How to Choose a Dash Cam for Your Car
by
Clean Drive Singapore
on
February 08, 2024
The roads and highways can be dangerous nowadays. There are so many accidents caused by reckless drivers. Even though road accidents have been increasing in Australia in the last few years, the numbers are still high. Luckily, there are devices that can help you be more careful and avoid accidents and fraud. The car dash cam is one of them. It'll be your second pair of eyes on the road.
What's a Dash Cam?
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| Source: thepersonal.com |
This simple, yet very practical device is essentially a small camera that can be mounted on your windscreen, dashboard or rear-view mirror. Their goal is to record videos of your driving. This way you’ll have footage of the events that happened on the road. The camera is powered by the battery in your car and starts recording as soon as you take off.
Everything that the camera records is stored on a memory card, so you can review it later. Some cameras even have special features that include night vision, GPS tracking or audio recording. This way you have every possible detail about your travels. This camera is a wise investment no matter if you’re looking for some extra protection, peace of mind or just a way to make more memories.
What to Consider When Buying
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| Source: crutchfield.com |
Image Quality
The camera’s image quality depends on several factors. Those are resolution, field of view, frame rates and night vision. There's a wide variety of dash cameras on the market, but not all of them have a high resolution. The resolution is basically the number of the image’s vertical pixels. Keep in mind that more pixels mean a better resolution.
The field of view tells us how wide the camera can see. This varies from one manufacturer to another, and it can greatly affect the quality of the image because if the field of view is very wide the image’s quality might decrease. So, before buying the device, ask to see at least a photo from the field of view of the camera.
When it comes to frame rates, the minimum number of frames per second is 30. Some cameras can go up to 60fps but then they take up more storage space. Night vision can be very helpful for drivers who often ride their vehicles during the night. The footage is not as light and as detailed as it's during daylight, but you can still see what’s going on.
Batteries
The majority of these cameras use your car’s power to run. This means they turn on when you start the car and turn off when you turn off your car. But some of them run on batteries and don’t depend on the vehicle. Most people don’t need this feature, but some want the camera to continue recording while they’re in the parking lot. However, not many cameras have a long battery life, so choose this option carefully.
Storage Space
It's always a good idea to get a bigger SD card. This will give you a lot of storage space for your recordings. These memory cards are cheap, so it won’t be a big investment. The specification of the camera decides how much footage a card can contain because different cameras rely on different levels of file compression and video resolution. Many cameras come with their own SD card, but it’s usually a small one, so make sure you buy an upgrade.
Stay away from cameras that don’t allow for an extra card, or a bigger one. Some cams can record on a loop and delete some important footage that you may have. Luckily, the majority of them have a G-Sensor. This is the most common footage protection. It sends a signal to the camera to save the footage and then lock it in the storage card.
Mounting Method
Once you have your camera, there are a few different ways to mount it. Depending on the model, dash cams can be mounted on the windscreen or the dashboard. The windshield is a good option for people who don’t want clutter on their dash, or if they already have a phone stand on it.
Dash cameras often attach to the dash or windscreen using a suction mount, which is a rather sturdy mounting method. Some people apply a sticky adhesive to the windscreen or dash. These can be a bit more difficult to work with because they are more difficult to move and unstick. Plus, it can occasionally leave some adhesive behind. Their advantage is that they save you space.
Connectivity
We live in a time with great technological advancements. Everything around us is smart, so why not our dash cameras as well? They can be connected to your phone or the internet by a Bluetooth connection. This type of connection brings a lot of advantages.
First, you won’t have to deal with annoying cables all over the dashboard. Next, you’ll be able to control and manage the footage through your phone. You can cut, post, speed up or slow down the video with just a touch of a finger. And there are no tiny screens with weird menus to scroll through.
GPS
The GPS option is an extra feature in your car dash cam. You won’t necessarily need it, but it can be very useful at times. It allows you to collect data for your car’s location and the speed you’re driving, which can be very helpful if you’re in an accident. This option is especially useful for companies that have drivers. This way owners can track the drivers and get informed right away about any inconsistency or an accident.
Alerts
Some cameras have the alert option. This is a very convenient feature to have because if someone hits your car on the parking lot, the camera will be activated, and you’ll get an alert on your phone about the incident. The message includes the car’s location, video footage from the camera and the option to call the emergency services.
Multiple Cameras
Dash cameras are great, but they can only record the front of the car. Sometimes this is not enough because accidents can happen at the back of the car as well. That's why you should consider a multiple-camera system with a cam at the back as well. This will give you a wider view of what’s happening around you.
