I was delayed in the install, but my local AV shop finally installed it today. I purchased the LTE module as well. They installed the front cam and the LTE unit to the right of the rear view mirror, with the front cam somewhat hidden from the driver's view. The whole install took 2 hours and was $350. I'm sure many will shudder at the cost, but it was worth it for me.
There is a rear 2K camera as well. Here are some of the pictures (please excuse the poor quality).
[https://imgur.com/a/gLDsb41](https://imgur.com/a/gLDsb41)
I have the Thinkware U3000 2 channel. It fits my needs but I miss the screen my viofo a129 pro had. The rear camera on the Thinkware fits under my rear sunshade which is why I went with this one.
Heat was a big concern for me. Ended up with a thinkware U3000 2ch. I’ve had it for 2.5 years with no issues and I have it setup to record motion while the vehicle is off (recording while temperature inside the vehicle is hot as hell). I live near Houston
Rather than supporting Amazon's evil ways and potentially getting a counterfeit product, I recommend supporting a smaller retailer that's going to offer you a decent price, actual support, and knowledgeable reviews. I usually order from [https://www.blackboxmycar.com/](https://www.blackboxmycar.com/) and have been very happy with their service.
Now, since you asked for "best" and not "best at a reasonable price" I think you'll be looking at a Thinkware U3000 Pro (4K front and 2K rear), BlackVue DR970X-2CH (4k front and HD rear cameras) or VIOFO A329T (4K front and 2K rear cameras). I personally like the Viofo ones better because of the screen, but they don't have cloud capabilities. So, if you want to protect yourself from auto theft, where the camera leave along with the car, then you'll want something that's cloud-enabled like the BlackVue.
In reality, each of the options above are way more cameras than anyone needs and are likely more expensive than what you're willing to pay. Each manufacturer also offers decent cameras with similar specs for much less. But without knowing your price point and you looking for "the best", those are it.
For me, I'm more concerned about recording while driving and watching out for parking lot dings, so I'm fine with the Viofo. I have the A229 Pro in two of my cars and they have been flawless (https://www.blackboxmycar.com/products/viofo-a229-pro-4k-uhd-3-ch-dash-cam). It's available as a front (1ch), front+rear (2ch), or front+rear+inside (3ch) option.
Running the Thinkware U3000Pro. Image quality is solid, app works well for pulling clips. A bit pricier than Viofo but the build quality and reliability have been worth it for me.
Got mine for almost the exact same reason, got rear ended last year and the other driver tried to flip the story. Footage shut that down in about 5 minutes. I have a Thinkware U3000 Pro, the part I didn't expect to care about is the app. Pulled the clip on my phone at the scene and sent it to insurance before the tow truck showed up, no fishing out the SD card. Viofo is solid too, recommended here all the time. I'd just take the amazon reviews on Rove and RedTiger with a grain of salt, most of those people never had to actually use their footage.
How long you get for parking mode will depend on several things including how much power your dash cam uses in parking mode, the state of charge of your car battery, the condition of your car battery and the amount of motion in your parking spot.
Currently, the Thinkware U3000 and U3000 Pro have the longest parking mode when set to RADAR. I've gotten past 8 days but again depends on those factors I mentioned above. If I were to use a dash cam battery pack I could probably extend it to past 21 days. These are expensive dash cams so budget will also play a factor.
It's possible a different dash cam used with a dash cam battery pack could cost less and last more than what you need it for.
Note too that dash cam parking mode differ between brands and makes so you would want to know how it really works for a specific dash cam. A lot of cheap dash cams implement parking mode not too great or use too much power or have a long wake-up time. This matters because if it takes a long time to wake-up you will miss recording some or all the action.
Here is my comparison video on parking modes and power usage of some common dash cams: [U3000 vs VIOFO, BlackVue, Akeeyo](https://youtu.be/52nfmtyEEQ8)
[My full Review of U3000 Pro](https://youtu.be/6PxwpG2-ZII)
[My full Review of 70mai 4K T800](https://youtu.be/G88zYI3J5YE)
[My full Review of VIOFO a129 Plus Duo](https://youtu.be/9YQGChfUGIY)
How long you get for parking mode will depend on several things including how much power your dash cam uses in parking mode, the state of charge of your car battery, the condition of your car battery and the amount of motion in your parking spot.
Currently, the Thinkware U3000 and U3000 Pro have the longest parking mode when set to RADAR. I've gotten past 8 days but again depends on those factors I mentioned above. If I were to use a dash cam battery pack I could probably extend it to past 21 days. These are expensive dash cams so budget will also play a factor.
It's possible a different dash cam used with a dash cam battery pack could cost less and last more than what you need it for.
Note too that dash cam parking mode differ between brands and makes so you would want to know how it really works for a specific dash cam. A lot of cheap dash cams implement parking mode not too great or use too much power or have a long wake-up time. This matters because if it takes a long time to wake-up you will miss recording some or all the action.
Here is my comparison video on parking modes and power usage of some common dash cams: [U3000 vs VIOFO, BlackVue, Akeeyo](https://youtu.be/52nfmtyEEQ8)
[My full Review of U3000 Pro](https://youtu.be/6PxwpG2-ZII)
[My full Review of 70mai 4K T800](https://youtu.be/G88zYI3J5YE)
[My full Review of VIOFO a129 Plus Duo](https://youtu.be/9YQGChfUGIY)
Depending on the dash cam some will eat power for breakfast. To know how long you can have parking mode for will depend on that, the condition of your battery and how many events get triggered.
I tested the Thinkeate U3000, BlackVue DR770X Box, VIOFO A129 Plus Duo, and Akeeyo EYES AI dash cams to show how much power is used by each in parking mode. Watch for more info:
https://youtu.be/52nfmtyEEQ8
I also am trying to use a solar panel to potentially have unlimited parking mode. Find out more about the solar dash cam project here:
https://youtu.be/BI-fhD5w0m8
Top Dash Cams on Reddit
1
VIOFO
A229 Pro Series
91% positive of 279 users
Top-tier video, reliable evidence, but app struggles.
a6pack
