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Car DVR Solution (Preferably Concealed)

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Old 01-23-2012, 09:35 PM
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Originally Posted by Cartronics
For any of you guys interested in a little more system... we have a full DVR that can take four camera inputs (we have some that are smaller than a dime). It can therefore record both sides, front and back and interior of the car. It has GPS and It can be set to go off at certain G levels, also be triggered by alarm, car start, and even a proximity sensor if someone comes close to the car in a parking lot.
If you guy's night vision camera system wouldn't be so darn expensive I would get one
Old 01-23-2012, 11:48 PM
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Tesla Model S P100D
Originally Posted by apl175
Post some samples, and make sure you get a decently fast memory card for it too!

I've had mine since early September, and I hardly notice/remember it's there unless I see something interesting that I want to review....
Thanks. I heard you eliminate the lag with Class 10... What would be really cool is to get a MIFI card so when you come home, the files are automatically transferred to your computer Not sure if it comes in Class 10 though...
Old 02-07-2012, 07:26 PM
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Just bought one of GSE550 models and it was delivered today. I also purchased Class 10 16GB MicroSD for it. I have a question for anyone that has experience with these: You can set it to eat its tail in different increments from 1 minute to 45. The way it's described is that if you set it at a 5 min increment, it records for five minutes, saves that chunk, and deletes the oldest 5 minute chunk. Knowing a bit about computers, I know this will take some cycles, so what I'm wondering is what the sweet spot is for this feature. If I set it to 45 minutes, will it pause for 30 seconds while it's committing and deleting vs 2 seconds for 5 minutes at a time?

Also, it comes with a 12V Cigarette lighter adapter. I'm going to see if I can route this effectively to my rear cigarette lighter so I can still make use of my front one (i like to use it to charge my phone). If that doesn't work, I'm going to see if I can get one of those custom wiring harnesses that work with the dome fixture.
Old 02-07-2012, 07:56 PM
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Send me your eMail address in a PM so I can send you a picture @ DubVBenz.
Old 02-07-2012, 09:37 PM
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Originally Posted by Mackhack
Send me your eMail address in a PM so I can send you a picture @ DubVBenz.
Sent.
Old 02-13-2012, 08:29 PM
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Originally Posted by apl175
I believe that the Speed, date, time, and GPS display are "all in one", and can only be displayed as is, or shutoff completely. I also note that the manufacturer has released a new model that they describe as the successor to the DODGS600.....the new GSE550
http://dod-tec.us/products/dod-gse55...-with-gps.html
This apparently DOES give you the ability to manually shut off the built in sound recording, and has the benefit of a little screen. Not sure about being able to not record speed however. The built-in screen is a huge plus IMO, because otherwise to fully configure the device you have to connect it up to a display via mini HDMI to see the on-screen menus.

Also, I would highly consider Mackhack's 12v cable from the OCP. I had to run the power cable across the headliner, down the A pillar, under the carpet, and to the center console. Adding a cable down the A pillar is also dangerous as it may interfere with proper deployment of the curtain airbags. I had made the front cigarette lighter "always on", so I could not use that, and I was forced to remove the entire cupholder/storage compartment, and tap in to the rear power point which remains switched. Separating interior panels and forcing even a thin cable in to gaps is VERY difficult in a Mercedes possibly because of the very close manufacturing tolerances (as compared to a SAAB and Volvo I had previously). The good news is that the device I have takes 12 volts directly in, with no DC-DC voltage adapter. I just cut the end off the supplied cigarette lighter plug, and spliced it in, along with an in-line fuse.

Enjoy!

Bought a GSE550. I like everything about it except that it simply won't power on about once a day. Usually my first trip is fine, but then the car sits for a while, and the second trip it won't work. I have to do a hard reset with a paperclip and then it works fine again until the next day. I'm going to try and return it and buy another one, or find a competitor's product.

While it does everything it says, the build quality is obviously suspect and it appears to be extremely expensive junk from China. It costs about 4x as much as other ones, but I need a "set it and forget it" solution that doesn't require a hard reset every day.
Old 02-13-2012, 08:46 PM
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I could recommend one from Germany which I will purchase soon. **** the Chinese and their constant stealing and copying well engineered products.

Sorry but when I read this stuff it makes me angry.
Old 02-13-2012, 08:56 PM
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Originally Posted by Mackhack
I could recommend one from Germany which I will purchase soon.
Link?

Originally Posted by Mackhack
**** the Chinese and their constant stealing and copying well engineered products.
+1
Old 02-13-2012, 08:57 PM
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Let me get home and I'll look it up for ya!
Old 02-13-2012, 09:00 PM
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谢谢 (Xièxiè)
Old 02-14-2012, 01:47 AM
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Tesla Model S P100D
Originally Posted by DubVBenz
Bought a GSE550. I like everything about it except that it simply won't power on about once a day. Usually my first trip is fine, but then the car sits for a while, and the second trip it won't work. I have to do a hard reset with a paperclip and then it works fine again until the next day. I'm going to try and return it and buy another one, or find a competitor's product.

While it does everything it says, the build quality is obviously suspect and it appears to be extremely expensive junk from China. It costs about 4x as much as other ones, but I need a "set it and forget it" solution that doesn't require a hard reset every day.
Did you call the company about this? I'd be really surprised if their new model has such a major flaw as it will destroy this product if that is the case when words gets around online and on Amazon.
Old 02-14-2012, 12:49 PM
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Originally Posted by Mackhack
I could recommend one from Germany which I will purchase soon. **** the Chinese and their constant stealing and copying well engineered products.

Sorry but when I read this stuff it makes me angry.
I would certainly prefer to buy one from Germany, but I did not see one of them on Amazon before making my purchase. Please share the link. The Chinese one was $250, so I don't know how much more expensive the German version could be.
Old 02-14-2012, 12:51 PM
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Originally Posted by WEBSRFR
Did you call the company about this? I'd be really surprised if their new model has such a major flaw as it will destroy this product if that is the case when words gets around online and on Amazon.
I've already put my review on Amazon, and have requested a return. The companies are all just importers of the same product produced in mass at factories in China.

If you look closely, there's two almost identical companies selling the exact same product in the states:

dod-tec.com
dod-tec.us

Very sneaky. One of the sites even has a tutorial to find out if yours is a knockoff version or not.. I have no idea what I got, it came from "DOD Technologies USA LLC " on Amazon.

Like I said, the functionality seemed fine, but the daily crashes and build quality are not what was expected for the price of a PS3.
Old 02-14-2012, 01:09 PM
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Originally Posted by DubVBenz
I would certainly prefer to buy one from Germany, but I did not see one of them on Amazon before making my purchase. Please share the link. The Chinese one was $250, so I don't know how much more expensive the German version could be.
That's the website I will purchase from:
http://www.v-security.de/safedatafra...cam/index.html
Old 02-14-2012, 03:00 PM
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Originally Posted by Mackhack
That's the website I will purchase from:
http://www.v-security.de/safedatafra...cam/index.html
The only disadvantages I see to this one is that it maxes out at 720P and does not have a GPS , which provide speed and location timestamps. Does look higher quality though and touts a 170 degree lens..

English Link : http://www.acme-online.de/en/

Last edited by DubVBenz; 02-14-2012 at 03:04 PM. Reason: added English Link
Old 02-14-2012, 03:11 PM
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I care less about GPS and not higher than 720p I rather have a little bit of lower quality (and we still speak of HD quality) but I know it is working and doesn't require a reset every several hours. But that is all subjective of course.
Old 02-14-2012, 10:27 PM
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Originally Posted by DubVBenz
I'm getting an error page with this link.
Old 02-16-2012, 01:33 AM
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Tesla Model S P100D
Originally Posted by Efivehundred
I'm getting an error page with this link.
Maybe the Chinese bought them?
Old 02-16-2012, 11:18 AM
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That particular page shows an ERROR!, but the links in the bar above the message still work.
Old 02-16-2012, 11:22 AM
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Do it the right way and it works
Attached Thumbnails Car DVR Solution (Preferably Concealed)-carcamone.jpg  

Last edited by Mackhack; 02-16-2012 at 11:24 AM.
Old 02-16-2012, 01:29 PM
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I have also been looking for a dvr system - install and forget type, and have yet to find a satisfactory solution. I am using one of the DOD 720p cameras now, and it also locks-up from time to time, requiring removal of the battery to reset. The image quality is pretty good, but it's unreliable. This one from the German site looks interesting, but it's not stealthy. I am trying to avoid having an expensive looking camera visible behind the windsheild to tempt thieves. A small bullet camera connected to a single channel dvr mounted in the trunk would seem to be the only permanent solution for me. Unfortunately, this means running a video cable all the way through the car, and these systems are typically only 640x480 res at 30fps - normally not good enough for license plate recognition. I suppose one of the radar detector companies could incorporate a camera/dvr into their product which might be an interesting combo device. For now, I'm still looking. This site offers several possibilities:

http://www.supercircuits.com/Digital...s/Mobile-DVRs/

Last edited by Roland51; 02-16-2012 at 02:06 PM. Reason: Additional Information
Old 03-18-2012, 05:23 PM
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So I'm returning my GSE 550. The temperatures have approached 80 degrees here in the DC area, and the thing won't boot up automatically without a hard reset at all anymore. What a piece of crap. Seems like every one of these types of cameras sold are cheap, chinese junk or don't offer HD recording. I'm willing to spend 300 bucks, but not on junk. Here's another chinese piece of crap I'm considering trying:
Amazon Amazon
Old 03-18-2012, 11:37 PM
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Tesla Model S P100D
Originally Posted by DubVBenz
So I'm returning my GSE 550. The temperatures have approached 80 degrees here in the DC area, and the thing won't boot up automatically without a hard reset at all anymore. What a piece of crap. Seems like every one of these types of cameras sold are cheap, chinese junk or don't offer HD recording. I'm willing to spend 300 bucks, but not on junk. Here's another chinese piece of crap I'm considering trying: http://www.amazon.com/CarProCam-Dash...2104868&sr=1-2
So sorry to hear about this but thanks for sharing your experience so no one else has to go through what you went though. Such a simple thing and no one has connected the dots to make one that works reliably... I guess someone enterprising has a product to make!

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