Dash Cams - What Are My Options ?

venomx

Just started driving again and want to get a dashcam just in case of any accidents caused by other people.
I know some require to be wired to the fuse-box and need to be installed professionally ( i'd have no idea how to mess with a fuse box )
and some can be plugged into the cigarette lighter socket.

I don't want any wires in the way ( the only cigarette lighter I have is right in the middle by the gear stick ), and i'd like 180degree angles. Ideally 1080p and upwards.

Halfords look good, as I can buy online. Then take it down there and have it fitted

Budget is about £150 max
Best I could find is this... as I can have it delivered to my local Halfords and have it fitted too at a time to suit me. I can also have them come here and fit it. I'll probably go for this one...
https://www.halfords.com/technology/dash-cams/nextbase-222-dash-cam-158982.html
Thanks

tacpot12

You can get a Hardwire Kit that allows an ordinary person to hardwire the camera into the fusebox. (You pull out a prexisting fuse, insert a part from the hardware kit into the fuseway, and put the fuse that you removed back into the  part from the hardware kit). 

You need to identify whether the fuseway you are proposing to use is always live, or only live when the ignition switch is turned on. If you want the camera to pickup any accidents that happen while the car is parked, you will need one that is always live  - the camera goes into Sleep mode to reduce power consumption when it senses the car is parked.

You will probably find some instructions on how to remove the trim on the internet (or YouTube) if this is necessary, but often it isn't, as the wire can just be pushed behind the trim. Sometime you might need to pull the trim away from the body to get the cable behind it. 

I woudl recommend the NextBase 322GW camera (currently £109 on Amazon). The Hardware Kit is £14 on eBay. This YouTube video shows you how to do it: https://youtu.be/ImX6OEJccwo
 

Grumpy_chap

venomx said:

Just started driving again and want to get a dashcam just in case of any accidents caused by other people.
I know some require to be wired to the fuse-box and need to be installed professionally ( i'd have no idea how to mess with a fuse box )
and some can be plugged into the cigarette lighter socket.

I don't want any wires in the way ( the only cigarette lighter I have is right in the middle by the gear stick ), and i'd like 180degree angles. Ideally 1080p and upwards.

Halfords look good, as I can buy online. Then take it down there and have it fitted

Budget is about £150 max
Best I could find is this... as I can have it delivered to my local Halfords and have it fitted too at a time to suit me. I can also have them come here and fit it. I'll probably go for this one...
https://www.halfords.com/technology/dash-cams/nextbase-222-dash-cam-158982.html
Thanks

Nextbase are often noted as amongst the best dashcams - we have the 312 model and it's great, but there is no reason you can't choose another model if you prefer.

We also found the Halford We Fit service very good for the dashcam install and I'd recommend it.  Competitively priced so why bother faffing around yourself, especially if you are just not that confident with this type of thing, or would simply prefer not to bother.

As far as I am aware, Halfords will only install the dashcam if they supplied it.  They currently have the 222 model that you like at £114 fitted, so well within you budget

venomx

Grumpy_chap said:

venomx said:

Just started driving again and want to get a dashcam just in case of any accidents caused by other people.
I know some require to be wired to the fuse-box and need to be installed professionally ( i'd have no idea how to mess with a fuse box )
and some can be plugged into the cigarette lighter socket.

I don't want any wires in the way ( the only cigarette lighter I have is right in the middle by the gear stick ), and i'd like 180degree angles. Ideally 1080p and upwards.

Halfords look good, as I can buy online. Then take it down there and have it fitted

Budget is about £150 max
Best I could find is this... as I can have it delivered to my local Halfords and have it fitted too at a time to suit me. I can also have them come here and fit it. I'll probably go for this one...
https://www.halfords.com/technology/dash-cams/nextbase-222-dash-cam-158982.html
Thanks

Nextbase are often noted as amongst the best dashcams - we have the 312 model and it's great, but there is no reason you can't choose another model if you prefer.

We also found the Halford We Fit service very good for the dashcam install and I'd recommend it.  Competitively priced so why bother faffing around yourself, especially if you are just not that confident with this type of thing, or would simply prefer not to bother.

As far as I am aware, Halfords will only install the dashcam if they supplied it.  They currently have the 222 model that you like at £114 fitted, so well within you budget

Thanks everyone. I will go for the nextbase.
They do have a front + rear model available too. However it's quite expensive.. Should I get that or just the front facing camera ?

VFR

Front & Rear if you can afford it.

Goudy

Have a look around here:
https://dashcamtalk.com/

There's also a forum which is handy for tips, tricks, setup and niggles of every cam.

Hardwiring a cam yourself isn't hard, I bet if you search Youtube they'll be vids others have made fitting one into the same model car as yours. With most cars you don't need any tools.

Fitting a front and rear is a bit more intensive as you need to route the cable from back to front under various bits of plastic trim for the rear cam, so if you have one of these fitted expect a larger fitting bill.

Before you dive in, have a check around the internet what cams others are fitting to your car model.
Some style of cam suit some cars better than others.
I've fitted a couple of cams to cars that have had those brake support cameras behind the internal mirror and it's been difficult to postion the dashcam properly.

The latest Fiesta was a pain, if you move the cam to the passenger side of the mirror/brake support camera, there's a big gap at the top screen the wiper doesn't clear and if you fit it lower, it's smack in front of the passenger!

Ended up fitting a small, barrel type Blackvue cam that sticks up under the brake support cam in the centre.

venomx

If I get a rear cam too, does it sit on the back window or does it connect to the front camera and sit in the front facing backwards ?

Jenni_D

I think you can get front/rear dashcams that have both camera in the one device, but typically there'd be a separate rear camera mounted on/near the rear window and wired back to the front dashcam device. (As @Goudy alludes to above). The separates will give a better rear image.

Grumpy_chap

Goudy said:

Hardwiring a cam yourself isn't hard, I bet if you search Youtube they'll be vids others have made fitting one into the same model car as yours. With most cars you don't need any tools.

This is one of those cases where DIY really does not seem worth it if you have any doubts or really would just prefer to have it fitted.

If I understand correctly, you need to buy the dash cam plus the hardwire kit (around £20) to fit yourself.

OR, buy the dash cam plus the £35 We Fit service from Halfords, which includes the hardwire kit. 

So, the cost extra charge for having the job done for you is only £15.  Why not just do that?

Goudy

Grumpy_chap said:

So, the cost extra charge for having the job done for you is only £15.  Why not just do that?

Because it doesn't save you any money.
You'll probably do a better job.
When you sell the car and want to remove the cam you'll know how so you won't have to pay someone to take it out or leave it in the old car then buy another cam for the new car and then pay someone to fit that one as well.

There's also some satisfaction in doing it yourself.
Satisfaction of learning something new.
Satisfaction you're at least as bright as the young chap or chapess on minimum wage Halfords pay to fit them.

 

There are different types on cam that will record both front and rearwards.

There are ones that mini cabbers use that mainly record what is going on out front, like a normal dashcam AND in the back of their cabs.
These sometimes replace the internal mirror and won't give a good view out the rear of the car.

Then there are split cams, like the Viofo A129 Pro Duo, one camera/recorder in the front window linked to another camera in the rear window.

You could just use two dashcams, one front and one rear but you'd need to hardwire both of them seperately.
The Duo or split camera system, you only need to hardwire the front cam/recorder. The rear cam plugs directly into the front cam/recorder.

venomx

I went for the Nextbase 322GW Front & Rear Dash Cam Bundle
They will hard-wire and come to me and install for £55