Dash cam recommendations?

[gb7FRz26]

I was really happy with my Viofo.
I have a camper shell that renders my rear view mirror useless, so I got a Wolfbox G890 triple channel mirror mount dash cam. For a couple years I was using an autovox but first one died after a month, second one died after a year and a half so I switched brands. We'll see how the wolfbox holds up. Functions as a digital rear view mirror, but is also recording that angle from the back, a camera on the inside, and forward looking camera.
Viofo Is the brand I recommend to people that ask me if they don't have a special requirement like the camper shell thing.

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[Big Cam]

I went with the FItcam. Can connect to it via WIFI and look at recordings or just pull the card.

It hides very well and plugs directly in. No muss. No fuss.

https://www.amazon.com/Fitcamx-Compatible-Platinum-G-Sensor-Recording/dp/B0B8ZRZZC2/ref=sr_1_2?crid=XCXWOXG124LG&keywords=fitcam+4K+ford&qid=1703169587&sprefix=fitcam+4k+ford,aps,103&sr=8-2&ufe=app_do:amzn1.fos.17d9e15d-4e43-4581-b373-0e5c1a776d5d&th=1

I've been on the fence about a dash cam for years, my big hold up is I didn't want nasty wires running or having to tear apart the interior to hide said wires.

This option is amazing, I can't believe it exists. I'll be picking one up today.

 

[redline]

I have a blackvue 900 , my installer had it hard wired in a couple hours, , I am not sure how useful these things are except for making YouTube vids … I am not sure I would spend the money again

 

[discothan]

I got a Redtiger duel camera using the rear view mirror dongle for power. I have not installed the rear camera as of yet though but am happy with it so far.

+1 here with Redtiger.

The rear-view camera install was simple. Just tucked the long wire behind the door border moulding and tucked the excess wiring above the windshield molding/rear-view cluster molding. The location of my camera is behind the rear-view mirror since I pulled the electricity from it. Out of site, out of mind; though every now and then you have to re-format the microsd and remind yourself how to connect to the camera to download videos.

 

[charlesdf22]

The only thing with this though is it doesn't give you key-off power correct? I'm wanting to get battery power up there so that the shock sensor works even with the ignition off for when the truck is parked.

I could be wrong, but I would think that it would be more of a function of the camera and less of the power. Most of them have a battery or capacitor for this function, I think

 

[The_Auto_Tech]

Got the digital rearview mirror setup from Brandmotion installed. I will say that the instructions are pretty lacking that come with it, but it's not awful to install.

I did take the time to paint the camera bezel gloss black to match the Morimoto third brake light as the bezel came in more of like a charcoal gray. Instead of feeding the rear camera harness across the headliner like the instructions said, I ran it with the factory harness down the B-pillar, along the door sill, and back up the A-pillar to connect it to the main harness. You'll also wanna replace the factory tape covering the third brake light wiring harness hole in the roof as once you peel it back it most definitely will not stick again. I just used Gorilla duct tape.

The other issue I ran into is that the camera bezel was designed to be used with a factory third brake light with the 4 screws securing it, whereas the Morimoto third brake light had the outside screws and 2 clips in the middle. I ended up just using the outside 2 screws and it seems to be tight and sealed fine.

Grabbing battery power, key power, and ground was very easy. There's already a ground lug by the BCM fuse box. Also, there's a handful of fuse slots that aren't used for anything that have constant 12v, so you can easily add an ATM fuse tap. Same for the accessory 12v, there's plenty of those sources than can be fuse tapped for that.

The features of the mirror are great though. Both front and rear cameras can be adjusted up and down from the touchscreen, so you can set the rear camera on different views to be a bed camera, but also as the rear view camera. The front camera has a ton of adjustability as well. It can also just be turned off and used as a normal rearview mirror.

 

[Eskram]

I've been on the fence about a dash cam for years, my big hold up is I didn't want nasty wires running or having to tear apart the interior to hide said wires.

This option is amazing, I can't believe it exists. I'll be picking one up today.

Installed the front/rear cam version today. Definitely an easy install and hides well, especially with a tinted windshield.

 

[TeeJayHoward]

Installed the FitCamX.

The bad
It... works. The wires are longer than I'd like, resulting in a bit of a mess behind the rearview, but it mostly tucks up out of sight. The camera power wire coming out of the in-line adapter needs to be about six inches shorter, and the original harness just kinda juts out. The power wire from the in-line adapter to the camera could have been entirely hidden inside the shell - You plug the harness into the shell, then a short bundle of wires from the shell into the mirror. Nope. The shell's more of an afterthought. Not how I would have designed it. The app is "eh", requiring you to disconnect from your home network, turn off CarPlay, and THEN it'll work. Too inconvenient for regular use. The card that came with it didn't want to show up in Windows with the included card reader. (Although it worked just fine with my little PNY hub/reader.) Video quality is subpar, with terrible artifacting/compression:

License plates are "almost" readable at 20' during optimal conditions. Night shots are even worse, with plates unreadable at ANY distance:

The good
Install was easy - I didn't have to splice anything, which was nice. No complaints about the quality of the plastics or the fit - that's all well done. Packaging was great. It turns on with the truck, and records stuff, which is really all you need.

All in all I consider it a situation where you're over-paying for convenience. Nothing I complained about is bad enough for me to consider replacing it. I just feel like I over-paid for what I got. A $40 camera, a $5 plastic shell, and a $5 adapter shouldn't run $175.

 

[The_Auto_Tech]

Figured I'd toss up a picture of the rear camera setup for those wondering. Morimoto XB third brake light as well.

 

[cool rod]

I have the Viofo and the only bad thing is that it doesn't connect to your phone wirelessly. That makes it difficult to access the tiny screen and you have to download from the data card and that generally means you have to do it at home, not on the scene of an accident. If I was to buy another dashcam I would be sure to check that.

 

[sbi]

I have the Viofo and the only bad thing is that it doesn't connect to your phone wirelessly. That makes it difficult to access the tiny screen and you have to download from the data card and that generally means you have to do it at home, not on the scene of an accident. If I was to buy another dashcam I would be sure to check that.

It depends on the model, mine does (I think it's 129 Pro or something, the 2 channel one).
The problem, however, is that you have to disconnect from SYNC (if you connect your phone wirelessly to the truck) and that's the biggest PITA ever exist. You pretty much have to forget the Truck's SSID and it's a pain to forget it, then re-connect it, etc. You cannot connect to any other SSID while your phone is connected to the truck.

 

[The_Auto_Tech]

I have been really enjoying the Brandmotion setup that I installed. The rear view is amazing as it gives a great rear and side overview showing the blind spots on the truck, but also allows me to easily see into the bed as well. The clarity has been great, and zero issues with it. Looks very OEM.

 

[Lavicors11]

Installed the FitCamX.

The bad
It... works. The wires are longer than I'd like, resulting in a bit of a mess behind the rearview, but it mostly tucks up out of sight. The camera power wire coming out of the in-line adapter needs to be about six inches shorter, and the original harness just kinda juts out. The power wire from the in-line adapter to the camera could have been entirely hidden inside the shell - You plug the harness into the shell, then a short bundle of wires from the shell into the mirror. Nope. The shell's more of an afterthought. Not how I would have designed it. The app is "eh", requiring you to disconnect from your home network, turn off CarPlay, and THEN it'll work. Too inconvenient for regular use. The card that came with it didn't want to show up in Windows with the included card reader. (Although it worked just fine with my little PNY hub/reader.) Video quality is subpar, with terrible artifacting/compression:

License plates are "almost" readable at 20' during optimal conditions. Night shots are even worse, with plates unreadable at ANY distance:

The good
Install was easy - I didn't have to splice anything, which was nice. No complaints about the quality of the plastics or the fit - that's all well done. Packaging was great. It turns on with the truck, and records stuff, which is really all you need.

All in all I consider it a situation where you're over-paying for convenience. Nothing I complained about is bad enough for me to consider replacing it. I just feel like I over-paid for what I got. A $40 camera, a $5 plastic shell, and a $5 adapter shouldn't run $175.

Sure isn't 4K video as they claim on their website. My old phone from 15 years ago took better pictures. I don't know about this brand, but maybe you need to adjust the settings? Because your screenshot is not even Full HD resolution, it's 1350x1120. With a decent camera, you can see license plates in 4K both day and night.

 

[TeeJayHoward]

Sure isn't 4K video as they claim on their website. My old phone from 15 years ago took better pictures. I don't know about this brand, but maybe you need to adjust the settings? Because your screenshot is not even Full HD resolution, it's 1350x1120. With a decent camera, you can see license plates in 4K both day and night.

It's a snippet from the video. Camera is set to record in 4K - I just can't screenshot in 4K because my monitor doesn't have enough vertical estate - So I played the video in 1:1 ratio and Win+Shift+S, then dragged a box around the part of the screen which showed the license plate.

I agree that a decent camera can see license plates in 4K. The dash cam I've got in my other cars is only 1080P but the quality is significantly better than the FitCamX despite being 10 years older (Street Guardian SG9665GC). The FitCamX is just not a good dash cam. Convenient? Absolutely. Good "enough"? Sure. But not outright good. I cannot recommend it when the competition is cheaper and of higher quality.

Spoiler: Screenshot from getting rear ended 9 years ago

 

[Bporourke2]

I went with a Viofo A229 Pro. It currently is among the best available for image quality with a 4k front cam and 2k rear cam. I used a hardwire kit with fuse taps because I wanted parking mode.

Do you have any pics of the install?

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