Did you recently install a dash cam in your vehicle and want to know if it’ll keep recording when your car is not running, I.e parked? A dash cam is an important car accessory mounted on the dashboard or windshield of vehicles to record the road. Advanced dash cams can also record the vehicle’s interior, thus, providing 360 security. But can dash cam record when parked or does it only record when the vehicle’s ignition is on?
Dash Cams have a parking surveillance mode that allows them to record activities around the vehicle even when the car ignition is turned off. Higher-end dash cams are equipped with motion sensors that trigger the dash cam when there are activities around the vehicle. Lower-end dash cams on the other hand will keep running, recording everything outside and within the vehicle until manually turned off. Parking surveillance mode provides complete all-around security for car owners.
Parked recordings are stored in a separate folder, thereby providing car owners with useful security information of their vehicles when they were away. Live stream over a wireless network to enjoy 24 hours security. But before you lay your hands on a dash car, what exactly is the ‘parking surveillance mode’ and does it work?
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Parking Surveillance Mode and How it works
Parking surveillance mode records incidents that happen around your vehicle while you’re away. For example, you can see the reckless driver who crashes into your vehicle without leaving a note or the person who tries to carjack your vehicle. Dash cams record all the collisions and non-collision that happen in your absence.
Present the video evidence to the Police or your insurance company to eliminate the financial burden of having to repair any damage to your vehicle. Although costlier, dash cams with the parking Surveillance mode give motorists the peace of mind they deserve.
There are different types of dash cams. Older cams are simple cameras that sit on your dashboard, recording every single event. But the newer and more advanced dash cams have a hibernation mode that keeps the dash cam in rest mode until necessary. This helps to save battery and card space, leaving enough space to record the important things.
Car dash cams can be activated manually, or in the case of advanced units, by motion sensors or impact. Modern dash cams have sensors that trigger the cam whenever other cars drive nearby or pedestrians come into its field of view.
This feature provides motorists with a clear view and data of the complete event, including events leading to the collision or accident. Such video evidence will fast-track your insurance claim and sweeten your police statement.
Impact activation is more precise. The camera captures the vehicle at impact, providing clear video of the offending vehicle. However, impact activation lacks the extra data such as the events that led up to the collision and what happened after the incident.
We recommend prioritizing sensor-motion activation. Get to the scene in time with live streaming or a wireless alarm system. Save money on insurance by installing a modern dash cam.
Dash cam records 15 frames per second but drops to 2 frames when in time-lapse settings. This saves more battery and space while capturing important data. However, you may miss connecting pieces of data that’ll help you, your insurance company, or the police to piece the entire event together.
Nonetheless, the time-lapse setting comes in handy in high-traffic areas as nearby vehicles may overwork your dash cam. You can get to review videos quicker. For example, a 10 minutes event can be over in less than 2 minutes.
Always use a memory card of 16GB or higher, GPS Antenna, and strong wireless connection with your dash cam.
Pros of parking surveillance Mode
● Fight undeserved tickets
Augment your speed detector with a dash cam to fight off any wrong parking tickets. There have been cases of motorists being ticketed wrongly. This was only overturned by nearby cameras or dash cams. But where there are no CCTV cameras, a dash cam comes in handy. Install a dash cam to review any parking ticket, and save money on those issues wrongly.
● Saves Battery
Older dash cams work 24/7, thereby draining your car battery. This could cause overheating on the device and may affect the functionality of your dash cam security system. Protect your car battery by using the parking surveillance mode. You also save card space for a longer period. This increases the lifespan of your device, thereby giving you a 100% return on investment.
● Reduces Review Time
Except you have all the time in the world, reviewing hours of dash cam content will be time-consuming and wasteful. You could also miss the important data from the video. But by activating the parking surveillance mode, your dash cam only records the important events, thereby reducing review time. You also get to see the important data instantly.
● Evidence against Police brutality
Protect yourself against police brutality by recording events when interacting with law enforcement. Police officers also use dash cams to capture crime. Motorists can request for a police dash cam to fight cases of inappropriate police conduct and police brutality.
Cons of parking surveillance mode
● May miss important events
While you may save battery and card space, parking surveillance mode may cause your dash cam to miss other important events. A dash cam doesn’t only accelerate your insurance claims, it also serves as video evidence for other nearby activities. You can find other important data that’ll provide a wider perspective for collisions. You may also find evidence that’ll help the police resolve other investigations, or prevent an active crime. Nonetheless, advanced dash cams are being improved regularly to pick up important data from far and near, thereby reducing the risk of missing out on important events.
Should I unplug my dash cam at night
Leaving your dash cam running overnight can provide maximum security while you sleep, however, it may also cause several issues. Most dash cams require additional wiring to your battery. This hard wiring is necessary for continuous video coverage. This could cause high battery consumption.
The continuous recording also causes unimportant content to override important video coverage. This can cause you to lose insurance claims because of continuous recording. Your dash cam is also at a higher risk of being stolen. Leaving it for that long outside can attract thieves.
We recommend you switch off your dash cam at night and switch it back on in the morning.
Does having a dash cam reduce insurance Cost
Car premiums are cheaper and faster to buy when you have a dash cam installed. Insurance companies also provide reasonable discounts to car owners with dash cams. Since dash cams show frame-by-frame pictures of events, both external and internal, insurance companies will consider motorists with dash cams trustworthy.
According to insurance experts, a dash cam indicates that the motorist considers his/herself to be a good driver.
A dash cam also fast tracks your insurance claim by eliminating delays in gathering facts and data. Your insurance company and other concerned parties can quickly conclude by viewing the content of your dash cam.
Are Dash Cams worth it?
While installing a dash cam may cost you money, it’ll save you more money on insurance, wrong accident claims, and prevent thefts. A dash cam also facilitates safe driving. Motorists are known to drive safer when being monitored.
This reduces accidents and collisions. Cars with dash cams have a lesser frequency of being broken into, unlike cars without. Thieves are thrown back when they see a car with a dash cam. We recommend that you install one of the advanced dash cams with wireless connectivity so you can monitor your dash cam from anywhere.
Cost of Installing a Dash Cam
Dash cams are a great inexpensive feature to add to any type of vehicle. A dash cam can be as low as $50 or as high as $249.99. The price varies depending on brand, materials, and features. Look for advanced dash cams that have the parking surveillance mode so you can monitor your vehicle and record events while its engine is Off.
