What is the best dash camera for the Model S nowadays?

[MSDadMich]

Thanks for the advise... I tried calling paypal but it has been difficult to get through. Purchase was made with credit card on file with pay pal. I will try the credit card company as well. So sad to have to do this. They seem to have a great product. On a happier note... taking delivery in the next week. Woohoo!
Good day gents.

 

[MSDadMich]

paypal smart connect purchase is covered... and paypal is on it. they anticipate a refund within a weeks time. Now the tough choice... what dashcam do I really want to purchase. The Thinkware F800 Pro looks real nice. Is there any reason to re-purchase the blackvue 750dual over the F800 dual?

 

[K-MTG]

paypal smart connect purchase is covered... and paypal is on it. they anticipate a refund within a weeks time. Now the tough choice... what dashcam do I really want to purchase. The Thinkware F800 Pro looks real nice. Is there any reason to re-purchase the blackvue 750dual over the F800 dual?

I personally like the cloud feature

 

[Mknac]

Blackvue or Thinkware seem to be the top choices.
IIRC Blackvue is 1080 front/720 rear, Thinkware is 1080/1080.
Both have great image quality.

The new blackvue is 1080 front and rear

 

[MSDadMich]

Can you use the cloud feature with the SIM card connection provided by the Tesla? Or, do you have to provide a second internet connection for your dashcam via cellphone or similar?

 

[K-MTG]

Can you use the cloud feature with the SIM card connection provided by the Tesla? Or, do you have to provide a second internet connection for your dashcam via cellphone or similar?

You have to use a second internet connection but I use a hotspot from freedom pop that offers free data

 

[MSDadMich]

This looks pretty good! Which option are you using??

 

[ichospitalist]

I had a small fender dent in my 90D and i had to have it repaired. I could have sworn it was someone parked in front of me but couldn't prove it. So now I am getting a dashcam. So far Blackvue seems to be the best and I'm doing 4 channel. Probably best to have it professionally installed. After doing research, Johnny from Calibre Customs does install these things professionally and they are a mobile company so they travel from various cities. Labor and the cameras themselves can be pricey but it will save you money in the long run. I would highly highly recommend it especially if you have bought model s or model x. I'm having mine done next week so I'll let you guys know how it goes.

 

[MSDadMich]

Using two, 2-channel systems??

 

[berkeley_ecar]

Folks in the Bay Area who may be interested in a professional installation of a Blackvue unit will want to know that Calibred Customs is going to be in the Bay Area next week (9-13 October 2017). They are going to be doing my installation on Weds. If you search for "Calibred" in the forum, you will find numerous comments from forum members who have used their services. They were recommended to me by forum member bishoppeak, who was happy with their work on his Model S. He installed two 2-channel 650s to get front, rear, side, and interior coverage, and I shall be doing the same (but using the 750). I have no connection with the firm, beyond being a soon-to-be customer.

 

[MSDadMich]

Where in the world did they mount the side view cams?

 

[berkeley_ecar]

I had the same question when I spoke to bishoppeak at the TMC Connect meeting in Monterey last June. It's easier and more elegant than you might think. The rear-view cams in the 650/750 2-channel units are smaller than the front-facing cam. For a 4-channel setup, you use the front cams for both the windshield and the rear window. The smaller rear cams get mounted on the metal frames that separate the (operable) front side windows from the small triangular fixed windows that are forward of the main windows. It's much more discreet than you might imagine, and the cams cover both the side of the car as well as the interior.

 

[MSDadMich]

Sounds like a nice solution, thank you for sharing
I may yet copy that setup... with pride!

 

[G'sinHawaii]

I think I need to copy that installation as well..... very cool....

 

[Shorty]

Lookup "install Tesla dashcam" on YouTube. A lot of great info out there. A lot of ways of doing it.

Installation overview.
Over the rearview mirror there is a panel. Pop it open. Inside is an unused plug that offers 24/7 electricity. Tesla made it easy!
Using a fishing pole/metal hanger/etc fish the dash cam wire through.
But the dashcam plug won't match the Tesla plug so you need to order a new $5 plug and cutoff the original dashcam plug, and splice in the new plug.

Wiring the front dashcam is "easy".

Dashcams come with a mini SD card that stores the video. I popped out the card to make sure everything looked good -put it back in - and only plan to pull it back out for an accident.

If you want a rear dash cam then you are in for several hours of work/ pulling trim pieces off the car. I was nervous about breaking pieces, etc. In the end it was my first time and I feel it looked completely professional! I surprised myself!

Good luck.

I will add that there is also a switched 12v supply available from the cable harness in the back of the rear view mirror. You need to tap into the top wire in the din connector but the wire can be fed from the same panel where the continuous 12v supply is available so the wiring looks just as clean when you are done. This makes the Thinkware installation almost as easy as the Blackvue and avoids having to try and tap into the fuse box or other source.

 

[futurem3owner]

Just had my Blackvue 750 hooked up by a professional installer. Although the front was relatively easy to mount, it's the rear cam that required a lot of time to take apart the pieces from the hatch and trunk and to fish the wire through the grommet. He was yanking at them pretty hard since the clips were firmly secured in place. I'm glad I had someone who has installed dash cams on Teslas before do this job. Otherwise, I would've been afraid to pry open the pieces in fear of breaking a clip.

 

[vthomas]

Folks in the Bay Area who may be interested in a professional installation of a Blackvue unit will want to know that Calibred Customs is going to be in the Bay Area next week (9-13 October 2017). They are going to be doing my installation on Weds. If you search for "Calibred" in the forum, you will find numerous comments from forum members who have used their services. They were recommended to me by forum member bishoppeak, who was happy with their work on his Model S. He installed two 2-channel 650s to get front, rear, side, and interior coverage, and I shall be doing the same (but using the 750). I have no connection with the firm, beyond being a soon-to-be customer.

Johnny from Calibred just installed a 750 2-channel in my MS tonight. Great work, and he did it in an hour. Thanks @berkeley_ecar for the heads-up that he was in the area.