I am thinking about buying a dash cam, but I am wondering if anyone has any recommendations on companies or specific products, or if they use anything that they would be willing to vouch for.
It would ideally have a local-first approach: no cloud necessary, no account creation necessary, etc. But feel free to suggest anything.
For anyone else who may be looking for some suggestions, I am now using this from IntelTechniques as a jumping-off point.
I was tempted to get a first party Toyota Dashcam then I realize they might harvest the data for whatever purpose they may want it for.
I am also looking for a solution that has NO WiFi/Bluetooth integration, much less an cellphone app.
Consider this a bump of sorts.
Iāve been meaning to try out this open source app called Alibi.
Basically, turns your phone into a dashcam. All you need is something to prop your phone up with, and if you want front and rear, itād be easy enough to just buy a cheap phone to use solely as a dashcam.
It seems like a really smart idea, and saves the trouble of buying new hardware or putting more data in other third partiesā hands.
Until a couple of years ago, most dash cams simply recorded to a microSD card. I think even today you have to pay extra to get one that support Bluetooth and/or WiFi. So if you look for one that has a reputation for being reliable, has good resolution, decent night mode and does not specifically advertise Bluetooth or WiFi you should be okay.
The one I installed two years ago was a Viofo A119v3 which apparently is still available and it definitely does not have Bluetooth or WiFi. It also doesnāt have a rear camera which seems to be something that people on dash cam forums think is important.
I use a microSD to SD adapter to get the video files on to my laptop. I also have a OTG adapter and microSD card reader I keep in the glovebox in case I need to access the recordings with my phone while on the road.