Dash Cameras

[GrumpyTwig]

Vroom101 said:

GrumpyTwig said:

I could be expecting too much and the Mobius picture quality is very good but they do very poorly with anything moving. Any differential in speed greater than a hand full or so of mph and registration plates become a blur.

I've had two set up for probably coming onto a year and they're still running reliably though and they've caught some interesting moments.

Staffordshire police deem 1080p footage as insufficient evidence mind, but that's another story...

I've not noticed any problem with the footage of the Mobius.

What's the deal with Staffordshire Police? I doubt their own in car cameras are any better.

No idea tbh I've only ever bothered to report one thing and it was a chap reversing down the motorway in lane 2, clear view of the car and reg. But they took a good 6 months to come back and say they had insufficient evidence.

I gave up given I'd gone to the effort of supplying them the footage on two discs one which would play in a DVD player and the other the raw footage.
Just leaving them in for my own benefit now.

[anonymous-user]

Probably insufficient evidence in that they couldn't prove who was driving rather than anything to do with your footage, but that's a whole other discussion

[lel]

Would anyone have an idea to why my 0803 is randomly locking clips?

20 minutes into my journey today i noticed the little padlock was showing next to the record time, yet i hadn't even touched the camera or messed with any settings, seems to stay off once i turn it off.

[Cliftonite]

lel said:

Would anyone have an idea to why my 0803 is randomly locking clips?

20 minutes into my journey today i noticed the little padlock was showing next to the record time, yet i hadn't even touched the camera or messed with any settings, seems to stay off once i turn it off.

It will lock a file if it receives a jolt. The sensitivity can be adjusted. Check the settings to ensure it is not too sensitive to bumps in the road, e.g. potholes .

[lel]

i'll check it, thanks!

[V8 Animal]

I've formatted my card.
Today I drove to work and not registered on card.
Drive home and 5 files and 2 with errors.
2 sound only and 1 perfect.
So either dodgy camera or faulty SD card 10 type.
I've ordered another camera anyway 0806 so hopefully better luck.
0805 I will put that in my daily.

[JuanGandini]

Hi folks,

I ordered an 0806 which arrived yesterday. All seemed good as I looked through the box and read the instructions...

The only issue I have is that the bracket to hold the camera to the windscreen slides onto the camera without a problem but is now impossible to remove (I don't want to use brute force as it could break).

I don't really want to leave the camera in the car all of the time so it leaves me in a quandary as the bracket fixes 'permanently' to the windscreen with adhesive, not a suction pad. So essentially, once I've installed it, the camera will just have to stay in the car permanently.

Has anyone else with an 0806 had this issue? Are there any suction pad type mechanisms I could use to affix the bracket to the windscreen instead of the adhesive pads?

[GregK2]

My 0801 was very hard to get in and out at first but soon loosened up.

[gowmonster]

my 801 was very hard to remove initially, I was cautious not to break the mount, but i found if i put my thumb at the bit where it slides in and push a little it came out eventually, it's a bit of a knack.

[JuanGandini]

Ah ok thanks chaps - I was worried it's permanently stuck there and didn't want to force it and break the whole thing off! It's so difficult that there'd be no way of taking it off once stuck to the windscreen.

My evening will therefore be spent loosening it up!

[C.A.R.]

Apologies if this has already been covered but I didn't fancy reading the entire thread to find out!

I have recently started a new job (yay) with company car which sees me driving a lot more (naturally) so I am keen to get a dash cam 'just in case'.

I understand that they will require a 12v live feed, preferably a switched / ignition live?

My temporary car for the next 6 months is a Mondeo and the cigarette lighter socket is a permanent live. Where should it be plugged in? Do I need to tap into the wiring loom?

Another concern is the wireway. Obviously for the camera to be up by the rear view mirror the wire needs to run up the a-pillar I assume?

I need a solution which doesn't mean dismantling too much trim and can be easily removed without trace.

Any advice gratefully received.

[M4cruiser]

C.A.R. said:

Apologies if this has already been covered but I didn't fancy reading the entire thread to find out!

I have recently started a new job (yay) with company car which sees me driving a lot more (naturally) so I am keen to get a dash cam 'just in case'.

I understand that they will require a 12v live feed, preferably a switched / ignition live?

My temporary car for the next 6 months is a Mondeo and the cigarette lighter socket is a permanent live. Where should it be plugged in? Do I need to tap into the wiring loom?

Another concern is the wireway. Obviously for the camera to be up by the rear view mirror the wire needs to run up the a-pillar I assume?

I need a solution which doesn't mean dismantling too much trim and can be easily removed without trace.

Any advice gratefully received.

Hello, and welcome to the dash cam club

I understand that they will require a 12v live feed, preferably a switched / ignition live?

12v - Well, it depends. Yes most work on 12v, but a USB is 5v. You can use a plug-in converter which does the job.
switched - yes, otherwise it's on all the time (no bad thing) and will drain the car's battery (bad thing).

My temporary car for the next 6 months is a Mondeo and the cigarette lighter socket is a permanent live.
On a temporary car you can get away with using a mobile phone on video. Set it to flight mode first, and fix up a tray to stand it in. Downside is you might forget to put it in at the start if the journey.

Where should it be plugged in? Do I need to tap into the wiring loom?

Yes, you can get a fuse piggy-back (for the fuse box under the bonnet) and run the wire through the bulkhead. You need to pick a fuse which is ignition-switched. So no wire-cutting needed.

Another concern is the wireway. Obviously for the camera to be up by the rear view mirror the wire needs to run up the a-pillar I assume?

Yes, but it's quite easy to do on most cars, the wire tucks in to the gap between the A-pillar trim and the windscreen. Don't really want to be dismantling that, especially if it contains airbags.

[Vroom101]

C.A.R. said:

I understand that they will require a 12v live feed, preferably a switched / ignition live?

My temporary car for the next 6 months is a Mondeo and the cigarette lighter socket is a permanent live. Where should it be plugged in? Do I need to tap into the wiring loom?

My MK3 Mondeo has the option to change the 12v socket from a permenant live to a switched live. All you have to do is move the relevant fuse in the fuse box. Don't know what version you have, but it might be a solution that works for you. Visit Talkford.com if you need any pointers - they're a helpful, knowledgeable bunch.

My Mobius dashcam sits up behind my mirror all the time. I bought a cable with a right angle plug for a better fit http://www.cables2u.co.uk/mini-cable-right-angled-... and then routed this down the A pillar into the glovebox and the got a USB extension cable so it would reach the 12v socket. I will at some point hard wire it in but this works fine for the moment. The cables altogether cost less than six quid.

[rich888]

Vroom101 said:

C.A.R. said:

I understand that they will require a 12v live feed, preferably a switched / ignition live?

My temporary car for the next 6 months is a Mondeo and the cigarette lighter socket is a permanent live. Where should it be plugged in? Do I need to tap into the wiring loom?

My MK3 Mondeo has the option to change the 12v socket from a permenant live to a switched live. All you have to do is move the relevant fuse in the fuse box. Don't know what version you have, but it might be a solution that works for you. Visit Talkford.com if you need any pointers - they're a helpful, knowledgeable bunch.

My Mobius dashcam sits up behind my mirror all the time. I bought a cable with a right angle plug for a better fit http://www.cables2u.co.uk/mini-cable-right-angled-... and then routed this down the A pillar into the glovebox and the got a USB extension cable so it would reach the 12v socket. I will at some point hard wire it in but this works fine for the moment. The cables altogether cost less than six quid.

+1

Have purchased several Mini 0801 and 0806 dash cameras which have a small LED screen so are easy to set up, but they seem to have a great many teething problems with quality control, plus many of the advertised features don't actually work properly at this moment in time such as the dual SD card facility, motion detect and may other sales gimmicks.

The Mobius on the other hand is an astonishingly well designed and manufactured action camera which lends itself to many other uses. I would suggest you buy direct from the Mobius ActionCam manufacturer in China via their ebay page, based upon the fact that they have a very good reputation. I ordered a camera plus a few accessories such as windscreen mounts and cable for my car, and everything was delivered from China in 7 days which I thought was excellent.

Ebay link is http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/eletoponline365/m.html?_...

For use as a dash cam I would recommend the following:

Mobius ActionCam with 32GB micro SD card is £61.83, this is the unit I purchased, or purchase without the SD card for £45.87 and buy a larger 64GB or 128GB micro SD card
Note that there is also a wide-angle model Mobius ActionCam Lens_C which costs slightly more
3 metre charging cable £3.28
Universal mini USB car charger adapter (plugs into cigarette lighter) £2.67

They also offer several types of mount onto the windscreen, and note that the helmet cycle is the most discreet once you have modified it.

Car windscreen suction cup (if you want to remove it) £3.01
Helmet cycle mount (most discreet permanent mount once modified - I used this one) £4.41
Car Windshield Mini Tape Mount Holder (permanent fix to windscreen) £3.15

Only other items you may need to buy is the Micro SD card, I think 64GB costs about £44 and records for approx 640 minutes and the 128GB costs about £70 and records for approx 1280 minutes before it records over the oldest footage. Note that you can always press the button to protect the last recorded block of video.

If you plan to hardwire it then you will need a hardwire kit which is approx £15 and a super capacitor to replace the internal battery though this isn't essential, just recommended.

The Mobius really is so compact, is less than the size of a box of matches.

Watch the TechMoan review of the Mobius ActionCam on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wmIyD1fM4M

[rich888]

Vroom101 said:

My Mobius dashcam sits up behind my mirror all the time. I bought a cable with a right angle plug for a better fit http://www.cables2u.co.uk/mini-cable-right-angled-... and then routed this down the A pillar into the glovebox and the got a USB extension cable so it would reach the 12v socket. I will at some point hard wire it in but this works fine for the moment. The cables altogether cost less than six quid.

Thanks for the link to the supplier of the 1.8m USB cable with right angled plug, where did you order the 1m extension cable from?

I ordered a 3m cable from the Ebay seller shown in my previous post which is OK except that it is a straight connector at both ends and I think it would be more tidy if it had the right-angled plug where it connects to the camera, though can't find a seller anywhere - anyone know where to buy these connectors from?

And to anyone else reading the is, you need to be aware that when mounted on the windscreen, the Mobius is upside down, so pay attention as to which way you want the plug pointing.

[anonymous-user]

I've now got a Mobius in the track day car and an 805 in the daily.

The Mobius is a shade better in good light and gives a clearer, albeit lower resolution, image. The 805 is much better at night than the Mobius.

The 805 is much easier to set up because of the screen and is very discreet because the mount is tiny. The Mobius is smaller overall so if you can find a clever way of mounting it then it could even be more discreet than the 805.

You pays your money.......

Both give pictures which are all I think anyone would realistically ever need from a dashcam. I can't see the point in spending any more to get something better unless you desperately want GPS or GoPro levels of quality.

[Faxo]

I'm running a 0805 dashcam, and playback on my laptop is very notchy. I watch other videos on YouTube etc, and the playback is lovely and smooth, but mine isn't. Im unsure if it's my laptop, or something else? I'm using a Samsung SD card, 16gb I think it is. Anyone got any ideas?

[George7]

Faxo said:

I'm running a 0805 dashcam, and playback on my laptop is very notchy. I watch other videos on YouTube etc, and the playback is lovely and smooth, but mine isn't. Im unsure if it's my laptop, or something else? I'm using a Samsung SD card, 16gb I think it is. Anyone got any ideas?

Perhaps try uploading some of your footage to youtube and seeing if it's still notchy? Youtube does a lot of compression to the video, so it's technically going to be less demanding to play videos on Youtube than to play the raw 1080p video from the dashcam.

[rich888]

Faxo said:

I'm running a 0805 dashcam, and playback on my laptop is very notchy. I watch other videos on YouTube etc, and the playback is lovely and smooth, but mine isn't. Im unsure if it's my laptop, or something else? I'm using a Samsung SD card, 16gb I think it is. Anyone got any ideas?

Try copying the video file off your SD card and onto your PC before you view it because it may just be the USB connection speed isn't fast enough.

[Faxo]

http://youtu.be/wOOR_9cijVo

This was earlier, close shave! Recorded on my Mini 0805 cam, still not happy with the recording quality for a camera that got very good reviews? Is there anyway I an make it record clearer?