If parking mode is your main priority, I’d honestly look at Thinkware first. A lot of cams really just save from the impact onward, but Thinkware’s radar parking mode can pick up motion before the actual hit, which is way more useful if you care about real evidence. And since you said you want more than just bump recording, that’s another reason. It’s not just waiting for impact, it’s watching for motion around the car too. I’ve had a U3000 Pro for just under a month now and have been really happy with it. I already bought an ARC 900 for my wife’s car too, Thinkware is kind of the move.
I swear I became a Thinkware guy by accident over the last month lol. Picked up a U3000 Pro for my car and an ARC 900 for another one, and now I’m that guy apparently. I know a lot of people would say Viofo is the best answer here, and I used Viofo before too, but after switching to Thinkware I’ve honestly been impressed. Too early for me to say it’s flawless long term or anything, but it’s been really stable so far, and the radar parking mode is one of those features that actually feels worth paying for. Definitely one of those things that makes you feel better leaving the car parked.
I’d probably give Thinkware a look. I’m using an ARC 900 myself, and one thing I do like is that you still get useful GPS based stuff like route, distance, and driving history without needing a driver-facing cam. Only part you’d need to verify first is the mileage by state thing, since I’m not sure it handles that exactly the way fleet tools do.
i dont rate the blackvues i think they are pretty rubbish i would actually buy the thinkware series heres why.
1. Its cheaper than Blackvue
2. It has excellent smart parking features like impact, motion sensors, radar, etc)
3. excellent image quality day and night.
4. One thing i really really like that i havent found other cameras have is speed camera/red light camera alerts... as you drive up to one it warns you and tells you theres speed cameras ahead... even in places like tunnels etc...
i've got a U3000, U1000 and Arc in my 3 cars.. yes i tried different models to see which is better.. much of a muchness.. the ARC series is great value for money ... and very good..
thats my honest opinion.. ive used Blackvues before. decent competent cameras.. image quality is ok not the best... but tends to be buggy as well... my Blackvue stopped recording for some reason... wasnt writing to memory card.. had no idea why.. and when i needed it for a incident... i realised it wasnt recording anything.... no amount of resets reflashing fixed it...just not a fan of blackvue
There's no difference in installation between the two. It's a simple installation. Gey the ODB2 cable and it's simple to plug in.
U3000 is better for low light.
You don't want the ARC.
The hanging design of the ARC/Q200 (basically the same camera) doesn't look good in most vehicles with larger mirror housing.
It uses omnivision image sensors, which will not perform as well as the u3000s Sony starvis 2.
The u3000 radar technology is actually great for parking mode.
Both install the same, u3000 looks better on the window. U3000 depending on where you buy it from will have the OBD2 cable included, however it has been removed from the box as they are redesigning it for wide car coverage. If you are in the Toronto area and the unit doesn't come with one, I have a box full of those obd2 plugs and can give you one.
ippikku
