When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
A week ago I had the Thinkware F770 2-channel dash cam and the Cellink battery installed in the 450h. Both the front and rear cameras are 1080p. Other than having to extend one of the harnesses, the process went smoothly. My installer completed it in less than two hours. There was no hardwiring involved. The Cellink comes with an adapter that can be plugged into a power outlet. I went with the one in the cargo area for easy access.
So far I'm impressed. Video and color quality is very good. With a 140 degree angle view, it captures details off the side of the road well. Videos are saved in one minute clips that can be previewed and downloaded via the iPhone. But I'd recommend using a computer for downloading multiple clips. Each one takes a minute. Double that if you want the corresponding clip from the rear camera. Settings can easily be changed through the iPhone, including for the camera and recording modes. Too many to list here and I’m still familiarizing myself with everything. At least the time zone is finally correct, LOL! I turned off lane departure and frontal collision warning since I already have that in the RXh. Other notable things, I like the ability to partition where videos are saved and also the built in memory. Formatting is available by pressing a button on the front camera. That’s recommended every two weeks. Also on the front camera are buttons for turning it on/off, WiFi, manual record, and to activate/deactivate audio recording.
I’m still working on some of sensitivity settings. Going over railroad tracks can trigger an incident alert while driving. Same with a light turning on in the parking garage at work. Those are saved to separate folders. The volume level is on low. It’s still loud enough though to be informed of these alerts when I turn on the 450h. It also lets me know when it starts continuous recording. Soon I hope to format the additional microSD card I purchased. Thinkware recommends up to 64 MB. Others have said 128 GB is compatible. Brand makes a difference. Whether it works is to be determined.
how much did your installer charge you for installation?
About $200. That included extending the harness from the front camera to the Cellink battery. I was tempted to do it myself but decided it was better to have the installer take care of everything. An unexpected refund check covered the cost.
About $200. That included extending the harness from the front camera to the Cellink battery. I was tempted to do it myself but decided it was better to have the installer take care of everything. An unexpected refund check covered the cost.
Which installer did you use and how much did they charge for the dashcam?
Definitely agree, aznkorboi and JT4. IMO, there's an incredible lack of respect for laws and other drivers on the roads nowadays. It also makes me more cautious about the way I drive. Cameras don't lie.
Lsport, I bought the Thinkware and Cellink battery from blackboxmycar. They're extremely helpful and have plenty of videos, reviews and other information on their site. I was all set to pick up the BlackVue dash cam until they mentioned Thinkware is more heat tolerant, Plus the rear camera is 1080p. Price was the same - $359. Add another $220 for the Cellink to record while parked. There's no need to hardwire or worry about draining the battery. Vincent at Audi Expressions in Haskell, NJ took care of the installation. I've known him for several years. He recommended placing the front camera in the center area of the windshield, saying it flowed with everything else there. And I agree.
tomtom74, I have no doubt BlackVue is a great dash cam too. It's sleeker looking than Thinkware. But hearing about video quality declining above 90 degrees and remembering overheating issues in the past changed my mind. Still we should post videos for comparison
BTW, there's a channel to the right of the wires in your first picture where you can tuck them. It's about as wide as a finger. I'll have to take a picture of mine.
tomtom74, I have no doubt BlackVue is a great dash cam too. It's sleeker looking than Thinkware. But hearing about video quality declining above 90 degrees and remembering overheating issues in the past changed my mind. Still we should post videos for comparison
BTW, there's a channel to the right of the wires in your first picture where you can tuck them. It's about as wide as a finger. I'll have to take a picture of mine.
I wasn't try to say which one is better then other. I had this BlackVue for over a year, and never had any problem or overheating issue. I set recording format to Front: Full HD (1920x1080P) 30fps Rear: HD (1280x720) 30fps.
Wire is not wide as a finger. It's about same size as USB cable. I just tucked in the headliner. If you want to check video quality, you can see it on blackboxmycar.com
tomtomn74, understand I was just giving my reasons for choosing Thinkware over BlackVue. The DR650GW-2CH was in the cart and literally seconds away from being ordered when a chat box popped up asking if I needed help. Definitely agree, BBMC has lots of great videos. I looked at them and the one from a Tesla owner. The video is here.
Oh, and the channel is about as wide as a finger. The not so thick wires tuck in there nicely from just above the camera to the headliner.. I'll take a picture later.
I’m still working on some of sensitivity settings. Going over railroad tracks can trigger an incident alert while driving. Same with a light turning on in the parking garage at work. Those are saved to separate folders. The volume level is on low. It’s still loud enough though to be informed of these alerts when I turn on the 450h. It also lets me know when it starts continuous recording. Soon I hope to format the additional microSD card I purchased. Thinkware recommends up to 64 MB. Others have said 128 GB is compatible. Brand makes a difference. Whether it works is to be determined.
I am interested in doing this myself. Please let me know what 128GB cards you find work with the system. Also how did the installer route the cable to the hatchback door? Did he use on of the existing rubber cable routings to the hatch? Did he route the cables to the trunk through the headliner?
to work but keep getting error messages despite formatting it. But I'm not giving up just yet. The wires were tucked below the headliner from the front to the rear. The trim below the rear camera was removed and the line threaded through the rubber grommet. It took a little bit of effort. I guess space is tight. That was after pulling up the bottom part of the grommet. Originally the installer wanted to put the rear camera on the bottom part of the tailgate window thinking the spoiler might create a shadow. After previewing through Live View, I decided it was fine up top. And the window stays cleaner in that area.
Here's pictures showing the wires tucked into the channel from the front camera to the headliner.
I am interested in doing this myself. Please let me know what 128GB cards you find work with the system. Also how did the installer route the cable to the hatchback door? Did he use on of the existing rubber cable routings to the hatch? Did he route the cables to the trunk through the headliner?
I did the same installation myself with the Thinkware F770. I routed the usb cable along the headliner and then to the hatch through the grommet on the left side of the hatch. It was an extremely frustrating as there isn't much room in the grommet for the cable. You'll have to work it down the grommet by flexing the grommet back and forth. It took me about 15 minutes but I got it finally, thought it would never happen. I would do it though. This definitely is the cleanest way to do it!!
edit: I forgot that I also had to remove the electrical tape around the ends of the rubber grommet. Doing that was almost twice as painful as actually snaking the USB cable down the grommet. It was painful mostly because there is very little slack in the harness and it is difficult to remove the electrical tape especially in the side that runs to the main cabin. Some differences between my installation and OP's installation: (1) I mounted the front-facing F770 camera on the central plastic housing attached to the rearview mirror to save some real estate on the windshield and because it was in my short wife's FOV when she was driving, (2) I used an add-a-fuse kit to wire my CellLink directly to an ACC fuse in the fusebox, (3) I hid the CellLink B under the driver's seat.
03-01-17 | 05:52 PM
Thinkware F770 dash cam in the RX450h
