24-hour Vehicle Cameras to Capture Vandalism while Parked
In the last few months, cases of car vandalism while parked have been rising steadily. A report revealed that 2 million crimes take place in parking lots annually. And since there are not usually a lot of activities going on in parking areas, they are very attractive for vandalism and other crimes.
This is why you need to install 24-hour vehicle cameras to record events (including vandalism) that occur around your car in real-time.
And in cases of break-ins or theft, videos from your vehicle camera can help law enforcement officers, improving your chances of getting your car back and ensuring justice is served. In this article, we will explore the quality car cameras you need for security purposes.
What to consider when buying a vehicle camera
Now that you are planning on buying a vehicle camera, you need to consider some important factors. In this section, we will explain some factors that you should watch out for when choosing a 24-hour camera for your vehicle.
They include:
Cost
The cost of a vehicle camera ranges from $20 to $600. Some are even priced at $700. The cost hinges on the model and the types of features it offers. You will usually find an average vehicle camera with decent features for $150 to $350. If you want a wider range of features, then you’d have to invest in top-tier models, which cost more.
Let’s analyze the different price ranges and the features they can offer:
$30-$60
- Integrated display, high-definition video recording, auto-loop recording, parking surveillance system,
- More expensive models in this range may have wi-fi connectivity, voice control, and a mounting arm.
- Low-vision technology.
$60-$100
- Compatible with SD cards, 2160p display resolution, enhanced protection against harsh weather, and cloud storage features.
- This is a minimum price range for an affordable, multi-purpose security camera for vehicles.
$100-$300
- It features a 4K Ultra HD display and integrated GPS features. It also has additional recording styles like slow motion and time-lapse.
- It is also compatible with bigger SD card storage sizes and allows instant uploads of video via Wi-Fi. More expensive models can film from different perspectives of your vehicle (interior, exterior and rear) and offer alerts when your vehicle begins to skid off the drive way.
- Night infrared vision.
- Ideal for those who wish for better video quality and higher storage capacity.
$300+
Additional features, although not very necessary for everyday drivers, include 4K video resolution, driver-assistance mode, traffic enforcement camera, screen defogging mode, etc.
Display and Resolution
Another important factor you ought to consider when purchasing a vehicle camera is the quality of the images. You can find high-end vehicle cameras with filming capacities in UHD 4K; however, they are expensive.
If your budget is high enough, you ought to buy a vehicle camera that can capture at least HD resolution or 1080p. This will ensure that the resolution is good enough to capture all important details. The better the resolution, the higher the image quality.
Battery
A lot of vehicle cameras these days are powered by the car battery. Thus, they will remain on whenever your vehicle is on and vice versa. Many other vehicle cameras feature integrated batteries. This implies that they will be powered on even if your vehicle is off.
If you want to capture events or activities at the time your car is packed, you need a long-lasting battery. So even if you aren’t there, it will record happenings in your car’s vicinity.
Storage
Video films can consume plenty of storage. It’s ideal if you opt for a camera with adequate storage.
Most vehicle cameras have low storage space, implying that you may need an external storage card. However, you should get a car cam with at least 32 gb of space as this will record 4 to 5 days of footage.
GPS Connectivity
Some vehicle cameras also have GPS trackers installed in them. This can be very important since they record your car’s position in the parking lot. So, when there is vandalism or theft, this data can provide more insight into the video film.
Vehicle cameras with these features can accurately identify the correct coordinates of your vehicle, allowing you to access the location through mapping software like Waze and Moovit.
Wireless Connectivity
Our world is increasingly connected via smart technology and devices. Thus, it is important to check for a vehicle camera that you can connect to your smart phone via the internet.
This can be advantageous in a lot of ways. For instance, by connecting your vehicle camera to your mobile device, you can remotely change the settings, camera angle and other important elements. With internet connectivity, you can access these important features.
You can also send footage filmed via your vehicle camera to the cloud and access it on your computer or mobile device. So, with an internet-enabled car camera, you get a wide array of benefits.
Parking Mode
You can also find vehicle cameras that have a parking mode. This allows you to film footage of the interior and exterior part of your car while it is parked.
Loop Recording:
A highly essential vehicle camera feature is loop recording! In situations where your storage space is filled up, the loop recording feature will automatically switch on, clear older files and start recording new ones. With this feature, you won’t miss out on a single incident around your parked car.
Best-Quality 24-hour Vehicle Cameras
Here are the four top 24-hour vehicle cameras: