I’ve been playing around/researching this topic ol. The three bigger issues for me are: one channel or two, permanent or temporary mount (eg suction cup), 12v adapter or hardwire (and potentially voiding my warranty?).
Do any of you have experience with this, and if so what are your thoughts on the above issues?
Thanks in advance!
Anyone doing dash cams?
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Tom
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I wouldn't want a cigarette lighter cord for something that's always in the car personally. As for hardwiring, have you seen the one Porsche sell/makes now? It's dealer installed so presumably is warrantied itself and would not void the factory warranty on the car....Dichael wrote: Fri Aug 27, 2021 8:57 am I’ve been playing around/researching this topic ol. The three bigger issues for me are: one channel or two, permanent or temporary mount (eg suction cup), 12v adapter or hardwire (and potentially voiding my warranty?).
Do any of you have experience with this, and if so what are your thoughts on the above issues?
Thanks in advance!
https://www.suncoastparts.com/product/skudashcam.html
I actually prefer the 12v cigarette lighter cord for dash cams. The reason is that I don't want to be limited to having the camera on when the car is on. I want the option to leave the camera on when I park somewhere. I suppose there could be times when you want it turned off while the car is on too, although I have never needed that.
Of course it would be much better to wire in a switch but the 12v thingy works just fine. I've had a few but the problem is they all seem to eventually stop working. The last one I got was a Viofo and after a while it just started recording corrupt files.
Of course it would be much better to wire in a switch but the 12v thingy works just fine. I've had a few but the problem is they all seem to eventually stop working. The last one I got was a Viofo and after a while it just started recording corrupt files.
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Tom
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johnb wrote: Fri Aug 27, 2021 10:28 am I actually prefer the 12v cigarette lighter cord for dash cams. The reason is that I don't want to be limited to having the camera on when the car is on. I want the option to leave the camera on when I park somewhere. I suppose there could be times when you want it turned off while the car is on too, although I have never needed that.
Of course it would be much better to wire in a switch but the 12v thingy works just fine. I've had a few but the problem is they all seem to eventually stop working. The last one I got was a Viofo and after a while it just started recording corrupt files.
Yeah, the cigarette lighter cord is just one of those personal preference things. What car are you using them in -- 951? On the new Porsches, the cigarette lighters de-activate after a little while sitting. I struggled with a trickle charger for a week because of that... And if I'm following Porsche's literature, their hardwired camera works when parked -- so presumably it's wired into an unswitched circuit.
Yeah I've been doing that on the 951 and my other car (2002 BMW). Both made before the days that everything was controlled by the computer. That said, I'm not sure it would be a problem to just have it wired always-on. They probably don't draw much current. And if your car is anything like mine, the battery is going to die in a few weeks anywayYeah, the cigarette lighter cord is just one of those personal preference things. What car are you using them in -- 951? On the new Porsches, the cigarette lighters de-activate after a little while sitting. I struggled with a trickle charger for a week because of that... And if I'm following Porsche's literature, their hardwired camera works when parked -- so presumably it's wired into an unswitched circuit.
Hey guys - thanks for the responses! I saw the Porsche dash cam but one of threads I read showed it positioned much lower on the windshield than on that vid, and if memory serves me right he also showed some Porsche documentation to back up that the tech indeed positioned in the right location. That location to me was a total pita.
Do any of you have an added rear channel as well? Is it worth it?
Do any of you have an added rear channel as well? Is it worth it?
I've used dash cams for about a decade now. I have a BlackVue DR900 front/rear that I used in my 911 and am now holding on to it waiting for my GT4 to come in. I like having the 4K front video just in case I need to get good enough resolution to read a license plate. Even with 4k it's hard at much of a distance, at 2k its really hard. The video with that and the ThinkWare I have in my truck is very reliable. The truck one is 2k but Thinkware also has a newer 4k model. I prefer the BlackVue.
With some of the cheaper detectors and cheaper memory cards, I've had problems with the memory card getting corrupted but not being aware of it for quite some time. Be sure to get either the BlackVue memory card or another high quality Class 10 high endurance or pro endurance memory card. Normal memory cards have a limited number of write cycles and just can't handle all of the continuous overwriting that a dashcam does. In the long run you save money getting a better card that you have to replace much less often.
I can also recommend thedashcamstore.com for good availability and customer service. Their main store is in Austin where I live and they've always given me great advice and reasonable suggestions regarding installation. I always do a hardwire installation. It's not that hard to run the wire along the trim and to the fusebox area where I use fuse box taps for both that and my radar detector.
As to your last question, yes I also have the rear camera and it hasn't paid off so far. But I have seen video from another 911 showing someone rear-ending his car and then trying to blame him for part of it... but he was able to prove otherwise.
With some of the cheaper detectors and cheaper memory cards, I've had problems with the memory card getting corrupted but not being aware of it for quite some time. Be sure to get either the BlackVue memory card or another high quality Class 10 high endurance or pro endurance memory card. Normal memory cards have a limited number of write cycles and just can't handle all of the continuous overwriting that a dashcam does. In the long run you save money getting a better card that you have to replace much less often.
I can also recommend thedashcamstore.com for good availability and customer service. Their main store is in Austin where I live and they've always given me great advice and reasonable suggestions regarding installation. I always do a hardwire installation. It's not that hard to run the wire along the trim and to the fusebox area where I use fuse box taps for both that and my radar detector.
As to your last question, yes I also have the rear camera and it hasn't paid off so far. But I have seen video from another 911 showing someone rear-ending his car and then trying to blame him for part of it... but he was able to prove otherwise.
I have never had a rear channel, but I would love to have that for peace of mind.Dichael wrote: Fri Aug 27, 2021 11:13 pm Hey guys - thanks for the responses! I saw the Porsche dash cam but one of threads I read showed it positioned much lower on the windshield than on that vid, and if memory serves me right he also showed some Porsche documentation to back up that the tech indeed positioned in the right location. That location to me was a total pita.
Do any of you have an added rear channel as well? Is it worth it?
Regarding the position, it might not be as bad as you think. I rented a car recently that had one of those EZ Pass toll transponders right in the middle of the windshield. To look at it from the outside, you'd think it would be a major issue. But actually from inside the car, it wasn't in the way at all. The middle of the windshield is actually above the level of the road where you would normally be looking. If you like aeroplane watching while you're driving, then it might be a problem (though not, I think, your biggest problem
). StormRune's advice about the memory card is good, but I have definitely still had issues even when I used the recommended class of card.
Last edited by johnb on Sun Aug 29, 2021 8:00 am, edited 1 time in total.
I see I missed mentioning something earlier: The BlackVue and the Thinkware cameras both support recording while the car is parked. You don't need to use a lighter outlet to get that (BTW, the lighter outlets turn off after 30 minutes in Porsches anyway unless being used for a battery tender).
The BlackVue has a three wire cord IF you buy the add-on PowerMagic Pro. You hook one wire to an always-on fuse and the other to a switched fuse. It will turn off the camera after a set amount of time and/or battery level set by DIP switches.
The Thinkware just uses a two-wire cord and uses the on-camera software to turn off the camera, also by either time or battery level. The shutoff is built into the camera itself.
The BlackVue has a three wire cord IF you buy the add-on PowerMagic Pro. You hook one wire to an always-on fuse and the other to a switched fuse. It will turn off the camera after a set amount of time and/or battery level set by DIP switches.
The Thinkware just uses a two-wire cord and uses the on-camera software to turn off the camera, also by either time or battery level. The shutoff is built into the camera itself.
On the subject of the toll transponders that John mentioned, and even the small toll tag stickers we have in Texas (why do they make those a very visible light gray!):
I cut out a very small piece of dark window tint just large enough for the sticker and apply that in the desired location at the very top edge of the windshield next to the mirror. Then I apply the sticker to that after it has dried. Instead of an odd light sticker visible from the outside there is just another black spot like the others around today's mirror area. I drop by the shop of the tint guys I use and ask them for a dark scrap piece just big enough for the job.
I cut out a very small piece of dark window tint just large enough for the sticker and apply that in the desired location at the very top edge of the windshield next to the mirror. Then I apply the sticker to that after it has dried. Instead of an odd light sticker visible from the outside there is just another black spot like the others around today's mirror area. I drop by the shop of the tint guys I use and ask them for a dark scrap piece just big enough for the job.