When Not to Use a Dash Cam App
Dash cam apps are great because of the convenience they offer, and how little they cost – but they’re not for everyone. Here are a few situations to consider that have kept the pros opting for a physical, dedicated dash camera unit every time.
Long-distance travel
Are you making grueling trips regularly? If so, you’ll likely run out of storage on your phone fairly quickly. One dash cam app developer estimates you should always have 20GB of storage on your phone, but even that will likely just last a few hours.
Any dash cam app worth its salt will use looped recording, meaning it will start writing over old video files once it has reached the maximum storage space on your phone. However, this means that by the time you get to the end of your trip, you’ll have lost the footage from the beginning of it, which kind of defeats the purpose of documenting it in the first place.
A physical dash camera, however, often supports 40 to 100 hours of storage space, depending on the size of the micro SD card you use with it.
Phone use
Do you use your phone regularly? If you’re using it for a dash cam app, you won’t have access to it for long stretches of time while your vehicle is in motion. And even if you’re fine with the lack of access, you’ll still need to launch an app and set up your phone in its mount every single time you drive somewhere. The one time you don’t bother could be the one time you really wish you had! By contrast, a physical dash cam is set up once, and stays there forever.
Front and rear views
Certain dash cams come as two units, with the smaller one located in the back of the vehicle to record the road behind for total coverage. You can’t do that with your phone, naturally, and this extra security makes the physical option worth paying for. View our guide to the best front and rear dash cams.
Dual camera views
Other dash cams are called “dual” dash cams because they include two lenses in the same unit, shooting footage of the road in front and the interior of the vehicle, including driver and passengers. While many dash cam apps allow you to film with the selfie cam on your phone for a similar effect, none of them support filming with both cameras simultaneously. If you need to keep an eye on the road and your passengers – Uber drivers and tow trucks are two such jobs – you won’t be able to use a dash cam app. We’ve rounded up the best dual dash cams.
In short, if you operate vehicles in any sort of professional environment, you won’t be able to rely on an app. Dash cams are worth the investment, and we’ve assembled a comprehensive look at all the factors to consider in our Tech.co guide to dash cam costs. The bottom line? The best dash cams for truckers start at around $50.
To get a more robust and professional solution than a dash cam app, you’ll want to compare the top dash cam vendors’ products and prices for your specific needs. Find the best dash cam deals for trucks today, and upgrade your fleet, using Tech.co’s dash cam comparison tool.
About Our Research
At Tech.co, we want to provide you with the most valuable information to help you make the right decision for your business. In that vein, we’ve done hours of in-depth research on business software like dash cam apps to help you choose a option that fits your needs.
For dash cams specifically, we looked at a wide range of criteria to help you make your decision. We measured these devices on everything from price and features to how well they work with smartphones and whether they offer dual camera views.
If you want to learn more about how we rate and rank business tools, take a look at our research guide to get information on our process.
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