Hello,

So im in the process of preparing for a I10 east all points Florida road trip. Im wanting a dash cam not so much for safety but to record and document the trip. Any suggestions on a particular dash cam? I was hoping for a wireless device just dont know enough about the equipment or what device would work best for general purposes.

My departure point would be Corpus Christi andim hoping all along the Gulf coust up the east coast to Daytona to Orlando and then make my way back home. Suggestions or even trip ideals would be great. make it a good day Happy Landlording.

dm

In my California vehicles I have hidden Dash Cameras. Front, rear and inside views. I had someone pass me up on the shoulder of the road doing 10 miles over the seed limit, cut in front of me, then slam on their breaks. Because they saw no dash cam, this was going to be an easy insurance scam windfall.

Instead of I-10, if you have the time, take the smaller roads that run right along the coasts. Stop in at the Florabama bar at the state line of Fl and Alabama. Go through Panama City Beach and Panama City then hug the coast down through Mexico Beach and Apalachicola and around down Hwy 19 and all the way down . Turn off and go to Sanibel Island for the beaches. Then across the everglades on Hwy 41 (rollin' down highway 41-ramblin man at full volume). When you get to Frogtown, stop and see it. Go on an airboat ride through the glades. Stop at the Skunk Ape world headquarters in the glades on Hwy 41. When you get to the big casino on the left, turn right and go down to Homestead, then take the road that goes out into the everglades to the town of Flamingo. On the way back from Flamingo, pick up US Hwy 1 and take it all the way to Key West. Stop in at Sloppy Joes and Margaritavile and the other places(take your time). See Mallory Square when all the buskers are there doing their thing.

Stop at some of the beaches there and John Pennacamp State Park and take a sailboat trip to dive on the reefs.

Coming up the east coast stop in Miami Beach (if you dare - be extra careful in the Miami area - lots of criminals) to see the art deco scene and maybe the clubs if that works for you. Then up to Palm Beach and then the treasure coast where, after storms, you can find Spanish doubloons on the beach (if you're lucky).Then on to Cocoa Beach and Cape Canaveral/Kennedy and, if you're lucky, maybe see a rocket launch (totally worth it). St Augustine is good (worth a look around) then Daytona of course. Once you get to Jacksonville (be careful there) you can pick up I-10 and head west.

If you want Disney, Sea World or Universal studios, you'll need to hit them somewhere along the way as they are in the middle of the state.

A couple years back, I did a bunch of research into reasonably priced dash cams -- watched a bunch of reviews and comparisons -- and end up getting the VIAFO A119 V3. Here it is at Amazon on sale for $95:

www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B07SRQH4R7/gtzso-20

Doing a quick check, it still seems like a good choice today.

-John

Every thing you want to know about dash cams are here:

Awesome thks you all for the great responses.

Marv -- please tell us a state where dashcams are illegal.

I've looked. Can't find any. So I'm curious what you are talking about.

Some states have restrictions on how to MOUNT them -- like you can't block the windshield and such. But I couldn't find any where dashcams were illegal to have and use.

Note that there are some states where recording audio without permission is illegal. But that is usually easily disabled, of course.

And then a few with restrictions about recording if you drive onto private property. But I still wouldn't call that "dashcams may be illegal in some states."

Illinois is a “two-party consent” state, meaning it is a criminal offense to record audio of communications without the consent of all participants.

This means everyone in your vehicle should be aware and should consent to being recorded.

I was under the impression that you have no expectation of privacy in public.

Unless you had the recorder turned toward the inside of the vehicle it shouldn't matter.

Marv: That is literally what I said above -- that some states you have to worry about recording the AUDIO. In no states is it illegal to record video on a dashcam (with the exception of recording on private property in some states).

NE: I agree. I actually record with audio in mine. (Michigan is actually a little odd in their audio recording, but that's a whole other issue.)

If I ever had to present it in court, I'd strip the audio just to be safe. :)

My son bought me a dash cam a few years ago. I set it up in the truck and liked it.

Then I got a new truck that kills the USB ports after the truck is off for a bit.

Now every time I turn on the truck I need to reset the cam because it thinks it is set up as a storage device.

So, you DO want a vehicle that kills the USB ports after the truck is off for a bit. That's actually perfect for DashCams. That way you don't have to worry about battery drain -- they just shut themselves down when the car is off.

But, yes, sounds like you need a new one. They shouldn't lose their minds when they lose power. They just shut down cleanly and then are ready the next time you start up!