Tow Vehicle Dash Cam

[A.Cassaro]

So I don't know if this is in the right place but couldn't fond a tow vehicle section. I have a 2016 RAM 3500 CC CTD dually I use to pull my 17 355MBQS. I have been wanting to install a dash cam for a while now are they worth it? Can anyone recommend one, I will hard wire it to my truck and I want it mounted as high on the windshield as possible out of sight.

We try to take a couple of long trip a year planning to go to Albuquerque , NM in June. I feel this is just extra insurance in the event something catastrophic would happen. Does anyone else use them?

Any help would be great.

Thanks

Angelo

[robkelly]

I don't remember the specific model, but I've been running a Garmin dash cam for the past five years. I've had no issues with the camera, and simply plug it into my laptop a couple of times a year to get the latest software updates. There's too much craziness on the roads for me to be without one.

DW rarely uses her car, but we have a camera in it too.

[Bookemdanno]

I don’t remember the brand of my dash camera & it doesn’t say on it. Just get a 1080p quality and a wide angle lens. I’ve had it in my Ram 3500 for about 2 years now and just last month hard wired it into the mirror.



Good luck with your purchase. I hope my pictures help.

[Lanwangeek]

Yes, get the dashcam and mount it. Mine is mount high on the windshield on the passenger side near the rear mirror. That way it out of my line of vision. Over the years I’ve had more people cut me off or do all kinds of stunts. One year, I had someone drive through road construction on the wrong side of the cones trying to get in front of me. Not that it did them any good with all the traffic. But either way if they cause a crash then I’ll have video evidence to stand by.

[jasum]

Originally Posted by Bookemdanno

I don’t remember the brand of my dash camera & it doesn’t say on it. Just get a 1080p quality and a wide angle lens. I’ve had it in my Ram 3500 for about 2 years now and just last month hard wired it into the mirror.
Attachment 67126
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Good luck with your purchase. I hope my pictures help.

WTH Dan??
You are supposed to hook it up to 12 volts.......NOT your mirror!!

[Bookemdanno]

Originally Posted by jasum

WTH Dan??
You are supposed to hook it up to 12 volts.......NOT your mirror!!

That’s the Jack I remember! We’ve missed you round here.

[jasum]

Originally Posted by Bookemdanno

I don’t remember the brand of my dash camera & it doesn’t say on it. Just get a 1080p quality and a wide angle lens. I’ve had it in my Ram 3500 for about 2 years now and just last month hard wired it into the mirror.
Attachment 67126
Attachment 67127
Attachment 67128
Good luck with your purchase. I hope my pictures help.

Dan does that make it a ‘back up camera’ ??

[jasum]

Originally Posted by Bookemdanno

That’s the Jack I remember! We’ve missed you round here.

Sorry couldn’t resist........

[A.Cassaro]

Originally Posted by Bookemdanno

I don’t remember the brand of my dash camera & it doesn’t say on it. Just get a 1080p quality and a wide angle lens. I’ve had it in my Ram 3500 for about 2 years now and just last month hard wired it into the mirror.
Attachment 67126
Attachment 67127
Attachment 67128
Good luck with your purchase. I hope my pictures help.

Is the lcd screen on the back distracting? Is the a way to turn if off the way it is only an outward facing camera?

Thanks

Angelos

[Bookemdanno]

Originally Posted by A.Cassaro

Is the lcd screen on the back distracting? Is the a way to turn if off the way it is only an outward facing camera?

Thanks

Angelos

The screen goes black after 30 seconds. So no distraction. You can set it to stay on if you wanted.

[Mopar_Earl]

My Garman GPS has built in dash camera. Works great. It has voice commands so I save the video as needed with voice command. Record's sound, speed, date/time and coordinates. I've collected lots of clips of idiots.


Earl

[spoon059]

I've been researching and considering one as well. Regular 1080P won't be good enough resolution to read registration plates at speed, consider at least a 2K resolution camera. Higher frames per second (FPS) will result in better picture for capturing tags as well. As a police officer, I've had a dash cam in my work car for about 14 years. HD technology was a huge step up, but its still pretty feeble if you are worried about a hit and run collision and needing to see tag numbers with clarity. 2K or 4K resolution allow for you to digitally zoom better and see tag numbers without horrible pixilation.

I wouldn't stress over super long recording times, most cameras record on a loop and save when you push a button or it senses impact. Make sure you buy a class 10 SD card, those are designed for constant recording with degradation. I'd get enough video for 1 hour of continuous recording, per camera. Anything else is just wasted video you are paying to store for no reason.

I prefer the smallest footprint camera possible. I would avoid one with a built in screen for several reasons. Its an unnecessary cost. It requires the camera to be mounted someplace where you can view the screen, which could be a distraction. I would get a camera that streams to your cell phone. You use your cell phone to change settings and use your cell phone to view or share video. That is very convenient, especially if you are involved in a collision and can easily bring up the video on your phone and share it with a police officer on scene BEFORE they write the accident report. Also, you can tuck the camera up behind the rear view mirror, giving you full view forward and not obstructing your view at all.

I wouldn't get a camera that is a single camera with rear view recording, unless you are an Uber driver or something. That rear camera will only capture the interior cabin of the car, not really what is happening behind you. If you want front and rear cameras, it makes more sense to get a separate rear camera (one that ties into the front system would be better) to capture the events that occurred behind you.

Many cameras have a "surveillance" mode that will allow the camera to stay powered even when off. That allows you to catch someone hitting your car in the parking lot while you are away from your vehicle. The problem is that many of them only record AFTER the impact, which might not be enough time to capture identifying information. I'm not sure I would pay too much extra for this feature without knowing more. If it was always recording on a loop, even when the car is turned off, and a collision sensor would result in saving the buffered video so it captures the entire incident, that would be better.

You can get a decent camera for around $75 and up on Amazon. Read reviews and determine your pros and cons before buying. These are just my observations and experiences.

Edit... deal of the day on Amazon... https://www.amazon.com/R2-4K-Dashboa...xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

[jpgale]

I have the Viofo's in both my vehilces. I have the single camera in the truck, this is hardwired using an add a fuse tap and running the wire via the head liner to the camera. The other I have has a front and rear camera in the daily driver and is hardwired using pins into the mirror power. Again all the wires are in the head liners.

I choose these camera's because they use a capacitor rather than a battery. I had other dashcams where the batteries swelled up and were no longer any use. I have been happy so far but have not needed to use them.

[A.Cassaro]

Originally Posted by spoon059

I've been researching and considering one as well. Regular 1080P won't be good enough resolution to read registration plates at speed, consider at least a 2K resolution camera. Higher frames per second (FPS) will result in better picture for capturing tags as well. As a police officer, I've had a dash cam in my work car for about 14 years. HD technology was a huge step up, but its still pretty feeble if you are worried about a hit and run collision and needing to see tag numbers with clarity. 2K or 4K resolution allow for you to digitally zoom better and see tag numbers without horrible pixilation.

I wouldn't stress over super long recording times, most cameras record on a loop and save when you push a button or it senses impact. Make sure you buy a class 10 SD card, those are designed for constant recording with degradation. I'd get enough video for 1 hour of continuous recording, per camera. Anything else is just wasted video you are paying to store for no reason.

I prefer the smallest footprint camera possible. I would avoid one with a built in screen for several reasons. Its an unnecessary cost. It requires the camera to be mounted someplace where you can view the screen, which could be a distraction. I would get a camera that streams to your cell phone. You use your cell phone to change settings and use your cell phone to view or share video. That is very convenient, especially if you are involved in a collision and can easily bring up the video on your phone and share it with a police officer on scene BEFORE they write the accident report. Also, you can tuck the camera up behind the rear view mirror, giving you full view forward and not obstructing your view at all.

I wouldn't get a camera that is a single camera with rear view recording, unless you are an Uber driver or something. That rear camera will only capture the interior cabin of the car, not really what is happening behind you. If you want front and rear cameras, it makes more sense to get a separate rear camera (one that ties into the front system would be better) to capture the events that occurred behind you.

Many cameras have a "surveillance" mode that will allow the camera to stay powered even when off. That allows you to catch someone hitting your car in the parking lot while you are away from your vehicle. The problem is that many of them only record AFTER the impact, which might not be enough time to capture identifying information. I'm not sure I would pay too much extra for this feature without knowing more. If it was always recording on a loop, even when the car is turned off, and a collision sensor would result in saving the buffered video so it captures the entire incident, that would be better.

You can get a decent camera for around $75 and up on Amazon. Read reviews and determine your pros and cons before buying. These are just my observations and experiences.

Edit... deal of the day on Amazon... https://www.amazon.com/R2-4K-Dashboa...xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

Thanks for the info and the Amazon deal, read as many reviews as I could then YouTubed camera.

Just bought for $76

Thanks again

Angelo

[poohbear]

I have a Polaroid dashcam . I've had it maybe 7 or 8 years now. Works good, very small, & they are cheap.

[Big1]

Yes dash cam are very worth it, I have been having one for 12+ years and I am thinking about upgrading to Blackvue DR750X, it does everything it even cook your food, (JJ ). The camera that I'm thinking about getting it's a little spendy but this is what I'm leaning toward to for now.

I have a good friend of mines who where a long time police officer, I told him what people was doing just to get money from your insurance. They would get in front of you and another driver would station themselves in the back. The in the front would slam on brake making you to hit them in their back to get money from your insurance.

So yeah they are very worth getting one.

[curver900]

i have a blackvue... it is awesome... caught my first accident on it after only having it 4 days.. thank goodness it wasn't me!

[Big1]

Which Blackvue do you have, I'm looking at the DR750X or the DR900X, also I might instead of the hardwire thinking about going with the OBD II connection so I will have power even when I have my truck off?

[curver900]

i hardwired mine to the fuse panel so it is always on unless i unplug it. I have left it on for 2 weeks without running the truck no ill effects..the wires are invisible you can't tell it is even in the truck - I have a 2019 GMC

I don't recall the model but it is only the forward facing one and I was cheap so it was on close out thru blackvue... mine would be similar to a 590.

it even tells me when the truck gets bumped.

[Big1]

Originally Posted by curver900

i hardwired mine to the fuse panel so it is always on unless i unplug it. I have left it on for 2 weeks without running the truck no ill effects..the wires are invisible you can't tell it is even in the truck - I have a 2019 GMC

I don't recall the model but it is only the forward facing one and I was cheap so it was on close out thru blackvue... mine would be similar to a 590.

it even tells me when the truck gets bumped.

Okay, I have a 2018 dodge ram 3500 and my fuse box is in the engine bay and they do have it so I could do that one, their are two wires and one ground. One for to turn on when you start up your truck and the other wire is constant on even when you turn your truck off.

I might go that way also, I do have a clear way that I can shoot through the firewall unto my fuse box. I know they are very spendy but hey this is what I'm leaning toward for now but I will see.