It's really the freedompop device in general. I am looking to access the video feed on the dash cams remotely and was reading that Blackvue offers that capability whereas the Thinkware does not. Is FreedomPop used in lieu of that service and why?
On your comment, does any unused bandwidth roll over to the following month?
Since I am looking to purchase dashcams for my new Model X, I want to get your take on the following. Here are the features I plan to have in the dash cam system.
Parking mode
24/7 access
Hardwiring and not 12V cigarette socket connectivity
Over the air feed access
Interior cabin feed to record passengers
Based on my research it seems like I would choose between the following options. What are your thoughts?
https://www.blackboxmycar.com/produ...-dr650s-2ch-ir-dr650s-1ch?variant=34097875143
[Rideshare Bundle] Thinkware F770-2CH IR 64GB
Thank you so much.
An attempt to address each of your questions (note that my comments refer to my Model S):
1) You need a Wi-Fi hotspot such as the freedompop NETGEAR Fuse to connect the blackvue cams to the Internet, via a Wi-Fi connection. The cams provide only Wi-Fi capability, not direct access to the Internet. They connect to the hotspot, and the hotspot uses LTE or whatever other cellular capability it may have to connect to the Internet via some carrier such as Sprint or AT&T. I can't speak to the capabilities of the Thinkware cams as it has been many months since I did research for my cam purchase. A hotspot is not used in lieu of anything -- it is a required component for live network access.
2) I'm not yet able comment about dataplan rollover.
3 & 4) Parking mode: the blackvues run 24/7, saving a sequence of time-stamped 1-minute video clips to a tiny removable micro-SD chip (getting a large capacity chip is advisable -- also, don't buy cheap chips, as this chip is exposed to high temperature and needs to be an industrial grade unit, such as the ones supplied with the cams). They define each clip as being a member of one of three categories: Parking, Event, or Normal (everything else). These category assignments seem to depend upon motion of the car, and are not very reliable. As for "24/7 access," if the cams are network connected, that should not be a problem. My camera installer assures me that the cams are capable of alerting you via your phone if the car thinks it detects contact, but I can not verify that and suspect there will be tons of false and missed alarms due to the sketchy way in which the clips are categorized. I believe, but can not verify, that the system may also allow you to have live two-way audio communication between your phone and the cam.
5) Hardwired connection: even though I am a fairly confident do-it-yourselfer, I opted to get a pro to install my 4-channel setup, as I did not want to fuss with the wiring, esp. as if done incorrectly it can potentially interfere with functioning of the airbags. I used Calibred Customs. Though based in SoCal, they make periodic trips to NoCal, WA, and NY to do installations, so should be available to you. My installer was Johnny, and he did an excellent job. The cams tap into always-on circuitry. This does introduce another source of "vampire drain" on your battery, but it is small.
6) "Over the air feed access;" I assume by this you mean that the system should be able to provide live video to a network device such as your phone or desktop. I'm uncertain about the desktop, but it certainly does so for the phone. This can be done using Wi-Fi direct to the phone (if you are close enough) or by your cellular connection to the network, if the cam is able to use a Wi-Fi hotspot to get network access.
7) "Interior cabin feed to record passengers:" In the standard (2-channel) setup, one
camera is pointing forward through the windshield, and the second is pointing backward through the rear window. The blackvue does record audio, although that can be disabled by holding your fingers near one end of the cylindrical camera body. Thus, you would have no video of the passengers, but possibly audio from the passenger cabin. On my 4-channel setup, there is a pair of 750s: the main cams point forward and backward, and the smaller cams that would normally be used for the rear window are affixed to the vertical metal frame at the forward end of the front side windows. Normally, these are pointing to the outside view from the window, and the only video you have of interior passengers is possible reflections from the side window, unless you turn the camera to face inward. Note: the only aspect of the Calibred installation I was uncomfortable with was the use of Gorilla Glue to affix the side window cams. I created a bracket using a 3-D printer, and affixed that bracket to the window frame using 3-M mounting tape, and affix the cam to that bracket using a rare-earth magnet. This works beautifully, allowing greater control over camera positioning, and is cleanly removable from the window if necessary, without marring the metal window frame.
If connected to the Internet via a Wi-Fi hotspot, the Blackvue cams can send video to a free "cloud service" run by Blackvue. If you want to use 2 camera sets as I have, you much pay an extra one-time fee of $10 to register the second cam set on the same account. I'm concerned about how much bandwidth this will consume, and if relying on the "Event" detection of the cams it's likely that lots of innocuous video will get sent to the cloud, and some important clips not sent. Can't testify from direct experience yet. I have been able to pop out a micro-SD card and examine video clips on my iMac, and was able to retrieve clips of two vans in a sideswipe incident that occurred in front of me this week. I would not have been able to identify the license plate of the responsible vehicle without the side-view cam clip. Clips are GPS-tagged and the desktop viewer provides map views. The desktop viewer can also connect to the cloud account and access video that is stored there. There is great capability here, but I find the GUI still poorly designed and the documentation needs much improvement. Blackvue support has been poor, but Calibred support has been excellent.
You can setup and control the cams with the iOS app (can't speak to the capabilities of the Android app). I'm currently having difficulty with reliable Wi-Fi connection to the cams, and uncertain as to whether this is due to the cams or my phone, or a bit of both. Be certain to set the time correctly (in CA, that would be GMT-8). You can connect to the cams via Wi-Fi, view live video, examine the current library of clips, and save selected ones to your phone memory (which can be viewed any time, independently of network access). You can also use the app to get at videos through the cloud service.
Good luck -- hope this is helpful. I did not have time to thoroughly review the material you point to at the end of your posting, but it seems that both units emphasize interior video, suitable for rideshare drivers. Can't help you there. I was concerned mainly with covering accidents/vandalism (as for the latter/ intruders can't get into the car without first being outside of it; one would hope that the system can be sending video to the cloud before an intruder disables the camera).
