22SpaceWhiteXLT
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The AWESOME guys over at @WOLFBOX and @Diode Dynamics sent me out these two products for review. I figured it would be a great combination of products to pair together for a review for sponsors here at our forum. My idea here was to showcase the advantages of a three-camera mirror dashcam system, and then it struck me. The hitch pod would make a great addition, giving extra light for reversing at night, and boy was I right.
It all started with the hitch pod, so I will begin my review there as I got that product first and had it for a while before the dash cam arrived. This hitch pod is absolutely amazing. Installation is very quick, especially if you have ever popped out your tail lamps before. Everything you will need is included in the kit, no matter which tail lamps you have. They provide multiple harnesses so you’re covered no matter what. Basically, you have a Y harness for both tail lamps and a Y harness for the back of your 7-pin connector. I will save all the installation details for their website and videos (Diode makes easy work of the install). Suffice it to say, the install is very simple, and no splicing or cutting is required. Now for the actual product itself. I was very excited for the strobe on braking feature, and it has proved to be an awesome addition, giving extra attention to drivers approaching you from the back. I can absolutely tell that people stop earlier when that little LED light flashes repeatedly at them. I have had my wife follow me, and she says it immediately catches her attention upon braking.
The build quality is superb. The housing for the LED itself is a strong aluminum, and it feels as if it will last a very long time. The added illumination when reversing is very helpful at night time, and the aforementioned added 4th brake light speaks for itself in terms of safety and visibility. For those who tow often, know that it is incredibly easy to pop the light out before installing a hitch receiver. Any specific questions, please feel free to reach out, and I will answer them for you.
Now on to the Wolfbox Tripro dash cam mirror. This install is definitely a bit more involved but 100% worth the time and effort. I ended up hardwiring the cam, which added a small amount of time to the install but not a big deal. After a couple of tweaks over the course of the review, this is where I have mounted everything. Starting with the front camera, I ended up mounting it just below the emblem with one of the many provided brackets and 3M body tape. It has not moved or shifted at all. The harness was routed behind the grille in front of the shutters . I found a small hole near the hood latch to feed it up, and it did not require me to remove the grille. From there, I fed it through the engine bay down behind the passenger side fender well and up through the hole in the passage floorboard.
The rear camera story has a little more nuance. At first, I used the provided license plate bracket and fed the line behind my plate tucked away nicely. One issue with that, which eventually led me to relocate the camera, was wobble. At no fault of the camera, I realized the bumper step pad that our license plates are mounted to is not reinforced enough to be rigid. This made the camera wobbly and bouncing around to the point it was unusable. Once I realized that was the problem, I started looking around and found the perfect solution. I ended up mounting it to the top of the hitch receiver. Basically, I flattened out one of the brackets and 3M taped it to the top inside “cavity” of the hitch receiver. I further secured it with a black zip tie wrapping around the camera and hitch body. The camera tucks perfectly in that little area and it is super secure, no more wobble while driving. After that, there are different paths to run the harness. I ended up going up near the passenger tail lamp over the RH rear fender well and to the same entry point as the front camera.
From there, the rest is all interior. Basically, you will run all these harnesses up the passenger A pillar, tuck them in the headliner, and they escape in the overhead console. At least in my truck, there is a gap at the front of the black panel just above the mirror that is perfect for feeding the wires through. The harness that plugged into my factory mirror was hidden under this same panel. It took a little bit of finagling to snap it down, but eventually, I got everything nested in there, and it looks very clean. That brings me to mounting. I decided to order the replacement bracket and fully removed the factory mirror. You can attach the system to your own mirror, but I wanted it to look as close to factory as possible, so I opted for a full replacement.
Using the system… this thing is a game changer for me. I have the medical tint exemption for my vehicles, so night visibility is diminished compared to OEM “tint” levels. I am running 5% all around and 40% on the whole windshield. Seeing out of the back at night is basically impossible, especially when someone approaches close to the back. That all changed. I get an amazing view from the back now (day and night). I am surprised just how good it actually is. The angle is wider, and you can see EVERYTHING behind your truck.
Front camera is equally useful. I do not have 360 cams in my truck. Due to where I mounted it and the angle, I have dramatically increased visibility from the front of my truck. Granted, I keep the screen in rear view the majority of the time, but when parking or going over questionable terrain, all I have to do is talk to the camera, and it switches to the front view. It’s really quite useful.
Main dash cam. This camera is incredibly clear. I have had standalone dash cams in the past, and this one absolutely stands with the best of them. Not a lot to say here other than it’s fast, clear, and reliable. It does exactly what it needs to do and does a damn fine job of it. The one noteworthy thing I will point out is that the lens itself can be repositioned. This is very helpful because you can set the screen where you like but individually position the actual camera. I LOVE this camera.
The actual mirror itself. It has a ton of options and features. This review would be very long if I listed it all, but I’ll list a few of my favorites.
Recap (TLDNR)
The combination of these two products has seriously improved my driving experience. The Hitch Pod has added convenience, safety and has a cool factor that cannot be ignored. The dash cam mirror absolutely transformed my driving experience every single time I get in my truck. Both of these items are top of their class, and I wholeheartedly recommend them both. Please feel free to reach out with any questions; I am happy to answer them.
It all started with the hitch pod, so I will begin my review there as I got that product first and had it for a while before the dash cam arrived. This hitch pod is absolutely amazing. Installation is very quick, especially if you have ever popped out your tail lamps before. Everything you will need is included in the kit, no matter which tail lamps you have. They provide multiple harnesses so you’re covered no matter what. Basically, you have a Y harness for both tail lamps and a Y harness for the back of your 7-pin connector. I will save all the installation details for their website and videos (Diode makes easy work of the install). Suffice it to say, the install is very simple, and no splicing or cutting is required. Now for the actual product itself. I was very excited for the strobe on braking feature, and it has proved to be an awesome addition, giving extra attention to drivers approaching you from the back. I can absolutely tell that people stop earlier when that little LED light flashes repeatedly at them. I have had my wife follow me, and she says it immediately catches her attention upon braking.
The build quality is superb. The housing for the LED itself is a strong aluminum, and it feels as if it will last a very long time. The added illumination when reversing is very helpful at night time, and the aforementioned added 4th brake light speaks for itself in terms of safety and visibility. For those who tow often, know that it is incredibly easy to pop the light out before installing a hitch receiver. Any specific questions, please feel free to reach out, and I will answer them for you.
Now on to the Wolfbox Tripro dash cam mirror. This install is definitely a bit more involved but 100% worth the time and effort. I ended up hardwiring the cam, which added a small amount of time to the install but not a big deal. After a couple of tweaks over the course of the review, this is where I have mounted everything. Starting with the front camera, I ended up mounting it just below the emblem with one of the many provided brackets and 3M body tape. It has not moved or shifted at all. The harness was routed behind the grille in front of the shutters . I found a small hole near the hood latch to feed it up, and it did not require me to remove the grille. From there, I fed it through the engine bay down behind the passenger side fender well and up through the hole in the passage floorboard.
The rear camera story has a little more nuance. At first, I used the provided license plate bracket and fed the line behind my plate tucked away nicely. One issue with that, which eventually led me to relocate the camera, was wobble. At no fault of the camera, I realized the bumper step pad that our license plates are mounted to is not reinforced enough to be rigid. This made the camera wobbly and bouncing around to the point it was unusable. Once I realized that was the problem, I started looking around and found the perfect solution. I ended up mounting it to the top of the hitch receiver. Basically, I flattened out one of the brackets and 3M taped it to the top inside “cavity” of the hitch receiver. I further secured it with a black zip tie wrapping around the camera and hitch body. The camera tucks perfectly in that little area and it is super secure, no more wobble while driving. After that, there are different paths to run the harness. I ended up going up near the passenger tail lamp over the RH rear fender well and to the same entry point as the front camera.
From there, the rest is all interior. Basically, you will run all these harnesses up the passenger A pillar, tuck them in the headliner, and they escape in the overhead console. At least in my truck, there is a gap at the front of the black panel just above the mirror that is perfect for feeding the wires through. The harness that plugged into my factory mirror was hidden under this same panel. It took a little bit of finagling to snap it down, but eventually, I got everything nested in there, and it looks very clean. That brings me to mounting. I decided to order the replacement bracket and fully removed the factory mirror. You can attach the system to your own mirror, but I wanted it to look as close to factory as possible, so I opted for a full replacement.
Using the system… this thing is a game changer for me. I have the medical tint exemption for my vehicles, so night visibility is diminished compared to OEM “tint” levels. I am running 5% all around and 40% on the whole windshield. Seeing out of the back at night is basically impossible, especially when someone approaches close to the back. That all changed. I get an amazing view from the back now (day and night). I am surprised just how good it actually is. The angle is wider, and you can see EVERYTHING behind your truck.
Front camera is equally useful. I do not have 360 cams in my truck. Due to where I mounted it and the angle, I have dramatically increased visibility from the front of my truck. Granted, I keep the screen in rear view the majority of the time, but when parking or going over questionable terrain, all I have to do is talk to the camera, and it switches to the front view. It’s really quite useful.
Main dash cam. This camera is incredibly clear. I have had standalone dash cams in the past, and this one absolutely stands with the best of them. Not a lot to say here other than it’s fast, clear, and reliable. It does exactly what it needs to do and does a damn fine job of it. The one noteworthy thing I will point out is that the lens itself can be repositioned. This is very helpful because you can set the screen where you like but individually position the actual camera. I LOVE this camera.
The actual mirror itself. It has a ton of options and features. This review would be very long if I listed it all, but I’ll list a few of my favorites.
- Parking Mode! As mentioned before, I opted to hardwire the system. This is required for parking mode. Absolutely worth the extra effort. Once it’s all set up, you have a couple of options. You can do a G sensor recognition to begin recording when the vehicle is off. Additionally, you can do a time lapse. I have mine set to the time lapse. I will put footage here for you to see. I think the advantages here are fairly obvious.
- Voice Control. Being able to do tasks like locking footage or switching view modes without having to take my hands off the wheel is very useful.
- WiFi transfer. Connecting your phone to the mirror and app is very easy to set up. Once you start playing around in the app, you quickly realize how well designed and thought out it is. I particularly like the view that shows recordings but also has a map of your location and all relevant data (speed/location/time/etc.). I can see this being useful in the event of a collision as it’s much more than just a video.
- Split screen. This is not the mode I primarily keep on while driving, but it is useful when driving at slow speeds in different terrains and also useful if sitting in a parking lot or something and want to see a live feed all the way around the truck. The versatility is really nice to have available.
- Customability. Like mentioned before, you can adjust everything about this system. Don’t like to see your speed and direction being traveled? No problem, shut it off. Don’t want to record any sound? No problem, shut it off. Want to change the voice recognition to have a wake word or be off entirely? No problem, there’s a setting for that. This system gives you a huge amount of choices to set it up to your liking.
Recap (TLDNR)
The combination of these two products has seriously improved my driving experience. The Hitch Pod has added convenience, safety and has a cool factor that cannot be ignored. The dash cam mirror absolutely transformed my driving experience every single time I get in my truck. Both of these items are top of their class, and I wholeheartedly recommend them both. Please feel free to reach out with any questions; I am happy to answer them.
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