A Practical Dashcam Solution

Like many drivers, I have used dash cams for many years but not on the ShropMog 4/4. The reasons for this are that I apply Rainex to the inside and outside of the windscreen, which limits the capability of those suction pads. Also removing the camera when leaving the car parked can be a hassle, and what do you do with it if you don't want to carry a bag? As well as this, the windscreen is small enough without a camera further obscuring the view and can you avoid a trailing wire across the screen and/or dashboard? How waterproof would the dashcam be, since I rarely use the hood?

Thinking outside the box, I started to research the availability of a small remote camera with a separate recording unit. The idea being to minimise the windscreen obstruction. I soon came across motorcycle dashcam products, so went off in that direction.

One key advantage is that the camera is waterproof and can be permenantly mounted, solving the "where do I put it when parked" question. I selected a recording unit that does not have a screen display. Instead, it creates a local wifi so that you can connect your smart phone to do all of the setup and file copies. This means that you can permanently fix the recording unit out of sight in a dry(ish) location, like behind the dashboard. No need to take it with you when you park. Another advantage with this approach is that the dashcam can be wired into the ignition (fused, of course), so that you don't need to remember to switch it on or off.



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This is the kit I selected. It has two HD cameras, two extension leads, the host unit into which the memory card is slotted. There is also a wired control unit that lets you write protect the current video file to stop it from being overwritten. 		[ ]
I purchased a High Endurance memory card, from a good quality manufacturer, to hold the recordings. This type is more resilient to temperature and has a good write speed so that the HD video stream will be written without problems.
The control unit will start to overwrite the oldest video files when the card is full. I think that 128Gb will enough for about 20 hours of recording.
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The main component parts include two cameras that mount on metal brackets. The brackets can be bent to fit the mounting position. I only used one camera, so the other is ready as a spare in case of a problem later. 		[ ]
The host unit is not waterproof and needs to be mounted somewhere that will be dry. Regular access to it is not needed. A USB power cable is supplied to allow the unit and cameras to be tested before fitting. The electrical connections are colour coded and a simple push-fit.
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A close-up of the camera. It is a small unit with a 130° wide angle view. It is waterproof to IP67 standard.
After playing around with the camera in set-up mode, I decided that I might just be able to use it through the radiator grill. This would be handy because the camera can be permanently mounted without fear of theft. This also avoids cluttering up the dashboard and does not obscure view through the windscreen. The lens can be reached, if it needs a wipe.
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I mounted the camera behind the radiator chrome grill. I thought that I might need to notch the back of the slats to get the lens as far forward as possible and avoid blocking the field of vision too much, but this proved to be unnecessary. 		[ ]
It's held on with a T-piece made from an old grill and secured with a nylock nut. You bend the supplied camera bracket to achieve the required mounting angle.
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The warning sticker on the camera says "do not jet wash". 		[ ]
After threading through some protective sleeve, the camera cable passes the radiator and is cable-tied to the back of the cowl. One of the extension leads is enough to reach back through the bulkhead and into the host unit, behind the dashboard.
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The host unit and manual control unit are cable-tied to the scuttle roll bar. Same for the power module (not shown), that converts the 12v input to the 5v needed by the host. 		[ ]
After downloading the smartphone app, you can connect to the host, using wifi.
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This gives access to the settings. The "Set SSID" option lets you rename the wifi network and change the default password, do this first. 		[ ]
The recordings can be seen using the "Online" page. Select "edit" to download to your smart phone. You can access these in the "Local" tab or directly from your phone.
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You can play back the video on your smartphone, either by connecting to the host and selecting a recording or by going into the local directory and selecting from the files already downloaded. The radiator grill slats are visible on the left and right sides but there is a good section of uninterrupted view.

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