Dash Cam | The Ultimate FAQ Guide

The worldwide car dashcam market is worth more than $3.2 billion and will increase a lot more in upcoming years.

We at STE provide all kinds of shapes, features, and colors but at the lowest factory wholesale prices.

In this article, all your questions about Dash cams will be answered, such as what are their qualities, costs, special features, SD card capacities, video capturing duration, lifespans, and so on.

You do not necessarily need to read all questions, just click on your desired question from below and get your answer.

What Is A Dash Cam?

A dashcam is like a digital video recording camera, and its main function is to record videos of your car and surroundings during accidents.

A dashcam is fixed in a car in the dashboard area, facing the front windshield, so the scene involving the front side can be caught and saved during accidents.

For extra security, some dash cams also have a built-in camera for the inside of the car in addition to the front side camera. Mostly built-in inside facing cameras have a heat vision feature, so accidents scenes can be captured clearly even in the dark.

For back accidents recording, rear cameras are also available, which work just like dashcams, but they are fixed on rear windshields.

How Do Dash Cameras Work?

The working of dash cams is simple. They are fixed in cars in such a way, so the front side of the car and the maximum road is covered.

Dashcams draw power from a car battery, and without the parking mode feature, they only work when you turn on the car. If you want your dashcam to work when the engine is off, you must buy a dashcam with parking mode.

During normal mode, dashcam records videos continuously in 1~5 min clips mostly. When SD card memory capacity is full, recorded videos are automatically deleted, and new videos are recorded in their place. For avoiding deletion of accident videos, dash cams have a G-sensor, which detects accidents and locks videos of that duration, so they can not be deleted automatically.

In basic parking mode, the camera will only turn on and record when sensors detect some kind of motion or impact. Otherwise, it will stay off to save battery.

What Are The Benefits Of Having A Dash Cam?

Dashcams have many benefits, which are given below;

• Can record your loving trips
• Record evidence of road accidents
• Parents can watch their newly-driver kids.
• Can help identify people who scratch your car
• Can help capture accidents when your car is parked
• Inside dashcams can record your beautiful journey moments.
• Ease the insurance process when you share the video with the company
• Can provide car theft video on your phone or any other device ( in cloud function only )
• Can prove your innocence when you provide accident video to police or anyone interested.
• Inside camera dash cams help catch burglars ( because burglars steal dashcams to remove evidence, so cloud feature helps to recover videos of burglary from cloud storage even when the camera is stolen)

Are Dash Cams Illegal?

No, dash cams are not illegal.

Yes, there are some laws in some specific areas that indicate how and where dashcams must be installed; for example, in some areas, dashcams are prohibited on windshields but are allowed on dashboards.

So, you can buy and install dash cams in your car without any worry, but it is better to install them according to your state laws; but if your area has no laws on dashcams, you can install them as you like.

What Is WiFi On Dash Cam?

In WIFI Dashcams, a smartphone can be connected to the dashcam wifi network.

When you open the dashcam app on your phone, all videos become available through this wifi network to view, save, or delete, which is very useful if you want to save a certain accident video on your phone without getting the SD card out from the dashcam.

On the phone app, you can also change the dashcam any setting when it is connected to wifi.

It is important to note dashcam wifi does not provide any internet service; its only function is connection.

Do Dashcams Record Audio?

Yes, almost all dash cams available in the market record audio.

But you must carefully consider whether you record audio or not because recording a passenger’s audio without his/her permission is illegal in some countries, and penalty varies from monetarily fines to jail time.

So, if you do not want to record audio, you can switch off audio features, and when you need it, you can switch it back on.

Do Dash Cams Record Speed?

Yes and no. Dashcams with GPS record speed, location, time, and direction of the car, while other non-GPS Dashcams do not.

How Do I Choose A Dash Cam?

Choosing a dashcam depends upon your budget and what kind of features do you want.

In the below chart, you can see as we move from top to bottom, the price rises with features;

It is important to note that the number and kind of features in a dashcam may vary from the above chart, but the price of main features ( marked with green color ) will most likely rise according to the above chart.

Plus, sellers also offer 720 p, 1080p, 4K, and other video qualities for choosing, and in premium dashcams, additional features like ADAS, buffer recording, radar detection, e.t.c. can be found.

So, for choosing a Dashcam, first, decide for what needs you are buying a dashcam and then compare your needs with the features mentioned above for selecting the best dash cam for you.

It is suggested to at least buy a dashcam with parking mode, so you can watch your car accident during parking and nights.

How Do You Install A Dash Cam?

There are basically two kinds of dashcams;

• Suction or Adhesion Dashcams
• Mirror Dashcams

a) Suction or Adhesion Dashcams

For installing these cameras, follow the below steps;

• Clean a spot directly on the front windshield, directly backside of the mirror.
• Now, if you are attaching it by means of a suction cup, you can just press it on the windshield, and the dashcam is fixed. But if you attach it with adhesive tape, wait for 20 minutes or so ( if your holder is separate from the camera ) for the tape to settle on the windshield, and then attach a camera to it; otherwise, it will fall off.
• Now for wiring, first direct it towards the side, by fixing it below the roof, then direct it towards the flour by hiding it behind the pillar cover, finally get it towards the cigarette or fuse box or OBD-II port by hiding it below the dashboard.

b) Mirror Dashcams

Mirror dashcams have hooks; you can attach them to your already existing car mirror by following the below steps;

• Place mirror dash cam on your already existing car mirror.
• Take one strap and attach it from the top hook to the bottom hook tightly from behind the car mirror.
• Now for wiring, get it towards cigarette plug or fuse box or OBD-II port, by hiding it beneath roof first, then underside pillar cover and finally under the dashboard.

Some dash cams also come with a rear camera, which you can install either under the trunk hood in the middle by drilling holes ( for trunk vehicles ) or above the back windshield on a plastic cover ( for cars in which no separate trunk is present ).

For wiring, attach the reverse red wire with any backlight, so your dashcam will switch to rear view whenever you are reversing. And finally, lead other primary wire by hiding it under the trunk roof cover first ( only for trunk cars ), then behind the backseat into the side pillar cover, and finally under the roof into the mirror dashcam.

And if you don’t wanna mess with the rear wire, you can always buy a wireless rear cam, but it will be a little more costly.

How Do You Power A Dash Cam?

You can power a Dashcam in 3 ways;

• From 12 V Cigarette Plug
• Hardwiring into Fuse Box
• By connecting into OBD-II port
• By connecting it to an external Dashcam specific Power Bank ( which also get a charge from a car )

If your car has a parking mode, then hard wiring into the fuse box or connecting into the OBD-II port is necessary. Because when you turn off the car, power from the cigarette plug is cut off, while from the fuse box and OBD-II port is not.

Why Isn’t My Dashcam Working?

Your dashcam maybe not switching on due to one or more of the following reasons;

• Power is not getting to the dashcam; check both sides of the connection, especially the cigarette plug side ( if you are using it ) because it has a habit of loosening.
• If your dashcam is battery operated, maybe there is no power left in it, so charge it.
• If your SD card is faulty, some dashcams won’t turn on, so try replacing the SD card.
• If you are using a cigarette plug, it may get faulty, and there is no problem with your dashcam.
• Sometimes the wires get damaged, so power dashcam from another power source and see if it’s working.
• Reset dashcam only as a last resort because it will most likely erase all your SD card footage.

And if your dashcam screen is frozen or any other software fault, turn it off either by button or unplugging it from the power supply ( if possible ) and turn it on again after 1 min. You can also reset it, but get your SD card out first because your data may get erased during resetting.

Still, if your dashcam is not working, check it from some professional.

Can You Delete Dash Cam Footage?

Yes, you can permanently delete any video file from your dashcam whenever you want.

You can delete it in three ways;

• By deleting it directly from your dashcam ( if your dashcam has a screen )
• By getting the SD card out from the dashcam, inserting it into the computer or phone, and then deleting any video file.
• By deleting it from your dashcam mobile app ( if your dashcam has an app feature )

Can I Use A Dash Cam As A Webcam?

Yes, all dash cams can be used as webcams if you have the right drivers on the computer.

Connect your dashcam to the computer with a USB cable, and if it gives you options, then select the ” Connect as PC/ MAC webcam ” option, and that’s all; you can now use it.

But if nothing shows after connecting your dashcam with a USB cable to the computer, then install drivers which are compatible with your dashcam.

How Do I View Dash Cam On iPhone?

You can view your Dashcam videos on iPhone in 2 ways;

• By installing a dashcam app on your iPhone ( if your dashcam offers an app ).
• By inserting an SD card into the iPhone with an aftermarket or iPhone card adapter. But it may or may not work.

So, if none of the above options works for you, then you need to view videos on another brand phone or computer.

What Is The Frequency On Dash Cam?

If your dashcam is set to the wrong frequency, you may see frequent brightness changes in the video, which happens due to the below reason;

The power line system of the world operates at either 50hz or 60hz, which means the electrical devices ( lights, e.t.c. ) are turning on and off 50 times or 60 times per second ( 1 on and off = 1 Cycle ).

Of course, we do not see it because the human eye can’t see such small intervals ( 0.05 second ) event happenings.

But now you will ask what it has to do with your dashcam because it operates at the DC current of your car; well, you are right and wrong. See the problem here is environmental lighting. For example,

Suppose your environment lights operate at 60hz power, and your dashcam is set to 50 Hz. In that case, you will see video flickering because frames per second are being captured at moments when the environment light(s) is on as well as off, and the sudden drop in brightness or flickering is caused due to frames captured when light(s) is in an off state.

So, if you want a flicker-free image, set your camera to 60hz frequency in the 60hz power line area and to 50 Hz frequency in the 50 Hz power line area, which will ensure that the images are captured at moments when environment lights are in on state.

What Is The G Sensor On A Dash Cam?

G-sensor, also known as gravity sensor or accelerometer, is the most basic thing you will find in all Dashcams.

It works by detecting sudden changes in car acceleration or deceleration, which will most likely happen during an accident.

So, your dashcam G-sensor detects an accident both in parking and on the road and guides the dashcam to;

• Record that moment video separately.
• Permanently save that file ( will not get deleted during loop recording ), which will have a Padlock symbol on it.

How Much Does A Dash Camera Cost?

The cost of a dashcam will depend upon;

• Quality
• Number of features
• Video resolution and frame rate
• Additional design features
• Kind of features ( most important factor, see in Q 8 )

The Price of STE Dashcams normally ranges between $10 ~ $500

Can You View The Dash Cam Remotely?

Yes and no. You can view videos remotely if your dashcam offers an app; otherwise, you can not.

• If your dashcam offers only Wifi, you can see videos on the app only within a short distance, in or nearby your car.
• But if your dashcam offers cloud storage, then you can see videos on apps anywhere in the world, provided internet connection is given to the dashcam

Will A Dash Cam Drain My Car Battery?

Yes, dashcam works on car batteries, so they do drain it.

But you do not have to worry about the drainage of the battery by dashcam if you are driving your car daily because, in that case, the car battery charges up continuously.

Unless, of course, you are not driving your vehicle for 3 or more days, then dashcams may drain your battery ( if power is delivered when the engine is off ) to an empty state. To avoid this, either unplug the dashcam or use a voltage meter in connection, which will cut power when battery voltage drops below a set limit.

What Does WDR Mean On A Dash cam?

WIDE DYNAMIC RANGE ( WDR ) on dashcam is a software function that is helpful if one part of an image is very bright and the other is very dark, which makes it difficult to get a sense of the image.

So, when you turn on WDR, bright areas get lighter and dark areas make more sense. So, WDR is very helpful in Backlight areas.

But using the WDR function may cause;

• More image noise during the night
• Overall color decrease in image

Can You Get A Dash Cam Without Wires?

No, you can never get a dashcam without wires because it needs a constant supply of power.

Even if you find a dashcam in the market with a big internal battery, which is very, very highly unlikely, you will need to recharge it by wires frequently. So, again, dashcams will have wires either way.

Yes, you can decrease the wires of the rear dashcam by buying one with a wifi function, so you do not need to connect it all the way to the front dashcam for view, but still, you will need to power it with a wire.

What Is Loop Recording On A Dash Cam?

Loop recording is the name of a function in a dashcam, in which the dashcam delete old videos when a card is full to record new videos.

This function is very useful in many ways, such as;

• Unnecessary videos are get deleted
• You do not need to delete videos yourself when an SD card is full
• Automatic deletion ensures that your cam is always ready to record accidents and other important moments

You may be worried that accidents videos may get deleted during looping cleaning, but every dash cam has a feature, which detects accidents and stores those videos separately, so they will never get removed during the looping deletion process.

How Do I Watch Dashcam On My Laptop?

You can watch dashcam videos on your laptop in 3 ways;

• By connecting Dashcam and computer with USB cable
• By inserting SD card into card adapter and then in your computer
• If your dashcam has a wifi option, you can simply connect a laptop to it and manage videos through different software within a short-range.
• By installing the dashcam Cloud PC app, you can watch, save or delete videos from cloud storage directly anywhere ( only if your dashcam has cloud function and you have a Dashcam PC app or suitable site )

How Does Dash Cam Parking Mode Work?

Parking mode is a kind of saving mode ( for storage and battery ) for a dashcam when you turn off the car engine.

There are mainly 3 kinds of Parking modes, and not all dashcams have all modes. Cheaper ones have only one or two, while high-grade premium ones have all 3 modes.

You can below the chart below for comparison;

How To Take Good Care Of Your Dash Cam?

Well, dashcams do not need any hard work maintenance after being installed, but you can follow the below steps to increase their lifespan and footage quality;

• Use a bigger SD Card
• Avoid throwing liquid on it
• Use a Good company SD card
• Clean them once a while, especially camera lens
• Format SD card manually once in a while if your dashcam does not have an automatic formatting function.

How Do I Play A Video From My Dash Cam?

You can watch videos from your dashcam in the following 4 ways;

• By connecting PC to dashcam through a USB cable
• By inserting a dash cam SD card into PC/ Mobile / any other device
• By directly watching them on the dashcam screen ( if your dashcam has one )
• By watching on mobile app ( if your dashcam has a Wifi option )
• By watching them on mobile or PC apps anywhere through cloud storage ( if your dashcam has cloud function )

How Long Does Footage Stay On Dash Cam?

How long footage stays on dashcam will depend on 2 factors;

• SD card capacity
• Daily usage hours

Mostly basic quality dashcams come up to 64GB, while premium-quality ones come up to 128 GB card support. The average video saving hour time is 2 hours ~ 18 hours ( depending on SD card capacity ).

Another factor is how long a video stays saved depend on daily usage; for example, if your card has 18 hr storage capacity and you get your car out, drive it for 1 hour, and park your car in a garage with nobody around, then it will take up to 15~18 days for filling 18 hr storage, and your videos will stay on a card all those days before getting erased in looping.

What Does Red Padlock Mean On A Dash Cam?

Suppose you are in an accident; your dashcam will record and save that video separately, which will ensure that the video will not get automatically erased during the looping deletion process.

In the above process, a Red Padlock sign will appear on the screen, ensuring the user that the video is permanently saved and will only get deleted manually.

How Do I Connect My Dash Cam To My Phone?

Well, You can connect Wifi Dashcam to your phone by following the below steps;

• Install compatible app
• Power dashcam
• Now, some dashcam has only WiFi, while others also have additional Bluetooth features. Usually, Bluetooth ones will ask for a Bluetooth connection first, and then you can connect to Wifi without entering any password, while in Wifi Dashcams, you will need to enter a password for the connection.

Voila! this is it; your phone is connected to a dashcam through Wifi.

It is important to note some dashcams have only a Bluetooth feature and no app for a phone. In those cases, usually, Bluetooth is only used to give you alerts and get GPS from your phone for marking videos location when you are nearby.

Should I Turn Off My Dash Cam During The Night?

No, do not turn your dashcam off during the night. Let it run on parking mode because somebody may hit your car, or you catch a robber’s face or burglary on your cam.

And if your dashcam has a cloud feature and your car is get stolen along with the dashcam, you can get incident video, even a robber(s) location ( if you are lucky ), through a cloud on the internet.

How Long Will A 16GB SD Card Last For Dash Cam?

A 16 GB SD card will most likely hold about;

How Long Will A 32GB SD Card Last In A Dash Cam?

In almost all dashcams models, a 32 GB SD card will hold video for about;

How Long Will A 64GB SD Card Last In A Dash Cam?

Usually, basic models of dashcams come up to 64GB car support capacities, and the amount of hours of video it will record is;

How Long Will A 128GB SD Card Last In A Dash Cam?

Most Premium Dashcams have a 128GB of SD card storage capacity, and the hours of video they will hold will be;

What Are The Different Types Of STE Dash Cams?

STE offers all different kinds of basic to Premium dashcams models. You can see below for more info;

• Basic DVR Dashcam
• 1080p FHD Dashcam
• Rearview Mirror Dashcam
• 360° Rotatable Lens Dashcam
• Wifi & GPS Functions Dashcam
• Cloud Feature Dashcam
• 4K Sports Action Camera

a) Basic DVR Dashcam

These are the simplest and cheapest kind of Dashcams. Basic dashcams have a Built-in widescreen, on which you can view, save, or delete any videos along with cam settings change and a lot more. The features included in them are;

• Auto Looping
• Wifi ( Optional )
• Audio Recording
• Bluetooth ( Optional )
• Red Padlock Function
• G-sensor detects accidents
• Power by 12V Cigarette lighter
• 720p video recording resolution
• 8 GB ~ 64 GB SD card capacity options
• Auto On/Off when you turn on/off car respectively
• Other…

b) 1080p FHD Dashcam

If you are looking for the best video quality and low price, then 1080p dashcams are best for you. You can power it either by hardwiring or cigarette plug.

Features included in 1080p dashcams are;

• G-Sensor
• Night Vision
• Auto looping
• Records Audio
• Wifi ( Optional )
• Parking Mode ( Optional )
• Auto Locking of important videos
• Bigger SD card capacity than 720p dashcams
• Mount by Suction cup or Adhesive tape depending on design
• Other…

c) Rearview Mirror Dashcam

STE mirror dashcams are easy to install; simply put them onto your car’s existing mirror and secure the straps. Mirror dashcams give your car a modern look as well as give you a separate big screen for viewing Dashcam (s). You can buy Mirror dashcams without or with a rear camera.

The Mirror dashcams will most likely include following features;

• G-Sensor
• Night Vision
• Auto Looping
• Touch Screen
• Parking Mode
• Records Audio
• Wifi ( Optional )
• WDR ( optional )
• Wide capture angle 170°
• Internal camera ( optional )
• SD card capacity 16 GB ~ 128 GB
• Red Padlock video locking feature
• 1080p, 2160k, 4k, e.t.c resolution available
• Other…

d) 360° Rotatable Lens Dashcam

These cameras have no screen, round size, with a 360° rotatable sony lens. You can use this camera as a dashcam or internal cam just by rotating its lens. Because of its black color and small size, you can hide it in your car and use it as a spy cam.

Features which may be included in them are;

• Wifi
• WDR
• G-Sensor
• Built-in GPS
• Auto Looping
• Parking Mode
• Audio Recording
• Built-in Internet ( optional )
• SD card capacity 16 GB ~ 128 GB
• Red Padlock video locking feature
• 1080p, 2160k, 4k, e.t.c resolution available
• Can be powered by cigarette plug/ OBD-II / hardwired into Fuse Box

e) Wifi & GPS Functions Dashcam

One of the main benefits of Wifi-based dashcams is that you can manage videos on your mobile without getting the SD card out of the Dashcam. Wifi also allows you to change any second of Dashcam directly from a mobile app.

On the other hand, GPS functions allow Dashcam to attach location, speed, time, and date to videos, which prove very beneficial in finding out an exact accident location to hurry up insurance claims, resolve police matters, e.t.c. GPS also helps with additional features like the Advanced driving assistance feature ( ADAS ), e.t.c.

The dash cams which may have Wifi or GPS feature are;

• Mirror Dashcam
• 1080p Dashcam
• 4K Action Cameras
• Rotatable Dashcam
• Cloud Function Dashcams

f) Cloud Feature Dashcam

Cloud storage dashcams are the next level of Wifi dashcams. These are the most costly ones, and they will most likely include the following features;

• Ultra HD 4K recording
• Emergency Alarms on mobile
• Accident Videos are uploaded on Cloud automatically
• Get videos out of Dashcam without getting SD card out.
• Two-way talking, from smartphone to Dashcam from anywhere
• You can manage videos from anywhere in the world through an app.
• Advanced features like ADAS, Time-lapse, Radar Detection, Geo-tagging

g) 4K Sports Action Camera

STE produces its action camera in all kinds of models. Our Action cameras will have most of the following benefits depending on the model;

• Cloud Storage
• Detachable lens
• Quick Mobile App
• Video Stabilization
• Sturdy and Rugged
• Battery capacity 2 hrs ~ 8 hrs
• Resolution range 720p ~ 5.3 k
• Slow-Mo video 120 fps ~ 240 fps
• Waterproof ( normally 16 ft ~ 98.4 ft )
• 2 screens and 1 screen both models available
• Burst, time-lapse, and a lot of other shoot modes
• Other…

What Colors Are Available In Dashcams?

The most used color in dashcams is black, but we can also produce your order in any single or combination color you want.

Can You Add Your Own Logo On Dash Cams?

Yes, you can add your logo on the dashcam as well on its packing. Logo can be added in the following ways;

• Sticker
• Printed
• Embossed
• Raised logo

Can You Change The Design Of Car Dash Cams?

We have a lot of designs in our current production, but we can also make a dashcam of your favorite design. Just send us a picture, and we will make real ones out of it.

How Do You Get A Free Sample Of A Dash Cam?

If you have bulk orders, we can send you a free sample of your liked dashcam(s). Just send us a message!

How Long Is The Warranty On A STE Dash Cam?

As a professional dash camera manufacturer, STE Dashcams have about 2 years of warranty, and if you care about them well, you can use them for up to 5 years and more.