Where should the dashcam be installed?

The dashcam should be installed in the upper center of the front windshield, that is, near the interior rearview mirror.

First of all, we should try to hide it behind the rearview mirror of the car. The best thing about it is that it is completely blocked and won’t appear in the field of vision while driving.

Second, look at the fixing method of the dashcam. If it is fixed by a suction cup, avoid the black particle area on the windshield of some cars, otherwise, the adsorption may not be firm. At that time, it felt very tight, but it is very likely to fall off after a few days. The best to install a dashcam is hidden behind a car’s rearview mirror, preferably completely invisible from the driver’s perspective.

Third, ensure that the lens of the driving record is located in the working area of the vehicle wiper, especially the car with the brush-type wiper. The upper center line of the windshield happens to be the area where the wipers cannot wipe. If the dashcam is in this position, it will be very embarrassing on rainy and snowy days or when the car is dirty. You may not be able to take pictures. If you want to take pictures, just move the dash cam slightly to the side.

Fourth, adjust the viewing range of the dashcam. We need to point the camera at the front of the vehicle so that the front machine cover is shown under the frame, but not more than 1/3 of the frame.

Correct angle of view adjustment: when shooting in front, the front of the car appears at no more than 1/3 of the bottom of the screen, and the front of the A-pillar is at the bottom of both sides of the screen.

After the adjustment of the dashcam is completed, be sure to lock the joints on the bracket tightly so that there is no room for movement. However, if your dashcam is fixed on the interior rearview mirror, you must recheck the viewfinder range of the dashcam after someone drives your car, because the dashcam‘s scope of the viewfinder will definitely change after adjusting the rearview mirror. If you don’t check it carefully, you will open it. Once the accident is excluded, it is very likely that you will not be able to take the necessary evidence collection screen.

How should the wiring go?

The dashcam is generally powered by the cigarette lighter plug, and the wiring is relatively long, usually four to five meters. The wiring method is recommended to insert the wire along the gap of the ceiling from the installation position upwards, then go to the inner side of the A-pillar, open the sealing rubber strip inside the co-pilot door, and stuff the wire along the door frame to the foot of the co-pilot, and then go from under the co-pilot floor mat to the cigarette lighter plug near the center console, and the excess wire can be fixed and stuffed directly under the co-pilot floor mat.

The most commonly used and simplest hidden wiring method is actually very simple. Most of the roof and A-pillar seals can easily enter the wires. No need to go to a special car decoration shop for installation, everyone can do it.

There are also some methods that recommend connecting the power supply of the dashcam to the battery. First of all, such wiring is difficult, and ordinary people cannot complete it by themselves, and it involves broken wires and modification. The improper operation will put the car at risk of spontaneous combustion and loss of insurance.

The project of getting electricity from the insurance in the car is relatively complex, and there is a certain installation threshold. Of course, it is recommended that you check whether the cigarette lighter of your vehicle is also designed to turn off the power. For some cigarette lighters, the power is constantly turned off. In this case, you must remember to unplug the plug of the dashcam after parking.

How to set up the dashcam?

First of all, adjust the dashcam to the highest quality gear that it can shoot, so as to ensure that the captured picture is as clear as possible, and provide the best basis for evidence collection of disputed accidents.

Secondly, lower the sensitivity of the auto-lock video, not the highest level, otherwise, it may be so sensitive that the video will be locked if you brake a bit sharply or pass a speed bump. Then the memory card will be full of locked videos and no new videos can be taken.

If the dashcam you purchased has a time watermark or GPS function, turn it on, so that the time and speed information can be displayed on the screen, further providing certain proof of your driving status.

If your dash cam is out of view, there’s no need to set the screen to turn off automatically, making it easier to check at any time to see if it’s working properly.

Finally, if your dashcam has functions such as ADAS-assisted driving, remember to turn it up and turn down the volume, otherwise, the inevitable false positives and negative positives in city driving will definitely affect your driving mood.

Is there anything that needs special attention?

Generally, the dashcam will have a power-on prompt sound. Every time you ignite, please pay attention to whether the dashcam is turned on synchronously. On the premise of ensuring safety during daily driving, check whether the dashcam is in the normal recording working state. If you need video evidence and it turns out it wasn’t filming, that’s no good.

In addition, develop the habit of formatting the memory card of the dashcam once a month to avoid the situation where the video automatically locked by the dashcam fills up the memory card and there is no space for new videos to be written.

Finally, if your dashcam does not have a screen, you’ll need an app to watch the video, and remember to check whether the App is working properly and whether it is connected to the phone smoothly.

What else do I need to buy besides the dashcam?

The first thing to buy is a memory card. It is recommended to buy a high-speed TF card with a capacity of 32GB or more, which can satisfy long-term high-definition and high-bit-rate video recording.

Secondly, several small line cards can be purchased to fix the exposed power lines.

Third, if the power plug of your dashcam is a single USB port, you can replace it with a dual port cigarette lighter plug to prevent the dashcam from powering up and leaving no room for charging your mobile phone.

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