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Presently, among the top dashcams, they are mostly all capacitor powered, such that if there is loss of electrical power in a car accident, the capacitor still stores enough charge for several more seconds of video footage recording.
Amongst the top dashcams, only the Taiwanese Dodd LS470W+ still persists with a small built-in battery, which makes it not as heat resistant as the capacitor powered dashcams, but then it has its own power supply.
In a hot climate, best go for "remote lens" dash cams, where the lens and camera sensor is separate from the electronic unit containing the microprocessor CPU & the memory card and battery/capacitor, eg the Street Guardian SGZC12RC single channel.
Here, only the lens and sensor is attached to the windscreen - taking the solar thermal damage from the sun.
Meanwhile the CPU electronic box is often stored in the cool environment of a glovebox etc.
Remote lens dashcams have other advantages:
1) With the remote lens/sensor dashcam attached to the rear windscreen, the electronic unit either on the dashboard or inside the glove box etc, can be used as a reversing rear camera!
2) The remote lens/sensor design also allows for a very small and compact lens/sensor unit which can fit between the rear windscreen, and the rear motorized sunshade of luxury sedans like the GS; most conventional dashcams cannot fit in this tight space.
3) The remote lens/sensor designs will allow the lens/sensor attached to the windscreen to be compact & inconspicuous, yet allow the main electronic PC box to become much larger to support: larger LCD capacitive touchscreen displays, and much faster multicore processors, and multiple micro SD cards for faster simultaneous data write speeds, and much larger fan/liquid cooling to support such faster electronics and heat build up.
Koonlung does make a K1S dual channel remote lens dashcam, where the two dashcams are separate from the electronic box.
However, once again, presently a single microprocessor cannot digest the data from the two cameras simultaneously, such that the bitrate must be reduced resulting in compromized video, esp in low light conditions.
Dashcams have NOT got around to using "twin core" or multi-core processors with "active cooling" yet.
Presently, they are just very small units attached to the windscreen with little cooling, so we can't expect ultrafast processors which can process data from two channels simultaneously.
Best buy two single channel cameras for the front and the rear windscreens.
Two single channel dashcams is also more failsafe, because if one is not recording, the other dashcam will still be recording.
In years to come, we will have:
1) larger sensors with both higher resolution like UHD 4K @ 3840x2160 for more detail, but with larger pixel sizes for superior low light performance,
2) faster video frame rates like 60 fps, or even 120 fps,
3) multi channels like dual, or even quad channels with left and right side video recording,
4) more remote lens/sensor designs with a separate electronic box mounted inside a glovebox etc for solar thermal protection,
5) faster multi-core processors with fan or even liquid cooling,
6) multiple micro SD memory cards, eg twin or even quad micro SD cards, one for each camera channel - for faster data write speeds.
All this will take years, because presently, the dashcam industry is still relatively small...
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Wow. Thanks for the detailed response. I'm about to pull the trigger on the street guardian, but how is it compared to the others that were listed on heat resistance. I'm pretty sure the reason why my Rexing cam died was because of the heat.
Wow. Thanks for the detailed response. I'm about to pull the trigger on the street guardian, but how is it compared to the others that were listed on heat resistance. I'm pretty sure the reason why my Rexing cam died was because of the heat.
Unfortunately, presently there is no perfect dashcam.
The most heat resistant dashcam will be the Street Guardian SGZC12RC outlined two posts above, simply because the lens and sensor is separate from the electronic box stored typically in the glovebox etc.
However, the three downsides of the RC is:
1) The Zoran processor doesn't match as well with the Sony sensor, thus the video quality, esp in low light - isn't quite as good as the SG9665GC which uses a Novatek processor.
2) The RC does not have GPS for accurate time, distance and location.
3) The RC is a little expensive.
The Koonlung K1S is a dual channel remote lens/sensor dashcam, but the single processor cannot handle data coming from the dual channels simultaneously, hence the video quality is rather compromised, esp in low light, but this remote lens/sensor dashcam is also extremely heat resistant, because the electronic box is tucked away from sunlight.
Amongst the conventional dashcams where the lens, sensor, processor and memory card are all bundled in one unit box, the Taiwanese Vicovations are the most single-handedly heat resistant, rated at -20 to 85 degrees Celsius in their country's metric units.
While most dashcams are rated at -20 to 70 degrees Celsius.
Street Guardian SGZC12RC with metal lens & sensor housing.
While the SGZC12RC's plastic CPU memory card unit is stored in the cool environment of the glove box.
Expect more of these "remote" lens/sensor dashcam designs in years to come.
The Koonlung K1S Dual Channel Remote Lens/Sensor.
However, video quality is mediocre.
Vicovation Vico Opia 2 @ -20 to 85 degrees Celsius is the most heat resistant of the conventional 1-piece dashcam designs.
Incidentally, this model is 2nd best in the market for video quality behind the Dodd LS470W+.
However, it has a very clumsy Circular Polarizing Lens CPL Filter to reduce dashboard reflections, and it has an even clumsier ball mount.
With clumsy circular polarizing lens filter CPL front plate attached to reduce dashboard reflections.
Just me, but I use the SG9665GC in the front of my GS.
While I use the SGZC12RC in the rear of the GS, because very few dashcams are compact enough to fit between the rear windscreen and the motorized rear sunshade.
Furthermore, the RC has the electronic box with capacitive LCD in the glovebox so that it can be controlled and visualised from the driver's seat.
Just the front GC dashcam providing GPS is enough; I'm not desperate for the rear RC to provide GPS as well.
If my GS didn't have a rear motorized sunshade, I'd use two (2) SG9665GC units.
With neat Circular Polarizing Lens Filters CPL's attached:
I'm really leaning toward the SG9665GC. I may just end up getting it and hope for the best. What part of CA do you live in may I ask and have you had your dash cam for a while now? Thanks!
Anyone know any installers in Socal/los angeles area for the blackvue?
The guy that does my installs can do it. I feel like his prices are at least somewhat fair and he'll always be willing to meet back up with you if something isn't working.
I'm currently using the A118C. Similar to the street guardian but uses a AR0330 CMOS sensor. I would recommend the A118C or the successor the VIOFO A119 (
I purchased my A118C for $35 on GearBest, I wouldn't even consider the Street Guardian considering how much less the normal A118C is.
This is what i have: http://www.gearbest.com/car-dvr/pp_375217.html
PS i have it hard wired to the drivers side fuse box through the Seat Heater Fuse. Camera only turns on when the car is on
I'm really leaning toward the SG9665GC. I may just end up getting it and hope for the best. What part of CA do you live in may I ask and have you had your dash cam for a while now? Thanks!
I've had my dashcams for around 8 months now.
I'm in Alameda.
I mounted it all myself; it's just like mounting one of those 5" sat navs 10 years ago...
I've had my dashcams for around 8 months now.
I'm in Alameda.
I mounted it all myself; it's just like mounting one of those 5" sat navs 10 years ago...
Thanks for the reply. Ah that's way up to NorCal lol. I'm in SoCal. Just ordered, but also in the market for something cheaper like $100 sub $100 or so`for an older car.
I purchased my A118C for $35 on GearBest, I wouldn't even consider the Street Guardian considering how much less the normal A118C is.
This is what i have: http://www.gearbest.com/car-dvr/pp_375217.html
PS i have it hard wired to the drivers side fuse box through the Seat Heater Fuse. Camera only turns on when the car is on
Is the one on Gearbest the same as the one sold on Amazon or is it a knockoff? Because they have the A118C on Amazon as well. Thanks!
I've had my dashcams for around 8 months now.
I'm in Alameda.
I mounted it all myself; it's just like mounting one of those 5" sat navs 10 years ago...
For those of us much less in the know -- what route did you take from the top and to where did you route for power (cigarette adapter, fuse box)?
For those of us much less in the know -- what route did you take from the top and to where did you route for power (cigarette adapter, fuse box)?
The SG9665GC is mounted far enough below the mid-line of the rear vision mirror, and the car's own built-in camera.
The mini-USB cable plugs into the mini-USB socket on the left.
The central circular 3.5 mm socket is for the external GPS mouse.
There is a right 3.5 mm round socket for an external video monitor, but I don't use this socket.
The mini-USB has a ferrule to reduce magnetic interference.
I used black electrical tape to tape the mini-USB and the GPS mouse cable together.
Notice how this wire bundle passes below the 4GS's built-in car camera?
Where the rear vision mirror is attached to the front windscreen, the wire bundle splits to the left and right.
To the left passes the mini-USB cable to the cigarette lighter socket for power.
To the right passes the GPS mouse cable.
The two cables pass left and right under the cloth headlining towards the front left and right A pillars.
The GPS mouse attaches to the top right hand corner of the inside of the front windscreen.
Just tuck the thin GPS mouse cable with your short finger nails; that's all.
Meanwhile the mini-USB power cable is pushed in the join between the front left A pillar and ceiling headlining.
The mini-USB power cable is then tucked under the black rubber seal running down the left side of the door into the area under the front left dashboard.
Mostly use your finger nails, assisted by a car interior "trim removal" tool, but DON'T actually remove any trims!
Just pry them slightly open with a trim removal tool to tuck the cable in.
Don't do this; it's an overkill.
Totally unnecessary.
You also risk setting off the curtain air bags!
From here, I used to run the mini-USB power cable under the driver's floor mat to the area between the front left driver's seat and the central console into the central console bin, to get power from the 12V cigarette lighter socket in the front console bin.
This diagram from Korean Blackvue may sum up the cabling that you're after.
Note that the dashcam will dictate whether the cable runs to the left or to the right.
In the diagram below, designed for a Blackvue, the cable runs to the right.
For my Street Guardian SG9665GC, the power cable must run to the left; only the external GPS mouse runs to the right.
The mini-USB power cable actually runs from the bottom left corner of the front door, diagonally under the driver's floor mat to the central console with the cable running between the driver's seat and the central console.
Below, is a Blackvue B-112 battery pack, to power the dashcam while parking, yet not drain the vehicle's battery.
Because I have two single channel dashcams for the best video quality, I use a multi socket adapter.
The third 12V socket is to recharge a cell phone.
I prefer to use this twin amperage speed adapter to recharge the cell phone with both 1A and 2.1A options.
The three way socket adaptor above with a built-in 500 mA socket only allows 0.5A recharge speed.
Nowadays, I use a Vicovation Vico Power Plus that is hardwired to the fuse box on the front left side of the car just above the driver's left knee so that the dashcams record during parking.
I'm now thinking of installing two side dashcams, one for the left, and the other for the right rear windows...
If you're interested in an external battery pack, then best go for a Cellink B V2 because it can provide over 20 hours of continuous recording on one battery, and over 40 hours of continuous recording with a second external battery pack attached, but it does cost around $200 each.
The Cellink B V2 simply plugs into your cigarette lighter socket to recharge once the engine is started.
If you want to record while parking, and you're a cheap skate, and you don't mind manually plugging and unplugging every time, then just buy a battery bank.
It will advertise that it is 5V and 50,000 mAH, but it's not...
I just installed the BlackVue 650 2ch and it works great. It's compact and hardly noticeable and with the 128GB flash card you get plenty of recording time. I also have the Power Magic Pro so that I can leave it on when parked. So far it works great and has really good coverage and video quality.
I just installed the BlackVue 650 2ch and it works great. It's compact and hardly noticeable and with the 128GB flash card you get plenty of recording time. I also have the Power Magic Pro so that I can leave it on when parked. So far it works great and has really good coverage and video quality.
Be careful.
The Pittasoft Blackvue DR-650 Series is reasonable, but there are better dashcams out there, especially in low light conditions.
It's like using a compact camera versus a big dSLR camera.
In bright conditions, there may not be much difference between the small compact or the large dSLR, however it is low light conditions that set the cat amongst the pigeons.
The DR-650S is a slightly newer model with a few more features than the DR-650GW, but the video quality is the same.
Whether one or two channels, the video quality of the DR-650 Series is the same.
However, in the DR-650 Series' case, the rear dashcam has a lower resolution & a lower bit rate for much more compromised quality than the front camera.
This was only the old Korean Thinkware F750.
The new Thinkware F770 is better again.
The Taiwanese Dodd LS470W+ and Vicovation Vico Opia 2 single channel dashcams are the two top models for low light performance.
The Street Guardian SG9665GC probably third place for video quality alone. https://www.clublexus.com/forums/gs-...ml#post9859214
The Blackvue DR-650 Series is much bigger in life, than it looks on photo.
While the Street Guardian SG9665GC is much smaller in life, than it looks on photo.
The GC has built-in buttons and LCD screen for instant control, and is free from wireless cell phone connection issues of the DR-650 Series.
Blackvue Power Magic Pro vs Vicovation Vico Power Plus:
05-06-17, 06:54 AM
