Bolt Posted March 24, 2015 Posted March 24, 2015 Finally got around to installing my BlackVue dashcam. I had pulled it out of my previous car that got rear-ended. If anyone is on the fence about getting a dashcam I highly recommend it as it showed the accident wasn't my fault (I got pushed into the car in front). It is a DR650GW-2CH, 2-channel dashcam with a "powermagic pro" which is basically a battery discharge protection device that keeps the camera running when the car is off (parking mode). It went very smoothly thanks to the overhead console. It had all the battery, ground, and ignition wiring available to be tapped into. I mounted the powermagic pro with 3M dual-lock velcro tape to the roof. The front camera tucked in neatly behind the rearview mirror and the wires ran up the OEM wire channel. I cut the power wire to the right length to connect to the powermagic pro. For the rear camera cable, I tucked it behind the headliner, and ran down the A-pillar and along the passenger side footwell back to the rear deck. I didn't mount the rear camera yet as I have brand new tint that is still drying.
im2c0ol Posted March 24, 2015 Posted March 24, 2015 Very nice! 16' Legacy Mods: 55w HID + XB35 5500k, LEDS upgrades, XB Type T Fog, 20mm SB. Custom Footwell Illiminate Kit; http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/15-legacy-outback-footwell-illumination-kit-237567.html
CheckYourLights Posted March 27, 2015 Posted March 27, 2015 While I am not a fan of the BlackVue brand (some loose rear cables, low bitrate, and lens fog issues) That is a really clean install and almost any DashCam is better then no DashCam. You can also check out the thread here http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/dashcam-w-pvr-recommendationsi-178357.html
Subisnob Posted March 27, 2015 Posted March 27, 2015 Nice n clean. Me likey. Thanks for the detailed pics. I have a Livue LB100 HD myself. Not quite as small as yours but the quality of the image and options are worth it. I just routed mine all the way around to the lighter socked until the weather got warmer. I might have to use your example here.
Bolt Posted March 28, 2015 Author Posted March 28, 2015 While I am not a fan of the BlackVue brand (some loose rear cables, low bitrate, and lens fog issues) That is a really clean install and almost any DashCam is better then no DashCam. I've gone through a lot of dashcams in my cars and the Blackvue was the only one so far that met all my criteria. - Must be a real company with a warranty (ie no Chinese crap) - At least two cameras recording to one unit - No LCD screen to clutter up the dash - Must have a parking mode, motion recording when car is off. - Wifi, GPS and sound recording - True HD quality I like that I can park the car, go inside, and watch/download the clips on my phone through wifi. I can even watch the camera live, all while it's still recording. It may be a little pricey but worth it in my opinion.
CheckYourLights Posted March 28, 2015 Posted March 28, 2015 I understand where you are coming from. If it works well for you that's great and I am glad to see more drivers protected. Unfortunately at this time I can not think of any other model that ticks all the boxes you need. I was just really put off by a few things. Number one was the low bit rate which I believe is around 8MB where most cameras have 13 at the very least. It also looks like the camera does not have WDR to help with night time video recording. You could try the custom firmware to add WDR and bump the bitrate up. https://forum.dashcamtalk.com/threads/blackvue-dr650gw-2ch-_-custom-firmware.9423/ I think around page 3 or 4 of the post the most recent custom firmware has it bumped up to 21MB. I keep looking at the Panorama X2, but in your case it is a little bigger and does not have WiFi. The K1S is also looking okay, but the firmware needs some improvement.
Subisnob Posted March 28, 2015 Posted March 28, 2015 I've gone through a lot of dashcams in my cars and the Blackvue was the only one so far that met all my criteria. - Must be a real company with a warranty (ie no Chinese crap) - At least two cameras recording to one unit - No LCD screen to clutter up the dash - Must have a parking mode, motion recording when car is off. - Wifi, GPS and sound recording - True HD quality I like that I can park the car, go inside, and watch/download the clips on my phone through wifi. I can even watch the camera live, all while it's still recording. It may be a little pricey but worth it in my opinion. My Livue does all that. It is compatible with Android as well so i can use my phone for quick review. I chose not to go with rear camera or gps addition because i would definately incriminate myself for speeding..lol
GTEASER Posted April 3, 2015 Posted April 3, 2015 Nice writeup, definitely going to be doing this soon. GTEASER's 2012 Legacy GT - Sold GTEASER's 2009 XTeaser - Sold GTEASER's 1992 Legacy SS - Sold
andrew_l_s Posted April 3, 2015 Posted April 3, 2015 Thanks for the info! Was just looking at dashcams today, debating whether to go with front only or do 2ch like yours. Really liking how you did the power magic, definitely something I'll consider. Lighting Mods: $10 Footwell Illumination | Tail as Turn | Fog as DRL Diode Dynamics C-Lights | RX350 Bi-Xenon Retrofit
Grnlantern1 Posted April 4, 2015 Posted April 4, 2015 if you have eye sight it might interfere with the eye camera's I know in my owners manual not to put anything around the mirror area because camera might pick it up.. Just some input.. Pretty cool idea though for insurance purposes.
CheckYourLights Posted April 4, 2015 Posted April 4, 2015 if you have eye sight it might interfere with the eye camera's I know in my owners manual not to put anything around the mirror area because camera might pick it up.. Just some input.. Pretty cool idea though for insurance purposes. I think the owners manual puts that in as a kind of cover themselves kind of thing. As long as you get something that hugs the windscreen you should be okay. The Mini080/1/3/5/6 and the B40/A118 hug the glass pretty well. I have not had any issues with my 0806 and I use my adaptive cruise control all the time. I wouldn't get in any car without a camera installed it's crazy out there anyone
GTEASER Posted April 4, 2015 Posted April 4, 2015 if you have eye sight it might interfere with the eye camera's I know in my owners manual not to put anything around the mirror area because camera might pick it up.. Just some input.. Pretty cool idea though for insurance purposes. I think the owners manual is concerned about hula girls, bobble-heads and items hanging from the rear view mirror that might flip up in front of the camera or move around on the dashboard. I dont think a stationary object that is pretty much guaranteed to stay that way would cause any issues. GTEASER's 2012 Legacy GT - Sold GTEASER's 2009 XTeaser - Sold GTEASER's 1992 Legacy SS - Sold
Paradox Posted April 7, 2015 Posted April 7, 2015 As you can see, I have my dashcam mounted right behind my rearview mirror, my EyeSight still works properly. As mentioned, I do believe they mean not blocking the cameras' view directly.
GTALegacy Posted April 8, 2015 Posted April 8, 2015 Hi guys, new Legacy owner here. I'm just wondering if someone can tell me how to remove the overhead console to access the power wires? I have the eyesight and it seems like the console cover also covers the eyesight cameras?
CheckYourLights Posted April 8, 2015 Posted April 8, 2015 Thanks for the info! Was just looking at dashcams today, debating whether to go with front only or do 2ch like yours. Really liking how you did the power magic, definitely something I'll consider. Make sure you check out DashCamTalk as well as the DashCam thread here in the Audio/Interior section. The two channel cameras are nice a lot of people like the Panorama X2. If budget is an issue you could also run two singles independently like I do.
Maheshbabukolla Posted July 20, 2015 Posted July 20, 2015 Finally got around to installing my BlackVue dashcam. I had pulled it out of my previous car that got rear-ended. If anyone is on the fence about getting a dashcam I highly recommend it as it showed the accident wasn't my fault (I got pushed into the car in front). It is a DR650GW-2CH, 2-channel dashcam with a "powermagic pro" which is basically a battery discharge protection device that keeps the camera running when the car is off (parking mode). It went very smoothly thanks to the overhead console. It had all the battery, ground, and ignition wiring available to be tapped into. I mounted the powermagic pro with 3M dual-lock velcro tape to the roof. The front camera tucked in neatly behind the rearview mirror and the wires ran up the OEM wire channel. I cut the power wire to the right length to connect to the powermagic pro. For the rear camera cable, I tucked it behind the headliner, and ran down the A-pillar and along the passenger side footwell back to the rear deck. I didn't mount the rear camera yet as I have brand new tint that is still drying. I was into into a hit and run in a parking lot. I planing to have something installed to prevent this, (need to spend 700$ to get of those scratches that some idiot put on my car) my options are blackVue 2 channel and the Thinkware F750 2 channel. What are your best options for this. I see the blackvue gets really hot and had some lenses issues. Thinkware F750 doesn't seems to have this. Please give me some suggestions.
Maheshbabukolla Posted July 21, 2015 Posted July 21, 2015 Did anyone tried to pull out the overhead console. I see a guy doing that but he has no eyesight on his car. I am planning to install the dash cam with parking mode.
securityguy Posted July 21, 2015 Posted July 21, 2015 Just finished my research on dash cams and I must say the BlackVue is my choice by far. Looking at getting one and following the OPs install guide which was very nicely done. Used to install car audio and security when I was in high school and college and then did on the side for friends (and still do) and I couldn't have done it better or cleaner myself...AWESOME job!
Maheshbabukolla Posted July 21, 2015 Posted July 21, 2015 Just finished my research on dash cams and I must say the BlackVue is my choice by far. Looking at getting one and following the OPs install guide which was very nicely done. Used to install car audio and security when I was in high school and college and then did on the side for friends (and still do) and I couldn't have done it better or cleaner myself...AWESOME job! Thinkware f750 2 channel Looks really cool according to my research. Though i don't need line departure or all the other stuff as my car is having eyesight. cons - Design everyone passing by can see it. (theft increase breaking in for that. Silver colour eye catching ) - Size it is large than blackvue - Costly Pros - Inbuilt power management system ( blackvue need to be installed with power magic pro) - Better colour and glare correction. - Good CPU with dual storage technology in event of crash. - Better image quality (Seen lot of comparison videos) - Can be found in store like bestbuy ( Assuming warranty process will be easy, some other forms mentioned that the customer response is good for Thinkware ) - Had a better heat sink which is not available in blackvue. I am in a dilemma in getting a correct one. But my main concern is if once installed it should last long and shouldn't touch them again. As OP mentioned we are lucky to have overhead console with all the required wires in it. If anyone is planning to install on eyesight mode please let me know may be can at least as for some missing information. My other concern is running wires from front to all the way back. May be there should be some way we can hide them. I wanted so badly because i dont want to spend anymore on hit and run. If i had the setup earlier it would be easy to catch the guy now i should spend 750 to those scratches done as mentioned in other posts. https://goo.gl/photos/5ftJ4GWk8Qq1FubV7 https://goo.gl/photos/mw6apPaH8Np6hF9x5
securityguy Posted July 22, 2015 Posted July 22, 2015 WOW...that one's really nice too Mahesh........you really need a shorter name:) I like that the GPS antenna is built in, the power management is built in and the price is not unreasonable. I hate having too many choices...STOP!
Maheshbabukolla Posted July 22, 2015 Posted July 22, 2015 WOW...that one's really nice too Mahesh........you really need a shorter name:) I like that the GPS antenna is built in, the power management is built in and the price is not unreasonable. I hate having too many choices...STOP! I will try editing my name in the form Thanks.
Nybz Posted July 22, 2015 Posted July 22, 2015 I have a Blackvue 650 2ch. With the power magic. I didn't need to do anything with the overhead console, and all my wiring is completely hidden. I ran the power up into the headliner and then down the driver A-pillar. I added a fuse tap to the interior fuse box and have all the wiring and plugs behind the dash. The rear channel coax I have running up into the headliner to the passenger side and all the way to the headliner in the back. The excess coax is tucked into the A-pillar and B-pillar. I like my Blackvue, I do tend to have an issue though with the reflection of the center speaker grill reflecting and distorting license plates sometimes. I got a CPL filter for that and it helps a lot. ETA: I don't have eyesight, not sure how that affects the wiring up front.
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