So here is our list of Best Dash Cam Black Friday Deals. You can say that a lot of benefits come with Dash Cam.
What is a Dash Cam?
A dash cam, also known as a dashboard camera, is a video camera that is mounted on your vehicle’s dashboard or windshield. This video camera is used to continuously record what is happening on the road in front of your vehicle and, in some cases, inside and behind your vehicle.
The legalities of a dash cam are different in each state in terms of where they can be mounted and whether you can record video only or if you can record video and audio. So make sure you learn what’s legal in your state before making a purchase. This will help you buy what you need to get your new dash cam up and running—legally. Knowing this will also help keep you from needing to make an additional parts purchase or have to return your dash cam because you didn’t know the law.
Types of Dash Cams
Dash cams come in different options from which you can choose.
Basic Dash Cams – These don’t contain many features and are either wired into your vehicle’s electrical system or plugged into a cigarette lighter or 12V socket.
Advanced Feature Dash Cams – This type of dash cam comes with more advanced features such as audio recording, speed sensors, accelerometers, and uninterruptible power supplies.
Dual Camera Dash Cams– A dual camera dash cam is actually two cameras in one device with one facing the outside of the vehicle and one facing the inside of the vehicle.
I expected all dash cam manufacturers to adopt OBD-style power connections this year, but Garmin and the majority of others appear to be sticking with the auxiliary 12-volt power socket (also known as the cigarette lighter) and USB cables. When you turn off the car, however, that power vanishes.
The OBD-II connector is used by outliers like the Owl and PureCam for constant 12-volt power, and OBD-II-to-USB power cables are now available separately (as an alternative to hardwiring kits that draw constant 12-volt power from the wiring harness).
Any dash cam will fit in one with a USB Type A port, which I recommend. Mini-USB is the most common type of captive cable I’ve seen.
Battery (or super-capacitor) Power Dash Cam
If you want to ensure that you record the entire incident when 12-volt power is lost, you’ll need a battery that will keep the camera recording after an accident. It also allows you to record for a while with the car turned off if the run time is sufficient.
While super-capacitors improve the number of times they can be recharged and the operating temperature range, they don’t record for very long, if at all, when 12-volt power is disrupted in a crash.
Incident recording triggered by impact (G) sensors, or when in parking mode (see below), by motion detection.
Continuous loop recording to minimize storage requirements. Video is recorded then immediately overwritten at a specified interval unless saved. Video is saved (protected from overwriting) automatically when an incident is detected. Most dash cams will overwrite older recordings when they run out of space.
Cloud storage is available with some dash cams. Uploading to the cloud in real time is a nice hedge against damage and theft. Assuming the thief isn’t smart enough to kill the dash cam immediately.
Self-powered recording when power fails so that you can be sure to capture all of an incident. This requires a battery or large super-capacitor (See above). The camera should have a setting that allows you to set how long the camera runs off 12-volt before shutting down.
A decently wide field of view: You’ll see cameras with as little as 90 degrees’ field of view, but you’ll catch more of what’s around you if you go for 120 to 140 degrees. Some cameras offer 160 to 180 degree lenses. Note that the wider the field of view, the more fish-eye distortion there is, and more processing is involved to compensate.
Day and night video recording (night quality is a big variant)
Infrared lighting is important if you want to assure good captures of events inside the cabin of your vehicle.
MicroSD card storage. Pricier dash cams bundle a storage card. Some come with larger cards, and some budget models come without. There are often bundles available with the card. One camera we’re aware of, the Owl, opts for hard-wired internal storage.
GPS: This feature could be the tipping point if you use your captured video to resolve a dispute. Watermarking the video is common, but when embedded into the video GPS info is also immensely useful for mapping your travels. GPS will also automatically set the time in better cameras.
Parking monitoring: This can mean two things. Running the dash cam continuously in low frame rate mode to save card space and battery, or running in standby mode and awakening when motion or g-forces are detected. We/ve reviewed cameras (VaVa) that have a battery large enough to monitor the car with the 12-volt turned off for several days, but most cameras require a constant 12-volt source. (See above).
Dual-channel support: This is what you’ll need if you want to run both front and rear, or interior (cabin-view) cameras. Interior cameras are generally situated on the dash cam, but rear cameras are separate and require additional cabling.
HDR (high dynamic range) isn’t necessary, but does make for more detailed video because of better contrast. It also generally indicates richer color which is part of the movement, if not strictly related.
Phone connectivity is not essential, but can make offloading video and configuring the dash cam easier.
Share this with someone who is planning to buy Dash Cam. So that they get better options in their buyer’s list.
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Black Friday deals (black friday dashcam deals) are coming with a plethora of benefits, so do yourself a favor. Check out some Dash Cam from different brands.
I hope this list of the best Dash Cam will be helpful for you.
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