Product Information Archives - Page 2 of 3

Posted on July 15, 2021January 24, 2023 by Eric Rogers

Guide to Dashcam Memory Cards

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:

Camera	Bitrate (kbps)	8GB	16GB	32GB
Mobius	18,000	1 hour	2 hours	4 hours
Mini 0801	12,000	1½ hours	3 hours	6 hours
G1W	15,000	1¼ hours	2½ hours	5 hours
BlackVue DR3500-FHD	10,000	1¾ hours	3½ hours	7 hours
Mi-Witness HD	10,000	1¾ hours	3½ hours	7 hours
BlackVue DR650GW-2CH	11,700	1½ hours	3 hours	6 hours

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

Posted on July 15, 2021January 24, 2023 by Eric Rogers

Replay XD 1080 Mini Review

Being a daily cycle commuter, I had been wanting to review the Replay XD 1080 for some time and so was especially pleased when the new Replay XD 1080 Mini was released and I managed to get my hands on one. Smaller and lighter than it’s predecessor, it manages to cram the same performance into it’s tough aluminium housing.

Key Features

Full HD quality video (1920 x 1080) at 30fps.
120° wide angle lens with a 5MP CMOS sensor.
Tough aluminium body.
Waterproof to 3m.
Vibration feedback for easy control while wearing a helmet.
A range of adhesive mounts.
MicroSD cards up to 32GB. 4GB card supplied.

When people think of cameras for their bicycles or motorbikes, many consider the costly GoPro range, but for me, the asthetics of the Replay means it’s much more suited to the job. The Replay XD 1080 Mini’s barrel design – which has helped this type of camera to become known as a bullet camera – means that it’s much more aerodynamic and compact than the GoPro, especially when it’s waterproof housing and mounts are taken into consideration.

The first thing you notice about the Replay XD 1080 Mini is it’s exceptional quality. From the camera itself and it’s array of mounts, right through to the instruction booklet, stickers and packaging, the entire bundle is very impressive. Within the smart perspex outer packaging, Replay have included a fabric ‘ballistic’ case to store everything in when not being used and another smaller microfibre sleeve to protect the camera itself. Some Replay stickers complete a very neat package indeed.

The camera is very well put together and the fact that it’s waterproof to three metres without the need for an additional housing means that it remains neat and compact when in use. With double o-ring threads at either end of the camera protecting the lens at the front and the memory card slot, switches and power connectors at the rear, the camera will be more than weatherproof for use outdoors in rainy conditions.

The mounts are well constructed and very sturdy. While the LowBoy mount simply the camera in one, fixed position, the HeimLock mount offers the ability to move the camera slightly, by using a quick release mechanism. Both of these mounts allow the camera to be twisted throughout 360° to be positioned as required and small lines around the camera help with alignment.

Once clipped into any of the SnapTrays provided, the mounts become very sturdy indeed. Three of these SnapTrays are included, and the Flat, Tripod and Curved SnapTrays are each designed for for a slightly different purpose. I used the Curved SnapTray on my cycle helmet and it stuck well, thanks to the 3M adhesive used. I would say that I was slightly concerned that the mount wouldn’t adhere to my helmet well, as the adhesive pad would have to sit across a vent hole. However, it has remained stuck very well and I have no concerns as to it falling off. On a motorbike helmet, where it would have a much better contact, it would stick extremely well.

The camera only has two external buttons with which to control the camera which are also waterproof to prevent moisture getting inside. The simplistic control system works exceptionally well and makes it easy to control the Replay XD 1080 Mini without having to look at it. The two raised buttons either turn the camera on/off or start/stop recording and can be felt easily through gloves. While the camera has small LCDs that tell you what the camera is currently doing, each button press in also accompanied with a vibration alert which can be felt through your helmet to ensure you know that you’re recording. By adjusting the cameras settings, it can be made to start recording with the touch of just one button, but more on that later.

At the front, the impact-resistant polycarbonate lens offers a 120 degree field-of-view, enabling the Replay XD 1080 Mini to capture significant detail without the image distorting due to a wide angle fish-eye lens. This lends itself well to the purpose of capturing footage in the case of an incident on the road as all aspects of the image will be clear. Recording at either 1080p at 30 frames-per-second, or 720p at 60 frames-per-second the video quality is excellent. A simple switch, hidden behind the rear bezel, changes between these two main recording options but others are available via an ‘advanced’ set up solution.

With this, it’s possible to alter many technical aspects of the Replay XD 1080 Mini, to tailor it exactly to your specific needs. While it’s not the most intuitive process, by manually altering a text file found on your memory card, you can tweak features such as exposure, sharpness and contrast, as well as various recording functions. In my case, I activated loop recording and one touch recording, so that it started to record automatically as soon as I turned it on. This meant that during my daily commute, I simply turned the camera on as I started my journey and it would start recording, recording over the oldest footage when the 4GB memory card (supplied) was full. This took around 40 minutes, and I wanted to retain slightly more footage than that so I eventually upgraded to a larger card.

With about a two hour battery life, the Replay XD 1080 Mini offers enough recording time for many journeys, but it’s not going to last for a full day’s cycle ride by any means. With this in mind, there are a range of power accessories available, from three and six hour battery packs to hardwire kits. These open the door to many different applications for cyclists and motorcyclists and all offer the same high level of build quality throughout. Other accessories include a ReView monitor to view footage while out and about and a mountain of mounting options for almost every conceivable eventuality.

Overall, the Replay XD 1080 Mini is a great camera, either for the daily commuter, or for the more ‘extreme’ user. I found that when I had the camera mounted on my helmet the constant movement suited the 720p setting better, due to the higher frame rate, and produced a smoother picture. I also experimented with the WindBreaker stickers that came in the package and found that they do an effective job of cutting out wind noise, especially if travelling at high speeds.

I feel confident that in the case of any incident I will have a detailed record of the events leading up to it which I can refer to if necessary. The footage quality is good enough to capture vehicle registrations and other details, even at speed, and by mounting the camera on my helmet it meant it was almost always focussed on danger areas. For more recreational activities, such as snowboarding, I look forward to experimenting with the many other mounting options.

Replay XD 1080 Mini Videos

Unboxing Video

Posted on July 15, 2021January 24, 2023 by Eric Rogers

Using a dash cam for hire or rental cars

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.

Posted on July 15, 2021January 24, 2023 by Eric Rogers

VicoVation Dashcams – Now available at Car Camera Shop

VicoVation Dashcams - Now available at Car Camera Shop

We’re excited to have added a new range of cameras from VicoVation to our website this week after seeing interest in them grow in recent months.

The VicoVation WF1 offers a unique design which definitely makes it stand out in the dashcam crowd! But it’s style with function, as the design helps with heat dissipation and offers easy access to the event record button, making it easy to reach if you spot anything interesting on the roads and want to refer back to it later. This file will then be locked and protected from being overwritten by the loop recording function – for more information on this read our Key Features of Car Cameras page.

We’re looking forward to testing out the PushCam App service that the VicoVation WF1 offers which enables you to automatically upload eventful footage to the cloud via your smartphone, making it easy to access later on. It’s great to see manufacturers thinking about ways of making accessing video files easier.

The VicoVation Marcus1 and VicoVation Marcus3 dashcams both offer HD recording, with the Marcus3 delivery EXTREME HD recording – their words, not ours! – and capturing impressive 1296p footage. They also use the latest technology to improve their ability to record in low-light situations, which can be crucial if you have an accident at night.

VicoVation also show that they’re safety concious by including lane departure warning systems (LDWS) and front collision warning systems (FCWS) in their dashcams*. By building in additional features such as these, dashcams are able to help prevent accidents as well as recording them.

We’re always looking for new dashcams to add to our website to ensure we’re able to offer the very best selection to our customers. If you’re looking for a particular camera but can’t find it on Car Camera Shop, feel free to drop us a line on sales@carcamerashop.co.ukto see if we’re considering adding it or whether there’s a reason we haven’t!

*Optional accessories may be required.

Posted on July 15, 2021January 24, 2023 by Eric Rogers

Mini 0803: Initial Thoughts

UPDATE: Due to the number of requests we’re getting for the Mini 0803, and the fact that we’ve been testing it for some time now and understand it better, we’ve made it available on our site. It’s clear that the manufacturers are listening to the dashcam community and they appear keen to make firmware improvements as soon as possible. These should rectify some of the issues that we’re currently experiencing with the Mini 0803. That said, even in its current state, the Mini 0803 performs well and has the potential to offer exceptional image quality, especially in low-light situations, once the firmware has been refined to make the most of the hardware available.

We’re huge fans of the Mini 0801 here at Car Camera Shop, along with thousands of other dashcam users all over the world, and so we were excited to receive samples of the newly release Mini 0803, for testing. As with all newly launched cameras, we like to put them through their paces before making them available for sale, as we feel that they need to deliver a certain level of quality before we feel that they’re fit for our customers.

After a week of rigorous testing, we’ve decided to hold back on making the Mini 0803 available on our site as we feel that there are some teething problems that we need to understand in more detail before we’re able to offer the appropriate level of support where this camera is concerned. We’re speaking to the manufacturer directly and gathering information from other users in a bid to understand the camera, its current limitations and to establish a timeline for any improvements. There has already been one firmware update since it’s launch (at time of writing) so we hope to see more shortly.

As an example, we don’t feel that the Mini 0803 currently delivers as good an image quality as the Mini 0801, despite it recording in 1296p, rather than 1080p. We’ve run side-by-side tests and, as you can see from the footage below, the Mini 0801 offers a sharper, more detailed image and the Mini 0803 suffers from a soft-focus effect, particularly when pausing the video, making registration plates difficult to read. While is appears that the 0803’s wide dynamic range (WDR) does enable to camera to capture marginally lighter videos at night, albeit with a yellow hue, again the important detail is lacking.

There also seems to be some minor bugs in the firmware effecting the audio recording and some other menu options, and the instructions provided don’t include many of the new features, including it’s lane depature warning system, which will leave our customers struggling to use their camera without support.

Rest assured that we’re keen to make the Mini 0803 available as soon as possible but hope that you can understand the rationale behind our decision. For the sake of delaying it’s availability for a short time, we can ensure that our customers receive a product that meets their expectations and that we can support them fully with.

If you have any questions regarding the Mini 0803, please feel free to contact us here.

Posted on July 15, 2021January 24, 2023 by Eric Rogers

Mi-Witness HD Dashcam Review

Given its multi-award winning status, we were excited to receive the Mi-Witness HD for review recently. In recent times this popular dashcam has been awarded a lofty 5-star rating by the Sunday Times and scooped ‘Product of the Year’ at the Vehicle Electronics Professional awards, so we’re were especially keen to see how it performed.

Key Features

Full HD quality video (1280 x 720) at 30fps.
120° wide angle lens with a 2MP CMOS sensor.
GPS maps for speed and location tracking.
G-shock sensor to detect sudden and severe movement.
Parking mode for protection when parked.
Photo mode.
Wifi enabled to connect to a mobile app (via optional Wifi dongle).
Adjustable adhesive windscreen mount.
MicroSD cards up to 32GB. 8GB card supplied.

Combine all that with our fondness for front and rear dashcam set-ups and we were delighted to receive the Mi-Witness Driver Special bundle to take a look at. As well as the main Mi-Witness HD camera unit, this package also includes a neat little rear camera along with some other goodies including a wifi dongle, a hardwire kit and a smart little protective case.

Upon opening the package, we were pleasantly pleased with the main, front-facing camera. Largely black, to help it remain inconspicuous when installed, it finds a good balance between simplicity and functionality. With just one main button on the left-hand edge (looking from a drivers point-of-view), which also acts as a light so you can tell how the camera is working, the camera doesn’t invite interaction, and nor should it. The Mi-Witness is designed to be set-up, installed and forgotten about unless absolutely necessary.

Elsewhere on the camera, there are two small indicator lights that tell you if the camera has power and whether the GPS signal has locked in. Just above these is a USB port hidden beneath a sturdy rubber cover which is where the wifi dongle is attached. By offering wifi functionality as an optional extra, the Mi-Witness HD becomes a package that can be tailored to an individuals needs. The USB slot will apparently also be used for other functions in the future which may offer even more customisation options.

Around the camera are ventilation holes to let heat escape and on the right-hand end, there are two sockets for the power cable and the rear-camera cable to plugged into, along with a slot for the Micro SD card, again covered by a rubber guard, to stop and unwanted dirt getting in. Overall, the camera feels like it’s built with quality in mind.

Installation was a breeze with just two cables to worry about. The first was the power cable which I could easily run along a well-worn route in my car due to installing cameras quite frequently. However, the cable is easily tucked behind trim and under carpets so an expert-looking installation is easily achieved in any car. The second, longer cable, connects the front and rear cameras so needs to run the full length of the car. Yet again, this was easily hidden, apart from a small connector a metre or so away from the rear camera which needed some creative thinking! However, this connector could also be useful should the rear camera need to be disconnected, without having to remove the whole wiring system.

Both cameras stick to their respective windscreens with adhesive pads and held firmly in place. Each allows for up and down adjustments so it’s important to align them straight in the first place. This is one of the benefits of the Mi-Witness’s smartphone app. By plugging in the wifi dongle, the camera can connect to your iOS or Android device and stream live images via the free apps that are available to download. While this particular benefit may only be useful during installation, the apps also allow you to manage the cameras settings and view your recorded footage. This can be very useful if you’re involved in an accident and wish to review the footage at the scene.

Upon turning the camera on, it burst into life with a cheery voice message and a flash of red light from the main button. At night I found this light to be a bit too bright as it flashes while recording but it can be turned off. From then on the camera would record faultlessly each time, switching between the normal ‘continuous’ mode and it’s ‘parking’ mode as required. It would also detect ‘events’ using it’s internal g-sensor and store these video files away for safe keeping.

One unique feature to the Mi-Witness is that you can allocate space on the memory card for use with each particular type of video file that the camera can record; normal, event, parking and manual, which are videos that you trigger yourself by pressing the button on the camera if you spot an incident in front of you. While this feature might be slightly too advanced for every user, it does mean you can adjust the way that the camera stores data, allowing you to put heavier emphasis on capturing specific types of videos. Leave your car parked for long periods? Then increase the amount of parking files that it can hold before overwriting itself. Don’t feel the need to manually record? Then reduce this portion to give space to the other videos.

Footage can be viewed on the Mi-Viewer software, which I think is one of the better pieces of dashcam software that I’ve used. It’s well designed and very intuitive, but I do use a lot of these programs so maybe I’m just more used to them! All of the relevant information is laid out in a way that makes it easy to see and a range of icons let you navigate through the various tools available to you. I particularly like the ‘zoom’ tool which lets you hover your mouse pointer over a particular area of your video and you see a smaller zoomed in picture, helping you to make out finer detail, such as number plates. It’s also easy to view the footage from the rear camera, either on it’s own, or alongside the front camera video in a slightly smaller window.

The Mi-Witness HD records in 720p, which isn’t the highest specification available in a dashcam, but it still delivers good image quality. The footage portrays a clear view of the activity around you and, while the finer detail isn’t always easy to make out, it would enable you to establish the cause of any incidents you were involved in. In the age of ultra high-definition, it’s easy to forget the purpose of dashcams and get obsessed with being able to see every tiny detail, rather than just being able to establish a timeline of events leading up to an accident, which the Mi-Witness enables you to do.

So, in summary, it’s easy to see why the Mi-Witness HD has received such recognition in recent times. With excellent build quality and a host of accessories available for it, the Mi-Witness HD is an outstanding choice, whatever your specific dashcam requirements are. Mi-Witness are engaged with their customers via their online forum and, along with the community of users that they’ve built up, offer a level of support that other manufacturers would do well to emulate. While the camera’s image quality has room for improvement in comparison with some other dashcams, it is a highly capable unit.

Mi-Witness HD Videos

Unboxing Video

Posted on July 15, 2021January 24, 2023 by Eric Rogers

Dashcam Discounts on Insurance

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.

Posted on July 14, 2021January 24, 2023 by Eric Rogers

iPixi/Winycam X100FHD Review

iPixi X100FHD

The iPixi X100FHD (also called the Winycam X100FHD) is a unique camera with many features which make it stand out from the others. At £199.99 it’s priced at the top end of the range and has full HD, GPS mapping for speed and location tracking, a g-sensor to monitor impacts, parking protection, and a unique swivel lens allowing you to point the camera inside the car – a feature particularly useful for taxi drivers and driving instructors.

Key Features

Full HD quality video (1920 x 1080) at 30fps.
130° wide angle lens with a 2MP CMOS sensor.
Rotating camera for front/rear recording.
GPS maps for speed and location tracking.
G-shock sensor to detect sudden and severe movement.
Parking mode for protection when parked.
Photo mode.
Adjustable adhesive windscreen mount.
MicroSD cards up to 32GB. 16GB card supplied.

The first thing we noticed when opening the box and unpacking the camera was that is felt like a sturdy and well built unit. The materials oozed quality and it was firmly put together. You get all the essentials in the box but no spare adhesive pads means there’s no backup in case you want to move the camera later. You can always get spare adhesive pads from eBay though if you need to.

The camera contains a single record button which is used to change the camera modes and manually lock a video file. There are 2 LED lights at the rear of the camera which are visible to the driver, one for power and another to signal it’s recording. The SD card slot is underneath the camera and there’s a front facing LED which flashed as you drive along. This light is very bright and overbearing at night but you can turn it off in the camera settings.

The installation process is simple. In our test we stuck the camera behind the rear view mirror so it’s tucked out of the way from the drivers’ view. Of course, this means that when you rotate the lens it will record the back of the mirror so if you need this feature you’ll need to mount the camera further down the window or to one side. However, always be mindful that you mount your camera in a safe and legal position.

Once installed, the iPixi X100FHD camera can be adjusted both up/down and left/right to make sure you get the best footage possible. The camera cannot be taken out of the car once it’s installed which means you can’t tuck it away when you’re on holiday or even taken it into the house to view the videos or change the settings. This means you need to take the memory card out of the camera and plug this into your computer instead which can be a little tricky, especially when it’s dark.

The camera has a nice voice guide system which tells you when it starts and ends recording, amongst other things. It’s nice to get the re-assurance that the camera is on and recording rather than having to check the LED lights to make sure it’s definitely working.

Like many cameras, the software and user manual is supplied on the camera itself, and accessed via the SD card. The software that controls the camera settings and allows you to view the video footage GPS and g-sensor data is only compatible with Windows. Therefore, we don’t recommend this camera if you’re not a Windows user since you won’t be able to change any settings (including the date and time) or view this additional video content.

The iPixi (or Winycam) X100FHD camera is very easy to use and setup. It automatically enters into parking mode once the camera hasn’t sensed movement for a few minutes and it automatically locks video clips when it senses an impact or sudden shock (via the built in g-sensor). If you want to manually lock a file as you’re driving along, simply press the one and only button on the camera. It really is very simple to use – once it’s in it just runs itself.

The most important factor when it comes to car cameras is the quality of the video – this is what ultimately counts when you need to rely on the evidence. The iPixi X100FHD records in full 1080p HD at 30fps. The video quality is on a par with other dash cams in this price range.

The rotating lens which allows you to flip the camera to face inside the car is a great feature for taxi drivers and driving instructors that would find recording inside the car useful. You will of course need to make sure to mount the camera in a position that will see in both directions. Normally, you would mount the camera behind the rear-view mirror to keep the camera out of the way, however, this will mean you won’t be able to make use of the rotating lens.

Changing the settings on the camera needs to be done with the supplied Windows software. You take the card out of the camera and insert it into your computer to load the software. Then, insert the card into the camera again (the camera will be in the car at this point) and the camera will update itself when you turn it on. This can pose a problem when updating the date and time of the camera. Firstly, you set the time using the software on your computer for a time in the future that you will insert the memory card into the camera. You then need to insert the memory card into the camera in your car at this set time.

At around the £200 price range, this iPixi/Winycam dash cam has a unique rotating lens and is very easy to use, it’s Windows only software and limited portability may limit its appeal to some.

Sample iPixi X100FHD Videos

Unboxing Video

Sample Footage

iPixi X100FHD Downloads

iPixi X100FHD Software
iPixi X100FHD User Manual
iPixi X100FHD Installation Guide

Buy the iPixi X100FHD Camera Online

The iPixi X100FHD is available to buy online for only £199.99 which comes complete with all the accessories you need to mount it in your car and get up and running

Posted on July 14, 2021January 24, 2023 by Eric Rogers

Powering your dash cam with a cigarette lighter socket

Cigarette Car Accessory Socket

If you’re new to car cameras it’s important to know that they get their power from the car cigarette lighter socket. Car cameras can’t work off an internal battery alone because they will only last a couple of hours before running out. It’s worth noting that many cameras do have an internal battery which allow you to take the camera out of the car and use a still camera.

The benefit of running the camera off the car cigarette lighter socket is that the power to the cigarette lighter socket is turned off when the car is turned off. This allows the camera to turn on and off with the car, preventing the camera staying on and draining the car battery when the car has been switched off.

This is all rather excellent but there are a few things you need to be mindful of. Some modern cars provide continuous power to the cigarette lighter socket which will mean the camera will never turn itself off. If your car provides permanent power you have two options:

1. Remember to unplug the camera from the cigarette lighter socket when you get out of the car.
2. Have your cigarette lighter socket rewired by a trained technician – expect to pay around £50 for this service at a main dealer.

How will I know if my car provides permanent power?

A simple test is to plug a car phone charger in and see if the phone is charged when you turn the car off. You may need to leave the car for an hour or so since some cars run on a timer where the power is turned off after a set period of time.

Hard-wiring a car camera

As an alternative, you can hard-wire the camera straight to the car battery using a special hard-wiring kit. This provides permanent power to the camera but then cuts the power once the battery has reached a set level to prevent discharging. These are typically used when you want to take advantage of the parking protection mode some cameras provide.

Posted on July 14, 2021May 12, 2023 by Eric Rogers

A Car Camera Success Story

There are several reasons that we buy car cameras but the main one is so that we can prove our innocence in the case of an incident; in particular, those that result in damage to our vehicles. With even cosmetic repairs running to hundreds, or even thousands of pounds, being able to show, irrefutably, that it wasn’t your fault is crucial. And that’s exactly what I managed to do recently, thanks to the footage from my trusty Mini 0801 dashcam.

Last November, my car was parked in a busy service station car park and, while I was inside getting some food, someone reversed into my car and decided to drive off. The impact had been significant enough that some kind Samaritan parked a few spaces away heard the crash and made a note of their registration number, but they had already been captured on my dashcam!

I had recently installed a Mini 0801 car camera and was putting it through its paces for a review, and this was to be the acid test. I checked the footage on its screen and I had captured the driver returning to their vehicle, reversing into my car, pausing to view the damage and then driving off.

The damage wasn’t extreme, some paint had been scraped off my front bumper on the passenger side, but I’d only just bought the car, and as you can image, I wasn’t too pleased! So what next? I had incriminating evidence, but what were the next steps towards contacting the driver and getting my car fixed? And should I be involving the police?!

I decided that considering the extent of the damage, I’d rather try to contact the driver of the vehicle directly to reach an amicable conclusion. So I did consult the police, but only to get advice on how to go about this. They advised that I should contact the DVLA, with details of the incident and see if they deemed it serious enough to divulge the other driver’s details. After some searching online, I found out that it was a V888 form that I needed to complete so I duly filled in the form, including details of why I wanted to contact the driver and shipped it off with a £2.50 postal order.

After a week or so, I received my form back, with a letter to say that they required further information about the damage and quotes for carrying out the repairs. Thankfully, several local garages and body shops were able to give approximate quotations based on photos so a few phone calls and emails later and I had a handful of quotes. I also printed off pictures of the damage to help the process along.

I’ll be honest, when I received my next letter from the DVLA and I could tell before opening it that they hadn’t returned my form, I thought “GOTCHA!!”. I was excited as I opened the letter and was expecting to see the name and address of a total stranger who, although he didn’t know it yet, would be receiving a strongly-worded letter from me soon. However, it turned out that the car was registered to a company, which changed the complexion of my plan of attack!

If anything it made things slightly easier, as I could contact the company by phone and try to speak to someone about the issue straight away. Within minutes I was speaking to the company’s fleet manager and he confirmed that the vehicle was one of theirs. He seemed sceptical at first as I told him that one of his vehicles had caused damage to mine but he was interested to see the footage I’d captured. I managed to extract a short video clip that was of a file size that could be emailed and sent it over to him.

Within minutes, such is the undeniable power of video, he’d replied to say that the business would cover all costs!! No quibbles, no negotiation, just immediate acceptance of responsibility.

If I’m honest, I’d have liked to have spoken to the driver as it was their poor driving and their decision to drive off that caused this whole mess, causing me frustration and effort. However, under the circumstances, and after a heartfelt apology from the company, I felt satisfied. The car was booked in at the garage and when I picked it up the day after it looked as good as new.

So after purchasing my car camera, for under £100, I was saved an expense several times that, thanks to the footage it captured. If I hadn’t had the camera, I might still have been able to get in touch with the driver thanks to someone who decided to jot down their registration plate, but that’s not always going to happen and can’t be relied upon. Also, would the driver, or in this case company, have been so willing to pay if it was just my word against theirs? Probably not. They hadn’t noticed any damage on their car so why would they believe me?

We always knew that car cameras could help drivers to prove their innocence in the case of any accident and now we have the proof and we wouldn’t be without our dashcams nowadays. And with cameras like the Mini 0801, Mobius and G1W, among others, offering superb video quality for as little as £49.99, the peace of mind they offer is easily affordable and they can pay for themselves in no time at all.

Have you used your dashcam footage to successfully prove your innocence in the case of an incident? We’d love to hear from you if you have! Comment below or contact us here.