot of time looking through the reviews.

Three: powering the cam. The cleanest install is by powering the cam from your fuse box. Another option is powering it through your OBD port. Easiest is plugging it into a cigarette lighter or USB port.

Any dashcam is better than none.

[cheesepep]

I only use my Tesla cameras. I did buy a Garmin mini dash cam that I tape to the center monitor. The viewing angle is not the greatest, but it is easy to do and avoids any messy wires. It is used as a backup dash cam because it has sound.

[mb2016]

Be sure to use a name brand high endurance microSD card (Samsung or Sandisk) for the dashcam(s). Something like this:

https://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-Enduranc ... 07NY23WBG/

These will handle the continuous writes and last longer.

A word of caution regarding Sandisk:
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2023/08 ... st-wd-say/

[MangoManiac]

Be sure to use a name brand high endurance microSD card (Samsung or Sandisk) for the dashcam(s). Something like this:

https://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-Enduranc ... 07NY23WBG/

These will handle the continuous writes and last longer.

A word of caution regarding Sandisk:
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2023/08 ... st-wd-say/

Yikes, thanks for the heads up. I actually have Sandisk 2TB Extreme SSD, but entering the S/N indicates that it's not impacted Makes me glad I've started migrating to unRAID.

[cubs1999]

First decision: do you want 1 or 2 cams? A front one you can install yourself. Installing a rear cam will require running a wire under the trim and take a lot more work. I paid a car audio shop to install mine because of this. My wife recently got rear-ended so I think have the rear cam is worth it.


Three: powering the cam. The cleanest install is by powering the cam from your fuse box. Another option is powering it through your OBD port. Easiest is plugging it into a cigarette lighter or USB port.

Any dashcam is better than none.

How much did the install cost? The install is part of why I haven't actually gone and gotten a dash cam even though these threads have convinced me it would be a good idea. I've been fortunate to have only been im accidents where it's clearly the other person's fault and no one has tried to dispute their liability. In the one case where someone tried to hit and run, a good Samaritan got the plate number. I ended up getting some money bc the city pursued restitution, though I still lost money bc I didn't have collision or UMPD.

I am not handy so I'm not going to mess with wiring stuff myself despite many that would say it's easy. I need to either pay someone to do it or buy one that can just have wires hanging or going through the cabin (I rarely have passengers anyway).

Just curious what an professional install would cost and if I can just do an ugly install if I wanted and have a good front and rear dashcam even if I just had wires going to the back window on down the floor windshield.

[zlandar]

First decision: do you want 1 or 2 cams? A front one you can install yourself. Installing a rear cam will require running a wire under the trim and take a lot more work. I paid a car audio shop to install mine because of this. My wife recently got rear-ended so I think have the rear cam is worth it.


Three: powering the cam. The cleanest install is by powering the cam from your fuse box. Another option is powering it through your OBD port. Easiest is plugging it into a cigarette lighter or USB port.

Any dashcam is better than none.

How much did the install cost? The install is part of why I haven't actually gone and gotten a dash cam even though these threads have convinced me it would be a good idea. I've been fortunate to have only been im accidents where it's clearly the other person's fault and no one has tried to dispute their liability. In the one case where someone tried to hit and run, a good Samaritan got the plate number. I ended up getting some money bc the city pursued restitution, though I still lost money bc I didn't have collision or UMPD.

I am not handy so I'm not going to mess with wiring stuff myself despite many that would say it's easy. I need to either pay someone to do it or buy one that can just have wires hanging or going through the cabin (I rarely have passengers anyway).

Just curious what an professional install would cost and if I can just do an ugly install if I wanted and have a good front and rear dashcam even if I just had wires going to the back window on down the floor windshield.

$175-250.

[Rainier]

I have four that cover all sides of my car. They cost $49,990 before tax credits and came with a Tesla Model Y at no extra charge.

[nguy44]

I bought 2 of these front dash cams for our cars over a year ago for around $30 each: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09YQ6N6HJ

I have already had a payoff, as my car was struck when parked. The camera recorded the incident as well as a very clear view of the perp's car and license plate. When I filed with their insurance, the initial response was them denying they were in the area. After sending in the footage, and screen captures from the footage, the insurance company changed their tune and I received a settlement check within a week.

I am lazy, I have yet to run the wire under the front and down the sides. it drops straight down and into the plug socket, but that is fine with me. I had the wire bundled so that, while not aesthetically pleasing for some, it is out of the way for my needs.

I do not have it wired into the car power, but I do have a portable solar power bank and plug it into that when parked. That provides enough power for it, and allowed it to capture the accident when I was parked.

[MGBMartin]

First decision: do you want 1 or 2 cams? A front one you can install yourself. Installing a rear cam will require running a wire under the trim and take a lot more work. I paid a car audio shop to install mine because of this. My wife recently got rear-ended so I think have the rear cam is worth it.


Three: powering the cam. The cleanest install is by powering the cam from your fuse box. Another option is powering it through your OBD port. Easiest is plugging it into a cigarette lighter or USB port.

Any dashcam is better than none.

How much did the install cost? The install is part of why I haven't actually gone and gotten a dash cam even though these threads have convinced me it would be a good idea. I've been fortunate to have only been im accidents where it's clearly the other person's fault and no one has tried to dispute their liability. In the one case where someone tried to hit and run, a good Samaritan got the plate number. I ended up getting some money bc the city pursued restitution, though I still lost money bc I didn't have collision or UMPD.

I am not handy so I'm not going to mess with wiring stuff myself despite many that would say it's easy. I need to either pay someone to do it or buy one that can just have wires hanging or going through the cabin (I rarely have passengers anyway).

Just curious what an professional install would cost and if I can just do an ugly install if I wanted and have a good front and rear dashcam even if I just had wires going to the back window on down the floor windshield.

A simple front only dash cam that attaches to the windshield just has one power wire that you could just let dangle down to the socket but it is easy to just tuck into the trim at the side of the windshield/door opening to hide it. To have someone do this wouldn’t take more than 10 minutes or so.
A front and rear dash cam would have a power wire and a rear camera wire that could also be tucked into the trim to hide it. Probably wouldn’t take more than 30 minutes to do if you had someone do it for you. There are options that include a wireless rear camera but it would still require a power wire; although I’ve seen solar or true wireless rear cameras.
The simplest installations do not require any ‘wiring’ in the true sense just plugging in then hiding the wire in the trim as you route it which for most part can be done without tools just using your fingers. No drilling is required either if you mount the rear camera inside on the glass.
The only time wiring would be needed is if you want it hard wired, nice but not necessary; or if you want a rear camera to show when you put the car in reverse which on a rear view mirror camera seems pointless to me as it’s a rear view mirror so just leave it on rear view all the time.

[Harri88]

I am thinking about getting a dash cam as well, and I'm curious as to what the preference is for front only, or front/rear cameras? I am browsing Amazon, and I see there are 2, 3, and 4 channel systems. I would like to spend less than $200. What brands are recommended or brands to avoid.

[cubs1999]

Here's something I just thought of: I have two old cars. Would I want to buy two separate systems or is it feasible to just move them to the car I decide to drive that day?

I suppose I lose the parked recording if I do that but one car is in the garage anyway.