# Possible way to save some money on a Dashcam



## dfscerp (May 27, 2018)

Here is the Dashcam I settled on. The IR is suspect but it has other features that make it a great bargain. For $80 you get GPS tracking in it. So not only does it have a jostle switch and many other features that higher priced cams have, on the video which is very high quality, you have Speed, Time Date, GPS Location and your plate license number. In short it is ready to go as is should you ever have to forward video to Law Enforcement or to an insurance adjuster. The sound quality is also very adequate.

Where it falls short is IR for the cabin which of course if one is driving rideshare at night is very important. The visibility for the front seat is actually adequate, its the back seat which is completely unnseeable. I toyed around with buying some track lighting, the kind you see in auto stores which is really for decoration but if run along the ceiling can provide adequate lighting for your cam.

But then it hit me, if I can just buy a cheap little IR illuminator and mount it by my ceiling console, I can light up the whole cabin for the backwards facing cam without having to actually light the cabin and no one is the wiser.

So my question has two parts. 1. What do you think of this idea? and 2. Can anyone point me to a cheap mountable IR illuminator?

PS this cam was branded as Crosstour but I have also seen it with a different brand name. I bought this on Amazon. Crosstour makes about 5 different configurations which are not bad and much less costly than going for the Provue or N2 which are between $150-$200 each.


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## islanddriver (Apr 6, 2018)

People me might now want a light on them at night. Look for something else I got a dash cam on Amazon for only 50.


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## Timbrr (Mar 1, 2019)

I thought about using ir illuminators in the back of my truck. But then my dashcam took a crap and I bought an n2 pro. I was completely astonished by how well its ir works. Can see all 3 rows plain as day.

But my plan was to get something little and wire them into the map lights in the second row, up above the lenses they'd be invisible yet serve their purpose.


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## DeaconBlues (Jul 25, 2019)

islanddriver said:


> People me might now want a light on them at night. Look for something else I got a dash cam on Amazon for only 50.


An IR illuminator would not be visible light to the passenger. It would only illuminate infrared which would only be visible on the infrared camera.


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## TheDevilisaParttimer (Jan 2, 2019)

dfscerp said:


> View attachment 404504
> 
> 
> Here is the Dashcam I settled on. The IR is suspect but it has other features that make it a great bargain. For $80 you get GPS tracking in it. So not only does it have a jostle switch and many other features that higher priced cams have, on the video which is very high quality, you have Speed, Time Date, GPS Location and your plate license number. In short it is ready to go as is should you ever have to forward video to Law Enforcement or to an insurance adjuster. The sound quality is also very adequate.
> ...


Just wait for the N2 Pro to go on sell $120. If still stressed on cash make a porn with your new dash cam and sell copies on the UP merchandise forum.


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## 125928 (Oct 5, 2017)

Did you check out the Nexar Halocam with cabin camera? https://us.getnexar.com/


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## estore009 (Oct 14, 2017)

The Best "Bang for your Buck" Dash Cams

https://uberpeople.net/threads/the-best-“bang-for-your-buck”-dash-cams.371152/#post-5734150


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## mrpjfresh (Aug 16, 2016)

Timbrr said:


> I thought about using ir illuminators in the back of my truck. But then my dashcam took a crap and I bought an n2 pro. I was completely astonished by how well its ir works. Can see all 3 rows plain as day.
> 
> But my plan was to get something little and wire them into the map lights in the second row, up above the lenses they'd be invisible yet serve their purpose.


This was my thought way back when before the first IR offerings from Blackvue and Vantrue (and others now). A tiny IR illuminator hard wired into the dome light makes the most sense to me as well. Just get a set of T-taps and tap into the wire that come on when you turn on the car (not the switched/door ajar wire). I don't think this would affect the picture during the day really, especially if you went with the 940nm wavelength to eliminate the red/pink hue. I do prefer the longer wavelength, but it is true it doesn't travel as far as the shorter 800-something nm.

The biggest issue is that there are _so many options_ these days (lots of tempting duds) and it can be tough to filter stuff out. You can find pretty good and cheap cameras but most are single channel or dual without the IR. Or sometimes the IR is just inferior. Maybe they don't design circuitry to provide the LEDs with enough juice so they aren't as bright? I'm not sure here. Most manufacturers simply do not prioritize IR interior quality because the average driver could care less. It's just another bell/whistle while for a rideshare driver, it is a high priority. This is why I think it is best to pay a bit more (or wait for a sale) and go with a tried and true brands like Vantrue, Blackvue or Blueskysea that make cameras _specifically_ for passenger driving.

I found a few options on Ali (not my favorite but) that would probably suit this problem and one is only $3 (pictured). So, @dfscerp , what did you end up doing (if you're still monitoring this)?


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## Mash Ghasem (Jan 12, 2020)

dfscerp said:


> View attachment 404504
> 
> 
> Here is the Dashcam I settled on. The IR is suspect but it has other features that make it a great bargain. For $80 you get GPS tracking in it. So not only does it have a jostle switch and many other features that higher priced cams have, on the video which is very high quality, you have Speed, Time Date, GPS Location and your plate license number. In short it is ready to go as is should you ever have to forward video to Law Enforcement or to an insurance adjuster. The sound quality is also very adequate.
> ...


I'm assuming you mean the Crosstour CR750. Its user manual shows 32GB as the maximum size of the memory card it supports, which is absolutely nothing since you'll probably fill it up in 3 hours at full resolution in dual-lens mode.

You should use a dash cam that holds enough hours of driving to cover an entire shift of driving, or you're just shooting yourself in the foot.


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