Dash cam help please

[Ms-T]

Hi i would like to buy a dashcam thingy for O/H.i have just looked at them ..and i don't have a clue..antone know of a reasonable one to get ...thanks

[Pooleman]

Have a look at the review of the DDPai on youtube -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OPrYBWCAYc

I bought one and so far it's been very good

[FB.]

I'm involved with dashcam development and testing.

My advice to most people is to run two different front cams and one rear cam. Dashcams are not the most reliable and that can be due to camera hardware failure, software crashes, memory card failure*, power supply failure, incompatible with some car electrical systems, or plain user error.

* Memory cards are extras. My cams use a variety of cards from manufacturers such as Lexar, Samsung, Transcend etc. Unfortunately, nearly all memory cards are not designed for dashcam use - the constant writing of data is hard work for the cards compared to periodic bursts of data writing in devices such as smartphones when you take a photo or make a short video.

Some of the following questions may sound odd, but they can have a huge impact on suitable dashcams:

What's your budget?

What make/model/year of car is it?

Does the car have a large sensor block on the windscreen that a cam must squeeze next to?

Is the car petrol? Diesel? Other?

Is the 12v socket always live or does it switch off after locking the car?

What kind of use does the car see? Occasional use? Daily use? Short journeys? Long journeys? Day? Night?

How many hours of recording do you need to be able to retain before older videos are overwritten?

Do you want a cam with a screen so you can change settings (screen makes the cam much larger) or would it be OK to not have a screen to keep it very small, but have to use your computer/laptop to change settings?

[FB.]

Alternatively, here's what's in our cars (in alphabet order so as not to suggest one over another) (none are perfect) (we have more than one of some of the cams):

JooVuu X
Mobius C2 (known as 'wide angle')
Powerucc Panorama II S
Street Guardian SGZC12RC
Transcend Drive Pro 100

I wouldn't have any cam under £40 in my car, nor would I give such a cheap cam as a present to someone.
Also I wouldn't use nor gift any cam branded by Nextbase.

[Alison]

My advice to most people is to run two different front cams and one rear cam.

Just a query, why two? To be honest I'm not sure I really understand the reasons why people get them as it's not something I've ever considered but only ever heard of people having ones in front so am curious.

[FB.]

Just a query, why two? To be honest I'm not sure I really understand the reasons why people get them as it's not something I've ever considered but only ever heard of people having ones in front so am curious.

Why two front cams?

Mostly because there are so many things that can go wrong - especially the memory card or the cam's internal battery - and a single cam may not be working correctly when an important moment occurs.
A lot of people never bother to regularly pull out the memory card to check that it's recording and saving files properly.
By having two cams, there's a good chance that at least one will be working.
By having two different makes/models of front cam, they're less likely to have the same fault at the same time, and some cams are sufficiently different that they can work well as a team because some cams are better at night while some are better in the day. Some are better for close-range while others are better for long range.

By having a rear cam, it helps put your actions or those of other drivers into better context.

[FB.]

...... To be honest I'm not sure I really understand the reasons why people get them ......

A camera helps show that you didn't do anything wrong. It's also a great unbiased witness to support someone else if they have a bump and your cam captures it.
A lot of people will try to lie their way out of an accident. Without witnesses (even with witnesses) you may end up with some or all of the blame as your insurer won't fight hard if guilt is not clear-cut and if it works out cheaper (less court costs) for them to just accept some or all of the liability on your behalf.

Earlier this year I was following another car in a car park.
The car passed a side spur and must have seen a space.
Before I knew it, they had stopped, put their car (a big 4x4) quickly into reverse and smashed into the front of my car, destroying the front panels, grille and lights (£2400 of repairs required and that's without the cost of a hire car or injury claim as I didn't need a hire car and wasn't injured).
I had stopped by the time they hit me, but it looked like a rear-end shunt and there were no witnesses.
In the absence of any witnesses, my insurer would almost certainly have gone with the most likely scenario that I had driven into the back of the other car. I would have lost my no-claims and would have an at-fault claim on my record. Not to mention the emotional stress and bitterness of having to accept blame for something I knew wasn't my fault.
We run three cars so our insurance costs would have soared at renewal time (I did a dummy quote with a big insurer to see what the effect would have been, and I reckon it would be about an extra £500 per car per year). If there had been hire car costs and injuries my insurance cost could have gone up a lot more.

As it happens, as I had excellent quality dashcam video showing what happened so blame was apportioned the following day and the whole thing was sorted quickly, efficiently and hassle-free within a few weeks. Our insurance renewal costs didn't change for two of our cars, and the renewal for the one involved in the bump went up about 10% (£20-30).

Another reason to consider a dashcam is the crash-for-cash or flash-for-cash scams that operate in some areas. Basically you'll be targeted and manipulated into an accident that looks like it's your fault, and with no witnesses your insurer will have no choice but to accept liability. The other vehicle(s) involved will usually be packed with occupants who will all make personal injury claims against you.

[FB.]

Here are a couple of links to reputable (RAC) website discussing crash/flash for cash:

> Crash for Cash <

> Flash for Cash <

And those are just tasters. There are many other possible 'traps' and scams.

[seasprout]

FB, your information is extremely useful, but has made the job of choosing a system inherently harder....

[Ms-T]

FB, your information is extremely useful, but has made the job of choosing a system inherently harder....

What seasprout said,,,but thank you for all your help .think i will get him something else and if he ever talks about geting one i will show him what you said FB.

[Alison]

Interesting thread, obviously I know accidents and scams do occur but i actually find it a shame that it's happening to some people often enough to need such action, especially if a standby device us needed (I hadn't even considered that that was a thing) . Maybe we are getting more litigious which is a real shame. Probably depends on where you live and what driving you do though as to the real need which is perhaps why it doesn't really resonate with me. As I say, interesting though.

[FB.]

Interesting thread, obviously I know accidents and scams do occur but i actually find it a shame that it's happening to some people often enough to need such action, especially if a standby device us needed (I hadn't even considered that that was a thing) . Maybe we are getting more litigious which is a real shame. Probably depends on where you live and what driving you do though as to the real need which is perhaps why it doesn't really resonate with me. As I say, interesting though.

Crash for cash type scams seem to be most common in central areas of the UK such as Birmingham and Luton.
And in my area the roads are usually very busy.

[FB.]

FB, your information is extremely useful, but has made the job of choosing a system inherently harder....

What seasprout said,,,but thank you for all your help .think i will get him something else and if he ever talks about geting one i will show him what you said FB.

All three of our cars have a JooVuu X as a main front cam.
Virtually everything about the cam is above average, yet the price is below average for its level of capability (£69.99 +postage - go for 'normal charger', 'suction cup', 'super capacitor').
However, it's not quite as straightforward to set up as many cams, not least because it doesn't have a screen so requires another device such as smartphone, laptop or PC (I would say potentially too frustrating to try to set up on Christmas day), but once set it won't often need changing. I'm happy to help with any setup problems.

> link to JooVuu X <

Important disclaimer:
JooVuu is one of the companies that I have connections with.
I will not benefit in any way from anyone clicking on the above link.

[seasprout]

All three of our cars have a JooVuu X as a main front cam.
Virtually everything about the cam is above average, yet the price is below average for its level of capability (£69.99 +postage - go for 'normal charger', 'suction cup', 'super capacitor').
However, it's not quite as straightforward to set up as many cams, not least because it doesn't have a screen so requires another device such as smartphone, laptop or PC (I would say potentially too frustrating to try to set up on Christmas day), but once set it won't often need changing. I'm happy to help with any setup problems.

> link to JooVuu X <

Important disclaimer:
JooVuu is one of the companies that I have connections with.
I will not benefit in any way from anyone clicking on the above link.

Now that's an interesting bit of kit...... *Strokes Chin*

[seasprout]

Dash cams

I've just been poking around the Which? consumer members site and they are recommending Nextbase 312GW Full 1080p HD In Car Dash Cam Camera DVR Digital Driving Video Recorder with Built-In Wi-Fi


https://www.amazon.co.uk/Nextbase-31...ase+iN-CAR+CAM

They are saying its the best they have tested, and its quite a reasonable price.