Reddit reviews Spytec Hardwire Mini Blade Fuse Add-A-Circuit Fuse Holder for A119 | A119S | Mobius | A118C | GIT2 | Dash Camera Hardwire Kits

> There are some on eBay that claim 1080p and have night vision for as little as $15, are they all garbage?

Garbage, pure garbage.

> If so what's the cheapest one that's at least ok?

So it depends what you want, IR dash cams are like this:

There are Uber/Taxi cams in the dash cam build:

• Transcend 32GB Drive Pro 520 ($186.61 USD)
  
  This has an IR camera rear, so it can record the interior at night. It also shows you the weaknesses of an IR camera, limited IR light spread/brightness, distortion of color due to removing a filter (to be able to see IR light) ect.
  
  Examples of IR spread: Warning Uber drivers with bad customers: Uber driver #1 or Uber driver #2
  
  
• The BlackVue DR650S-2CH IR ($399.99 USD) has a much nicer spread
  
  
• Thinkware F770 2CH IR ($279.99 USD) + (IR cam $99.99 USD) is pretty great too.
  
  There are normal dash cams:
  
  Dashcam + Micro SD card + Hardwire kit = cost. Different vendors offer different things included/excluded.
  
  Discount code: Receive $10 off with "top5blackboxmycar" when shopping for a dash cam over $99.99 at BlackboxMyCar.com
  
  *Note: I pulled a lot of links from BlackboxMyCar.com, but look around for the best price, I just wanted you to be aware of the discount code.
  
  
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  Excellent build quality, Excellent parking mode, Good/Fair video quality:
  
  1 ch systems: These don't have wifi/cellphone app:
  
  
• Thinkware F50 1-CH ($69.99 USD) - Fair video quality, Excellent build quality, Excellent parking mode. - Lacks a Wifi/cell phone app, but format free technology helps and reliability is top notch. - 1080P @ 30 FPS - ($69.99 USD) - 2nd vendor. ($90-110 USD) - 3rd vendor. - There is a coupon code for this one in the video description. Discount Code: blackboxmycarf50 to get $10 off from BlackboxMyCar.com
  
  
• BlackVue DR450-1CH ($119.99 USD) Excellent build quality, Excellent parking mode, lacks wifi, optional gps, lack of reviews. - 1080P @ 30 FPS Front
  
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  Lackluster parking mode, fair/poor build quality, Excellent video quality:
  
  
  
• Mobius ($80 USD) + USB Mini hardwire kit ($13 USD) + adhesive mount ($7.95 USD) + recommended but not required Super Capacitor ($7.95 USD) instead of lipo battery. - Good build quality, Good video quality, lackluster parking mode. - This dash cam comes from the RC/drone world, and it shows, it is almost endlessly modifiable, but you have to want to do all these things, and it is very hands on do it your self.
  
  
• A119 V2 ($80-100 USD) - V1 had minor flaws but is cheaper - V2 corrected some of those flaws and had firmware improvements. + Known problems of the A119 Excellent video quality day/good night/good shadow, good/fair build quality, lackluster parking mode. Discreet.
  
  
• A119S V2 ($100-120 USD) - This one has more potential but currently equal to the A119 due to lack of firmware improvements. - has parking mode now.
  
  True 4K:
  
  
• ThiEYE T5e 4K ($120 USD) - read the review on it, you give up a lot.
  
  So 4k has a lot of "marketing" around it, some are sold as 4k, but are not 4k dash cams. This one is one of the few actual 4k dash cams on the market, but you give up a lot, and you will require larger 128/256 GB MLC based High Endurance product Micro SD cards, that have error correction built in. They will eat up the cards quicker, and may not what you want in the end.
  
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  Or you could pick these:
  
  Example of poor build quality:
  
  
• G1W-C(B) ($50-60 USD) - Good video quality, poor parking mode (lackluster), poor build quality. - Does strange things, doesn't keep date/time, LED light generally gets painted over, or sharpied, or taped over since it randomly turns on and gives the driver night blindness. - It is the best of the cheap/bad dash cams. I have one, I wouldn't purchase again.
  
  
• Xiaomi Yi ($45 USD) - Known Problems Excellent video quality Day/night/shadow - Ultra wide lens fish eyes. No parking mode. Heat tolerance problems. Build quality below average/poor.
  
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  There is a huge amount of buyers remorse in dash cams. What I can say is fully research the dash cams you want, and the dash cams you don't, so at least you understand your decisions. Picking Excellent build quality, Excellent parking mode, and good/fair video quality dash cams is a lot less hassle, above I listed only Excellent build quality, Excellent parking mode, good/Fair video quality dash cams, but there are Excellent video quality, Fair/poor build quality, lackluster parking mode dash cams out there that is worth knowing about. Anyways good luck in your decisions.
  
  *Edit: Prices change rapidly in the dash cam market, however, the copy pasta does not. I have seen prices rise rapidly, and fall just as fast, for no apparent reason, even as newer models have been released.
  
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  So If I was going to spend money, I would pick: The Transcend 32GB Drive pro 520 or if I wanted a better IR spread, BlackVue DR650S 2CH IR, or Thinkware F770 CH IR.
  
  If I was going for price, I would pick: the Xiaomi Yi Dash cam, it doesn't have IR, it should be taken out of the vehicle when not in use: Lipo batteries crack/leak/swell/ect and lens can spin around causing out of focus problem. There is no lack of problems with the Yi, heat problem, 165 ultra wide angle lens is too wide, causes fish eye, motion blur, and distorts distance/speed, build quality issues, not discreet. However if you take it out of the car when not in use, it is a runner. -
  
  You can apply: Paint, or apply shelf liner - do not cover the vents. This extra step may void warranty, and may reduce the lifespan of the dash camera it self - Black heats up quicker than silver.
  
  If I were to pick a dash cam for normal use: pointing towards the road: Thinkware F50 1CH or BlackVue DR4501 CH.
  
  If I wanted a dual camera: well I would have to list them, and I haven't yet, and I am at 8000+ characters out of 10,000 for this post.

EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE A DASH CAMERA INSTALLED IN THEIR VEHICLE.

There's no excuse anymore. People are freaking CRAZY. And, god forbid, if something like this happens and it's your word vs. theirs, it's nice to have video backing your story up.

They're CHEAP. They last. You can hook them up to either be on all the time or when the vehicle is running.

From Amazon:

1. SpyTec Dash Cam - comes with an internal capacitor, rather than a battery; that way you don't have a battery exploding in the Tulsa heat. $63
   
   
2. Hard wire/fuse kit for dash cam - the cam comes with a cigarette cord and a USB cord, but if you want to hard-wire it into your vehicle (like I did), you'll need this kit. Want it on all the time? Find a constant hot fuse. Just when your're traveling? Find a fuse that turns on when the vehicle is on. $13
   
   
3. 32GB mini SD card - gotta save those road rage videos onto something, don't we? $24
   
   A mere $100 brings a lot of peace of mind. I know it makes me feel a little safer. Plus, I tend to drive safer, because I know it's there, and, if something happens, I don't want to be the one at fault.
   
   EDIT - added hyperlinks to Amazon for the cam, wiring, and SD card. No need to PM me. I don't mind if you do, but...it was like I was hoarding the info to myself...and I thought it seemed kind of weird.

+1 on the A119. It is my first dash cam, and I have absolutely zero complaints after almost 1 year. For a clean look, you may want to consider hard wiring the cam to a fuse location that is active only when the car is powered, or always on. This is the hardwiring kit that is compatible with the A119:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N0GR4ON/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1)

Don't be intimidated by hard wiring; as a complete novice, I had the dash cam wired and running in 30 minutes.

Ah gotcha. I think I've settled with the A119S v2, hopefully firmware lets it get the full potential of the sensor change. So to hardware that, all I would need then is this? I'd be buying from Amazon since its cheaper than on BlackBoxMyCar as well

Looks like Mazda's power socket is a crappy design. Pair that with the slightly crappy design of the A119's 12V plug and you have your issue.

Some choices of solution:

• Replace the A119's 12V adapter with another one, like this one as a quick example.
  
• Get some sort of twin socket or extension cord to plug the A119 plug through.
  
• Hardwire the dashcam to your fuse box rather than plugging it into the lighter socket.

I run them through the headliner and use a kit similar to this one: https://www.amazon.com/Spy-Tec-Hardwire-Fuse-A119S/dp/B01N0GR4ON/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1492709800&sr=8-2&keywords=dash+cam+install

My wife's jeep doesn't have a fuse box in the passenger cabin, so I tapped into the rear view mirror's power wires.

No worries, i'll give you a little notice and maybe we can meet if you are not at your shop on that day, as for a solid date/time, I don't know yet, I was there last Friday, so it should be inside of the next two weeks.

I have an A119S with the GPS mount, the hardwire kit is the Spytec kit like this.

I used this kit with a different add a fuse since mine are smaller. It goes into the fuse slot that runs the AC.

Agree with others, removable is best even though there's a chance you'll forget to put it back on. I recently got a Viofo A119 off Amazon with an add-a-fuse and hardwire kit to make installation clean and simple. Here's a short 1080p30 sample video doing some semi-successful crawling in our TJ (download for full quality). It has a permanent base that the camera plugs into. The lens adjusts nicely for the flat windshield. The reflections can get a little bad in some light, but not sure any other dashcam would be better in that regard. I like it and it's cheap in comparison to other options.

I used this: https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B01N0GR4ON/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Just make sure to have an extra 5A mini fuse because you need it to complete the circuit and it is not included for some reason. Then you just add it to an existing fuse that is active only when the vehicle is on and you're good to go.

When it gets maybe 25/30 at night it won't come on in the morning, or even after the defrost has been blowing on it for 30 minutes.

I use this, which I suppose I should consider to be the likely culprit.

This is the reason why I purchased this: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01N0GR4ON/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I was told it that if I connect my dashcam using this to a permanent live fuse (on even when engine is off), it would cut power to my dashcam if my car battery is getting to low.

Is this correct? Or have I missed something?

Going to hardwire it on the weekend, so fed up of plugging it in and out of the cig lighter already.

Hey, sorry for the late reply to your post. For parking mode, I was just wondering if it's safe to hardwire the a119 into a fuse that is always on? I've heard that it was unsafe to do so because it can drain out your battery overnight, resulting in the car not starting. Is that true? I currently have this one. I currently have mine hardwired into my cigarrete lighter, so I can't use parking mode.

Alright, thanks again.

Can you see what the difference in this $120 A119S and this $100 A119S is? They seem nearly identical to me. They both have GPS, and they're even sold by the same company. The only difference I can see is that the cheaper one has "compact" in the title and looks curved near the camera.

A few more (hopefully final) questions: should I go for the CPL? Is this a good hardwire kit?

I bought the Spytec Hardwire Kit that came with an add a fuse to have it hardwired to your fuse box. It was cheap and I have no complaints with it.

Get this in micro or mini-USB depending on what comes with your dash cam. Open up the fuse box cover on your dash, take out a fuse, put the add-a-fuse in its place, replace fuse you took out, run wire. Use popsicle sticks or something to stuff the cord behind the plastic and run the wire to your dashcam. Pretty simple!

Spytec sells fuse-tap kits for micro and mini-USB on Amazon for pretty cheap.

https://www.amazon.com/Spy-Tec-Hardwire-Fuse-A119S/dp/B01N0GR4ON?th=1&psc=1

This one is similar to the one I have .

Have you looked at a "fuse tap"? I've seen them recommended a couple times in this sub.

EDIT: Found this one on amazon.

Did you know Amazon will donate a portion of every purchase if you shop by going to smile.amazon.com instead? Over $50,000,000 has been raised for charity - all you need to do is change the URL!

Here are your smile-ified links:

$69.99

$50-60

$45

$80-100

$100-120

$80

USB Mini hardwire kit

adhesive mount

Super Capacitor

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