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Thread: Anyone use their smartphone as a dashcam??

  1. #1
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    Default Anyone use their smartphone as a dashcam??

    There are a couple reasons I don't want a dash cam:

    1. don't want something that people would want to break into my car and steal

    2. cost of an actual quality one, I'd have to buy one for my wife too

    3. don't feel like tinkering around with cords and hiding them in the headliners and what not, I'm terrible when it comes to wiring and such...

    So, curious to know, I know there are smart phone apps and phone holders that just suction to your windshield or dash...does anyone use their phone as a dashcam?

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    I guess the biggest issue would be the hassle of mounting, plugging, and launching the app on your phone everytime you get in the car. Plus the fact that phones arent meant to be on that long and they can get quite hot depending on your model. Are there any apps that do loop recording? Or would you have to delete your video everytime the memory becomes full?

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    this thread sounds exactly like one that someone else started a few years ago. Dude ended up chasing some chick that hit and run while going down memorial or something, and chased her into the community. Marlbrough or something....
    Boosted life tip #329
    Girlfriends cost money
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    Make the smart choice.

    Originally posted by Mibz
    Always a fucking awful experience seeing spikers. Extra awful when he laps me.

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    Why dont they have built in dash cams into the front of rear view mirrors yet?

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    ^ I've seen those on ebay actually, and even on kijiji with a local seller, I think it's a great idea...not sure why the major makers don't make this?!

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    Originally posted by spikerS
    this thread sounds exactly like one that someone else started a few years ago. Dude ended up chasing some chick that hit and run while going down memorial or something, and chased her into the community. Marlbrough or something....
    Lol what?....I guess the morale of the story is....get a dashcam lol

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    http://forums.beyond.ca/st/202259/hi...rial-and-52nd/


    nevermind. I thought it was something else LOL
    Last edited by spikerS; 06-16-2016 at 11:58 PM.
    Boosted life tip #329
    Girlfriends cost money
    Turbos cost money
    Both make whining noises
    Make the smart choice.

    Originally posted by Mibz
    Always a fucking awful experience seeing spikers. Extra awful when he laps me.

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    I dont use one...yet. My plan is using NFC and tasker to auto launch the app the second it goes in the cradle. Qi charging will keep the phone dying. It would actually be a painless process and 100% automated.

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    With a low price of a good quality dashcam (<$100 for a no-frills quality cam), it's just not worth the hassle using a smartphone as a dash-cam.

    5+ years ago I first started to use a iPhone 3GS attached to a RAM mount as dashcam (then to a iPhone 4S). Worked well when coupled with a good dashcam app like DriveMate onboard cam. Turns off the display and makes it easy to "mark" videos so it doesn't get deleted within the loop recording.

    Big shortfall is that the phone can get very hot and actually had it shutdown on me a few times. Piping some cold AC to the front windshield vents helped a bit. The second is that the field of view is very poor and with the newer iPhone, it's even worse with the 1080p recordings since it crops the field of view making it even narrower. Most dashcams will have a field of view of over 150 degrees. Even bought a Olloclip to increase the field of view at the expense of picture quality at one point. This was years ago where there were not many low cost choices and couldn't bring myself to spend the $$$ on a Blackvue.
    Last edited by Akagi Redsuns; 06-17-2016 at 08:36 AM.

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    As mentioned before, I wouldn't want to have my phone stay on while I drive. Likely to burn out your phone in the long term.

    You can get a quality dash camera for a decent price. There are far more benefits to having a dash camera than using your phone, example: parking mode recording. There are likely more incidents to occur when you're are not in your car and parked than there would be on the road.

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    ...
    Last edited by Sugarphreak; 08-15-2019 at 06:18 PM.

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    Cool. ..just bought two of the Unidens on sale at London drugs right now. .

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    40$ gets you a camera that will record plates in the day (but not in the dark).

    But its enough at least to show who hit who.

    We didnt have to do any tinkering. The cord just got pushed into the headliner and that was it.
    Last edited by revelations; 06-17-2016 at 12:02 PM.

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    I'm just worried because it's not uncommon for people to break into cars for radar jammer, GPS, etc...but I suppose I much rather have good video evidence in case someone side swipes me. ..

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    Depending on the area you commonly park in, that might be a concern - however this is not 2004 when GPS dash systems were very expensive and leaving one up was an instant target.

    Crackheads dont care though, theyll take nickels and dimes even.

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    Originally posted by JohnnyHockey
    I'm just worried because it's not uncommon for people to break into cars for radar jammer, GPS, etc...but I suppose I much rather have good video evidence in case someone side swipes me. ..
    Well... if someone breaks into your car and takes it, chances are you won't see since the memory card will be inside the unit.

    If you're really that worried someone will break into the car to take it, don't get one or... you can get one that is small and discreet in size that fits right behind your review mirror. Blackvue is a great example.

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    If you're that fucking paranoid, then get one of these. I guarantee nobody will want it


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