🎥If you had the final say, what should an interior dashcam actually record?

[Redtiger]

We’re currently planning the next generation of our dash cams, and we really want to build them around what drivers actually need in the real world. That’s why we’d love to hear your honest thoughts:

1. When you’re driving, what do you want your dash cam to capture inside the vehicle?
2. Is there anything you’ve wished your dash cam would record, but couldn’t?
3. For those situations, have you used any workarounds or alternative solutions?

Feel free to share your experience or ideas, every piece of feedback helps shape where our future products go.


As a small thank-you, we’ll randomly pick one commenter to receive an exclusive brand T-shirt. It’s just our way of saying thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts with us.

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[jefrank]

I turned off the inside cam... not sure why I'd want it recording what I or passengers were doing except in the rare case of trying to determine why I died at the wheel

 

[Tom Jensen]

I turned off the inside cam... not sure why I'd want it recording what I or passengers were doing except in the rare case of trying to determine why I died at the wheel

I see why a taxi/Uber driver would want to record the interior action, or why a fleet operator might want to keep track of its drivers’ conduct, but as a guy who uses his truck for personal business, I have no interest in recording me or my passengers. If I were to design an inward-facing camera, I would welcome one that tracks activity on both sides of the vehicle, maybe from the front bumper to side-view mirrors. In short, something that tracks the behavior of vehicles next to me. But no thanks for a camera in my face.

 

[WXman]

I got a dash cam for Christmas, but I haven't used it yet. Dash cams are a two-edged sword. They can provide evidence after a crash that helps you, OR they can provide evidence that hurts you. None of us are perfect. I cannot yet decide if I want to subject myself to that risk.

Having said that, in a dash cam I think the critically important feature would be HIGH resolution. You've got to be able to read license plates and see fine details in the footage. A grainy image doesn't help anyone. This video quality needs to be top notch in terms of frame rate and resolution. And of course, a view in front of and behind your vehicle is needed because you can be hit from both directions.

 

[Twebmstr]

If this is for an interior recording cam the only time I would really want it functioning is when the vehicle is parked. Catch the bad actors breaking in. For an exterior facing cam i think high resolution is a must. I want to be able to read plates and recognize faces of applicable.

 

[K6CCC]

What I will end up with in my Lightning is a forward facing camera (up by the mirror), a driver camera (also up by the mirror), and a rear facing camera mounted to the rear glass of the shell.

Let me give an example of an advantage of having an interior view. In 2022 I was involved in a traffic collision where I made a left turn with a green light, and another vehicle ran the red light coming from my right and sideswiped me. I had a forward facing camera that did prove that my traffic light turned green before I started moving, but also a driver camera that proved that I looked right before I started rolling (as opposed to just blindly starting to move when the light turned green). Helped show that I was being a careful driver.

If you want to watch it, the video is here. The Picture in Picture was created by me in post production - not by the cameras.

 

[RickLightning]

I would only want them to be on when the vehicle was parked, and then only if it was entered. I haven't sat down yet to figure out how to turn mine off.

 

[WXman]

If this thing is recording inside to help identify thieves, I would think that automatic uploads to the cloud in real time would be critical since the thieves could also take the camera. You'd want to be able to get alerts to your phone and video sent to the cloud instantly, right?

 

[Twebmstr]

Excellent point @WXman

 

[bc1]

I want a camera with 360 degree view. Read tags ahead and behind. Camera view on driver cause if the day comes, I want my next of kin to know I wasn't doing anything wrong and if I accidently did reach down and adjust the screen and something happen then so be it then they should know that too. I want a camera view actually behind the driver looking forward with a view of the dash as well. As an attorney who has defended multiple cases and a prosecutor who has prosecuted multiple cases I want to see what the speedometer says. A speeder wouldn't produce the video in court and someone who was innocent will. I want to go back at least 5 minutes and the rest can be written over regarding personal conversations and actions of passengers. Five minutes will allow for a stop watch to be applied to actions in the videos. That forward camera will also show the status of the lights at intersections with a wide angle view and all other traffic who may collide with me. As long as a vehicle has entered into the beginning square of the intersection before a light turns red he can legally proceed on through but that often is ignored by or unknown to or not picked up at a distance by many law enforcement officers. A video in court or played for the prosecutor or officer before hand can prove innocence. The video would automatically be recording the officer with video and audio.

On the other hand, the Ford Lightning with Blue Cruise actually does record and save most of the above including the camera view looking at the driver from the eye sight monitor as part of Ford's compliance with the Gov. I forget if it goes back 5 minutes or 30 minutes or maybe 60 if a collision happens. So have an accident, the other side and law enforcement can find out if your eyes were on the road at the time of the accident anyway. Most vehicles have something similar anymore.

I don't know if Forscan can do anything with it or not but it takes a dealer to download it typically.

Easy controls and automatic upload to phone and home wifi so when the accident or stop does happen I don't have to dig for a manual to figure out how to save anything or make a copy for law enforcement if I was innocent or a witness to a crime or serious accident then I could send them something from my phone, etc. Auto downloading into the Ford Lightning system somehow on a jump drive maybe.

The theft protection is nice including automatic upload. Will think about more. Doing all this for under one hundred bucks would be nice.

I have a 40 second video of me hitting a deer and totaling out our 2021 Subaru Forester. Also have the same view looking back at me when the airbags go off in my face. They are from a brand X Pruveeo camera.

 

[Redtiger]

If this thing is recording inside to help identify thieves, I would think that automatic uploads to the cloud in real time would be critical since the thieves could also take the camera. You'd want to be able to get alerts to your phone and video sent to the cloud instantly, right?

Thank you for your question! Currently, our dashcam videos can be viewed directly in the mobile app. Uploading to the cloud is a great suggestion and indeed an important feature. This is a feature we’re actively researching and considering adding in the future. Appreciate your input!

 

[Redtiger]

Thanks so much to everyone who shared their thoughts, your input is really valuable to us!
As we mentioned, we’ll be randomly picking one commenter to receive an exclusive Redtiger T-shirt. @K6CCC congratulations! We’ve sent you a private message about the T-shirt size, please check your inbox when you get a chance. Thanks again for being part of this and sharing your experience!

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