Dashboard cameras, dashcams for short, are surveillance cameras mounted to the front of your vehicle. They continuously record footage of the interior of the vehicle, the road ahead, or sometimes even both.
The video footage recorded by dashcams provides hard evidence that can sometimes turn the tide of legal verdicts. In case of an accident, it provides concrete proof to corroborate the victim’s story and assists in speedier settlement of insurance claims and damage liabilities.
If you are an entrepreneur overseeing an entire fleet of vehicles, installing a good quality dashcam on each of your cars could help you improve road safety and reduce financial headache. Here we will be taking a look at some of the best dashcams for fleets to help you determine the right choice. You can also check out our article on the best fleet management software and services for your company in 2020.
In this guide, we'll show you the best dashcams for fleets.
- Our guide to the best GPS fleet tracking solutions
- How does fleet management work?
- The best fleet management software and services
Samsara’s dashcams are more than just cameras, they are safety companions. By using a combination of technologies like cloud storage and artificial intelligence, they help people stay aware on the road while they drive.
Apart from recording video footage at 1080p/30FPS, Samsara CM32 uses artificial intelligence to warn against distracted driving, traffic light violations, and speed-limit breaking.
The dashcam has several additional features that are worth having, including night vision and interior and exterior recording. It also uses computer vision to accurately tag recordings and captures.
One of the few dashcam models that can record at 60FPS, BlackVue DR750X-2CH uses image sensors from Sony STARVIS to record super smooth footage that is easy to analyze. It comes with Wi-Fi connectivity and a companion app that issues regular alerts to your smartphone.
Further, BlackVue DR750X-2CH displays the current location of all the vehicles in your fleet using a built-in GPS. To top everything off, there’s even an intelligent parking mode to track incidents while the car is parked.
BlackVue DR750X-2CH is a solid dashcam with only one major setback, the price. It costs around $399 to $559 per model, which is on the high end of prices for dashcams.
The SmartWitness CP2 is a wide-angle dashboard camera with built-in Wi-Fi, GPS, and Gyro. It keeps track of a wide array of data, from driving speeds to accident impact, while also recording continuous footage of everything that is going on in front of the car. It is also possible to connect a secondary camera to record the interior of the vehicle at the same time.
The CP2 also features a built-in microphone for audio recording and a speaker that can be used to alert the driver in real-time. It has a tamper-resistant design and can be configured to send data directly to a telematics application’s server.
The dashcam features 128 GB of storage space and a 4G LTE sim slot that can be used for connectivity instead of Wi-Fi. It’s a good dashcam, the only disadvantage being that you need to request a formal quote to find out the price.
Like Samsara, Lytx’s dashcams are also powered by machine learning and artificial intelligence technology. Thus, they can track drivers, calculate risk, detect distracted driving, and more. The dashcams also feature low-light visibility and come with a dual-lens setup with wide-angle viewing.
The Lytx DriveCam also features an integrated microphone, which helps paint a complete picture should an incident occur. The device can record up to 100 hours of continuous video and supports 360-degree rotation to allow a complete view of the fleet vehicle and its surroundings.
One of the best things about Lytx devices, however, is the fact that they can upload videos to the cloud in real-time, helping fleet managers keep track of their vehicles and prevent accidents before time. The smartphone companion app issues real-time alerts to keep the driver updated at all times.
The Nextbase 622GW is a flagship product with the distinctive ability to record videos at double the industry standard resolution. 2160p/30FPS gives you crystal clear images that you can scrutinize down to the last pixel, useful for finding out minute details like license plate numbers.
The 622GW features one of the most powerful geolocation services to date, which can locate a given vehicle up to a precise three-meter radius. There is also a built-in image stabilization feature, which can reduce camera shakiness on uneven roads and make it easier to hunt for extra details.
To top everything off, Nextbase’s 622GW features a three-inch touchscreen display that can be used to access and control its various features. It has a viewing angle of 140 degrees and supports MicroSD. If you’re looking for a high-resolution dashcam model and don’t mind relatively high pricing, this is clearly the way to go.
Our tips for creating the best dash cam for fleets
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What are the must-have features in a good dashcam for fleet management? Three things: resolution, cloud sync, and additional features.
The higher the resolution, the better the camera. Keeping pace with the current market, we recommend choosing a dashcam model that supports a resolution of at least 1080p. 4K is better, obviously, and if given the choice between 1080p/60FPS and 2160p/30FPS, we would always recommend the latter. This is because detail matters a lot in legal proceedings and minute information could always turn the tide of judgment.
Cloud sync is an essential feature for a good dashcam, and almost all major providers have it. In case of a major accident, there is a good chance for the dashcam footage to be damaged due to impact and rendered impossible to access. But with cloud synchronization enabled, your footage is stored away safely in an offsite location to be accessed later.
Finally, AI is one of the more controversial features to be looking for in a dashcam. Features like risk calculation and distracted driving detection aren’t always accurate, while privacy can be a major concern with all the tracked data. When looking for a good dashcam, we recommend prioritizing things like visibility in low-light areas and viewing angles over fancy gimmicks like machine learning.
Did this article help you find the best dashcam for your fleet? You can also check out our dashcam buying guide for 2020 for further advice.
Further reading
- Our guide to the best GPS fleet tracking solutions
- How does fleet management work?
- The best fleet management software and services
You might also want to check out the best cheap dash cam deals and sales.
