Dashcam research

[Kopfjaeger]

Further to @Andrews topic on dashcams, I thought I'd share my research. I've created this topic, as it isn't strictly a recommendation, but a journey.....

Dashcams come in many versions and huge range of costs. The BMW versions are rebadged aftermarket and for the costs, I think you can get better by using other products.

Before diving deeper, I will explain my 'preferences', so you can understand my perspective. I seek quality and neatness, so I don't want a £20 supermarket product with dangling wires. As an engineer, I'm interested in the technology, so that is also important.

The most important part of a dashcam is the 'camera' and by extension the image sensor. Then the SOC that records the images seen by the sensor;  these are packaged, you can't really mix and match, so you have to hunt the product that may match the technology you want to use.

The most basic resolution and cheapest are the 720p versions. These are ancient and with better versions currently available  probably not worth using.

That leaves 1k, 2k and 4k versions. As of writing I've not seen any 8k versions yet.

Based reviews I've seen, the best sensors are provided by Sony, specifically the Starvis range.  The latest standard is Starvis 2. Common versions are IMX 307, 323, 335 and 415. SONY has loads of various IMX sensors, but they aren't all used for dashcams. There are other image sensor manufacturers, Samsung, Panasonic, but I've not come across dashcams using those sensors. Model version quality doesn't necessarily get better with higher numbers. The 335 model appears to be better for a dashcam than the 415, for example, plus I don't think I've seen any dashcams with IMX415s. The majority of those using Sony sensors use the IMX 307 or IMX 335  with some using the IMX323

The next important aspect is the video encoding. H.264 has been superseded by H.265.

The more expensive dashcams use the IMX335 with H.265 encoding and these are typically 4K resolution. The image quality at 4K should be better than at 1k. Although this is subjective and depends on implementation. Also if your windscreens are filthy, the quality of your images/recordings will be awful, irrespective of technology. I've seen some reviews where lower resolution images are clearer than the higher resolution....its a bit of a jungle!

You can get front and rear mounted dashcams, for optimum coverage. For those vehicle owners without a rear windscreen wiper, I think a rear view dashcam is pointless as in wet conditions the images will be blurry, but it's a personal choice at the end of the day.

There are different styles of dashcam, too. Some come with screens, some without, some with GPS others not. Those that don't have screens rely on external players to view recordings.

Cheap varieties don't support high capacity memory cards. The better versions support up to 256Gb.

Most dashcams worth considering  have G sensors  loop recording and incident recording file locking.

It's worth noting that dashcams with GPS data have more value in litigation situations than those that don't.

A lot of the dashcams in my opinion look ugly and I dislike trailing wires.....

There are some dashcams that are designed to look OEM, but these are outnumbered by the the 'ugly' variants. None of the big manufacturers offer OEM versions, from my research to date.

The more expensive models offer LTE connectivity and cloud storage. These products are premium and you have monthly charges to consider.

Early on in my research, I was thinking of installing a Blackvue 900X plus, then the 970X LTE was released, until I read some reviews about image quality versus some other, smaller brand models....and changed my mind.

If you've read this far, we'll done, I've probably bored most readers rigid by now... am I the 'baldric' of the 5 forum🤣🤣🤣🤣?

So, for my requirements, I opted for a generic OEM version that uses a Sony IMX335 and H.265 coding. It cost less than a £100.

I'll update the forum once I get my Chinese technology and install it......

 

[dj123]

Most dashcams run with an over-write functionality so you don't need a huge memory card. So long as you clear out the protected files/saved ones of incidents you don't need a huge amount of storage. 

How you install the camera will depend on where the wires go for power - its easy to install one without any wires visible. I've got a Road Angel Halo installed and power it from the back of a power socket in the centre console. The camera is cylindrical and barely noticeable from outside the car, and the wires are hidden behind the headlining/a pillar/glove box & centre console. 

It's easy to access the files and download them as it is to manually save files when driving (tap the camera to set off the g-sensor). 

At the end of the day all it needs to do is portray an incident in the way it happened.  Whether that be an accident, dangerous driving or other incidents on the road.

[Kopfjaeger]

OK, an interim update on the dashcam. An order was placed on 17/7 and received on 26/7. Not bad for gods shipped from China. Cost was about £95, delivered, including VAT.

The goods were well packaged and no signs of damage. The photos show the wiring loom and the camera. It also came with a trim tool. I'm happy with the build quality, I was expecting worse, but may be got lucky.🤣

I've sleeved the main wire in preparation for the installation.

I've tested the wiring and it's good. I've also determined that only 5 of the connections. These are ground, ACC (Yellow) , Bat+ (Red)

The only issue, at the moment is the supplied wiring🙄. It isn't the same, as suggested in the advert. Apparently I have a newer upgraded version. The build quality is good, but my gripe is the fuse board wiring, that has been terminated in hard wired 15A mini fuse blades.  Normally, the power wiring is bare, so it's easy to fit the appropriate size fuse blade or use a fuse tap. This would be great, if I was going to use vacant mini fuse slots in the front fuse board. However, I'm not, as there are none spare and the circuit I want to use is an ATO (big?) size.

It's interesting to see that the 8 pin lead also has an RCA connector to output video. I wasn't expecting that. Its of no use with the OEM installation, but if I fit an aftermarket screen, that will take a DVR input.

I've had no feedback on my fuseboard query about permanent power (Red wire), so have parked that for the time being.  So for accessory power (Yellow wire), I be using fuse slot F54. This the fuse that serves the 12V accessory sockets in the cabin and nothing else, so good to use. The inline fuse (black bullet) is an F1AL250, so fast acting 1A fuse. F54 is rated for 20A, so no over power issues to worry about, even if the accessory sockets are used to charge phones.

To overcome the hard wired mini fuse blade issue, I've used the old grey matter....😁.

I've ordered a couple of 5x20 inline fuses, complete with tails, plus a couple of fuse taps, of the appropriate size. I will use half of the new inline fuse holder with the taile and joint it to the fuse tap. This means no need to cut any wires. The inline 5x20 fuse assemblies and fuse taps cost about £10 in total. They'll be delivered tomorrow.

The front fuse box isn't really accessible on the F07, to work on without taking out the passenger glove box. So this will come out as well the underdash trim panel.

The passenger A Pillar trim needs to be removed so I can route the dashcam wiring between dashboard and roof headliner. I could probably push the wire behind the trim, but I want to secure it properly, away from the air bag. I don't plan on dropping the front of the head liner though. The cable should push over the edge inside the liner and can be routed from the liner to the camera via the existing plastic cable cover to the camera.

The new camera is in a bespoke housing, that replaces the existing plastic cable cover for the wing mirror and rainsensor wiring. So when finished, NO visible wiring.

I may also fit a 24mm CPL filter (circular polarising filter) that will cut down on glare. These are available for less than £10 and some have magnetic mounts. I'm not sure how I'd fit the filter to the housing, but likely to 'glue it carefully to one half of the housing, so the original frame split operation can be maintained.

[Kopfjaeger]

So camera has been fitted, just some wiring issues to sort🙄.

[Kopfjaeger]

Well I'm having fun....

I've installed everything and it doesn't work🙄.

So I've had to go all forensic and figure what is wrong.

There is the main wiring loom terminating in an 8pin plug. This plugs on to a pigtail connected to the camera. The connectors are keyed, so you can't connect it incorrectly.

Before installation, I checked the wiring for continuity. It all checked. Today, I rigged a 12V power supply and proved the camera works. When fitted in the car, nothing.

I've checked and have power from the fuse board.

I finally found the culprit. It's the wiring. The wiring pin-outs on the pigtail don't align with main loom pin-outs 😡.

All the connectors are moulded and they don't come apart, without being destructive. So I need to get a new 8 pin connector and reterminate the main loom to match the camera.

So another interner search to find an 8 pin connector that I can use.....

Or buy a new loom and hope it matches the camera wiring, or change all the connections at the fuse board end🙄.

Good job I like a challenge.🤣🤣🤣

[Kopfjaeger]

So an update to the mini saga....

For simplicity's sake, I bought another cable from a different supplier. The original cable was a 5 core cable using 8 pin plugs/ sockets. 3 of the connectors aren't used. The replacement cable used is an 8 core, so only need to use 5 of them.

To use F54 for accessory power, I modified a fuse extension lead, by shortening the 15cm lead between blade connector and new socket to provide the necessary clearance of the localised obstructions. +12V is on the RHS of the fuses, so the tap lead is connected leaving the board to the LHS. The permanent live has been taken from a lower fuse, that primarily serves the wing mirrors. Lower down the fuse board  the fuse taps fit without any modifications required.

I haven't driven anywhere yet to test the video, but the still photos are good enough for my use.

The OEM casing and camera are of a quality I'm happy with.

The Dashcam WiFi is flaky, to say the least. It just keeps dropping,but I've managed to be connected long enough to set-up the camera and recording settings.

The software used isn't bespoke either. You have the choice of Timacam or Roadcam from the Google play store. I've used Timacam. It is awful as it uses ads, which is a PITA if you're using a device with a flaky WiFi connection.  It's bearable, as I will rely on the microSD card that is used for recording images and video.

I've paid about £100 in total for the camera and leads and had some entertainment getting it to work.

There are a couple of more expensive versions in the £200-£300 range ( OE witness and FitcamX), that appear to use the same hardware. I'm guessing, in assuming they might have bespoke software they use that isn't laden with adverts. When I have the time, I'll see if the FitcamX software works.

I prefer my single OEM look camera with 'fudged' usability, to dropping between £500-£1kish for more conventional cigar tube type options.

I might update this thread, if anything of interest occurs in the use of said dashcam.

So each to their own.