You bought a dash camera but not sure why you would get professional dash cam installation? Here are 5 of the top reasons our customers get it done.
#1 Not Enough Cigarette Lighter Plugins
Most cars on the road have 1 cigarette lighter plugin. I bet if you asked most people what they used it for they would tell you to charge their phone. So, now you have this dilemma. Charge my phone or plugin my dash camera? What are the chances of an accident happening? That is the main thing, no one plans on car accidents happening. If they did they would be called “On Purpose.” Free up your cigarette lighter by getting your dash cam hardwired.
#2 Get Wiring Ran Professionally
While you can install your dash cam yourself, chances are you wouldn’t be able to do it without having excess wiring in your car. A professional dash cam installation makes all of the right connections and routes your dash cam safely through your vehicle. Therefore, Your dash cam technician can remove the proper trim panels to conceal wiring and avoid interfering with safety systems like airbags in the dash, a-pillars, b-pillars, and headliner. Your cigarette lighter will also remain free, which will help your car maintain a clean and tidy look. This makes your dash cam a safe addition to your vehicle (not a hazard!).
Parking mode gives you the ability to record while parked. This involves using either a hardwire cable or OBD2 cable. Installers have access to technical wiring, and lots of specialty tools. In short, to be able to record motion detection, time lapse, or impact only while parked we recommend professional dash cam installation.
#4 Low Battery Protection
Will my car battery die from a dash cam install? The short answer is no. A couple factors is, how you install it, and how you set the dash camera up. If you have a dash camera without low battery protection, and you do not drive your vehicle regularly. As a result, there is a good chance you will kill your battery. We do not want your car battery to die from a dash cam. So, Dash cameras sold at Safe Drive Solutions all have low battery protection. We recommend setting this for 12 volts or higher to protect your battery. For this common question about dash cams, we provide an example below.
Once I had a client say the dash camera killed their battery. After investigating we found out they had been leaving their interior light on for quite a few weeks. There is lots of factors that can kill your vehicles battery, for example leaving an accessory plugged into your cigarette lighter all night. However, getting a bad cell in your battery or leaving the interior light on all night is more common. These types of things happen but getting a dash cam with low battery protection you should be fine. If you are still worried get a backup battery for your dash cam.
#5 No Cigarette Lighter To Be Seen
Some of the new vehicles on the market just have USB plugins for you to charge your phone or integrate with Apple Carplay. There are even a few newer vehicles where the cigarette lighter is in the trunk or hatch of the car. Not really convenient for you to plugin a dash camera. This is where our professional installers come in. They
Professional Dash Cam Installation
In conclusion, whether it be lack of tools, parking mode, low battery protection, or getting your wiring ran nice and tidy. We recommend looking into hiring a professional for dash cam installation.
With so many dash cameras to choose from often I get asked which dash cam has parking mode? Well, I can tell you first off all of our units we sell have parking mode capability.
However, they do need to be hardwired or use of an OBD 2 adaptor.
So which has the best dash cam parking mode? Great question
Let’s explore our top 5 choices for parking mode.
#5 Time Lapse
This will record in 1 or 2 frames per second depending on the dash cam. Furthermore, it is constantly recording and when you replay back the video it looks like it is in fast forward. Positives of this is it will take up a lot less sd card space allowing for longer record time capability. Negatives – is it will lose a lot of vital information needed. To put this into perspective normal recording is at 30 frames per second so when recording in Time Lapse you are only recording 1/15 or 1/30 of the information you normally would.
#4 Motion Detection
Dash cameras with motion detection will record anytime there is motion. Which means anytime somebody walks by, drives by, it will wake up and record. This can be a great feature for people worried about any funny business happening around their vehicle while parked. Positives – Wakes up and records if there is movement. Negatives – If you live in a condo, underground parking or live on a busy street the dash camera will be waking up and going back to sleep very frequently.
#3 Impact Only (Energy Saving Mode)
This is very common choice among Thinkware clients because if there is an impact while parked the dash camera will wake up 1 second after impact and record a 20 second video. Positives – Very low current draw compared to other parking mode features. Negative- It does not catch the actual incident as it wakes up 1 second after.
#2 Time Lapse with motion detection and impact
So far I have only seen this parking mode available on GNET and IROAD dash cameras. What happens with this parking mode is something special. It records at 1 frame per second while parked using very minimal sd card capacity. If motion is detected it will then change and record at 10 frames per second and move that video into the event recording folder. As well as if impact is detected it will also put a video into the incident folder and record at 10 frames per second. Positives-It changes between time lapse and motion detection automagically to make best use of SD card space and surveillance mode. Negatives-It does not record only when impacts it records entire time while parked
#1 Energy Saving Mode 2.0 with Radar Sensor
When motion is detected by the radar module, the dash cam wakes up and gets ready to record. If an impact is detected, a 20 second video (10 seconds before and 10 seconds after impact) is saved in a dedicated folder on the sd card. When no impacts are detected, dash cam does not save the footage and resumes to energy saving mode 2.0. Positives- if there is impact while parked it will save it and capture the whole incident. Also very low current draw allowing it to last longer then other dash cameras. Negatives if there is impact from rear of vehicle the radar sensor only does front and therefore rear of vehicle will default to 1 second after impact recording. If there is any suspicious activity around the vehicle that is not impact related it will also not record those events.
What top features do you want in a dash cam? Well this is what a lot of our customers ask for.
Wi-Fi Capability
Why would you want this? The main reason you want this is because if there is an incident or a video recording you want to have. You can easily take your phone and pair it to the device and download videos directly to your phone. This makes it easy to email somebody, submit to insurance or throw it on the socials. It also allows you to change settings on the dash camera.
Parking Mode
A lot of our customers are concerned about incidents happening while parked. Parking mode gives you the capability to record in either time lapse, motion detection, or energy saving mode. Depending on the dash cam these top features are widely available.
Low Battery Protection
This is the #1 concern for all of our customers. Watch our YouTube Video. All of our dash cameras we offer have low battery protection when either hardwired or using an OBD2 adaptor cable. If it drops below a certain set voltage the dash camera will shut off to protect your car battery.
HDR
High Dynamic Range purpose is to remove light blurring when driving at night and shows clearer recording quality in various lighting conditions. For example, driving through tunnels. A lot of our example YouTube videos will include the Richmond Tunnel to show you how our dash cams respond in those lighting environments.
Event Recording
So, if you are driving and you get into an accident you want to know that video will go into a separate event or incident file. That way it is saving it and you do not have to worry about downloading it right then and there. Some dash cams come with a small SD card and no event recording folder. When an incident happens you can easily record over that. If there is an impact there is a G-Sensor built into the unit and it will automatically take that video and put it into a separate video file folder making it easier for you to find. Making this one of the top dash cam features.
Sony STARVIS
This is a premium sensor that guarantees the ultimate sharpness night image quality. The Sony STARVIS image sensor will record the brightest and cleanest images even in low light environments. It provides a much brighter and clearer image compared to seeing with bare eyes.
Conclusion
In short, these are some of the top dash cam features we are asked about everyday. There are many other features available feel free to comment below or contact us.
With so many drivers on the road, often I get asked “Is a Dash Cam worth it? We are going to outline some of the benefits it can provide you.
Hit and run claims
A hit and run is when an unidentified driver hits your vehicle or you are injured, and leaves the scene of the collision. In BC, Canada ICBC states “If you are claiming vehicle damage and have ICBC Collision coverage you will have to pay your chosen Collision deductible, which could be as low as $300. If you have ICBC optional Hit and Run coverage you will have to pay a $750 deductible.”
So the questions remains is a dash cam worth it? Some of my clients have had their deductible waived by proving innocence with dash cam footage. Imagine being blamed for something you did not do and having to pay for it? Well without a dash cam you are definitely paying your deductible. With a dash cam you will get a chance to tell your story.
Capture Evidence of Accident
Having a silent witness on the road through a dash cam recording can help prove fault in accidents. Knowing who is at fault can allow you to settle outside of court quickly so you can move on with your life. Dishonest drivers may flee the scene or lie when they realized they are at fault. Above all, without the dash camera it makes it a lot harder to prove innocence. Imagine you are sitting at the stop lights and the car in front of you reverses into you. As a result, you are at fault and have no way to prove innocence.
A friend of mine dash cam just saved him from a 50/50 insurance claim. His dash camera proved he was going through a green light and not running a red. Therefore, without the footage he would have been hoping for a witness. Video down below.
Parents Can Monitor New Car Drivers
When you have a young driver on the road with a brand-new license as a parent, you go through a wave of emotions, both excited and terrified. While you know your teenager understands the rules of the road with an adult in the car, what will it be like when they go out on the road alone? Or even with friends in the car. You may not be able to be in the car with them as they go out on the road independently, but you can find a way to ensure that they are protected and accounted for. As you are considering different options, the choice to buy your teen a dash cam is an option that provides a range of helpful features.
Say your teen experiences an accident, and it isn’t evident which driver was liable; you can look at the footage of the dash cams to help determine who made a mistake. This can be especially helpful for young drivers who are still trying to understand how to utilize the guidelines of driving in practice without reminding them. Understandably, they may experience a few hiccups as they get used to driving on the road without someone to make suggestions when they may be doing something incorrectly.
Looking over the footage with your teen can also be a helpful way for them to understand what they need to work on when it comes to their driving. Like athletes and actors, it can be beneficial for drivers to look over how they were driving in different situations when they are starting to move on their own. Dash cams provide the ability to reflect on specific rules that need to be remembered more regularly. All great reasons on why to buy your teen a dash cam.
Vandalism
If you are worried about vandalism happening to your car. A few things we recommend to get best use out of a dash camera.
Let us know so we can properly advise you on best solution
To have 24 hour parking mode coverage we recommend a powercell otherwise low battery protection will kick in and you wont capture any recordings
Look at dash cams with motion detection or time lapse mode
Talk to your insurance company to find out if they will waive your deductible if you prove innocence
Is a Dash Cam worth it?
In short, is a dash cam worth it? I think the decision is yours to make. We do not leave home without it. There is plenty of benefits that will assist you in your daily drive. If you have any questions do not hesitate to ask.
Can I get a dash cam with longer than 1 minute video recording time? So, all the dash cameras we deal with offer 1 minute record time. If there are any incidents, or impacts they are usually 20-30 second video clips. There are a couple reasons why you want to get a dash cam with these features.
One of the reasons is you want the smaller file size.
It will be easier to find the specific file
Most insurance companies want a maximum 25mb file size.
Quick to download a shorter video file to your phone
Recording Size
Think about this if you had a 10 minute or 15 minute video you will now possible be downloading 500mb or a few Gb of video. Then you will have to take that huge file and use video editing software so you can share it on the socials or submit to insurance company. Why most dash cams have 20-30 second incident files or max 1 minute video. It makes it easier to submit for insurance purposes. Also is typically under 25mb in size.
Recording Time
Therefore, some more food for thought. All the dash cameras we carry delete 1 video file and record 1 brand new video file. So, if your video file is 15 minutes or 1 hour you will lose 1 full hour just like that gone. While losing a 1 minute or 20 second file is minimum. Keep in mind most people dash cams come with a small SD card that typically only records 1 or 2 hours of continuous recording.
Downloading Time
Furthermore, if you want to download a 1-minute video it will typically take you approximately 1 minute. However, riddle me this try downloading a 15 minute or 1 hour video file to your phone and now you’re in your car for 15 minutes to an hour. Never mind the space you need to have available on your phone.
In short, it may sound like a minor detail but keep that in mind when searching for a dash camera. Your dash cam video recording time is important.
