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 dashcam. 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.
The main goal is we do not want your car battery to die from the dashcam. We do everything we can during installation to educate our clients and give recommendations to avoid these challenges.
Often people ask me how many dash cam channels should I get? What is the difference between a 1, 2 and 3 channel? Which is the most popular setup? Why get more than 1 camera? It all comes down to your lifestyle. Let’s answer these questions.
https://youtu.be/Qxkqlovv4Hs
1 Channel Dash Cam
Why get a 1 channel dash cam? Typically, these are popular with do it yourself installs and trucking industry. The main purpose is to capture video evidence from the drivers point of view. If you get into a front end collision, someone cuts you off, or maybe you witness an accident. If that is your main worry a front channel dash camera is right for you.
For Example, you are driving down the highway and another car cuts you off aggressively causing an accident you now have footage that can prove your innocence. It will show the car cut you off and did not give you enough time to stop. It also gives your insurance company video evidence. On the other hand, if an accident happens that is the drivers fault it now helps settle outside of court a lot speedier and move forward.
2 Channel Dash Cam
Meanwhile, the most popular setup continues to be 2 channel dash camera. Available in 2 different setups, one which focuses on taxi, Uber, Lyft and the other on front and rear setup.
Rideshare Cameras
Why would anyone get a dash cam for driving Uber, Lyft, or Taxi? The real answer is why would you not. Life of a taxi driver involves lots of driving. Whether it be in food delivery or getting someone from point A to point B you are behind the wheel driving. Accidents can happen in a split second and recalling all those details can be a challenge.
If you are driving clients while dark out most cameras will not pick up any video footage of the interior. Which in turn completely defeats the purpose of having a dash cam. During your drive the camera will pick up heat signatures of people in your vehicle so if any funny business happens you will catch it on camera.
Front and Rear
2 Channel dash cameras have become the most used. In a 2-channel package you receive a front and rear facing camera. Install it with a parking mode cable allows you to record incidents while parked. These dash cams require some more effort, as there is a cord connecting the front camera with the back. Nevertheless, dual cams allow to record a fuller image in case you are hit from behind or get suspicious tailgaters.
Imagine backing out of your parking stall and another car speeds by and hits you. Your 50/50 collision may lean in your favour if they were driving recklessly. Or maybe while you were inside buying groceries another car backed into you. Your rear camera catches the whole incident on video. That is what makes this the most popular setup.
3 Channel
There are many reasons why people strive for perfection. Not only does this cater to the Uber driver, but it also caters to every lifestyle. You get the best of both worlds in 1 package. 3 Channel units have a front facing, interior infrared and rear facing camera. What more could you ask for?
Just think your kid gets their driver’s licence. You give them the keys and tell them to have fun and drive safe. The next day you feel that maybe you want to check up on their driving behaviours. Upon watching the video, you find that your teenager was playing with their phone while driving. Or maybe they were racing their friends. Better yet they drove perfectly and nothing to worry about. Either way you now have advantage to use this as an education tool.
In short, we answered some of the basic questions on dash cam channels. If you have any questions please Contact Us.
We want to address a lot of the common questions about dash cams. There can be lots of confusion when playing with new technology. How does it work? Do I have to do anything to it? Where does the power come from? Will it record while parked? So many questions and we are going to take some time to answer some of them.
Do Wi-Fi Enable Dash Cams Work With My Home Wi-Fi?
Often people get confused with home wi-fi cameras. Your home wi-fi cameras hook up to your home wireless network and hence do not move. Automobiles have wheels and an engine and move from point A to point B and leave any range of your home wi-fi. It may sound silly, but it can be confusing when you see wi-fi enable on a dash camera. No, it will not work on your home wi-fi.
The wi-fi enable dash cams create a wi-fi hotspot for you to pair your phone directly to it. These dash cameras will have an app you can download for Android or Apple. There will be a pairing process between your phone and the camera. In turn you can use your phone via the app to download videos, and change settings. Click Here for examples on the pairing process with Android or Iphone.
Where do you install the dash camera?
I am asked this quite often, and the best answer is, it depends on the vehicle. Every vehicle is different, and some vehicles have very big housings in the centre of your windshield. The goal is to have it as high as possible, and as close to the centre. You always want to make sure the windshield wipers cover the area where you mount it as well. If it snows and it’s not in that prime area, your dash cam will record the white snow and defeat the purpose. Below are some examples of different mounting locations.
Will My Car Battery Die from Installing a Dash Cam?
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. 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.
How long will my dash camera record?
This is the most common question about dash cams. In short it depends on your dash camera, video quality, and the size of memory card. Firstly, make sure you get a dash camera with a memory card. Most commonly dash cams come with 16gb or 32gb memory cards included in the box. This will give you anywhere from 1 to 4 hours of continuous recording. Secondly make sure the dash camera will support 128gb SD card or bigger.
Lets use a 1080P camera, from Thinkware for our example. If only using 1 camera and a 16gb SD card you get approximately 2 hours of continuous record time. As a result, with a 2 camera system you get 1 hour. For instance if you use a 128gb SD card you would get 16.5 hours in 1 channel and 8.25 hours in 2 channel. Below are some examples of potential record time.
What Does the GPS Antenna do?
Above all, I always recommend a GPS antenna to be added to your dash cam. So, what does this GPS antenna do. Does it secretly send signals to the astronauts in space? No, it does not, at least not that I know of. Basically, it considers the rate of speed your vehicle is travelling and shares that information with your video recordings. That way if you’re going 50km/hr it will show on your recording how fast you were going. I also get asked if you can turn this feature off? Yes, you can, not to worry. Also it will provide your location. If you were on highway 1 going 50km/hr it will show that information on the desktop software.
Some people get this confused with GPS tracking. No this is not a GPS tracking device. GPS tracking does live updates, has a sim card, and data plan subscription. The GPS antenna is used to provide information. If you get into an accident, you can prove your speed and location you were driving. This can either work for you or against you. If you’re driving 100km/hr in a 50km/hr zone, chances are you don’t want to hand that footage over. On a positive note, Thinkware Dash cameras will tell you where red light and speed cameras are located.
Will Getting a Dash Cam Installed Void My Vehicle Warranty?
No car dealer can void your warranty on your vehicle. In fact, most car dealers sublet their aftermarket accessory work to specialty retailers. So why would it be okay for them to do it? But not okay for you. Firstly, car dealers want to use their preferred vendors. Most of the time it is someone they trust. Secondly, it gives them a chance to add some profit to the sale of their car. Who doesn’t want to make more money?
There are some instances where a car dealer can void your warranty. But let’s be clear, they cannot void the warranty on your entire car. For example, you go to a specialty shop and get aftermarket fog lights installed. Two weeks after installing you find your headlight switch no longer works. Book in an appointment at your car dealer and they find the specialty shop wired in something wrong. Leaving you with a bill when you thought you had warranty. The car dealer replaces the headlight switch, and you have full warranty again.
If you get any aftermarket work done, I always recommend reaching out to that specialty shop before bringing it in to a mechanic, or car dealer. Mistakes can happen, fuses sometimes blow, after all we are human. Most professional specialty shops have technical information on your vehicle and will have limited challenges. Think twice before trusting the random guy on Kijiji, or Facebook marketplace that will do it for cash.
Conclusion
In conclusion there are many more questions to answer. We will continuously add to this blog monthly. Send us your questions about dash cams so we can answer them.
Did you know the Toyota Rav 4 has been in production for 25 years? As a result, this is the granddaddy of all cross overs. This vehicle is so popular it is available in an off-road, hybrid, or sport model. I know a lot of clients are having troubles getting their hands on one of these vehicles. People are waiting months due to the supply chain shortage. When you do finally get your vehicle. We recommend protecting your Toyota with a dash cam install.
Which One to Choose
With so many dash cameras to choose from nowadays it can be confusing. I often get asked to install the $69 special from Amazon. A couple things about this camera. It does not come with a hardwire cable, no SD card in the box, and there is no retailer I know of selling them locally. So, getting tech support or customer service is a challenge. Support your local retailer. Look for units with night vision, 1080P resolution, parking mode, speed, and location data.
Safety Features
With so many safety features on this new vehicle make sure your Toyota gets a dash cam install. This vehicle comes equipped with Lane Departure Alert with Steering Assist. If you start to drift out of your lane, the steering assist function will provide a small correction and put you back in your lane. Should the unexpected happen, this vehicle comes equipped with 8 airbags. Never mind the fact this vehicle also has parking assistance to help back up, back out, or back in. Perfect for all around safety.
Installation
Getting a dash cam installed does not need to be a complicated process. Make sure you hire a professional. Our customer in Surrey BC outfitted their Toyota with a QA100 Elite dash camera. During the install we were able to make sure not to interfere with any of the safety features. We hid the wiring in the headliner, a pillar, and under the dash. When we finished, we then explained to the client how to pair their phone, download videos, and change settings.
Conclusion
Anyone can get a deal on a dash camera or just buy one. The true art comes in getting a unit professionally installed and having someone teach you how to use it. Buying a dash cam from Safe Drive Solutions is an experience.
