
Running these analyses costs money. Buy through my links to help keep lights on! I may get a small commission.
Reddit Reviews
If you want what works for daily driving and road trips without overthinking it, I’d look at Viofo or 70mai first. Best bang for buck right now is probably the [70mai A810](https://amzn.to/4ri7KOm) has a 4K front cam, optional rear cam. Good clarity, decent night performance, easy app. It’s kind of the “set it and forget it” option. If you want something a bit nicer with better video quality and reliability, [Viofo A329](https://amzn.to/4ktefuY) is hard to beat. Super clear 4K, great night performance, and it’s a brand a lot of dashcam nerds trust. If budget isn’t tight and you want front + rear with top-tier quality, [BlackVue DR970X](https://amzn.to/4tNATmi) or [Vantrue N4 Pro](https://amzn.to/4cwvtFM) are solid, but they’re pricier. Main thing: get at least 4K front, add a rear cam if possible, and buy a high-endurance SD card. After that, most modern dashcams are pretty plug-and-play.
BlackVue 970 Plus II, if I remember correctly. Footage is good during daylight, acceptable at night, C-PL filter on.
Blackvue with LTE will meet all your needs. An external battery with the cam in motion sensor mode will capture events when parked. Contact www.blackboxmycar.ca. They are a Canadian retailer.
Most dashcams will do what you're asking. Night recording, license plate capture, history, etc. But there will be trade offs in terms of subscription vs storage and setup. 4k video is about 100MB per minute for storage. If you're keeping more than a few hours of video onboard, that's going to require a large (high endurance/extreme) SD card. 512GB up to 1TB. Unless you transfer video off daily, it will overwrite itself. Some people have written apps to do background transfers (i.e. Blackvuesync) to a server but that will require infrastructure and network access. Unless you park close to your Wi-Fi AP, you'll have to pay for cellular access. I've done what you're asking but it does require some effort. Blackvue DR970X in both cars plus LiFePO4 batteries. Park within Wi-Fi range and run a NAS with Docker to host the Blackvue app. Works great but it does have it's challenges. Or you could pay for a dashcam subscription.
Blackvue LTE cams are the best option, and a range of plans for access if you are looking for live view anywhere. If you just want to view in the car anything of their cams other than the 5 series.
Blackvue DR970x plus series 2 is a great option. They shortened up the boot time, and upgraded a few other internals.
You need to choose between a wide field view or a narrow focus on plates, and almost all cams choose the former. Add in low quality cameras and video compressed for uploading and you get what you describe. Thinkware U3000 and Blackvue DR970x plus are decent options.
You’ll need a dash cam with LTE and cloud connectivity to receive notifications. The BlackVue LTE models are a good fit for this and are designed to do exactly that If you’re looking for longer parking recording times, I’d also recommend adding an external battery pack. This helps extend recording without putting extra strain on your vehicle’s battery.
I have blackvue LTE 2 channel with its own battery pack. Amazing camera.
I running blackvue lte 2ch running of a battery pack also blackvue. No issues with car battery dying. Easy set up..
They have their pros and cons. Viofo dashcams like A329S tend to come with the latest tech which results in the best image quality. They are also affordable (~$600 for a front & rear dashcam) for what you get but their app is pretty barebones. Blackvue dashcams are pricier but come with optional cellular connectivity (for remote viewing, etc) and box dashcam options where the processor can be hidden out of the sun and only have the camera itself on the windshield. For their latest dashcams like the DR970X Plus II, it’s about 1.5x-2x the price of Viofo’s alternative depending if you want LTE or not. Thinkware dashcams also come with optional cellular connectivity and have the smartest parking mode of the three as they use radar to detect impacts during parking mode but both Viofo and Blackvue units can record constantly during parking mode so its not a massive difference. The Thinkware U3000 Pro is also one of the priciest at $1300 just for the dashcam without an installation. The hardest part of any dashcam install is removing the A-pillar trim to run the cables behind it, and snaking the cable through the headliner for the rear camera. It’s not really dependent on which camera/brand you buy as it’s car-dependent how difficult that would be. Any dashcam can be powered by a hardwire kit to the fusebox or USB power (like from the 12v outlet), that’s not dependent on brand either.
For great cloud connectivity and remote live viewin, I bought a Blackvue DR970X-2CH LTE PLUS for my 23 Forester Wilderness and had Best Buy geek squad install it for $100 ..but they won't install dash cameras that have a screen on them because of safety reasons and I'm glad I didn't get one of those.
Rankings by Use Case
Top recommendations from others in the same boat
Best for Continuous 24/7 parking surveillance

Top pick
VIOFO - A329S
Best for Discreet factory-installed look

Top pick
FITCAMX - Integrated / Universal Series
Best for Hot climates and sun exposure

Top pick
VIOFO - A129 Plus Series
Best for Reading license plates at high speed

Top pick
VIOFO - A229 Pro Series
Best for Rideshare and taxi driving

Top pick
Vantrue - N4 Series





