[voidtrance]

Hi all,

I know there have been other threads about dash cams and I've gone through some of them but I wanted some advice from fellow M owners.

I am thinking of getting a dash cam and I am wondering which one would be best. I want 2 channels so I can have a front and rear and definitely parking mode. I think I prefer hardwiring it but I am concerned about battery drain.

It seems that the most recommended ones from other threads are the BlackVue ones.

What would you guys recommend?

[roamio]

I like:
Thinkware U3000 (expensive).
Blackvue DR-970X-2CH (also expensive).
VIOFO A229 (less expensive).

[TheGremloc]

I have a Blackvue DR970X-2CH and it's decent. I liked my DR900S-2CH better but they don't make it anymore.

The good:
- Fairly easy to setup and install
- Picture quality is good both day and night
- App and software are relatively easy to navigate
- Nice form factor and isn't an eye sore when mounted to your windshield

The bad:
- It's expensive, especially if you get the Power Magic Ultra battery that keeps it running while parked
- Reliability is meh (from my experience). I've owned 2 and both had issues that caused them to stop working after about 2 years (board failures). Their customer service is good but you'll be without a cam for while because you have to send it to South Korea for repair.

I do have one quirk that's specific to the F95 that I'm sure you'd run into with any 2 channel cam. I can't find a way to cleanly route the rear cable so it's hidden. Most SUVs have a rubber grommet that protects the wiring for the rear tailgate and it can be accessed from the headliner (so you can hide the cable). On the F95, that grommet is tucked away behind a frame weld and I haven't yet found a way to get my cable to that grommet so I still have the ugly cable danging from my rear headliner. I'm sure there's a solution, I just haven't found it yet...

Would I buy one again? Hard to say. I would consider giving Thinkware a try, I just don't like how bulky they look. But if I can get one to last longer than 2 years then it could be a contender.

[Falcon900]

I was looking at the OEM camera system from BMW, it says it is not compatible with the 2024 X5M. Does any BMW system work with these vehicles?

[R///MG]

Originally Posted by Falcon900

I was looking at the OEM camera system from BMW, it says it is not compatible with the 2024 X5M. Does any BMW system work with these vehicles?

It is compatible as my 2024 came with it factory installed. The BMW Advanced Car Eye 3.0 Pro if that is what you are referring too?

It works great. The one annoyance though to view the videos on the app on your phone you have to be in the car and disconnect your phone from apple car play. This is anytime you want to access the camera system through your phone to not just view recordings, but also adjust settings. It came with a 32GB micro SD, but it supports up to 128GB. If you put a larger one in it will say memory card not supported.

[Falcon900]

Originally Posted by R///MG

It is compatible as my 2024 came with it factory installed. The BMW Advanced Car Eye 3.0 Pro if that is what you are referring too?

It works great. The one annoyance though to view the videos on the app on your phone you have to be in the car and disconnect your phone from apple car play. This is anytime you want to access the camera system through your phone to not just view recordings, but also adjust settings. It came with a 32GB micro SD, but it supports up to 128GB. If you put a large one it will say memory card not supported.

Interesting, thank you for the info. I did not get an option to have it installed at the factory or I would have done it this way.

[voidtrance]

Originally Posted by TheGremloc

I have a Blackvue DR970X-2CH and it's decent. I liked my DR900S-2CH better but they don't make it anymore.

The good:
- Fairly easy to setup and install
- Picture quality is good both day and night
- App and software are relatively easy to navigate
- Nice form factor and isn't an eye sore when mounted to your windshield

The bad:
- It's expensive, especially if you get the Power Magic Ultra battery that keeps it running while parked
- Reliability is meh (from my experience). I've owned 2 and both had issues that caused them to stop working after about 2 years (board failures). Their customer service is good but you'll be without a cam for while because you have to send it to South Korea for repair.

I do have one quirk that's specific to the F95 that I'm sure you'd run into with any 2 channel cam. I can't find a way to cleanly route the rear cable so it's hidden. Most SUVs have a rubber grommet that protects the wiring for the rear tailgate and it can be accessed from the headliner (so you can hide the cable). On the F95, that grommet is tucked away behind a frame weld and I haven't yet found a way to get my cable to that grommet so I still have the ugly cable danging from my rear headliner. I'm sure there's a solution, I just haven't found it yet...

Would I buy one again? Hard to say. I would consider giving Thinkware a try, I just don't like how bulky they look. But if I can get one to last longer than 2 years then it could be a contender.

Thank you. This is pretty helpful.

[Brandt51]

I rock a MAXC360 on a blend mount. But we also got the onboard recorder set up too that uses all the rig’s cameras. Only down side if your car is serious trashed in an accident, it may be tough to recover.

[cfm56d7b]

Originally Posted by roamio

I like:
Thinkware U3000 (expensive).
Blackvue DR-970X-2CH (also expensive).
VIOFO A229 (less expensive).

Nice list of the best options available at the moment. I would give a slight preference to BlackVue DR970X-2CH just because of my own experience with it.

Suggest to consider a dedicated battery for parking mode:

https://www.blackboxmycar.com/produc...d-battery-pack

[voidtrance]

Originally Posted by cfm56d7b

Nice list of the best options available at the moment. I would give a slight preference to BlackVue DR970X-2CH just because of my own experience with it.

Suggest to consider a dedicated battery for parking mode:

https://www.blackboxmycar.com/produc...d-battery-pack

Are you saying that you recommend **not** hard-wiring it?

[cfm56d7b]

Originally Posted by voidtrance

Are you saying that you recommend **not** hard-wiring it?

Clarifying.

Do not hardware the Dashcam to the vehicle battery.

Do hardware the Dashcam to a dedicated battery.

[voidtrance]

Originally Posted by cfm56d7b

Clarifying.

Do not hardware the Dashcam to the vehicle battery.

Do hardware the Dashcam to a dedicated battery.

Why is hardwiring to the vehicle battery bad? I read that the cameras have battery level monitoring so they don't drain it too much.

[TheGremloc]

I'm not aware of a battery monitor but my Blackvue does have a setting that checks voltage and if the voltage drops below a certain value (12?), it will turn off. I just don't know if the voltage drops only once the charge in the car battery is completely depleted. My cam also has a timer setting and I have mine set to turn off after 12 hours if using battery power.

I believe what is recommended when hard wiring is to tap the cam to a fuse that isn't "always-on". This way the camera only turns on when the ignition is on, thus you don't run the risk of draining your car battery. If you want monitoring while parked, that's where the battery pack comes into play and will supply power to the cam (up to 12-16 hours) while the car is off. The battery pack will charge itself up while you're driving and the cam will then be using car battery power vs. battery pack since the car will now be on. It takes around 30 min of driving to power up my Blackvue battery pack from 0.

So hardwiring isn't necessarily bad, you just want to tap it to the appropriate fuse.

[MADBMWX5MC]

Originally Posted by cfm56d7b

Nice list of the best options available at the moment. I would give a slight preference to BlackVue DR970X-2CH just because of my own experience with it.

Suggest to consider a dedicated battery for parking mode:

https://www.blackboxmycar.com/produc...d-battery-pack

That dedicated battery is something I have been looking for sometime. Did not know it was out there. Thanks for posting this information.

[cfm56d7b]

Originally Posted by MADBMWX5MC

That dedicated battery is something I have been looking for sometime. Did not know it was out there. Thanks for posting this information.

That’s what this community is for. I received a ton of advice over the years. Just paying it forward …

[GOLFFRR]

I see a lot of the Blackvue DR970X-2CH set ups on cars I come across

[fallen]

The best camera is the one that's economical, easy to install (comes with the hardwiring kit), and has decent video (unless you producing content)

One of those can be had for ~$50 on Amazon.
Wiring should only be done to the appropriate capacity fuse that shuts off when the ignition is off. Use the splitter; don't wrap the wires around the fuse

[Bmock17]

I’ve got the BlackVue DR970 front and rear. I also have the BlackVue battery pack that is hardwired to the fuse box.

The video is excellent on this camera and by using the battery pack, I don’t have to worry about the camera draining the car battery.

[Bmock17]

A couple of people have messaged me asking about the fuses I taped into and where I placed the battery pack.

For the battery pack, you only need to tap into a switched fuse as that is what charges and powers the battery. The camera is then powered by the battery pack. I don’t know the actual fuse number, but I used the fuse box on the passengers side, under the glove compartment. I also mounted the battery pack right there, so it is completely out of sight. The only other thing you need to do is ground it somewhere. I used one the nuts under the glove compartment, by the fuse box. All of the wires out of sight and you can’t see anything.

Here are a couple of pictures of how I did everything. Hopefully this helps someone. 😁

[Alan l.]

I'm running the thinkware U1000 with the celllink external battery pack for a couple of years without any issues. No battery drain when the car is off since it runs off the celllink.

I suggest get the highest resolution out there because at night its damn near impossible to get a clear picture of someones license plate while the cars are moving. During the day any decent camera could do that.

[Jetrik]

May I present the Vantrue E2 found here. I looked around for quite some time and considered hardwiring this to my battery but I returned the kit I would have used to do that. Instead, I got a multiport OBD adapter and plugged the camera into that port. The camera system will turn off if the minimum voltage is achieved. In almost one year of doing this, I have never had a problem. I have taken vacations where I’m gone for about ten days and there were no issues with the camera providing coverage during that time.

The installation might take a few hours based on your skill level and propensity for perfection. But given the price and performance, I can’t recommend it enough.

[-cj-]

Originally Posted by TheGremloc

I do have one quirk that's specific to the F95 that I'm sure you'd run into with any 2 channel cam. I can't find a way to cleanly route the rear cable so it's hidden. Most SUVs have a rubber grommet that protects the wiring for the rear tailgate and it can be accessed from the headliner (so you can hide the cable). On the F95, that grommet is tucked away behind a frame weld and I haven't yet found a way to get my cable to that grommet so I still have the ugly cable danging from my rear headliner. I'm sure there's a solution, I just haven't found it yet...

If you open the hatch and remove the right side upper paneling (basically the rear speaker) and the trim on the hatch itself, at the very top.. you can route wires through the grommet. I’m going off memory, but I did it. It took several tries with a clothes hanger / fishing wire. But the cable was perfectly hidden for the rear camera.

I thought your complaint was going to be the front camera! This is the first car I’ve owned where the front headliner was glued to the ceiling and you couldn’t tuck any cables away.

OP: I recommend the BlackVue cameras. I had a 900S with the optional LTE module. I bought it when I owned my M3, which I believe now they have sleeker models with everything built in. I had the lte module in the passenger A pillar, and everything ran into the trunk for power. I used an external battery that had a high current charge mode directly to the vehicle battery. It would charge the dash cam battery in 30-45 mins of driving around.

I also got the anti tamper system so people can’t unplug the camera. The nice bonus is it also provides vehicle tracking. Would buy again…