Parking monitoring:This can mean two things. Running the dash cam continuously in low frame-rate mode to save card space and battery, or running in standby mode and awakening when motion or g-forces are detected. We’ve reviewed cameras that have a battery large enough to monitor the car with the 12-volt turned off for several days, but most cameras require a constant 12-volt source. A decently wide field of view:You’ll see cameras with as little as 90-degrees field of view, but you’ll catch more of what’s around you if you go for 120 to 140 degrees. Some cameras offer 160- to 180-degree lenses. Note that the wider the field of view, the more fish-eye distortion there is, and more processing is involved to compensate. GPS: This feature could be the tipping point if you use your captured video to resolve a dispute. Watermarking the video is common, but when embedded into the video, GPS info is also immensely useful for mapping your travels. GPS will also automatically set the time in better cameras. If the Dash Cam does not appear as a drive on your PC, please press the reset button on the underside of your dash cam and try all the USB ports on your computer.

Dual-channel support: This is what you’ll need if you want to run both front and rear, or interior (cabin-view) cameras. Interior cameras are generally situated on the dash cam, but rear cameras are separate and require additional cabling. Video quality is good enough through both lenses, but the Duo does need more careful setting up than a single lens camera. Typically when setting up a dash camera it needs to be angled slightly downward, which makes the built in sensor collect the correct amount of light from the road ahead, rather than bright sky. Setting the camera too high results in an over dark video. We’ll step you through what to think about when you’re shopping for a dash cam, from video capabilities, recording options, power connections, and more. Video capabilities Hard-wired 12-volt power (better): Most vendors offer kits that connect the dash cam directly to a constant 12-volt source in your wiring harness behind the dash. This provides always-on power, but it isn’t particularly easy to install.Most dash cams have the same basic uninspired design, with very little innovation in the market. Fortunately, the 70mai X200 Dash Cam Omni has come around to fix that. Looking like something out of Wall-E, the pill-shaped camera uses a clever covering to hide a motorized 1080p, 60fps camera, that can rotate 360 degrees. It’s not just about the aesthetics with this dash cam either; the camera actually captures colorful and detailed video and images, day or night. It’s also easy to set up, has an app to control the camera, and comes with integrated GPS. It might be a bit off the beaten path compared to the standard dash cam, but the unique design and effective capture quality make the 70mai X200 much more than just a novelty.

Self-powered recording when power fails, so that you can be sure to capture all of an incident. This requires a battery or large super-capacitor (see below in “Power connections”). The camera should have a setting that allows you to specify how long the camera runs off 12-volt before shutting down. Plug your Dash Cam in. Ensure the cable is plugged directly into the dash cam and NOT via the mount.On the dash cam's screen you'll see a menu of 3 options. Please select 'Mass Storage' on the Dash Cam screen and then OK so that only that displays on the screen. If the Dash Cam does not appear as a drive on your PC, please press the reset button on the underside of your Dash Cam and try all the USB ports on your computer. I try all the features: Buttons, display controls, apps.Aside from rear-view support and GPS, the most salient differences between the products are the interface controls and extra features, such as the lane departure and collision warnings that you get with some models. I try them…and I turn them off. In practice, they usually tell me I’m changing lanes, in heavy traffic, or have just been cut off. I know that. Additionally, the collision warnings generally come too late to do anything but distract you at exactly the wrong time. Nextbase iQ is the world’s first truly smart dash cam. With smart alerts to protect your car as the iQ continually monitors movement around the vehicle, expertly detecting potential threats. If the Nextbase IQ detects something unsual by your vehicle, it will let you know so you can intervene with voice or an alarm.

If you want a basic dash camera then there are simpler, cheaper alternatives like excellent Nextbase 402G, but if you need record what is happening both in front and behind of your car then the Duo is ideal. It’s far more user-friendly and much less fiddly than setting up two separate cameras. Nextbase have revolutionised the Dash Cam market with the 422GW, the world's first Dash Cam with Alexa and Nextbase Emergency SOS features. The Nextbase 622GW offers the highest image quality of any dash cam currently on the market, providing stunning 4k recordings at 30fps. The image stabilisation system reduces vibrations from your vehicle and improves footage clarity, while the Super Slow Motion feature means that drivers can view recordings in 1080p HD at 120fps. Battery (or super-capacitor) power: Many dash cams come with super-capacitors, which allow the dash cam to operate for a brief period after losing regular power—such as during a collision. They don’t record for very long though, and sometimes not at all.A battery gives you a better chance of recording an entire incident, even when 12-volt power is lost. If run time is sufficient, it also allows you to record for a while with the car turned off. Infrared lighting is important if you want to assure good captures ofnocturnal events inside the cabin of your vehicle.I put each dash cam through several days’ and nights’ worth of driving,recording video and judging the image quality. All the dash cams I’ve reviewed in the last couple of years take good daytime video. However, night video is often plagued by murky shadows and headlight flare. That said, quality is improving rapidly with the introduction of new sensors. Take a close look at the night shots in each review. Cloud storage is available with a few dash cams. Uploading to the cloud in real time is a nice hedge against damage and theft—assuming the thief isn’t smart enough to kill the dash cam immediately. It’s handy for those managing fleets of vehicles, too, as incident videos are safely stashed online.