NuCam AW: Security every RVer needs!

See Original post: Security every RVer needs! from RTRVG.com
Author: Rich
As you know from reading my other articles on this blog, I don’t spend a lot of time reviewing products, but when technology evolves and makes our lives as RVers better and safer, I think it’s worth the mention!

Last week I attended a required webinar from an insurance company I do RV inspections for. They are just starting to track claims on RV accidents and the data they presented was, well, troubling to say the least!

Staged accidents are now the #1 suspected claim for RVers. Groups of criminals are staging accidents to claim damages on highly insured vehicles. RVs and luxury cars are the number one target.

My worst fear as a former OTR truck driver who has seen more accidents than I care to mention is; someone else causing an accident and blaming me for it – AKA, “Staged Accidents”! As a former truck driver, I have used a dash cam for years to protect my perfect driving record, quite a few different ones. Thankfully I have never had to use the video footage for anything other than pleasure. But if the worst did happen, I was prepared!

If you’re interested in seeing a snippet from my old truck cam, here’s a short clip. This was a double cam, meant to use in a car and record forward and behind. I used it to widen the angle. One of the cameras was off a bit so they don’t line up, but they usually did. You can use this video to compare to the newer technology below. Disregard the date and time stamp; I could never get that working!

The Problem and why YOU need a dash cam!

In today’s society, there are people looking to make a living from lawsuits. It is common for nefarious sorts to jump in front of a heavy vehicle that they know can’t stop in a hurry and slam on their brakes to cause an accident. Luxury vehicles, trucks and RVs are a main targets because they know these vehicles are heavily insured!

 

Staged car accidents are typically carefully planned and practiced!

In today’s society, there are people looking to make a living from lawsuits. It is common for nefarious sorts to jump in front of a heavy vehicle that they know can’t stop in a hurry and slam on their brakes to cause an accident. Luxury vehicles, trucks and RVs are a main targets because they know these vehicles are heavily insured!

Described below are some common schemes YOU need to know:

The T-Bone Accident
In this scenario, a scam artist will wait for your car to proceed through an intersection and then jam the gas pedal and T-bone your vehicle. When the police arrive, phony witnesses, also known as “shady helpers,” will then claim you were the one who ran the stop sign or traffic signal.

The Wave
In this scam, the other driver will notice your attempt to switch lanes and subsequently wave you ahead. As you attempt to maneuver into the lane, he will accelerate, causing a collision with your car. When the police arrive, he will deny ever providing a courtesy wave, placing you at fault.

Dual Turn Sideswipe
A driver in the outer lane of the dual turn rams into you if you go even the slightest bit out of the inner lane as the two of you are making your turns. They may also drive a bit into your lane and swipe your car and then blame you.
“Witnesses” working with the con artist may corroborate his story.

Brake Slam
This simple scam involves the driver in front of you slamming on their brakes for no reason so that you cannot avoid rear-ending her vehicle.

Swoop and Stop
In this scenario, a car will suddenly pull in front of yours and stop. Another vehicle will simultaneously pull up alongside your car, preventing you from swerving to avoid an accident.

The Solution – An Affordable Dash Cam

Almost ALL of these scams happen in your front window! Get them on high definition VIDEO!

Now after many years of using a dash cam and many different models, I decided to come into the 21st century and I purchased this very affordable, 1080P, 60fps (GoPro Level!), 160 degree wide angle, NuCam WiFi action dash cam from Amazon (link) for $99.00. I also decided to hardwire this to my RV, so I bought the fused hard wire kit as well (link) for another $12.95. This is the highest specked dash cam at the best price I could find! There is also a GPS accessory available for another $15.00 (link) but I did not order it.

The products arrived quickly and I dove right into the unboxing so I could play with my new tool. It is worth noting that this camera came with a Kingston 32GB micro SD card – this was a pleasant surprise!

I am happily surprised at the build quality and features of this dash cam! Everything is very well laid out and easy to understand. It comes in right at 3 1/2″ wide, so it’s a very nice size and not very obvious.

Here are the manufacturer’s specifications:

• HIGH QUALITY VIDEO/PHOTO: 1080P Full HD video and 5MP still photos
  – Processor: Ambarella A7
  – CMOS sensor: OmniVision, 13 megapixel
• 360° ROTATION, Wide angle 160° View angle with suction cup bracket and two 3M sticky pads. Its compact size and lightweight make it work on a selfie stick like Gopro or use as a hidden camera. Cool for Vlogging as well.
• WIFI HOTSPOT enables live view, playback, save and share on the spot with smartphone or big screen tablet.
• H.264/MP4 format supports playback and share on the phone, Support up to 32GB microSD card (included) plus night vision
• 3D G-sensor activates AUTOMATIC RECORDING, super capacitors eliminate dead battery or leakage issue in the hot summer.

After a little research, I have discovered a really nice feature many of the much more expensive cameras do not have, and that is a SIX hour recording time! Many of the new dash cams have only event recording, or very short recording times before the SD card is recycled. This one uses H.264/MP4 compressed recordings, so even in 1080P, full HD, you’ll get hours of recording time! And it actually still does the event recording in case of a G shock!

I have to say, I am really liking the features on this unit!

So without further ado, here are my thoughts on this camera and the video quality, along with the installation in my RV.

 

Here are some screenshots of the software on my cell phone:

 

NuCam WiFi action dash cam from Amazon (link) for $99.00.
Here is the the fused hard wire kit as well (link) for another $12.95.
This is the highest specked dash cam at the best price I could find!
There is also a GPS accessory available for another $15.00 (link)

Whether you choose to purchase this one or another model doesn’t matter. What does is you purchase one! Don’t get scammed by these criminals! Protect yourself and your insurance rates!