Installing In-car video recorder

Why not just get a GOPRO or CONTOUR camera?

 

Depending on the use, a GoPro is more of a "hey yall watch this" short duty type camera, and not an all-day cop dash cam type camera.
I drive mine all day, ~250/per day, and in Seattle traffic, I have had to avoid countless people cutting me off, running into me, etc. I have considered this one as a "just in case", because it's more of a constant-duty dashcam type camera---
Car DVR HD720P Dash Cam Rear View Mirror 4G TFT LCD for Toyota Prius C V RAV4 | eBay

It's HD, and wiring it would be easy, just tap into the 12v feeding the dome lights right above the mirror.

 

If you have a smartphone (e.g. iPhone, Android) you can get a video recorder app for a buck and a mount for maybe 15 dollars. This is a much easier and cheaper way to do the same thing, plus the recording automatically loops over a duration that you choose.

 

I'm assuming you want the type of HD video recorder that are very popular in asian and european countries to record accidents and surprising events? If so, the main difference with having that to an iPhone or GoPro is that these recorders can be continuously running. that means, when the memory card is full, it'll overwrite the content from the beginning. a 16GB SD card holds 2 hours of HD footage. With a recorder like that recording all day, when an event occurs, you can take out the SD card at any moment and send your recorded footage to the police or whoever.

they are however controversial in the united states, since they somewhat violates individual privacy rights. I don't know how much they can be used in court if they are provided as evidence.

you can probably cut the power cord from the recorder and splice the wire into power for the radio. If you want to install it clean, you may need to run the wire through to the roof and down the inside of the A-pilar, then behind the dash to get to the radio or a wire of constant power. Ofcourse do the same for ground as well.

 

It's hard for me to tell whether you're referring to the iPhone or the HD video recorder, but just as an FYI, there are plenty of smartphone apps that do this (continuous recording, overwrite content when a specified limit has been reached). I've been using one for about a year and have been quite happy with it.

 

I was refering to the HD video recorder. I had no idea phone apps had continuous recording ones. That's actually a great solution for not having to buy additional equipment. Do you have some suggestions for good apps you've tried?

 

I've been using the Witness Driving App on my iPhone for about a year, and I love it. I feel naked when I don't drive without it now. I think it's worth the dollar it costs even if you're just curious about trying it out - there's a decent video on the site that shows its capabilities.

I have no affiliation with them, just a happy customer.

 

Thanks for sharing. IMO this app seems like a much better route than buying a separate HD recorder. Just need to mount the phone at a good spot and you don't need to buy separate hardware. it provides more information than just video, (i.e. gps coordinate, direction, speed, etc...)

 

Yep, I was actually researching in-car recorders when I came across the smartphone apps. Figured I'd give that a try first - I think a smartphone app would meet most people's needs.