If you've been considering picking up a dashcam, you’re no doubt aware of some of the benefits and want to learn more about how they function and/or potentially help your business. They protect your drivers, can save your business money, and help monitor unsafe driving behaviors. However, dashcams still come with a number of questions around their operation and long-term use, many of which we’ll be covering in more detail. If you ever have any questions regarding dashcams and their benefits, you can always reach out to a member of the Azuga team and we’ll always be there to help.
Can a dashcam drain your car battery?
Dashcams actually draw a very small amount of power during operation, usually either through the 12V port generally located around the center console, or more commonly in the enterprise use-case, directly wired into the vehicle’s alternator via the fuse box. The Azuga SafetyCam AI can be powered either directly from the fuse box or through the vehicle's OBD-II port.
The Azuga SafetyCam AI draws a very small amount of power of around 225mA at 12V when active and a miniscule 32mA at 12V when in Standby Idle mode. If you had an average full-sized 50Ah car battery, it would take around 45 days (1,100 hours) with an AGM style lead-acid battery or an incredible 137 days (3,300 hours) with a flooded style lead-acid battery before your battery would drop below a safe 50% charge threshold when in Standby Idle mode.
So what does that mean? It means that it is certainly possible to accidentally drain your vehicle’s battery if you leave it in storage with a dashcam hardwired to power for an extended period of time. But if you’re driving even as little as once per month, your alternator will be more than up to the task of keeping your battery topped up.
How many hours can you record on a dashcam?
Ultimately, recording length and capacity for a dashcam is up to you. The two main factors to consider with this is the storage capacity chosen, usually held in an SD card, and the chosen recording quality. For example, with a camera that records in high-quality 1080p, you can expect an 8GB SD card to hold 55 minutes and a 16GB SD card to hold about 110 minutes, or 1.8 hours. Most dash cams have “continuous loop recording” built in, meaning that when your storage runs out of space, they begin recording over old footage.
Azuga’s dual-facing AI SafetyCam can store about 40-70 hours of HD footage locally on an SD card. The dash cam also automatically uploads your complete trip videos to the Azuga Fleet Cloud, saving you time by avoiding the need to take out and transfer footage from an SD card.
Do dashcams record all the time?
Typically, dashcams begin recording when your ignition is turned on. While some may allow you to turn the power on and off manually, most will power up as soon as they detect you turning the vehicle on. Some dash cams can even record when the vehicle is off, as long as they are plugged into an always-on accessory port or hardwired into power. The only time you may lose power to your dashcam is if there is a fault in your vehicle’s wiring or the dashcam’s power cord, or if your vehicle loses power.
Azuga’s SafetyCam AI is configured by default to record for 10 minutes after the ignition is turned off, and will turn on and begin recording if the vehicle’s ignition is turned on again, or a strong jolt is detected.
How do you view dashcam footage?
Again, this will depend on your dashcam. Most commonly, dashcams will likely come with a removable SD card. Most commonly footage can be retrieved from these types of cameras by inserting the card into an SD card reader on a computer. However, many modern dashcams including the Azuga SafetyCam AI upload their footage directly to the cloud using Wi-Fi or cellular networks. That way, you can view your dashcam footage from a computer without needing to fumble around with a tiny SD card (and avoid potentially losing it behind a cushion). Azuga’s SafetyCam AI constantly uploads footage to the cloud via an on-board SIM card, allowing you not only to view recorded dash cam footage whenever, but also access livestreams of your fleet to make sure everything is as it should be.
What are the advantages of a dashcam?
To explore the advantages of dashcams, check out our blog article: “The Benefits of Dash Cams for Fleet Trucks.” Some of the benefits you can expect when you implement dash cams in your fleet include:
- Exonerating drivers after an accident
- Discounts on insurance premiums
- Footage can be used as a training or coaching tool
- Saving money and downtime
The Azuga SafetyCam AI
We’ve mentioned the Azuga SafetyCam AI in this article, and you may want to know more. This is Azuga’s state-of-the-art dash cam that records the road ahead as well as inside the cab. It uses AI technology to detect unsafe driving behaviors before they cause accidents, keeping your fleet safe and saving you money. To learn more about our SafetyCam solution, schedule a demo and speak with one of our experts!
