[audioholic]

Originally Posted by JonSnow

Can you elaborate on the additional features that dash cams have over a phone? I have contemplated getting a dash cam a few times, but wasn't really convinced if it offered any additional benefits over a phone to justify spending on it.

I have tried this before I got my dashcam. And I was having the same thought as you have. But it depends upon how you want to use the dashcam. Let me give a few use cases where the phone lost the competition:

1. Ease of use: Unless you are using a spare phone mounted permanently in the car, it will be tedious to put the phone to the mount, then start the app and so. In contrast, I practically do nothing for the dashcam. I start the car and it records, and it stops once I get out of the car.

2. The primary purpose of a dashcam is to record video. The primary purpose of a phone is not. Hence, depending upon the phone specifications, it might not be able to handle continuous recording over an extended period of time. For example my dashcam has to record minimum three hours of 720p video per day. This kind of a load on the phone will wear it out faster and the phone will start lagging and stuff. My nokia lumia 925 restarted once after recording 10 minutes of HD video. That is the only time in its life it has restarted due to a hang.

If you are using your primary phone as a dashcam, the limitation increases further - You cant take calls or use the phone as an audio player like how I do.

The only advantage I see of a phone is that the phone camera has excellent quality compared to the low end dashcams like GT300, Blaupunkt etc. But as I said, I dont think any phone is built to last years with hours of recording everyday. Maybe an occasional clip or two wouldnt matter.

In similar lines, though mobile camera photography has really picked up, the good old DSLR is still in demand and is not obsolete.

[relichunter]

I recently bought a dash cam called A118C from GearBest.com for $51.00. This is the capacitor battery one. The normal battery one is called A118. I did not go for the regular battery one as I read about its heating issues in Team BHP. It took 25 days for the delivery. The seller had mentioned the price as 21$ on the package and thus I did not have any issues with customs.

Here are some un-boxing pics.







I also bought a Universal Cigarette Lighter Power Socket from eBay for Rs 150. Here are its pics.




I had called up my Mahindra SA in advance and had informed him about my desire to fit a dash cam on my XUV500. He had promised to get it done with his electrician. So the very next day I had received my dash cam, I went to the ASS on Hosa Road and got it fitted. The work was done in 15 minutes. Unfortunately, I could not take any pictures of how the electrician fitted the dash cam. I am really not sure why. May be I was paying too much attention to what the electrician was doing and whether he will do it correctly. He basically removed the panel under the handbrake, pulled out the existing 12V socket wire and added a new connection.

The new socket was connected to the new connection and the adapter of the dashcam was put into that. He then used an insulation tape and wrapped the joint completely. The adapter cord traverses from there to the right towards the A pillar and then to the dash cam.

Below pic shows how the dash cam looks from inside. My wife had concerns if the dash cam would be a distraction for her while driving (She is a new driver). But after she saw the setup, she is convinced. Some part of the screen gets hidden behind the rear view mirror.



This is how it looks from outside. Decently discreet I feel.





The work done by the ASS is excellent. The wires are completely hidden. The electrician was very accommodating to my all my queries. He even patiently addressed my multiple requests on adjusting the camera for a better alignment. The ASS charged Rs 200 for the work. Tipped another 100 to the electrician.

The dashcam doesn’t come with a memory card so had to purchase one. Got Strontium Nitro MicroSDHC 32 GB UHS-I Class 10 Memory Card from Paytm for Rs 650. Recording is perfect. Here are some sample videos which I took.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZBfsoaoKEo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTDAZnxrKWY

I am running the dash cam on stock settings with just loop time changed to 1 min. The file size comes to 93 MB with HDR mode and default resolution (1080p). The total cost for the set up came to Rs 4665 (3,565 +150+200+100+650). And what it’s worth? Peace of mind I say.

Cheers!

[bking]

And this came in the mail today. Seems like the deal was indeed too good to be true.

[sidzz]

Just got this email from Aliexpress.

[BoneCollector]

Sorry to burst the bubble for everyone who ordered from Ali Express, I'm attaching a self explanatory screenshot. Hope it is resolved soon which seems highly unlikely.

[harishhm74]

Originally Posted by nitinralli

Guys did you noticed the same GT300 Dash-cam which was for $6 is now for $39



Does it means whoever booked it for $6, they can say goodbye to those $6? Or will that money be credited back to us via Aliexpress? Cause i dont think supplier would send it for such a less amount, this sure is a scam

Just received a mail from Aliexpress that my order of this item at 6$ is now frozen due to suspicious nature and until the seller provides surety it will hold and refund if it finds an issue here.

[TheTeacher]

Originally Posted by tilt

The following is 1080p footage from my new G1WH.

tilt, where did you buy your G1WH from? Gearbest was a reliable vendor, but now apparently even they are shipping duplicates.

There is info on https://dashcamtalk.com/forum/forums/g1wx.39/ about identifying genuine and fake G1W dashcams.

[sidzz]

I do not think there is any reason to panic. Aliexpress will refund the money without any fuss. I have had a similar experience before.

[tilt]

@TheTeacher, I ordered my G1WH from Amazon Canada and had it delivered to my nephew in Canada who hand-carried it to me here.

My camera was made by SpyTec.

And yes, I did quite a bit of research into the best value for money without compromising on quality; and I made sure it was not a fake, both when placing the order and when having my nephew take delivery.

And @RelicHunter, your A118C is a really great camera. Basically identical internally to the G1W series (the genuine ones, not the fake ones), and has a much better body-shape. The only reason I did not go in for that was that I got the same quality for cheaper with the G1WH (though it is not as discreet as the A118C). Good buy for you

Cheers

[sujithsidhardha]

My two orders also got frozen with the same seller. I was bit suspicious with the seller activity, since he didn't responded to any of my queries with my two orders. So i cancelled one order day before yesterday and to test the luck, i extended the processing time of one order.

As an alternate, i ordered one from another seller Store:Shenzhen TopBox Technology Co., Ltd for 19.59$ and they shipped it in a day. Got the tracking number and its available on tracking website. Everything transparent and waiting for the delivery now.

Seems this should be an advice to us. Never trust anything that's bit difficult to believe.

[audioholic]

They have cancelled all the orders from the seller. The refund of my unshipped order had been successful without hassles. Not sure how the other order of mine will be ordered since it is already marked as shipped. And I wonder if it is really shipped.

Anyways it was too good to be true

[sujithsidhardha]

Originally Posted by audioholic

They have cancelled all the orders from the seller. The refund of my unshipped order had been successful without hassles. Not sure how the other order of mine will be ordered since it is already marked as shipped. And I wonder if it is really shipped.

Anyways it was too good to be true

If the product is undelivered, seems it would be easy for you to get a refund in this situation. In my experience, Aliexpress is far better in refunds and resolutions, compared to ebay.

Meanwhile, I was in a tug of war in choosing Blaupunkt BP 2.0 or Novatek GT 300. For a week, i was behind the comparison. Tried various youtube videos, and the videos in the forum itself. But i couldn't came to a conclusion in terms of performance and durability. I was thinking about both of them even at bed. At last, i decided to have a try on GT 300, since it costs only 1/3rd of BP 2.0.

It seems a side by side comparison with review would help a lot of fellow beings for a decision. If anyone having multiple models could help a bit. It would be great, if we could include the common models.

[sairamboko]

My order is also frozen due to suspicious activity. I hope i will get the refund without any hassles.

[FarPatel]

Originally Posted by harishhm74

Just received a mail from Aliexpress that my order of this item at 6$ is now frozen due to suspicious nature and until the seller provides surety it will hold and refund if it finds an issue here.

Same here. I too just received this message. However, another order for a different brand, at a decent price, is awaiting delivery, so I'm not too unhappy.

[bharatbs]

If the Price Seems Too Good to Be True, It Probably Is

Anyway this time I am getting my money back.

Your order 7232620767XXXX has been frozen due to suspicious seller activity

We have suspended this seller’s account because we detected unsafe trading activities. All of your pending orders with this seller have been frozen for your security.
We have asked this supplier to provide supporting evidence, such as shipping documents and qualification certificates.

If the supplier is unable to provide the evidence or if the evidence is insufficient, we will close the order and process the refund for you within 5 business days (In case of certain circumstance, the processing period may be extended).
We apologize for this inconvenience.

At AliExpress we are committed to ensuring you enjoy a safe shopping experience. We will continue striving to improve. Your understanding and cooperation are highly appreciated, if you have any question or suggestion,