Droid cam - turn your smartphone into a dash cam

[onetrack]

Well, the title says it all - some developers are now producing apps that allows you to use your phone as a dash cam. The ones I was told about are for Android, I guess they have them for Iphones too.

I'm guessing the power consumption of the phone would be affected by constant videoing, so I suppose you would need it to be plugged into the cars power system to keep the battery supplied with adequate power for an extended period.

 

I guess your phones video capabilities are also a limiting factor, so if you have an older phone, the resolution may be not 100%. Apple products have always appeared to have superb graphics - however, I note that with the latest Samsung phones, they have concentrated on superb cameras and photo/video capabilities, so these latest Samsung phones probably make for highly satisfactory dashcams. I've always been an Android user, I've never been impressed with Apples "captive customer" corporate model.

 

SWMBO has just bought a pretty basic new Samsung, the A54, and the photo and video resolution on this new Samsung is stunning, as compared to the previous Galaxy Note 4 she was using. But this is only a basic current model Samsung, it'd be interesting to see the level of photo and video quality of the high end Samsungs - with the likes of the Samsung S21 and S22 even having 3 different camera sensors fitted as standard, the equivalent of having 3 cameras in the one device. Technology is advancing so fast still, it's hard to keep up.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 23, 2023 by onetrack

[rgmwa]

I've wondered what the attraction of dash cams is. Very occasionally they capture something useful, but who watches all the other hours of boring footage and what do they do with it all?

[Old Koreelah]

48 minutes ago, rgmwa said:

I've wondered what the attraction of dash cams is. Very occasionally they capture something useful, but who watches all the other hours of boring footage and what do they do with it all?

That footage might become useful if you get booked or someone crashes into you. A bit like insurance, but cheaper.

 

I have quite a collection of cheap dash cams and now have a good GPS-connected one in each car. I also have a couple of old iPhones and have been experimenting with using them to record my test flights. Clear out most of the Apps and sit the phone in shirt pocket, plugged into a long charging cable. It records the panel and a bit out the front. Useful to watch later to see effects of changes to settings. I’m too busy to watch the instruments while flying.

[nomadpete]

I used an old Iphone as a data logger to record test flights. It gives a accurate record of all panel instruments and other useful stuff such as takeoff roll in seconds prior to rotation, and rpm, climb rate at each asi, etc

As OldK notes, one is too busy to note every reading and time tag it.

[pmccarthy]

I have watched crash videos where someone says they would never be without a dash cam as it proved their innocence for insurance. But that would be a once in a lifetime event, most of us would never need it.

[Jerry_Atrick]

The village I live in is accessible onlt by narrow and windy country lanes flanked by high hedges.  The are only wide enough for about 1.5 cars and there are cut-outs spaced every 100 metres or so to pull into, in order to allow oncoming vehicles to pass. The idiiots that tear arounnf blind bends at breakneck speed have resulted in many an accident (thankfully, touch wood - aka my skull - I haven't been involved; yet - but a few very close calls). I decided to get a dash cam for both ends of the car because it is a question of when; not if - and I want to make sure the circumstances are caught in perpetuity.

[kgwilson]

There are so many apps for phones, mostly android that you should never throw your old phone away. There are apps that can enable your phone to be used for just about any sort of camera you like. So long as wifi is still operative you can use it as a web cam, dash cam, security cam, a magnifying glass, distance measuring device & all sorts of special effects. There are far fewer apps for Apple devices as the OS is proprietry & Apple always wants its cut.

Edited May 26, 2023 by kgwilson

[nomadpete]

So true, KG.

I keep an old phone in the car to read the OBD (on board diagnostics) of the car. I suppose, even without a SIM card it could be used to call emergency services in the event of a collision.

[Marty_d]

12 hours ago, kgwilson said:

There are so many apps for phones, mostly android that you should never throw your old phone away. There are apps that can enable your phone to be used for just about any sort of camera you like. So long as wifi is still operative you can use it as a web cam, dash cam, security cam, a magnifying glass, distance measuring device & all sorts of special effects. There are far fewer apps for Apple devices as the OS is proprietry & Apple always wants its cut.

Distance measuring isn't all that accurate. Tried it on my work iPhone, over 4.2m it was 300mm out.