Dash Cam Time

Well it's happened. I had put off this modification for a long time since moving from the west coast since my idea of bad traffic is 10 cars in a turning lane right now. I suppose California doesn't have a monopoly on crazy drivers since I had a diesel try and run me off the road twice today (it wasn't because he was on his cell phone, it was a deliberate attempt to run me off the road) and I learned two things.

1. Tundra brakes work amazingly well even without ABS.
2. The 2.7 is better than a rusted out diesel in acceleration.

However what I didn't get is his license so I could call the cops and turn him in which leads me to my question. I have been looking around and reading stuff. I am after bang for the buck here since I'm not flush with cashola. On my list of needs/wants

Date/time stamp
GPS (at least the option for it)
Hard Wiring option
Accelerometer (I guess for logging an accident)
No Battery
Inconspicuous (even if it is bigger it can look like a part of the car)


I've seen one that seems to have all of this at a decent price. Here's the link. https://www.amazon.com/A118-C-Capaci...keywords=a118c

Optional GPS
https://www.amazon.com/GPS-Module-A1...S1Z5RY6PJP2XMW

Hardwire Kit
https://www.amazon.com/Spy-Tec-hardw...S1Z5RY6PJP2XMW

There seems to be an updated version as well.
https://www.amazon.com/SpyTec-Camera...S1Z5RY6PJP2XMW

So what do you guys use or do you have one of these models....or what do you guys recommend?

https://youtu.be/vYYQnZcQxwI

Watch that.

I avoid GPS because it can be used against you to prove you were speeding, even if it is irrelivent in the accident, it can still hurt you.

Hard wiring is where I am having a problem. I want something that runs like a car stereo. Ignition to turn on, but const. battery to finish recording or for a parking mode. I can't find anything that meets my needs for less than about 400.

Gps isn't a must have for me as I don't really need it unless I have a madman like yesterday.

That's a great video! I had seen the article but hadn't watched a movie on it. Seeing the video comparisons helps a lot.
I think the 119 might be the ticket for me. I'm going to do some more research and report back.

I know you had a dash cam for a while Sean so I looked for That thread to update but I was on my phone lol. Since you chimed in how is yours performing?

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Both died within a week of one another. I haven't had one for a few months. After a few near misses last week I am looking again.

Again, my problem is finding one that does what I want. The batteries just don't survive in the hot SoCal summers

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Seanz0rz

Both died within a week of one another. I haven't had one for a few months. After a few near misses last week I am looking again.

Again, my problem is finding one that does what I want. The batteries just don't survive in the hot SoCal summers

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I'm afraid that you aren't going to find one that will survive those Cali summers. It's a flaw with the battery rather than the device. Here's what I'm up to and after watching a few more videos and reading some more...I think I have a solid goal.

So I am going with the A119S with the GPS (you can turn it off and you can keep it from being a stamp in your video even if the GPS is on). GPS could come in handy for roadtrips and positioning.

It also has a parking mode (although from the sounds of it, it isn't perfect) with the hard wiring which is nice in my opinion. Unless I'm completely off my rocker I don't think a camera will drain that much juice off my battery but it is a consideration.

One thing that I didn't consider till watching the review was the fact that you cannot record much except what's out your windshield. Being able to record interactions at your driver's window or anything around you would be a plus however I think that it would be better served by a camera mounted in the back facing forwards rather than something in the windshield hanging down.

I think the A119S is pretty slick for it's mounting, nighttime video quality, and controls. It should fit the bill. Plus at slightly over 100 bucks with the GPS mount it definitely falls within reason. The other thing is that the manufacturer cares about it's product. It is very responsive on dashcam talk and on Amazon. Plus I refuse to spend 400 bones on a dash cam. Call me cheap but it is a fixed camera used daily for nothing but recording on the road. 400 bones is a lot for a broke college "kid".

Here are the links:

A119S from VIOFO directly (apparently there are fakes out there):
https://www.amazon.com/VIOFO-A119S-D...rds=a119s+dash

Polarizing lens:
https://www.amazon.com/VIOFO-A11CPL-...S14ZQVMXCHF3RS

Hardwire Kit: (usually I wouldn't run it from the interior fuse panel but I really do NOT feel like running more wires currently)
https://www.amazon.com/Spy-Tec-Hardw...S14ZQVMXCHF3RS

That's probably what I will end up getting too. I just want something that is truly hardwire, but I know it will be a few years away OR, replace the battery with some hard wire circuit that i homebrew (because I have so much time to do that).

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Seanz0rz

That's probably what I will end up getting too. I just want something that is truly hardwire, but I know it will be a few years away OR, replace the battery with some hard wire circuit that i homebrew (because I have so much time to do that).

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This unit is only a capacitor design so the hardwired part is necessary unless you want a wire running to your cigarette lighter at all times. The nice thing about having that plugin is that if there's a new model that comes out and it has the same plug then you can simply remove and reinstall.

Eventually.....and I do mean that, I would like to add some items to the headboard area like a ham radio setup and some better lighting but right now I have no time. Time is something that is a strange concept for me right now lol. I am either studying, in class, working, or sleeping. The only household chore I managed to do this semester was some leaf raking and a few lightbulb changes in the house.

Mine were hard wired, but only to provide power when the vehicle is running. I want something that uses the vehicle battery to supply constant power to let it finish recording or for parking mode. So far there are only a few on the market like that and they are expensive.

gotcha. I would almost say that you would want to jimmy rig one of your own to do that kind of work. a Voltage regulator might be the only thing that you would need to add. I would bet that you could even modify the capacitors to work for that kind of idea.

Hey Sean take a look at the Rexing v1p with the dual cameras. I'm looking at this one for the family rig but it says that it's rested at 160 degrees.

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I ended up with the A119S and am very happy for the most part. Only problem I have is the camera to mount interface sucks and mine vibrates. So much so it will cause the camera to shut off if power is attached to the mount. Solution is to supply power directly to the camera. I need to find a piece of foam to stabilize the camera though.

Well there aren't many cameras that could honestly stabilize in a lifted 4x4 lol. I'm getting that one for the 4runner. I just saw that one and noticed that it was a battery but that it was "tested".

nah the camera is really loose. It shows up as a fairly high frequency vibration/flicker in the video.

Honestly, a wedge made from folded paper would work well too, it just is a little wiggly in the mount. I haven't pulled footage from the Fusion yet to see if it does it on that one too, but I suspect so.

I just installed the Rexing dash cam a few months ago and so far so good. I'm actually surprised it hasn't died from the 115+ deg weather we've had in the last few weeks, especially since I haven't been taking it off the window at all. All I've been doing is tucking the window shade between the dashcam and the window, and also cracking all the windows. Cracking the windows does the most to keep heat down in a car. Unfortunately, I won't be able to do that once the monsoons come.

The video quality is pretty good and it should do the trick in court.
https://www.amazon.com/V1-Dashboard-...exing+dash+cam

When my wife gets a new car at the end of the year, I'm going to install a nice front and back dash cam for it.

I have the a119 installed in my GF. Nice unit. Like the screen on it. Easy to use. Hardwired in. Haven't had to use it for reviews. After messing with it for a very short time. I realized I want one with wifi so I can download to my phone at anytime for upload. Been looking and not trying to spend to much like you guys.