Reddit reviews Power Magic Pro Battery Discharge Prevention Device for Parking Mode

The 2 biggest considerations are price and if you want a single cam or 2 to cover front and rear.

If you're looking for one around $100, the A119 is a popular choice. If you want one with more features like front and rear cams, I have the Blackvue DR650GW-2CH ($360) that I'm really happy with.

For whichever cam you get I highly recommend hardwiring it and using a Power Magic Pro

Audio is personal preference but I read a good point that somebody made about it that you can use that to record the license plate of somebody that hits you just in case the cam doesn't capture it and they take off. Just read it out loud to capture it.

> I've also seen other dashcams for cheaper and want to make sure I get one that's not too crazy but good for what I need.

So the number 1 thing you want in a dash cam is Build Quality. If you get into an accident, you don't really want it to be a question if the dash cam recorded or not.

• Audio warnings of Micro SD card failures (beeping noises) or (voice) warnings. Visual warnings are less important, because most people don't look at the dash cam after a while.
  
  Excellent parking mode: Automatic Enable/Disable when parked, Buffered - able to record a few seconds before G sensor or Motion sensor activation (like a time machine), Built in low voltage cut off feature (adjustable) Voltage/timer based - Protects your battery.
  
  Lackluster parking mode: Missing one or more of the above features. - Lackluster doesn't mean bad, it just means missing one or two above. You can add low voltage cut off feature via hardwire kit. Cheap kits are (preset) voltage only and have some but livable flaws. More expensive kits are (adjustable) Voltage/timer based.
  
  Video quality: 1080P means video resolution. There are Excellent, Good, Fair, Poor in 1080p. You should look at Day/Night/Shadow footage and rate video quality your self. Look for flaws like Black Sun, Out of focus problems, overly wide angle lens, Exposure Dark tunnel -> full day light.
  
  Build quality: Excellent, Good, Fair, Poor. I rate Chinese made dash cams Fair/Poor until proven otherwise, and Korean made dash cams Excellent until proven otherwise.
  
  > I dont need anything crazy, no hidef or crazy features or anything; just something that will record, has a wide enough viewing angle and clear enough to read someone's license plate right in front of me.
  
  
• A119 v2 ($95 USD) - Probably the best video quality dash cam out there. Some flaws but livable flaws. High maintenance machine. Dashcamtalk review - A119 v2 ($95 USD) + 32gb Micro SD card High Endurance ($38 USD) = $133 USD - Most users add Cheap hardwire kit ($13 USD) or a More expensive hardwire kit ($24 USD) Note Mini USB
  
  
• B1W ($54.99 USD) - This one is new, has good video quality, minor flaws, wifi/cellphone app, people really seem to like this one. Dashcamtalk review - B1W ($54.99 USD) + 32gb Micro SD card High Endurance ($38 USD) = ($93 USD) Most users add Cheap hardwire kit ($13 USD) or a More expensive hardwire kit ($24 USD) Note Micro USB
  
  
• BlackSys CH-100B 2CH ($200 USD) - This is my favorite dash cam. 2CH Front/Rear cams + Hardwire kit + 16gb Micro SD card for ($200 USD). Wifi/cellphone app, and Excellent build quality, Excellent parking mode, Good/Fair video quality. Blackboxmycar review - BlackSys CH-100B 2CH ($200 USD) + 16 GB micro SD card included + Hardwire kit included + GPS included = ($200 USD)

You need something like this to prevent the battery from draining.
Disclaimer: I have not used any of these. Maybe someone can recommend one?

https://www.amazon.com/Power-Magic-Pro-Discharge-Prevention/dp/B008B8ERIO

https://www.amazon.com/CELLPOWER-CPUSB01-Discharge-Prevention-Guardian/dp/B00VLAEPJ0

https://www.amazon.com/Battery-Discharge-Prevention-Device-Parking/dp/B01B8HI4U6

I think this would do the trick

I have the Thinkware FA200 (just installed today) and it has user-selectable battery cutoff (set it to 12.0V) with wintertime month protection since I'm in New England which will increase the cutoff by .2V so 12.2V. I can't really comment on if it works well since I just installed it, but I don't see why it wouldn't.

Ok so just to confirm this: https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B008B8ERIO

For some reason I thought it was $70. $35 isn't so bad compared to the $20 I was mentioning.

Edit: Wait now I see this: https://www.amazon.ca/Battery-Discharge-Prevention-Device-Parking/dp/B01B8HI4U6

What's going on here?

> l the recommendations and somehow missed that it doesn't turn on and record automatically if the car is off. My car is old and doesn't have continous power running through the cigarette outlet, is there a way to make it do what I want?

You'll have to hard wire the camera to the car's fusebox. Kits like this

https://www.amazon.com/Battery-Discharge-Prevention-Device-Parking/dp/B01B8HI4U6

is what you're looking for. But honestly the A119 isn't a good camera for parked mode as I noted earlier because you have to menu dive and it uses more than average amount of power while in parking mode which strains your battery. If you leave your car idle for more than a few days you'll likely have gaps in your parked mode recording due to the car's battery voltage dropping too far.