Dash Cameras

[J-ajvc3]

tek_architect said:

Hi Folks,


I'm pretty much set on the idea of buying a Blackvue dr650s-2ch dashcam for my 2016 BMW X5 3.0D M Sport. I'm also looking to get the Blackvue external battery pack or the Cellink B external battery pack too.

Thought I had nothing better to do than ask my local dealer to install. Nope. They will only install the BMW Advanced Eye unit. In my opinion this is not discrete enough and does not have key features that the Blackvue has. Anyway, BMW Kirkcaldy could not install and BMW Perth could not intstall. They were polite enough but would only install BMW approved. So my question is, can anyone recommend a dashcam installer in Fife? I know BMW and Audi are sensitive to battery drain and that the cable used for the rear camera needs to be appropriately shielded to prevent interference to the DAB radio, hence the reason for the battery pack and wanting a professional installation.

Thanks very much in advance for any assistance.

BMW's are indeed very sensitive to battery drain, Audi's not so much. A voltage drop below 12.3 (+/- 0.2V) will flag up a warning of 'battery drainage' on your dashboard and in the iDrive computer, clicking 'Ok' clears it and you can be on your way. It's just a information warning, not so much an error.

The BMW Advance Eye kit from BMW gets hardwired directly into the vehicles FEM module, so the vehicle recognises this device and can cope with the additional drainage on the battery when in parking security mode without giving any errors. The Advance Eye kit however as you say is big and bulky, with the front unit being a screen that's not discrete at all.

There is no need for a battery pack in these vehicles from our experience, the Cellink B is £160 which is far too expensive for 24 hours worth of parking security mode. You would be far better pairing the 650S with a Power Magic Pro, configure cut off for 12V and 12 hours and your X5 will be happy enough.

Thanks, J

[E36Ross]

Has anyone hardwired to a newish Mercedes? (2015 S Class so I'm a bit cautious to go pulling fuses!)

[J-ajvc3]

E36Ross said:

Has anyone hardwired to a newish Mercedes? (2015 S Class so I'm a bit cautious to go pulling fuses!)

Yes, nothing to really worry about with the exception of newer Mercedes vehicles now having multiple interior fuse boxes instead of just one (see picture below of 2 interior fuse panels out of 3 located in a GLC AMG 2017 plate). It means wiring can be more difficult as sometimes one fuse box can be completely full of all live or just ignition based fuses, but a quick check of the manual will reveal how many fuse boxes you have in your specific model and what fuses to work with. If your lucky, the vehicle may have empty slots in the fuse box which you can utilise for power so you may not actually require to fuse test and pull any fuses out as such - it's all usually dependant on which optional extras were ticked at factory by the first owner.

Thanks, J

Edited by J-ajvc3 on Thursday 21st September 22:48

[audi321]

J-ajvc3 said:

Yes - the Blackvue DR650S and DR750S have a feature called Blackvue Cloud. This means that if your vehicle is parked outside your home and you can receive a adequate wifi signal in your driveway, you can connect up your cameras to your wifi and use the Blackvue App to Live view your cameras from anywhere in the world - we have a number of customers who work abroad and use the dash cameras as a sort of CCTV/Dash Camera to keep an eye on their property while away for a few days. You only get 10 minutes of Live viewing a day from Blackvue before they consider your uses more than just personal, at which point you would require to buy their monthly subscription of them.

In addition, you can also buy a mobile hotspot dongle, power it from a USB in the vehicle or get it hardwired in, you pay for a 4G data plan and you connect your dash cameras to the hotspot in the vehicle (i.e. the 4G sim in the vehicle). This option allows you to remotely view the cameras even if your car is away from your home/work wifi.

Thanks, J

Thank you. Going to get one tomorrow!

[J-ajvc3]

audi321 said:

Thank you. Going to get one tomorrow!

No problem at all - happy to help.

Thanks, J

[Targarama]

E36Ross said:

Has anyone hardwired to a newish Mercedes? (2015 S Class so I'm a bit cautious to go pulling fuses!)

I have a recent model CLS and just tapped off the back of the lighter socket which I found was only powered with accessories/ignition.

[kryten22uk]

Where do you start with buying these, there is so much choice! Usually I just go on Amazon and look for good reviews, but there are hundreds of Dash Cams and they all seem to have 5 stars. How can they all be so good. Are all cams much the same in terms of quality then, so just randomly pic one you like the look of visually?

[Podie]

kryten22uk said:

Where do you start with buying these, there is so much choice! Usually I just go on Amazon and look for good reviews, but there are hundreds of Dash Cams and they all seem to have 5 stars. How can they all be so good. Are all cams much the same in terms of quality then, so just randomly pic one you like the look of visually?

This is a good a site as any to start with - http://www.techmoan.com/what-is-the-best-dashcam

Reviews are pretty comprehensive, and he's reviewed a LOT of dashcams.

[gmaz]

kryten22uk said:

Where do you start with buying these, there is so much choice! Usually I just go on Amazon and look for good reviews, but there are hundreds of Dash Cams and they all seem to have 5 stars. How can they all be so good. Are all cams much the same in terms of quality then, so just randomly pic one you like the look of visually?

Decide what features you want
- screen
- parking mode
- smartphone connection
- additional rear facing camera
- etc

Then look for one with good reviews at the price you want to pay.

Edited by gmaz on Tuesday 26th September 13:13

[Rich135]

My car's charging sockets (cigarette lighters) are permanent lives, so I need a dashcam that turns on/off when it senses movement - can you get one like that? I was using a Transcend Drive Pro 220 but have moved that to my wife's car for the moment.

I guess I could try to figure out hard wiring it into the fuse box, but that always worries me (Skoda Superb 2017 model).

Thanks

Rich

[kryten22uk]

Having watching the guide in the techmoaner link above, I decided I def didn't want GPS, movement sensor, or parking mode. Just needed a discrete good standard camera. No WiFi or phone connectivity needed, as can't see the use. I have had a dash cam in another car for over a year now, and I never interact with it. It's just there for the unfortunate event that I need video evidence.

So I decided that the A119 recommended in the above website looks just right.

[liner33]

Rich135 said:

My car's charging sockets (cigarette lighters) are permanent lives, so I need a dashcam that turns on/off when it senses movement - can you get one like that? I was using a Transcend Drive Pro 220 but have moved that to my wife's car for the moment.

I guess I could try to figure out hard wiring it into the fuse box, but that always worries me (Skoda Superb 2017 model).

Thanks

Rich

Its very easy going into the fuse box on a Skoda, you just use these things

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Useful-New-Fuse-Adapter-...

[Rich135]

liner33 said:

Its very easy going into the fuse box on a Skoda, you just use these things

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Useful-New-Fuse-Adapter-...

Thanks Liner, that is a nifty bit of kit. I assume the red wire provides the power, but do I still need to earth the circuit to provide a "circuit"? I will do a bit of research...

[liner33]

Rich135 said:

Thanks Liner, that is a nifty bit of kit. I assume the red wire provides the power, but do I still need to earth the circuit to provide a "circuit"? I will do a bit of research...

You can just put a eye on the end of the earth and bolt it to a bolt in the fuse box , there are plenty of "How-To's " on the Briskoda site

[Rich135]

liner33 said:

You can just put a eye on the end of the earth and bolt it to a bolt in the fuse box , there are plenty of "How-To's " on the Briskoda site

Great, thanks again.

[Krikkit]

Anyone got any recommendations for a dual-cam DVR system? Looking for the smallest visible footprint, but having a massive boot on the W211 means I can fit a pretty sizeable piece of kit hidden away - there's room enough for a VCR hidden in there!

Koonlung K1S seems like the only choice, but a bit steep at 250 quid.

[tharriso]

Has anyone done a rear camera for a panel van? Want to add a rear to a berlingo.

[EL11SEG]

I currently have the Transcend 220 which I am happy with. I now want to have a rear also and have noticed the new Transcend 520 is on the market. Anyone got one and happy with?? What legal pitfalls are out there tho? This would be mounted in the front with the 220 in the rear of a 17 seat minibus so the 520 will be recording passengers. This opens up a new ball game as I am not sure what I have to do to make passengers aware etc? The bus is not a taxi but will be touring. Go for the 520 or save hassle and stick with another 220?

Cheers Ave

[J-ajvc3]

tharriso said:

Has anyone done a rear camera for a panel van? Want to add a rear to a berlingo.

In terms of wiring - the fuse box is located in behind the glove box on the passenger side (see below picture). In terms of running any cable through any van, it's very very easy, loads of room to carefully bring the wire through from the front to the rear however it depends on the rear of the van. Does it have glass windows on the door or have they been plylined and sealed?

One of our customers had plylined his and also had his company writing over the rear windows, so it made no sense to wire a rear dash camera to any internal location. We opted for an external dash camera (waterproof and with a waterproof cable) to do his rear dash camera needs. Thinkware and Blackvue both do a commercial rear dash camera to pair with the front unit, but there will be cheaper alternatives floating around on eBay I suspect.

Thanks, J

[J-ajvc3]

EL11SEG said:

I currently have the Transcend 220 which I am happy with. I now want to have a rear also and have noticed the new Transcend 520 is on the market. Anyone got one and happy with?? What legal pitfalls are out there tho? This would be mounted in the front with the 220 in the rear of a 17 seat minibus so the 520 will be recording passengers. This opens up a new ball game as I am not sure what I have to do to make passengers aware etc? The bus is not a taxi but will be touring. Go for the 520 or save hassle and stick with another 220?

Cheers Ave

A rear dash camera should never be mounted inwards facing inside a minibus, the 520 is not a unit which should be used for commercial purposes where passengers are involved due to the rear camera being enclosed within the front camera.

In terms of legal pitfalls, the dash camera has to have the microphone turned off as you are not allowed to record any audio from passengers (for example a passengers conversation), in addition the camera must only capture within it's lens the road, not angled in such a way where it could pick up any interior attributes such as passengers getting on/off the bus. If you wish to go for a rear camera, the rear camera should be mounted to the rear window facing out the way onto the road surface (which on the sprinter buses is the glass on the rear doors), therefore not hindering any passengers or invading their privacy. This would be a proper 2 CH camera you would be looking at, unlike the 520 which is one unit.

Hope this helps.

Thanks, J