Cell Phone as a Dash Cam

[Burla]

I bought this moto phone for the truck because I'm always forgetting my cell phone. 49 bucks and will work for a year as a phone, will work forever as a dash cam. So this is the lowest vga I set low but you can set high if you like, the do offer video loop as well.

With this 49 dollar phone I set an email and youtube, and I just lean it on the window for now for a dash cam. I might set the vga higher and post another video on another day.

 

[Travelin Ram]

There are also apps for using one as a surveillance or security type cam. Sends emails or alerts on motion detection, noises and so forth. Could be useful as a parking monitor that way.

 

[cityredneck]

not vertical, please set the phone on its side for landscape youll get more in the frame also. at least thats the way it looks

 

[Burla]

It was vertical, I'm new to this I will look for landscape, thanks.

 

[OCDTech]

Good info, good music!

 

[Burla]

I set the video from 480 to 1080, I will see if that changes it, I will upload another tomorrow for giggles in 1080. Didn't see landscape option.

 

[OCDTech]

It wont automatically switch if you turn phone? I know you probably tried that one though.

 

[Burla]

It wont automatically switch if you turn phone? I know you probably tried that one though.

ill try that too

I'd prefer to have it horiz, so that would be cool.

 

[OCDTech]

One more thing, are you just using the video camera, or is it an app?

 

[Burla]

just the stock camera that came with phone, I'd don't know much about downloading apps, I never did that...

 

[OCDTech]

just the stock camera that came with phone, I'd don't know much about downloading apps, I never did that...

Thanks, Well if you do decide to there is an app called ALFRED, ( like a butler ) anyway it lets you use your cheap phone, any old phone as a security camera at home. Just leave it plugged in at home connect to wifi and with your regular everyday phone you can monitor your house or whatever. I used it to watch a pet for a couple of weeks when i first started leaving it at home when i wasn't there. You can even talk, like a two way radio. Pretty awesome.

 

[Burla]

Thanks, Well if you do decide to there is an app called ALFRED, ( like a butler ) anyway it lets you use your cheap phone, any old phone as a security camera at home. Just leave it plugged in at home connect to wifi and with your regular everyday phone you can monitor your house or whatever. I used it to watch a pet for a couple of weeks when i first started leaving it at home when i wasn't there. You can even talk, like a two way radio. Pretty awesome.

great post, I will look into that

 

[Burla]

quick sample 1080p resolution didn't change the sides and neither did putting cell phone horiz.. Kinda funny moto sells themself as being the photo cell phone, I guess there is a way to make the pic much better, but an old man like me will just use it as is. If you zoom the frame you can tell it is HD, so if there was ever an issue it is captured.

 

[OCDTech]

quick sample 1080p resolution didn't change the sides and neither did putting cell phone horiz.. Kinda funny moto sells themself as being the photo cell phone, I guess there is a way to make the pic much better, but an old man like me will just use it as is. If you zoom the frame you can tell it is HD, so if there was ever an issue it is captured.

Try this if you havent, seems to be a difference when you " start recording" Just tried with my phone, if i go sideways after i already started recording, its messed up. But if i put the phone sideways first,then start recordiing, then it worked, now i didn't upload to the computer. But it should work on there, i've had this problem when taking regular pictures, if you don't have the phone sitting on a table pick real easy where the sensor doesn't know youve picked it up, the picture will take sideways. Hope this helps.

 

[Burla]

All I know if you zoom, the 1080p really shows up, but the 480 is a little blurry, I will try 1080p and see how it affects storage.

 

[brentwasham]

How do you handle the storage requirement? Video takes a lot. the stock camera memory would soon fill up. Do you erase or delete the video files daily, buy a really big SIM card, download to a hard drive, or other?

 

[tomb]

I bought 2 dash cam ponys-one for the front and one on the back window. Put sd cards in them and done Hid the wires very nicely-they are very long for that reason. Plugged both into the outlet behind center console. 3 years now -no problems . I even check the sd cards once in awhile to be sure. Got both on sale for $80/pc . Could pay off one day although I hope I dont need them to.

 

[Burla]

How do you handle the storage requirement? Video takes a lot. the stock camera memory would soon fill up. Do you erase or delete the video files daily, buy a really big SIM card, download to a hard drive, or other?

460 you can take days worth of video, and it has a loop option on the phone.

 

[Burla]

3 gb = 1 HD movie 1080p, I have 5 gigs left on my cheap phone. So recording in SD 460p gives me way more then 3 hours.

So at 460 I could dump maybe once a week. The sd cards are way more, just put forth the idea of using a cell phone as a secondary choice for some folks.