A guide to selecting the best dashcam for your vehicle

Dashcams are necessary for both cars and motorcycles as it serves as an extra pair of eyes on the road, allowing you to provide concrete evidence for accident insurance claims.

Like regular cameras, there are various brands and models to choose from, each offering different features to suit your needs.

This article will highlight some key features you should know when selecting a suitable dashcam for your driving needs. We’ll also provide a breakdown of these features, allowing you to choose one that’s just right for you.

Resolution and frame rate

Most modern dash cameras allow you to record in HD quality, which ranges from 720p to 1080p. If you are willing to pay a little more, you may purchase a dashcam that records in 4K ultra-high definition (UHD) with night mode settings.

For the uninitiated, dash cameras with better resolution allow you to record a scene without a drop in video quality.

If possible, try to select a camera that captures 60 frames per second (FPS). Not only does it produce a smoother image, but it can also make your life easier if you need to grab a single image from your footage. Why? That’s because there are more available frames per second.

Mount

Like a tripod, you will need a sturdy mount to ensure your dashcam can optimally perform its job. While there are various types of mounts available in the market, the most popular ones are suction cups, magnetic and adhesive stickers.

We strongly recommend selecting a mount that can withstand the heat and humidity of Singapore’s weather. Selecting a secure and reliable mount is paramount as it can be hazardous if the camera falls off while driving.

Built-in display screen

While not a necessity, dashcams with built-in screens offer convenience as they allow users to playback video footage with a few simple taps.

However, note that such cameras are often much larger than regular dash cameras and will take up more space on your windshield.

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WiFi capabilities

Most branded dash cameras come with WiFi capabilities, allowing users to connect their dash camera to their mobile devices via an app.

This function will come in handy as it allows you to preview and download video footage on the go. Some brands even offer cloud storage, meaning you will not need to worry about your memory card running out of space.

Before you make your purchase, do ensure the app and your device supports the dashcam model.

GPS

Unlike a standard GPS device, a dashcam GPS will not guide you to your destination. Its purpose is to capture your location and speed data to match it with the video recording.

Some cameras allow you to access the data you've gathered. While others can stamp this information on the video, which saves you time when submitting video evidence to the police or insurance company.

Driver assistance features

As technology advances, manufacturers have added many new features to dashcams to distinguish their product and provide customers with more choices for a smoother ride.

These Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) are commonly found in high-end vehicles. Such features include:

• Lane departure warning
• Front collision warning
• Driver fatigue alert

These features utilise radar sensors to help drivers keep within the lane and avoid a frontal collision. They are handy for drivers who have had a long day of driving.

However, note that some of these features are only enabled at certain speeds while driving on the road.

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Automatic and continuous loop recording

It’s essential to have a dash camera that starts recording when the engine of the car is switched on. Similarly, it should either turn off automatically when the car is parked or switched to Parking Mode, which we will discuss in our next point.

Another point to take into consideration is a feature called continuous loop recording. In layman terms, the camera will continuously record footage until the memory card is full. Once that happens, it will automatically overwrite the oldest footage.

In the event of a collision, an exception can be made. If a dashcam comes with an impact detection feature, it retains and saves the video footage in a separate file that won’t be deleted.

Parking mode

Have you ever parked your car and returned to find a scratch or dent, and you wished to find evidence of how it happened?

Parking mode is a feature specifically designed for this purpose. This means that even though the car engine is switched off, the camera continues to record video footage.

One disadvantage is that the dashcam must be hardwired to the car's power supply to function. On the other hand, dashcam models with internal batteries will continue to operate for a limited period after the vehicle is parked.

You can always buy a third-party battery pack to connect to the dashcam, which prevents it from draining the vehicle’s battery.

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Durability (motorcycles)

There also dashcams for motorcycles. Since it is exposed on the roads most times, motorcycle dashcams are made to be more durable.

These cameras are waterproof and can withstand our hot weather and take on the harshest conditions.

Motorcycle dash cameras can either be attached to the rider’s helmet or the front of the bike, near the headlamp.

Recommendations

If you are still racking your brain on the type of dashcam to purchase, allow us to recommend the following two cameras for both drivers and motorcyclists.

The HP Car Dashcam f920x features Sony's Starvis Sensor and HDR, which is perfect for drives at night. To make file searching and sharing more accessible, the camera has a WiFi system that allows you to connect to an app conveniently.

There is also a wide range of ADAS features available, which include lane departure warning, front collision warning and driver fatigue alarm. All of which are ideal if your vehicle does not already have them.

Finally, with parking mode, you'll have peace of mind knowing that your car is being monitored 24 hours a day, seven days a week to prevent theft and hit-and-run incidents from occurring.

For motorcyclists, the HP Moto Cam m550 has similar features to the HP Car Dashcam f920x, which makes it the perfect companion on the road

The HP Moto Cam m550 can be mounted on any motorcycle and comes equipped with a G-Force Sensor. What this means is that you’ll never have to worry about video instabilities when riding at high speeds.

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It also includes an easy pad, which is a small device for quickly capturing emergencies while riding.

Last but not least, the HP Moto Cam m550 is also equipped with intelligent noise reduction technology.

This allows the camera to filter and suppress environmental sounds such as wind and engine noise. The exception is human voices, which can be picked up and recorded clearly.

Both the HP Moto Cam m550 and HP Car Dashcam f920x come with their own HP Cam software for easy access to your footage. With up to 128GB of storage, you can capture and save more footage of your daily commutes.

This article was first published in Motorist.