Want to get one for OH. Neither of us have a clue about them. Any advice on a simple to use one please? Are they all internet based, and if so , how to use. OH will not learn how to use the internet.
Our Yaris has a Nextbase system, installed professionally by a previous owner. Front and rear and very discreet - so discreet the selling dealer wasn't aware it was fitted!
It records, but the connectivity to download the data via bluetooth is so bad I have never successfully downloaded anything. Patience runs out before I am successful.
You can download directly from the sim card using a USB adapter, but for that and to edit I need a laptop with a USB port, something I no longer have.
I am no dashcam expert; mine is forward-facing only and mid-price range. Most dashcams produce their own wifi hotspot to connect to your phone. You use this to set it up and download any footage you want. Then download the footage to your PC or view it on your phone, so you don't need to get involved with the internet. Mine took about 30 mins to fit and set up (needs a memory card, rule of thumb, bigger the better). After a trip, download some footage to watch as it's a new toy. Then leave it to do its own thing and hope you never need it again. The unit will no doubt have an indicator on it to tell you it is recording.
------------- A PESSIMIST, IS AN OPTIMIST WITH EXPERIENCE !!!!
Get the best Nextbase dashcam that you can afford, with the ability to record good footages at night.
It might be useful to get an additional mounting for another vehicle so that the dashcam can easily be transferred from one vehicle to another, e.g. from my car to my van, and back again, etc..
I would advise getting the biggest micro-SD card or whatever for media storage, and get a spare card to have to hand in the vehicle in case it is corrupt/damaged.
I started off with a cheapo dashcam and discovered it was no good recording night time footages, and I was doing a lot of miles driving home from Bristol after dark back in 2017-18, and felt vulnerable knowing the dashcam was not good enough for night time driving.
So I bit the bullet and got the most up to date Nextbase available at the time instead, and it is still going strong after nearly 9 years!
The reason I suggested to get a spare micro-SD card and carry it in the vehicle was based on painful experiences (don't laugh)!
My micro-SD cards corrupted more than once and stopped recording and I managed to solve this issue by reformatting them.
However, I lost a micro-SD card when I tried to get it out inside the car when the dashcam stopped recording, and it flew out of its spring-loaded fitting/slot and landed somewhere in the car which has black carpets and the card was also black! There was no hope in finding it.
Hence I bought spare ones and carry one in the car and one in the van, just in case it flies off again when I try to get it out.
All based on my own experiences etc. etc..
Edited to add I did not bother with rear view recording, only front-facing.
DK
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I just use a dash cam app on my phone. It works happily in background if I use a satnav app or equally with the screen off. And, as with photos, any videos are uploaded automatically to cloud storage when the phone connects to WiFi.
Our forum sponsor Wolfbox do them. Discount code as well I think.
I've got one of theirs. Its not the basic one though. Also live rear view 'mirror' screen, front bumper cam as well as dash cam. Voice control.
Parking monitor.
Maybe try going to Halfords or similar where they should be able to advise/demonstrate how to use them. I believe they also have a fitting/set-up service and if you need help after purchase you should be able to go back to them.
When I first got my Dashcam, I had a terrible time trying to get my phone and camera to connect to download any files. I found that if I switch off the car Bluetooth, Phone Bluetooth and my VPN, it connects faultlessly.
I have never taken the time to switch off one at a time to see which is affecting the connection, so I just switch them all off. Let's be honest, you don't need to download files that often, hopefully, so not a big problem.
------------- A PESSIMIST, IS AN OPTIMIST WITH EXPERIENCE !!!!
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Topic: Dash cam
via mobile 14/4/2026 at 9:01pm
