Facelift Dash cam

Aston88 said:

Hi, not too sure if this has been covered already but I’m expecting my A4 Saloon in a few weeks and am looking to get a front dash cam. Just wondered what cameras people have and can recommend. I want one really that tucks away nicely behind the rear view mirror then I can tuck all the cable away around the windscreen and plug it into the cigarette lighter

Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated

Thanks


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Nextbase.


Enviado do meu STF-L09 através do Tapatalk

Aston88 said:

tucks away nicely behind the rear view mirror then I can tuck all the cable away around the windscreen and plug it into the cigarette lighter

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You have to be careful doing this, as the most obvious way is down the A-Pillar which will impede your side airbags if you do this. Really have to take the trim off and go under the airbag.
I've tapped into 12v inside the mirror/presence camera housing.

Depends on your featureset, as did you want WiFi, gps, traffic warning systems, obvious ones are Thinkware, Blackvue, Nextbase, decide on the things you what then attack the discreetness.

Aston88 said:

Hi, not too sure if this has been covered already but I’m expecting my A4 Saloon in a few weeks and am looking to get a front dash cam. Just wondered what cameras people have and can recommend. I want one really that tucks away nicely behind the rear view mirror then I can tuck all the cable away around the windscreen and plug it into the cigarette lighter

Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated

Thanks


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Check out the thinkware range of systems. Small / compact, zero dab interference, easy to use, amazing video quality and set & forget. I would recommend the F800pro or Q800pro. Check out my forum section for installation examples. Am an authorised supplier:

https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threa...and-retrofit-blog.322694/page-15#post-3603935

Before you spend a fortune on a dashcam checkout Aliexpress for cams. Few years ago I got a Garmin dash cam 55 which wasn't too expensive
I loved how small it was and the way it looked. Then I decided to get a camera for the back but the garmin did not have a feature to add additional camera. I went on aliexpress and got a cheap dashcam gor £60 at the time which has a Bluetooth capture button meaning i did not have to run the wires to the front. Power comes from the lighter socket in the boot (i have an Avant). The capture button is attached on the dashboard with a magnet. I've been running it for over 2 years now and no issues at all. Video quality is exactly the same as the garmin. It might not have all the features like lane and collision warnings but I switched these off on the garmin anyway as they were super annoying. The camera is very moder looking, barrel shaped and very small. If I was going to replace the garmin in the future i would definately get another one from aliexpress. I just went on aliexpress to check them out and serms that the prices have gone down to £20-40 for them. The one I have is DDPAI. I think it's crazy spending above £300 for a dashcam unless you are looking for a certain feature that other cameras don't have. I just need my cameras to record in the background and leave an forget them.

As above 1440P , g shock wake up , shut down intervals 15m , 1hr , 6hr , 24hr or not shut down , normal and time lapse video ,hardwire perm live fuse tap .

I've only had one dash cam (Garmin 65W) and I'm still using it after about 3 years. I can't really compare it to anything but I've certainly had no issues or complaints with mine in all the time I've had it.

It's small and looks smart and night time video footage is of good quality. I can confirm a lot of it's advanced features just make too many ding dong beep boops but you can turn these features on or off individually and also adjust the volume of the alerts too. The 65W I've got has an ultra wide lens with 180 degree view. With it mounted behind my rear view mirror you can just about see the door mirrors on each side of the car in the footage which is impressive. The trade off is that there is a slight fish eye lens feel to the footage but it does capture a very wide field of view.

I also like the WiFi feature to view footage on your mobile. Say police wish to see footage at the side of the road, it's very convenient to just stream it on your phone screen. It's also got this "travelapse" feature that's supposed to make a highlight reel of the closest things to events on your typically uneventful journey. It's been interesting to look at after a long road trip once or twice.

You can also use voice commands to store an event. It's got G shock automatic saving of events too but say you witness something ahead you can just say "Save Video".

Overall I've had no complaints or faults with mine in the years I've had it.

I guess it depends on your budget. I can recommend the Thinkware Q800 Pro, it’s discreet and easy to use. I bought it through the RAC shop, £249 + £55 for professional installation, not the RAC I hastened to add.

I've got the BlueSeaSky camera - it's around £70 on Amazon.
https://tinyurl.com/y2ql6nk6
Really discrete, I cannot see it at all from my drivers seat as I've put it behind my mirror, and with a 12v tap I've wired it into the mirror/camera panel.
It's got WiFi, but the software is a bit fiddly and no screen on it, so absolutely great if you're relatively competent enough to put a Micro SD card into a PC and copy files off, otherwise I'd get something from one of the big companies with better support.

I've had a couple in the past. Next base and MioVue. Currently running Garmin 56 from John Lewis (2yr guarantee). Hugh quality, excellent magnetic mount (no suckers) very small. Playback via Ap is great. Also does speed canera locations and driver assist such as distance from car in front and lane departure. Excellent piece of kit. Also camera updated are via bluetooth from your phone. Easy as pie.

1080p, hundreds of years old .

Just an idea. I see the parking sensor on my 2020 S4 is effectively a camera showing what is ahead. Could this camera combined with some in-car memory be configured to be 'always on' and act as a front facing dash cam, recording the last 10 minutes of footage which could be recalled from memory if ever needed?