We've recently looked into the internet and our frequently asked questions via our support chat, and we've received some of these questions about dash cams very frequently. Here are our answers, and we hope this answers your question about dash cams, too!
Will it drain the battery?
Somtimes, dash cams can indeed drain a car's battery, but that's a very, very rare occurence. It takes just a little bit of the car’s battery, but you should be fine as long as you drive frequently. The kind of car and dash cam that you have is important in answering this question.
The first thing that you should check is if your vehicle has an active current even when on park.
If you’re unsure, simply unplug the dash cam. But it shouldn’t come to that as long as you drive everyday (at the very least, every other day). Just to make sure, get a car battery charger to get the alternator going, should the battery get discharged. Every driver should carry one in their car just in case something happens.
A quick jolt from a charger should be enough to recharge a bit of the battery and get the alternator running to charge it even further.
Another option you could take is to use a hardwire kit to connect your dash cam for a more efficient energy conversion, but note that this will open up the dash cam every now and then when it detects motion nearby.
The bottom line is that dash cams generally take very minimal amounts of energy. Some have motion detection that only triggers when something or someone comes in very close proximity, so you won’t have to worry about getting your car battery discharged.
Which dash cam do I pick?
That really depends- what are you looking for in a dash cam? What are you going to use it for, specifically?
If you own or operate a ride-share business like Uber, then you’d definitely want a dual dash cam (one that records both inside and outside your vehicle from where it’s mounted)- just make sure to let your passengers know that it’s to keep you, the vehicle and them safe.
If you’re just a regular driver that uses their vehicle to go to and from work, then you’ll be fine with a regular dash cam.
If you’re not too picky about resolution either, then any dash cam should be fine. Our dash cams at Elinz capture in very good resolutions. But if you like documenting your travels and you like ultra high definition- then our 4k dash cam should be right up your alley.
Which dash cam records while parked?
Like we said, there are a couple of factors for this- both your dash cam and your vehicle. If you have a vehicle that provides power even when its on park, then your dash cam should work just fine with that sort of functionality, and will record once it senses motion.
Be careful though that this does not drain your battery- some dash cams do not have the option for turning on/off based on idleness or motion detection.
If your car isn’t giving power when it’s not running, then you should try hardwiring your dash cam to your vehicle. Our dash camera kits support hardwiring, and you can follow our hardwiring kit guides to do exactly that.
Should I get a dash cam for my motorcycle?
If you have a motorcycle, it’s best to get an action camera that mounts to either your bike’s handlebar, or your helmet. Dash cams are not a good option for motorcycles, on top of them not having actual batteries (some do, but the best and most durable ones run on capacitors instead).
While dash cams are more appropriate for vehicles, action cams have image stabilization that still makes them great for motorcycles. Dash cams are more built for cars as the power source, design and mounting options were made exclusively for cars (for example, a hardwire kit that comes in a dash cam is built for car fuses).
If you’re looking for an action camera, get yours here today.
Are there any dash cam and rear camera combos available out there?
There is! Our brand new 4k dash cam comes bundled in with a reverse camera that’s easy to install and operate.
And getting a rear camera is a great idea- reversing is such an underrated topic in driving that we all need to talk about; it is dangerous after all and gets so little attention on account of people just saying “get better at parallel parking!” instead of addressing.
Considering that there are massive blind spots especially at the back of the vehicle, reverse cameras are even more important now.
Get your dash cam/reverse camera combo here today.
Are there any dash cams with satnav/GPS?
Absolutely- our brand new 4k dash cam has excellent GPS functionality. With it you can record your driving track, attribute events to incidents out on the road based on where you’ve travelled, check your location and speed based on satnav and plenty of other GPS related features that synergizes with the recording functionality of the dash cam.
So you’re not only recording “dumb”, but you’re recording with location information, perfect for drivers that go quite the distance every day when they drive.
Are there any dash cams that can help catch vandals?
There are- plenty of dash cams these days now have motion detection, so whatever moves in front of the dash camera’s lenses are captured.
This is perfect for vandals that trash cars for fun, on top of other possible crimes such as carjacking and breaking and entering. Since cars are usually parked outside homes, they see a lot of odd things when they’re on park- you might be able to capture a lot just by having a dash cam that has motion detection.
Like we mentioned earlier, you need a car that supplies continuous power via the cigarette lighter charger socket, or have it hardwired to your car batteries to have this feature unlocked.
And for our final FAQ- is a dash cam worth it?
Sure, insurers in AU don’t give discounts for insurance premiums (yet) for dash camera users, but they do help speed up investigations for insurance claims, and they help pinpoint blame for whoever is at fault.
Considering that cars are basically multi-ton steel contraptions that are accelerated by powerful engines, they’re very dangerous machines- we need all the help we can get to keep an eye on how people drive them and a dash cam helps exactly with that.
