I have a birthday coming up in a couple of weeks and with it being close to chrimble, finances aren’t the best, I have nice car and look after it, but, following a few close shaves with idiot drivers etc, I’ve decided to try and help to cover my backside and insurance by getting a dashcam. I don’t know anyone with one or anything about them, but I feel it’s becoming a neccesity these days.
It seems the Nextbase models are getting good reviews, has any of the learned members delved into this world and can offer advice or suggestions please?

Danke.

I use BlackVue. I like the compactness of them as they are wi fi. (No screen if that’s an issue). Tuck away behind mirror. Also have rear facing and it dis help when I was rear ended last year. All been reliable.

I’ve had a few, got some Blackvue dual channel ones in now so as it does parking monitoring front and rear and I get alerts to my phone.

You can go for cheaper options though to give some peace of mind when driving, have a good search around and look at the sample videos on youtube for them to see what the quality is like.

I have the Nextbase 212g

Currently £50 at Argos. I needed one that was easily removable from the car as I regularly visit military bases which don’t allow cameras

The £20 hardwire kit was a doddle to install and the magnetic mount makes taking it out and refitting it again a breeze

I’ve just put the previous gen anker roav in, wanted something cheaposh but decent which anker seem to usually be.

£50 with 2 mounts. Hardwire kits £9 each so I now have both vehicles covered for £70 and the parking monitor and WiFi download is a useful feature. Not sure the quality is up to a conviction on faces etc but I feel a bit happier having one on now – moving plates aren’t easy to discern either but it’s a good first port of call I think.

Is it worth it? Its not like we all have accidents every day is it – although I get it is IF an accident happens. And you have lead dangling down the dash which personally I hate.

Mrs K says she wants one but wants the true cost – surely you need a big SD card? How long a journey would a 32GB card record?

And you need two – one front one rear ideally?

How long a journey would a 32GB card record?

About two hours

It records in short sections of about 2 to 5 mins and continually overwrites the oldest ones unless you lock them by pressing a button or the collision detection in the camera locks them.

And you have lead dangling down the dash which personally I hate.

Unless you fit a hardwire kit.

Subscribed as my Mrs was rear ended oo er before Christmas and they tried to blame her luckily they changed their story and my car was hit over Christmas and on nyd by someone who just buggered off , so im very interested. And evidently unlucky with cars over Christmas

I got a £50 discount off my insurance for fitting a dash cam. Make sure you pick one from their approved list though.

I’ve wired mine behind the headlining and into the gubbins that lives behind the rear view mirror in my car so no dangling cables and it turns itself on and off automatically with the ignition.

And you have lead dangling down the dash which personally I hate

I don’t see why you need to. Mine connects to a piggy-back fuse under the glove box, plus an earth screw close to there, then it’s tucked into the trim on the A pillar and the headlining, comes out behind the mirror and plugs into the camera mount.

Is it worth it? Its not like we all have accidents every day is it – although I get it is IF an accident happens.

It’s the same as insurance to me (yes I know insurance is a legal requirement), I hope I’ll never have to refer to it, but if I do I’ll be glad I’ve got it.

I’m sure this doesn’t cover everyone with a dashcam, but – quite often if I’m behind someone with a dashcam they seem to be driving quite aggressively….. as if they feel they can get away with more than they might do otherwise.

Probably just me!

I’ve found the opposite. My camera records your speed and gps location and also records your voice in the car. If anything it’s made me more careful because in the event that anything happens then I don’t want to have to produce evidence that i was driving too fast and swearing like a navvy.

It might capture other people driving occasionally. It’s watching my driving all the time

And you have lead dangling down the dash which personally I hate.

I haven’t even got round to installing my hardwire kit and I don’t have that

Also interested, I seem to be seeing a lot of driving which makes no sense around me despite me driving like a saint – so many near misses from people not watching/caring, road rage etc. Only a matter of time until I need one I think.

I personally just use my mobile with handsfree kit on the windscreen, as it have it there anyway a lot using the satnav app.
I use Autoguard dashcam app and its quite good I think. Seems to record well and saves each few mins as a separate movie file.
It does burn the battery when in use quite a bit but if on long trips I just plug in the charger.

Have you got 30* optical on your windscreen sharkbait that you cantell the car in front has a dash cam ? Or tailgating ?

Anyone saying is it worth it. Wait till you have an accident and the other party tells blatant lies and conjures up witnesses.

It happened to my wife .

And my dad was hit head on while on his motorbike by a French car who was on the wrong Side of the road. The dash cam proved this as the French driver claimed it was my dad who was on the wrong side- he could not defend as was in a coma and has no recollection of the moments before or after.

As for the dangly cable . That’s a tenuous reason not too. The cables are long enough to tuck under headlining , in the window trim and under the dash to the ciggy lighter if your not allowed to hardwire into the rented lease car

I’ve had two separate accidents now over the last 5 years where the dash cam has given evidence that I wasn’t in the wrong when the person who has hit the back of me has blamed someone else or me for the issue.

I haven’t even got round to installing my hardwire kit and I don’t have that

Well, my windscreen is steeply raked enough that mounting the Cam under the rear mirror would have the lead dangling vertically down through the middle of my computer screen, over the radio and between two cupholders into the cigarettes lighter. That just annoys me. MMrk K though says she doesn’t care so I may get one for her car, which would allow me to experiment with placing on lower down near the dash which would allow the wire to “flow” down the dash past the screen.

Can’t see why cars don’t come with themas standard.

But also seen a lot of really bad driving by people who have them…. always someone else who nearly causes the accident?

I got an eBay Chinese cheapy to stick in my van. I’ve put the 4″ monitor where a rear view mirror would go, set it to display the rear view camera and I can now reverse into spaces I would otherwise have to drive past.

Well, my windscreen is steeply raked enough that mounting the Cam under the rear mirror would have the lead dangling vertically down through the middle of my computer screen,

So is mine, you just route the cable up and around the windscreen, into the footwell area and connect to wherevers convenient. I’ve got maybe 3 inches visible at each end, which will obviously reduce to 3 inches total when I hardwire it

Is it worth it? Its not like we all have accidents every day is it – although I get it is IF an accident happens.

Would you bother with insurance if it wasn’t compulsory? I mean, it’s not like…

I’m with sharkbait. There are a lot of proper plonkers with dash cams mounted and recording their dodgy overtakes, close passes and general muppetry.

To answer legend’s point they’re often not hard to spot when being passed / cut up/tailgated. A flickering screen or red light up by the mirror isn’t hard to see especially at night.

Just ordered a dashcam myself after doing couple of evenings of research. I’ve gone for a Viofo a119 v2 after it seems to come up time and time again as best cam without spending a fortune . Look them up online , you’ll find plenty of info and aparently their back up service is very good . They do a few different models but I liked the shape , I didn’t want something dangling from my windscreen from a suction bracket . I bought the cam, a hardwire kit ( half price when you buy the cam ) , piggy back fuse and a 64gb micro sd card all for under £85 .

My insurance company have them listed as a mod (albeit a no cost acceptable one) in the same way they did with roofbars. Prob worth checking that with them.

Well, my windscreen is steeply raked enough that mounting the Cam under the rear mirror would have the lead dangling vertically down through the middle of my computer screen, over the radio and between two cupholders into the cigarettes lighter. That just annoys me.

Have you no imagination man. Yes sure if you take the shortest line possible but it’s perfectly possibly to route it an alternative route without it crossing Al your executive spec real estate.

Have you got 30* optical on your windscreen sharkbait that you cantell the car in front has a dash cam ? Or tailgating ?

You can frequently see the small screen lit up on the windscreen; obviously too small for sat nav or phone.

its 40ft away if not more assuming safe distances.

Most dash cams go blank screened after start up as well to avoid distraction.

but either way in the same way knobs may ride ebikes knobs may also buy dash cams,

doesnt mean they are not useful tools administered correctly.

Footage works both ways,

Jesus, at risk of just answering the **** question:

I have a Nextbase 312GW, after the firmware was updated it behaves exactly as its supposed to and turns on and off with the ignition or motion detection. I have the GPS on but the mic off. The screen also powers down after 10s meaning no glow at night. I also have the hard wire kit.

If I was buying again I would get the 512 as it has a wireless rear cam that actually attaches to the back window rather than pointing over the back seats. Other than that the 312 has been great.

I have a nextbase 112 (as does wife) just bought a 212 for my son.

I bought it after two incidents in as many weeks that I reported but could not be taken further because of no witnesses or dashcam footage. The last incident was a Sainsbury’s HGV trying to force me off the road.

its 40ft away if not more assuming safe distances

Ha ha. Great choice of condescending (but irrelevant) meme.
I can assure you that 40ft is not required as a ‘safe distance’ for many miles of my commute in stop-start traffic.
It’s perfectly easy to spot dash cams on the car in front (or perhaps the adjacent car) on the A14 in rush hour ,screens on or not.

Most dash cams go blank screened after start up as well to avoid distraction.

Hmmm. Now, either plenty of them don’t or the owners can (and do) disable this functionality because I reckon I see a couple of dashcam screens a day driving to and from work.

But, hey ho. Whatever.

I’m always amused to see folk with dashcams speeding and / or tailgating on the motorway. They can’t be the brightest of folk can they?

They can’t be the brightest of folk can they?

Given that the cops have the right to review your footage and use it to prosecute you or prosecute you if you tamper with it then, no, not too bright.

As i said before, it’s there to watch  my driving way more than anyone else’s

I’ve been using the Nextbase 512GW for the last year and a half. Easily fitted the hardwire kit and it works flawlessly. I researched the Nextbase rear cam but it seems a bit pants. Recently purchased the new 612GW (ABOUT £177 from Halfords) to go on windscreen and have fitted the old 512 to the rear windscreen connected to rear 12v socket in boot.

Both cams cables run hidden around lining. Very impressed with the footage. When viewed through the PC app you get all sorts of info,including gforces etc.

Would recommend, even given the cost.

I have a Nextbase 312GW, after the firmware was updated it behaves exactly as its supposed to and turns on and off with the ignition or motion detection. I have the GPS on but the mic off. The screen also powers down after 10s meaning no glow at night. I also have the hard wire kit.

Same here. Same set up with 10sec screen timeout. I have turned audio on though so I can shout out number plates like Cyclegaz (never actually had to do this though). I can definitely say I drive more safely with an awareness that my driving is now recorded and available for scrutiny as well as that of others.
Hardwire kit is dead easy to fit and there is no need for trailing wires anywhere.

As i said before, it’s there to watch my driving way more than anyone else’s

So you drive like a lunatic then watch the footage back without sharing it. Hardly affects the end result does it? You should be ashamed and probably locked up with your own footage used as evidence against you.

You should be ashamed and probably locked up with your own footage used as evidence against you.

If they can catch me, I probably will be 😉