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Check out the Mini805. Small, discrete and very good quality. Reviewed on dashcamtalk.com. Just be careful where you buy it - there are a lot of identical looking clones on e-bay that aren't as good.
That seems to be a very highly rated dash cam and functions well. If you don't mind some questions;
- do you route it to a power source in the car or just use the in-built battery (1 hour power...)
- how do you get rid of the wire clutter"
Thanks!
As i said in my previous post, i power it from the 12 volt that goes to the rearview mirror (auto-dimmer). You need the brown (+) and blue (-) wires if i remember correctly. The wires are barely visible and very short.
It's about the same quality video as the one posted in this thread. They're inexpensive and mount well. I have mine hardwired to the fuse box on the passenger side. The only issue I had was that the glue on the mount melted and the camera started to sag so I used Gorilla glue to attach the mount to the window.
As i said in my previous post, i power it from the 12 volt that goes to the rearview mirror (auto-dimmer). You need the brown (+) and blue (-) wires if i remember correctly. The wires are barely visible and very short.
Higgie, that is a nice looking install! I'm very competent electrically but lack the mechanical knowledge (and experience) of how to take the rear-view mirror apart to access the power wires. Do you have some advice on that? Thanks in advance!
I got the VIOFO A119S - $99.00 - it's 1080p. Didn't need the GPS. I also go the polarizer to cut down on glare. Terrific pics during the day. Real easy to read license plates, even in the adjacent lane. OK at night. Harder to read plates at an angle. Seeems better than the Mivue 658, but it only faces forward. I mounted it behind the rear view mirror on the driver's side. easy to reach to take a still photo, mute the mic, or stop and start recording.
If you get a camera, get a Transcend brand micro SD card. They will work better and outlast some other brands when over writtem multiple times.
Good luck
Higgie, that is a nice looking install! I'm very competent electrically but lack the mechanical knowledge (and experience) of how to take the rear-view mirror apart to access the power wires. Do you have some advice on that? Thanks in advance!
There is no need to take the mirror apart, you only have to cut the wires.
First a warning, the wires that go to the mirror are very thin and fragile, be careful!
Take off the clip that holds the wires in place.
Untighten the screw that holds the mirror. (2 turns is enough) and push the mirror up.
Use a small flat screwdriver to loosen the clip under the cover of the rain sensor.
Pull the clip down about 1CM
You can now remove the cover for the rain sensor and all the wires are exposed.
Higgie, that is a nice looking install! I'm very competent electrically but lack the mechanical knowledge (and experience) of how to take the rear-view mirror apart to access the power wires. Do you have some advice on that? Thanks in advance!
I ran the wire across the headliner, down the A pillar and put everything in the opening to the right of the glove compartment. There's a cover you can detach when you open the door.
Thanks darknight! I think i will go with your idea. Heading to best buy to handle some hardware before deciding on final camera itself.
There are a couple more things you'll need. An add-a-fuse, you should be able to pick one up at an auto parts store like Advance or Autozone, and a fuse. You'll have to locate a fuse that's for something that doesn't stay on after you turn off the car, I can't remember which one I connected to.
The on-screen feedback is really slick, though I wish there were more data to monitor. They're working on it.
It's not perfect, but it's better at this than the GoPro was.
edit: I'll post some pics of my mounting and some video later today
edit 2: make that tomorrow, I'm exhausted
edit 3: I have these pics handy. The battery pack is great, as I can get 4+ days of my 35-45 minute commute, no problem. Plus, it's easier to turn on/off, and the Horizon follows what the external battery is doing, though you get a ten second grace period on shutdown.
That's just the mount for the Horizon on the windscreen. It's far from the best glass mount out there, but I'm likely going to mod (slightly) a Ram mount I used for the GoPro to work with the base of the Waylens Horizon's.