Tag: Help

We regularly get asked about which memory cards are suitable for the dashcams that we sell. What type of card do I need? What does the class rating mean? And above all, how much video can I record per gigabyte?! To try and answer some of these questions, here’s the Car Camera Shop ‘Guide to Memory Cards’!

What type of memory card do I need?

While there are many different types of memory card, almost all dashcams accept Micro SD cards. At just 15mm by 11mm, these tiny little cards can offer many gigabytes of recording space, but typically dashcams will support 8GB, 16GB and 32GB cards, with some newer cameras even accepting 64GB cards.

As well as the card capacity, it will also have a class rating which indicates the speed at which data can be written to it. Most current dashcams require class 6 or class 10 memory cards. The higher the class rating, the quicker data can be recorded onto it. However, it’s not always a case of the quicker the better. Occasionally a dashcam will struggle to cope with a card that is too fast for it and this can present problems. Ensure you use the class of memory that is compatible with your car camera.

How much footage will a card hold?

The amount of footage that can be recorded onto these cards is dependent on several factors, but most notably the bitrate of your camera. This relates to the amount of data that your camera processes at any one time. The higher the bitrate, the higher the quality of the footage it should capture, and therefore the more storage space it requires.

The resolution that you choose to record in will also have a significant impact on the capacity of your memory card. With most car cameras offering a choice of recording options, such as 1080p or 720p of differing numbers of frames-per-second, you may find yourself struggling to decide which to choose. We would always suggest recording at the highest resolution possible, to ensure that you capture as much detail as possible. This could make the difference between being able to read a number plate or not.

Other information captured such as audio, GPS and g-sensor data will all consume more storage space on your card and impact the amount of footage it can hold.

As a rough guideline for some of our most popular cameras, the following amount of footage can be recorded:

How much storage do I need?

There are several schools of thought when it comes to deciding how much memory you should have. While many will argue that in the case of an incident it’s only the last few moments of footage that you’ll need, the reality is that your memory card will more than likely accumulate locked video files which will remain on your memory card until you delete them manually. Over time, these locked files will reduce the amount of room left for new files as your camera uses loop recording to overwrite old uneventful footage. A larger memory card will increase the amount of time between the occasions that you’ll need to clear your card.

This is done by formatting it, which is ideally done in-camera or alternatively the card can be inserted into your computer via a card reader or a USB adapter. Formatting will erase all content from the card, giving you the full card capacity back. Formatting your cards regularly is a good habit to get into but make sure that you’ve copied all footage that you might later want to refer to into a safe location beforehand.

How do I know if my memory card is genuine?

Unfortunately there are many fake memory cards in circulation, which look identical to their branded counterparts, but often perform poorly and fail to record successfully. The last thing you want in the case of an incident is to look for your footage and find that it hasn’t been recorded so genuine memory cards are a must. Always buy your cards from a reputable source.

If you’re looking for a memory card for your dashcam, we supply genuine Samsung class 6 and class 10 MicroSD memory cards.

Samsung 8GB Class 6 MicroSD Memory Card
Samsung 16GB Class 6 MicroSD Memory Card
Samsung 32GB Class 6 MicroSD Memory Card
Samsung 8GB Class 10 MicroSD Memory Card
Samsung 16GB Class 10 MicroSD Memory Card
Samsung 32GB Class 10 MicroSD Memory Card

Using a car camera has many benefits. At the top of that list is the fact that it helps if there is ever a crash or vandalism incident with your car. A car camera provides irrefutable evidence of what happened which helps ensure that the correct decision is made on insurance claims. It also helps insurance companies to process claims quicker which means you can move on quicker. So if having a car camera is good for your car it must be good for temporary cars too.

That is true. If you drive a car for work that you do not own or if you hire cars regularly a car camera can be just as beneficial to you as it is when you own the car. It is also beneficial when driving abroad.

In fact hiring a car and driving while on holiday is something that more people are doing. It is inexpensive and it appeals to our desires for exploration and independence. But statistics have shown that you are twice as likely to be in a car accident while driving in mainland Europe as you are when you are driving in the UK. If you are in Greece or Portugal your chances of being in an accident are three times higher.

It is bad being in an accident when you are close to home but it is even worse when you are far away. You will have less people to help and support you and you may have difficulties with the language. This makes a stressful situation even worse as you try to deal with other people involved in the accident, car hire companies, insurance companies and the police.

In all of these situations a car camera can help. Video images transcend language barriers and will back up your viewpoint in a way that is impossible to argue with. They can help you if you are in an incident in a hire car in the UK too and also if you are driving a car for work that you do not own. The video camera footage deals with all of these tricky situations ensuring you are not out of pocket or out of a job.

Car Cameras Suitable for Temporary Cars

The most important thing to consider when buying a car camera that you plan to use in a car that is not your own is the way that it is fixed. Most cameras are fixed to your car on the windscreen. One method of fixing is through adhesive mounts which is solid and durable. The trouble is these are also semi-permanent so are not suitable for things like hire cars or temporary work cars.

The other type of car camera fixing that is available is suction pads. The whole purpose of suction pads is to make the camera portable which is beneficial for security purposes, i.e. you can remove the camera and place it somewhere out-of-sight when your car is parked. Portability is also beneficial for using the camera on hire cars or temporary work vehicles so suction pads are the best option.

When you get into the car you simply fix the camera to the windscreen using the suction pads and then remove it when you are finished with the car. View our full range of suction mounted dash cams.

Other Benefits

A car camera is beneficial when things go wrong but there are other things that they are useful for, particularly if you are driving a hire car for pleasure. This is because car cameras are a way for you to capture your trip. Of course mile-upon-mile of motorway driving is not interesting but once you get onto the scenic routes your car camera can become a method of recording what you see while at the same time offering you protection.

You just have to remember to download to a computer any video that you want before it is deleted. Car cameras typically record to SD cards in chunks. Once the card is full it goes back to the oldest chunk and wipes it before starting to record again. This is called loop recording and means you do not have to worry about storage space. You do have to worry about the videos that you want to keep though. That means you will need to bring a laptop or something similar to download your videos before they are deleted.

Suction mounts make car cameras portable which means they are suitable for all driving situations in all countries. Before you go on your next trip or take the keys of another work car make sure you get one.

Last month saw Swiftcover become the first mainstream insurer to offer a discount to their customers that install a dashcam. While their 10% discount might only equate to around £30 off their average policy value, it’s great to see a new company recognise the benefits that dashcams offer.

As discussed in their latest blog, Adrian Flux have been offering a discount for around two years and were one of the first UK insurers to do so. Due to the specialised nature of the cover they provide, the savings made can often cover the cost of the dashcam in the first year alone!

Footage captured by car cameras helps insurers to apportion responsibility for an accident much quicker than occasions when video evidence isn’t readily available. Often these cases simply end up with responsibility being shared 50/50 between both parties, as neither will accept blame and the evidence in inconclusive. Understandably, the communications involved in this take a significant amount of time, resource and therefore, money. By eliminating, or vastly reducing this process, insurers are able to save money and it’s great to see them passing these savings on to drivers.

Be sure to keep an eye on our Cheaper Car Insurance page for details of all insurance companies that are offering dashcam discounts. We hope that we’ll be able to add many more companies to it in the future.