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Dashcam

35K views 85 replies 37 participants last post by  krheinwald 
#1 ·
Any suggestions for dashcam...which brand you prefer? To those who have had a test drive or taken delivery...any assistance by dealer in installing one?
 
#35 ·
There's a convenient ground screw if you lift out the foam padding under the carpet, below the fuse box in the footwell.
 
#38 ·
Shouldn't make any difference - the car looks after its 12V battery automatically, if things are behaving. I've had my dashcam hard-wired into the permanent 12V since last December and had no 12V problems to date. I'll be interested to see if moving it helps on yours...
 
#39 ·
It's very strange. I've had my dash camera installed for months and for some reason my car was a brick last Sunday night. I haven't had any issue like this until now. Service is visiting me at work to check the codes. Funny thing is that I caught my camera on an hour or two after parking on Monday. I have been manually powering it on and off all last week.

I'll have another update after the service manager visits.
 
#40 ·
Strange indeed. Hopefully they can sort it for you soon and thanks for the update.
 
#42 ·
There is a company called fitcamx that sells a flush-mount mirror connecting dashcam. Very reasonable price and looks integrated into the mirror housing. They have a Polestar specific version. I emailed them today and got the install video for the Polestar. Looks straightforward. I may jump on this train…

I would attach a video but apparently I can’t do that so here’s a link

 
#43 ·
I ordered this two days ago. Should be here in a couple of weeks. I'll be sure to post about my experience but so far they've been very response (as a company)

So far the only part that I think I'll miss is the parking/sentry mode. It powers on and off with the car so it's literally just a dashcam, but the price point is really good (just over $200 in the US on Amazon). Looking at video quality from other models it looks pretty good... presume the hardware's the same across all the models. However, I can't find any sources other than YouTube for comparison videos and their video compression sucks ass compared to Vimeo for example. I'll probably upload some test videos to Vimeo for comparison's sake once I get it installed.
 
#49 ·
I'll be doing the same.

If you look online you can find videos of install in an XC-40 and it looks super simple. Our car's almost identical.

I am not super impressed with the video samples at the end, but I really believe that's more a function of YouTube's hyper-compression of video that tends to blow out whites, and the algorithm deliberately blurring stuff like license plates. That's why I plan to upload my sample videos to Vimeo.

The only bummer for me right now is I got my shipping notification this morning and it looks like it won't land until the 21st... when I'll be in Detroit on business for 10 days <sigh>
 
#50 ·
I'll be doing the same.

If you look online you can find videos of install in an XC-40 and it looks super simple. Our car's almost identical.

I am not super impressed with the video samples at the end, but I really believe that's more a function of YouTube's hyper-compression of video that tends to blow out whites, and the algorithm deliberately blurring stuff like license plates. That's why I plan to upload my sample videos to Vimeo.

The only bummer for me right now is I got my shipping notification this morning and it looks like it won't land until the 21st... when I'll be in Detroit on business for 10 days
Here are some short clips of footage from the fitcamx







Better footage in my opinion. It seems pretty standard quality.
 
#52 ·
I don't have mine yet, but you can search for videos of XC40 and it's pretty similar to the Polestar 2. It's a single cable that runs from the front unit to the back and seems easy enough to hide. I'd budget about and hour to run that cable if you haven't done work like this before (moving interior trim to hide cables) but other than that it doesn't seem hard.
 
#55 ·
Plenty of videos on Facebook of the fitcamx in a polestar. I wouldn't go for one, sure the mounting etc it nice but it means it is in the wrong location and about 50% of the screen contains static information, rendering it just about useless in my opinion.

I'd just go again with something like a BlackVue 950x discreet installation, good quality, no bloody screen on it, power management is excellent in parking mode, and just works when you need it.
 
#57 ·
Also, I have done a test between my Viofo A119 V3 and the Fitcamx here is some media:

Comparison - Google Drive (full video of comparison night time)
Dashcam - Google Drive (link to all videos, fitcamx are in .ts format, need VLC or some other program to view).

Some stuff is that Fitcamx tends to over-expose at night and during day. While the Viofo A119 V3 is not over-exposed and you can see plates and other things a little more clearly. Here are some shots of that:

Automotive parking light Car Vehicle Automotive tail & brake light Tire

Car Vehicle Land vehicle Automotive tail & brake light Vehicle registration plate

Car Vehicle Automotive lighting Plant Motor vehicle

Plant Car Street light Sky Automotive lighting

Automotive parking light Car Land vehicle Tire Vehicle
 
#59 ·
I have the FitcamX installed in my Polestar 2 and I'm afraid I can't really recommend it. As shown in TheNorthStar's photos above, the camera ends up angled too far downward (probably because it's designed for the XC40). This results in traffic lights often being off-camera which reduces the usefulness of the device when trying to prove who's at fault in an accident.

The camera is SUPER easy to install and, honestly, they could just redesign the enclosure to fix the angle problem.
 
#63 ·
So I finally got around to installing the Fitcamx forward facing camera a few days ago after having it sit in a box for a few weeks. Had the same issue as others mentioned which was expected. Reached out to the support team who were very responsive, acknowledged the issue, and confirmed they would send me the new casing once it is ready which will improve the angle. Given how cleanly this camera fits, easy operation, and the decent software, I'm leaving it installed and will just swap case whenever it comes. Just need to install the rear cam now...

Sample of view with new casing they shared with me (may not be final design):

Tire Wheel Car Automotive tail & brake light Sky


(Text says "Insert Memory Card / Card Not Detected")
 
#84 ·
Did you get your rear camera in? I have mine in the box still as I'm a bit hesitant/intimidated to run the wire from the front to back. Would love to know how to do that properly or words of encouragement from someone who has done it :)
I see the new Fitcamx is now available on the company website. Last week it was pre-order only, so the assumption is that this is the new and improved version with the camera angle adjusted. I am considering the rear camera as well but there is not much info on the web about the installs. The specs say it is hard wired from the front camera, which means a lot of tucking and hiding on the columns and headliner and then getting the connection to the hatchback. To me, it sounds like the pain of the install wouldn't be worth the added function. Anyone out there ever try running a wire from front to back in the P2?
Looking for this info too!
 
#66 ·
I wanted to get the fitcamx, but really wanted a rear camera and parking mode as well. Since I would have to hardwire to the fusebox and rear anyways, the benefit of getting the fitcamx over any other model decreased. Then I also read that fitcamx's parking mode (after hardwiring) only works upon collision (not motion detection or time lapse, etc.). So I ended up picking up a Viofo A129 Pro Duo. Great 4k image quality comparable to the Blackvue DR900X and Thinkware U1000 at a fraction of the cost. I was initially put off by it having a screen, but then I found out that you can set it to turn off a minute after it powers on. Plus I can barely see it from the driver's seat anyways. I was initially scared to do the install myself, but after getting quoted almost twice the cost of the camera for installation, I bit the bullet and did it myself. Thanks to all here who provided details and photos for how to do it.
 
#67 ·
I see the new Fitcamx is now available on the company website. Last week it was pre-order only, so the assumption is that this is the new and improved version with the camera angle adjusted. I am considering the rear camera as well but there is not much info on the web about the installs. The specs say it is hard wired from the front camera, which means a lot of tucking and hiding on the columns and headliner and then getting the connection to the hatchback. To me, it sounds like the pain of the install wouldn't be worth the added function. Anyone out there ever try running a wire from front to back in the P2?
 
#70 ·
Hi - folks - I just joined the forum - we have a P2 with pilot/plus on the way - just hit the port. I've read through this thread, and I was thrilled to see that there's a useable and easily accessible power connector for the rearview mirror.

I'm wondering if there's a Fitcamx owner out there who could share which wires from the mirror connector are being used to power the Fitcamx. I currently have a A119 V3 installed on my about-to-be-repurchased Chevy Bolt, and I used one of these needle-pinned power adapters with it. I used the same adaptor on the BMW i3 that the bolt replaced.


Basically - I'm looking for intel on which pins in the mirror harness provide ACC power and ground. Any help would be appreciated! Even just a handful of pictures of the adapter harness would be a great start. If you've got a multi-meter handy and can ID which wire is which, that's even better.

Very excited for our P2, and thanks for your help!
 
#76 ·
Ok, I was critical of them. But fair is fair. They've done a good job. And I think that is a good compromise for a very neat and easy install.

I notice they have two versions on their website, they say both have the new mount. But I quote; Polestar 2 with Sony IMX335 Sensor, will record a clear and bright video with high color saturation.

I guess for USD30 more it is worth a pun....
 
#77 ·
Here are my Before and After pictures for the FitcamX with the old and new housing. The main problem with the original camera angle is that traffic lights were often cut off. The new angle is a definite improvement.

Car Sky Vehicle Tire Motor vehicle

Cloud Sky Hood Motor vehicle Asphalt
 

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#79 ·
The exposure compensation improvement is obvious as the road looks less washed out but I think the black trim still occupying a large area will cause issues at night time. Unless they implement some custom metering mode in firmware even the Sony sensor may not be good enough.
 
#82 ·
I'm a bit overdue here - a big thanks to everyone who shared insight on the wiring / assembly. I finished our dashcam install recently, and documented the steps as best I could. This install taps into the power at the rearview mirror, and does not require running any extra wires through the car. These are the same power connections that are used for the Fitcamx, but gives you the flex to install whatever camera you want, and greater flexibility on positioning.

To do this, I used a pre-made universal 2-prong adapter that includes a 12v > mini USB connection, but you could easily DIY a similar adapter. Mine is from here, but they're currently sold out. Two Pronged Adapters

For our US/LHD car, the connector in question is on the passenger side of the mirror housing. You'll need to remove the plastic trim around the mirror housing to get to the connector. This youtube video was super helpful: Fitcamx Dash Cam for Volvo

The pic below shows where I made connections. I believe the rearward/white wire is 12v constant, but I did not verify. The middle (yellow) is ground. The forward / blue is ignition switched 12v.

The adapter I have uses needle pins to piggyback on the connector, but you could use wire taps or similar to get to the same result.

Automotive tire Tire Bicycle part Vehicle brake Bumper



A bit of careful wire routing later, and this is the finished result. It's nearly invisible from the driver's seat, and the FOV from the camera is really great.

Bicycle Bicycle wheel rim White Wheel Bicycle tire


Hood Motor vehicle Car Automotive design Vehicle
 
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