Something worth thinking about when making your purchase:
Most of these camera's require Class 10 SD Cards (Micro). Anything less and the playback is not guaranteed to be (a) good quality. (b) actually saved for when you need it.
Also you should you check if it has:
Automatic day and night mode switching, triggered by ambient light.
Anti-glare and shake.
Date & Time displayed on the video.
High Definition 1080i output & recording.
Parking Mode. Switches the camera 'on to record' if it detects a "thump" (car park ding)
G-Sensor. This will save any section of recording loop if the car detects a "thump" as in an crash. IT saves you (no pun) having to remember to save that file at a time of stress.
Without the above you may be buying a chocolate tea pot as the video will not be considered "evidence quality" in the event you ever wish to use it in anger.
They "can" generate a lot of noise on the power line that leads to interference on the video and in the cars systems. If possible use a quality hard-wire installation kit that comes with "ferric beads" to help reduce any interference.
Most hardwire kits today "should" come with a blade fuse piggyback adapter. This allows you to simply take power from an existing (switched power) blade fuse in your car.
1. Unplug the chosen fuse.
2. Plug in your adapter to the now empty fuse slot.
3) Plug your removed fuse into the empty slot on the adapter.
4) Test that the camera switches on/off as designed with the cars ignition (switched)
With all of the above, you can then line it up, and forget about it. As mentioned earlier. It is worth every now and again testing the playback to be certain that all is working as you would expect.
For those who say "why bother" there is no need to bother at all. It is just another tool in the bag that can help you in the event that an incident occurs to you that requires witness's.
I was recently (another true story) forced off the road, to my right, on a roundabout approach, with traffic lights. No damage done and I would have just got on with life (annoyed). The people who forced me off the road? The Police....... Who, seemingly not able to judge a gap between my car and a car on my inside (we were both stationary in a long queue of traffic at the lights) decided to shout at me to move to my right (I had no room to move or would have already done so). They then proceeded to attempt to get through a gap that was not there, whilst shouting at me to "move my "f'ing car".
Two days later, I was visited at home by the Police asking why I had failed to allow them through? I went out to my car, brought in the memory card and replayed the video (whoops). A full and well meant apology from Kent Police was immediately offered up. This was then followed up by them checking their own in car video and audio, which backed up my evidence that I could not move right or left, forwards or backwards. I was asked what I wished to happen to the two officers concerned, who, had lodged a complaint against me!!! I asked that they be reminded that dash cams are now a fact of life in everyday motoring and they should re-consider their attitude. I also stressed that I would be watching for any erroneous traffic stops on my car/reg.
