Dash cams are usually not on the buying list of car owners, just because of how expensive they can be. Yet, the need for these dashboard cameras is very important. They provide on-the-spot evidence if a driver crashes. Statistically, you probably don’t want to encounter a car accident, but who knows? It’s better to be safe than sorry. That’s why an energy-efficient dashcam is just what you need to be safe while driving.
Energy Efficient Dash Cam
An energy-efficient dash cam is a camera that uses as little energy as possible. This means it records for as long as possible, instead of using the maximum camera time available, with no battery storage. The reason why an energy-efficient dash cam is important is because of the lifespan of the device. Most dealers recommend changing the battery once a year to preserve its quality. All these batteries add up to car expenses, which can be added to your monthly car insurance premiums, which means more money out of your pocket every month!
Energy Efficient Dash Cam Technology
An energy-efficient dashcam is also great for long drives or commutes where your car might idle too much at traffic lights and low-speed zones while you wait for your turn to go through. A video can capture what you missed so that you can avoid a speeding ticket or some other clever ploy by a police officer.
If your car is equipped with a camera, chances are you already know it’s a great investment. But there’s, even more, to consider when picking the right one for your needs. To help you out, we’ve rounded up the most popular dash cams on the market today and discussed their benefits and features to help make your choice easier:
1. Bplus Dash Cam ($79)
The Bplus dashcam is tiny but effective, so it can be mounted in various hidden spots and still get the job done. It’s also pretty affordable, which is great when you think about all the hidden costs of owning and maintaining a car.
2. DOD Tech Full Hd 1080p Dash Cam ($49)
The DOD Tech dash cam has a sleek design and takes crisp videos even in low light conditions so that you won’t miss a trick with this one. It also comes with free mobile apps that allow for easy viewing, tagging, and uploading of videos.
This dashcam is versatile and can work well in any weather condition from -30 to 70 degrees Celsius (-22 to 158 degrees Fahrenheit). It also comes with a built-in G-sensor that can detect vibrations in the car and turn on the cam to capture the events leading up to an accident.
3. Mio Mivue c330 ($159)
The Mio MiVue C330 is another favorite among car owners because of its sleek design and compact build, which allows you to mount it in your windshield. This dashcam is great for recording any incident on the road or capturing videos of a drive across town. It has a 3-inch touch display that makes it easy to navigate menus and playback videos, too, which you can access thanks to cloud storage integration anytime.
What Are the Styles of Parking Mode?
Parking mode is when your dashcam will continue recording but turn off the screen so you can’t see what’s going on. This is perfect for situations where you are parked and want to record evasive maneuvers of others parking or doing illegal things.
1. Time-lapse parking mode: The video will be recorded in time-lapse. For example, 10 hours of video will be saved as 1 hour of video.
2. Locked loop parking modes: In this mode, the dashcam will turn off the screen when no movement is detected and turn on the screen when it senses movement. It is recommended to record during this mode at night because there will be no light coming from the screen; this can help reduce glare from headlights. You’ll need to manually lock/unlock the video file after an incident as your dashcam will not do this by itself (as with the “locked loop” name).
Parking modes are useful for recording traffic incidents, parking, and driving behavior.
How to Protect Your Vehicle Battery?
The best way to protect your vehicle battery is to use an Event Trigger Parking Mode Dash Cam. An event trigger parking mode dash cam will turn on, record and then turn off automatically when it detects any motion or shock. This is the only style of dashcam that does not drain the vehicle battery because it turns on and off very quickly. Every time a hard-wired dashcam is triggered, it may take 10 seconds to 2 minutes to turn on and record. If this repeatedly happens in one day, this could cause the vehicle battery to lose its power, completely draining it if left unattended for a long period of time. If the vehicle battery is drained, it could also cause damage to the vehicle causing it to no longer start. If this happens, you will have to replace your battery as well as the dashcam. Also, suppose you do not have an event trigger parking mode dash cam. In that case, your dashcam can easily drain your vehicle’s battery and cause damage to your vehicle and cause the vehicle not to start if left unattended for a long period of time.