Having a hard time choosing the right dash camera for your vehicle?
Perhaps at this point you probably have a shortlist of your prospective ones in mind already. However, there might still be a certain cloud of uncertainty that’s hounding you on which dash camera to get.
Why the worry? We get it. You’re bothered you’ll end up buying the wrong dash camera and eventually realising you’ll get stuck with one whose features won’t fit your driving style, needs, preferences and surveillance priorities later on. You want to get it right the first time and that’s normal.
That’s why we’re here to help you score the right one that’ll definitely add more value to your driving experience and suit your standards. Hence, we mustered and listed down 10 of the most coveted yet useful features to guide you in your dash camera hunting:
1. Video quality and wide-angle lens
When it comes to video quality, you must never settle for less. Get you a dash camera that captures front and rear video recordings in full high definition at 30 frames per second, be it daytime or nighttime. Against this background, it also helps if your dash camera sports a wide-angle lens to eliminate blind spots in recordings. Remember: Only dash cameras with top-tier imaging sensors/processors capture the most vivid videos sans the fuss.
2. Night vision
It's better to be safe than sorry. As some unfortunate road or parking incidents tend to happen at night, it always pays to have a dash camera equipped with video enhancement technologies such as image signal processing (ISP), wide dynamic range (WDR), night time picture correction, intelligent automatic exposure, noise reduction, adaptive colour and contrast enhancements for clear and crisp video recordings even in poorly-lit environments at any given situation. This is important so you’ll have a piece of irrefutable evidence in handy, should the situation call for it.
3. Size and design
What good is a well-working surveillance device when it blocks your driving view? As important as the surveillance boost it brings into the fold, one should always consider scouting the dash camera’s design and size before actually getting it to ensure it won’t cause any disturbance to your driving perspective. The key here is to find the most ideal one to suit your preferred spot where it can seamlessly be mounted with ease.
4. Global Positioning System (GPS)
This feature is essential for monitoring, especially in the case of companies that own fleet vehicles. Provided the vehicles are equipped with GPS-powered cameras alongside genuine GPS antennas, one can always keep an eye on the automobiles’ location history, driving speed at the time and video playback using a dedicated desktop or mobile application. GPS also provides additional evidence and information should an incident occur.
5. Channel and storage capabilities
Dash cameras may come in single and dual-channel variants. So, what’s the difference then? Dual-channel ones have a slot for a second camera, giving you holistic front and rear video recordings of your trips. Meanwhile, single-channel cameras only usually cover the vehicle’s front view. In terms of storage, it’s important to take a closer look at the camera’s supported Micro SD card capacity. The bigger the memory capacity that it can be expanded to, the better; thus, this means more hours of consistent video recording.
6. Built-in WiFi connectivity
The Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) functionality on dash cameras allows for hassle-free review, management and extraction of video files, without the need to directly tether your dash camera or manually unplug your Micro SD card to plug it into a laptop or desktop computer. Using a designated software or mobile phone application, you can also customise the camera’s settings based on your usage preferences.
7. Energy-efficient time lapse and incident/motion park mode
Your vehicle needs a blanket of protection that doesn’t compromise its battery life, especially in moments of its solitude. If you’re going to leave it parked somewhere for the entire day, overnight or extended periods of time, a time lapse park recording mechanism will make good in catching bad drivers, vandals or crooks red-handed. This can either help expedite your insurance claim and minimise the premium, guide the authorities in their investigation or document the wrongdoings of these mischievous individuals to warn other vehicle owners through an incident/motion park recording mode that can tape 20 seconds of impact footage (10 seconds before and after).
8. Manual video recording and photo capture mode
Who knows what’s in store for you in every journey? Aside from the spectacular sunrise/sunset, scenery and natural occurrences, it’s always nice to have a dash camera that can record videos or capture extraordinary on-road, for-keeps moments of your trips.
9. Auto on and off feature various mounting options
Like what we’ve discussed in number three, it’s also vital to go for a dash camera that’s easy to mount with various installation options you can choose from. Why’s this important? Because its position will set the tone perspective-wise. Depending on its energy source setup, you can really use a dash camera that automatically turns on as soon as your engine does and vice versa. Not only does this ensure your vehicle’s surveillance won’t get compromised, but this also helps trim down the power consumption without hurting its reliability.
10. Advanced Driver Alert System (ADAS)
ADAS sends timely alerts to drivers who are getting drowsy or distracted while driving. Its lane departure (notifies drivers whenever the car leaves its lane at speeds of over 50 kilometres per hour), forward collision (calculates real-time between your vehicle and the one ahead to avert rear-ending incidents) and vehicle departure warnings (provides guidance to avoid delayed responses in intersections or traffic jams) help prevent road mishaps from happening.
Honourable mentions
Camera alerts
Getting ticketed for a speeding or a beating-the-red-light violation is such a bummer, right? In times when you overlook road signs upon entering areas with designated speed limits or fail to see an approaching red light right away, having an intelligent dash camera can help notify you on these to avoid, not just the violation, but also untoward road incidents.
Integrated Thermal Protection
Not all dash cameras are created equal. For one, cheaper cameras tend to have parts of inferior quality, ones that easily bog down when exposed to intense heat of the sun that can fry its circuits in no time. Knowing that temperatures inside a car (with switched off air-conditioning units) can shoot up in an instant, let alone when parked outdoors at daytime, getting a dash camera with built-in thermal protection perfectly makes sense if it’s the long-term durability and usability you’re after.
Format Free 2.0 Technology
The process of constantly plugging out, accessing and reviewing the files inside a Micro SD card to pinpoint which video recording to delete takes a lot of time and effort. As flat-out painstaking as it may sound like, getting a “silent witness” equipped with this feature spares you from all the hassles of backing up of files over again. This feature ensures older files gets automatically overwritten; ergo fuss-free journeys at every turn.
Brand reliability
Making the decision to buy and install a dash camera into your vehicle isn’t a walk in the park. In doing so, always think that you’re not just buying some add-on gadget for your vehicle—you’re buying peace of mind—so it’s highly recommended to entrust you and your vehicle’s safety to a reliable brand known for producing top-of-the-line dash cameras like clockwork.
Got some more enquiries? Feel free to connect with us today. We’ll be happy to assist you every step of the way.