It was only with the adoption of 3G cellular service that streaming video from our phone systems became a reality. 4G cellular services offer a bump in data transfer speed with a theoretical maximum that is more than 50 times faster than 3G, making it easy and reliable to stream high-resolution video. Dashcam manufacturers like BlackVue have developed cloud-based solutions that allow you to use a Wi-Fi hotspot in your vehicle, smartphone internet access tethering or proximity to a hotspot in your home or office to keep tabs on your vehicle. Let’s look at how it works.

Dashcam Internet Connection

Once you’ve had your local specialist mobile enhancement retailer install your dashcam for you, all you need to do is use a smartphone app to connect your dashcam to an internet connection. Many General Motors vehicles include Wi-Fi hotspots, and Ford recently announced they’d be including 4G connectivity in upcoming models. You can also source a mobile hotspot solution from most key cellphone companies like Verizon, AT&T and Sprint in the US and Telus in Canada.

Once the connection is set up, you can connect to your dashcam anytime it’s powered to see what it sees. You can also configure notifications to be pushed to your smartphone should the motion sensor be triggered while your vehicle is parked or if someone or something comes into the camera’s field of vision. If you are worried about vandalism or theft or want to know which cat is walking across the hood of your vehicle, this is the way to go.

Several models of Thinkware cameras can send notifications about driving impacts or when the camera enters or exits a preselected zone.

Because these dashcams have an integrated GPS antenna, they can be used to provide an alert if someone tows your vehicle away. The difference between the solutions we’ve discussed is in the ability to see the camera image remotely.

Will We See Dashcams with Built-In LTE Connectivity?

Absolutely! In fact, many are already on the market. The Waylens Secure360 4G is one option. Waylens offers several data plans that vary in bandwidth and cost. There are some solutions from lesser-known brands out there. We haven’t tested them in terms of image quality and video compression nor have we determined how easy their interfaces are to use. Be sure you check those things out before purchasing.

The Importance of a Quality Dashcam

As we’ve discussed in detail, having an inexpensive dashcam is great if you want to know if a light was green or red when you entered an intersection or the direction a car was travelling when it hit someone. If you want to capture details like license plates, something that is crucial in identifying vehicles that have left the scene of an accident, then you need a camera with a high-resolution image sensor, high-quality video compression algorithms that preserve detail and excellent hardware that will ensure the system works when you need it. Expect to spend at least $300 on a good quality dashcam plus the cost of installation.

Protect Yourself with a Premium Dashcam

Undoubtedly, we’ll see more and more dashcams with Wi-Fi cloud solutions and LTE connectivity come onto the market over the next few years. Where a dashcam is like having a co-pilot keeping tabs on everything that happens in front and behind your vehicle as you drive, a connected dashcam is your personal night watchman, guarding your pride and joy all through the night. If you are interested in a video recording system for your car or truck, visit your local specialist mobile enhancement retailer today.

This article is written and produced by the team at www.BestCarAudio.com. Reproduction or use of any kind is prohibited without the express written permission of 1sixty8 media.

By now you know that having a dashcam in your car or truck is the best way to protect your self against fraud and false accusations in the event of an accident. As with any type of consumer electronics product, there are basic dashcams and models with advanced technologies. If you want to know what’s going on around your vehicle, even when you’re at home, in your office or on vacation, then you’ll be interested in what these cloud-based technologies offer.

Wi-Fi Connectivity

We’ve talked about dashcams in the past that forego the inclusion of an LCD screen in favor of Wi-Fi connectivity. In many of these cameras, the Wi-Fi connection is used to connect the camera to your smartphone and not specifically to the internet. Thanks to an application on your Apple iPhone or Android-based smartphone, you can connect directly to the camera and watch or download videos stored on the device. You can also adjust the camera settings in real time from the app on your phone, once again negating the need to remove the microSD card and go back and forth to a computer.

Connecting to your dashcam using Wi-Fi offers several benefits. First and foremost, you don’t need a computer in order to access the video files. If you witness or are involved in an accident, you can download the video file to your smartphone right on the spot. The viewing software provided with cameras like the Momento M6 allow you to edit video clips right on your device and upload them to Facebook, Twitter or YouTube.

 

Once connected, you can view or download the videos stored on your dashcam right to your smartphone.

Cloud Connectivity

Some camera systems like the BlackVue DR900S-2CH include the ability to connect to the internet through a mobile router in your vehicle or your home Wi-Fi network for real-time remote access. Once your camera is connected to the Internet, you can access the camera from anywhere in the world to see what it sees. If you have a mobile hotspot, you can initiate two-way communication with the driver as he or she drives using the speaker and microphone built into the camera.

You have access to all the video files stored on your camera and you can download them for viewing or back them up to your cloud storage. You can even stream video to Facebook Live or YouTube Live if you have an Apple iPhone.

When your camera is in parking mode and connected to the cloud, you can configure the system to send an instant push notification to your phone if your camera system detects an event. The event can be triggered by the impact sensor or motion in the image.

 

Vehicle Locating and Tracking Service

Because all of the dash cameras at these feature levels include a GPS receiver, you can check the location of your vehicle on a map. For business owners, BlackVue offers a corporate service called BlackVue Fleet Tracking. You can monitor the location of your vehicles in real time, view vehicle location history and stream live video from up to four cameras at once using the BlackVue Viewer Pro application on your Windows computer. Geographically based warnings are another handy feature to let management manage their assets.

Advanced Video Compression

Though not a benefit in terms of real-time safety, cameras like the BlackVue DR900S-2CH include the option for H.265 image compression. Where most cameras use the H.264 codec to compress the video data, the more advanced H.265 (also called High Efficiency Video Coding or HEVC) format allows for a reduction in file size by about 50% with no additional loss of detail. What does this mean to the owner of a dashcam that offers H.265? You can store almost twice as many video files on the microSD card. This is an important feature for cameras that record in 2K and 4K resolution.

Advanced Dashcam Features and Technology

If you are in the market for a dashcam with advanced features like cloud connectivity and Wi-Fi, visit your local specialist mobile enhancement retailer today. They would be happy to show you what is available and arrange for their technicians to integrate one into your vehicle.

This article is written and produced by the team at www.BestCarAudio.com. Reproduction or use of any kind is prohibited without the express written permission of 1sixty8 media.