Best "OEM" Dash Camera for 2023 Lariat?- front/back and Cellular

[itdwebman]

Hi,
With my 23 Lariat finally on its way to the dealership - wanted to poll this group on the "best" OEM install or easy install for Lightning. I have seen a Fitcamx - but might not be compatible with carplay. Are there other recommended dash cams that can provide coverage while driving and with the car is parked? Appreciate your thoughts and experiences and suggested cameras.

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[stickyfingers]

I use a Blackvue 900S Dashcam (Front and Rear) with a B-130X battery pack to power the camera and hardwired to the fuse panel to charge the battery pack while the vehicle is on. The latest versions do offer cellular connectivity as well. I get 18 hours of recording while parked before the battery pack discharges and takes approx 30 mins of driving or the vehicle to be on to recharge that battery pack.

 

[Scott Libre]

I used a Garmin dashcam with a Dongar cable plugged into the auto dimming rear view mirror. Took only a few minutes to install. Only woks when vehicle is powered on. I prefer this to something draining the 12v battery.

The Garmin dashcam mount is tape mounted and a magnetic mount in the middle for easy removal.

 

[BennyTheBeaver]

If you want an easy install with a clean OEM look, FitCamX is the way to go.

I'm not sure what compatibility you are looking for with CarPlay. Most dashcams have the same connectivity.

 

[The Weatherman]

I agree with @BennyTheBeaver. The FitCamX is the easiest install I’ve done and provides good quality imaging.

 

[kbuicker]

You're going to get a few replies on this one. I have two Garmin Mini 2s on my truck, one in front using the rearview camera dongle (no power once truck turns off), and another one on the back window running the cord to the plug in the center console (does stay on for parking monitor). They are 1080. App interaction is crappy. I watch dashcam videos all the time, and have been impressed with that brand Viofo. They seem impressively clear and might be a good alternative to more expensive cams.

 

[smaster553]

I used a Garmin dashcam with a Dongar cable plugged into the auto dimming rear view mirror. Took only a few minutes to install. Only woks when vehicle is powered on. I prefer this to something draining the 12v battery.

The Garmin dashcam mount is tape mounted and a magnetic mount in the middle for easy removal.

I have a almost new Dongar Cable if anyone needs it. I do not have the truck with me anymore so DM me if you need it ...

 

[EdRudy]

FitcamX is what I use, 4K front, 1080P rear. I need to play with the settings as I get a lot of distortion at night with rear tail lights and brake lights blurring out license plates.

 

[MontanaLightning]

Just installed the FitCamX and I'm impressed so far!

 

[ctuan13]

Hopefully this can serve as my recommendation lol

 

[John Becker]

What about the dashcams sold by Ford? https://accessories.ford.com/dashcam

 

[Eric22]

Anyone use the ford cameras? Are they any good

 

[lerthe61]

I order one, will update once it is installed.

 

[Eric22]

Hopefully it works on the infotainment

 

[mr.Magoo]

What about the dashcams sold by Ford? https://accessories.ford.com/dashcam

I would personally stay away from those, at least from Ford, unless you have a lot of points and nothing else to "buy".

Their premium version is the Thinkware U1000 which can be had for half the cost elsewhere as it is an old model.

As far as OEM goes, I don't think any dashcam offers any integration into Sync/the trucks own dash, so now OEM comes down to placement of cameras and wiring.

I recently got an U3000 as an upgrade and it is tucked up/in behind the center mirror so it's not visible from the driver's seat or the outside unless you walk up to it and stare directly at it. The rear camera sits on a 3D printed bracket so it hangs "over" the rear sliding window, allowing the camera to be centered and the window to be opened/closed.

I would also recommend a battery pack, while it may seem unnecessary on an EV the onboard 12V isn't made/sized with off-power loads in mind and the truck will start to complain about accessory loads, an external battery for your dashcam will solve that.

The U3000 also has radar on both front and back allowing it to go into a deeper "sleep" and as such conserve battery / last longer in parking mode. It has cloud functionality and all that fun stuff, so all in all, I think it was worth it even though it is on the pricier side.

I ran all my cables along the right side rocker, no need to run them in the headliner (with the U3000 the cables were long enough) and installation could probably have been done in an hour or less, I took a bit longer as I'm pretty anal about things like this (for example, I ran both the power and rear camera cables in the same wiremesh tubing and added some shrink tubing to make it look cleaner (for something I'll never see) when two zip ties would have accomplished the same thing)

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