How Motion Detection Works on a Dash Cam

How Motion Detection Works on a Dash Cam

Dash cams have become an essential tool for drivers, offering a reliable way to capture road footage and provide crucial evidence in case of accidents or disputes. Among the various features that make dash cams so valuable, motion detection stands out as a key function that enhances the security and usability of these devices. In this blog, we'll explore how motion detection works on a dash cam and why it's an important feature to consider.

Key Insights

🚗 What Is Motion Detection?
📜 How Does Motion Detection Work?
🔒 What Is the Difference Between Motion Detection and Parking Mode?
🏛 What Is the Difference Between Collision Detection, Motion detection, and Time-lapse Photography?
🎥 Why Can't I Enable Collision Detection, Motion Detection, and Time-lapse Photography on My Dash Cam?
⚖️ Do Dash Cams Only Record When Motion Is Detected?

What Is Motion Detection?

Motion detection in a dash cam is a feature that utilizes a built-in sensor, typically known as a G sensor or accelerometer. This sensor is sensitive to changes in acceleration, such as sudden braking, rapid acceleration, or impacts. When the G sensor detects these changes, it triggers the dash cam to start recording, even if the camera was not actively recording at that moment. This ensures that any significant events or incidents that occur in front of your vehicle are captured and saved for later review.

How Does Motion Detection Work?

Motion detection on a dash cam is typically activated through the G sensor, which detects changes in acceleration. When the sensor identifies these changes, it triggers the dash cam to start recording. To ensure that critical events are captured in their entirety, many dash cams also feature "incident lock" or "emergency recording," which marks the triggered video segment as important and protects it from being overwritten during loop recording. This ensures that footage of significant events is safely stored and available for later review.

What Is the Difference Between Motion Detection and Parking Mode?

While motion detection can be used both while driving and in parking mode, it serves slightly different purposes in each scenario:

Motion Detection While Driving: This feature captures events or incidents that occur while you are driving, such as sudden braking or a collision. It's designed to ensure that any unexpected situations on the road are recorded.
Parking Mode: This is a specific mode designed to monitor the vehicle while it's parked and the engine is turned off. Parking mode can use various methods for monitoring, including motion detection.

- 24-Hour Monitoring: This method involves continuous recording of the surroundings, even when the vehicle is parked. The dash cam remains active, providing around-the-clock surveillance.

- Motion Detection in Parking Mode: When motion is detected near the vehicle, the dash cam starts recording. This method conserves storage space by only recording when there is activity around the vehicle, such as someone approaching or an impact occurring.

What Is the Difference Between Collision Detection, Motion detection, and Time-lapse Photography?

This dash cam model offers parking surveillance, time-lapse photography, and motion detection for different parking security scenarios. The following functions can be enabled individually or simultaneously to enhance surveillance of the car when it detects that the vehicle is off:

Collision detection: When the vehicle engine is switched off, the dash cam is in standby mode and video recording will be paused. However, when the built-in G-sensor detects an abnormal vibration of the car (which usually happens when the car is involved in a collision), it triggers the recording of a 30-second parking surveillance video and stores it in the parking surveillance video folder of the device album.
Motion Detection: After the engine is turned off, the dash cam goes into standby mode, without recording. In the event that the ongoing image algorithm of the dash cam detects a potentially dangerous scenario and determines that the level of threat has reached the recording threshold, the dash cam records a 30-second video of parking surveillance. The video is then stored in the parking surveillance video folder in the device's album.
Time-lapse photography: After enabling the time-lapse photography function, the dash cam continues to capture footage at a sampling rate of one frame per second (when 30 fps frame rate is selected) or one frame every 500 milliseconds (when 60 fps frame rate is selected) after the vehicle is shut down. It then synthesizes them into a 30 fps or 60 fps video file, i.e. time-lapse video and stores them in the time-lapse video folder in the device's photo album. Time-lapse photography allows for continuous recording of the dash cam's field of view and the recorded images can be replayed 30 times faster than real time. In the case of an accident or unusual event, it can better record the entire process, making effective evidence.

Note: Parking surveillance events triggered by collision detection or motion detection can be immediately delivered to your mobile phone through alerts and messages if you install the 4G Hardwire Kit. This will remind you promptly of any abnormal conditions your vehicle may be experiencing.

Why Can't I Enable Collision Detection, Motion Detection, and Time-lapse Photography on My Dash Cam?

This occurs when the parking surveillance cable cannot be detected by the dash cam. During such situations, please perform the following checks:

Check whether the parking surveillance cable of the dash cam has been installed and connected correctly. If you have no experience or knowledge about installation, hands-on ability, it is recommended that you visit an automotive repair and maintenance store for professional installation services. For niche models, you are recommended to first contact the 4S dealership store to obtain the vehicle fuse box circuit definition information for installation reference.
Check whether the parking surveillance cable, the fuse box, and the dash cam host are connected properly.

App Live Streaming & Instant App Alert

App Live Streaming

When you park your car, Use your phone to view live footage of your car and easily pan 360 degrees.With everything at your fingertips, you can see what's happening both inside and outdoors, take pictures, or record videos.

Instant App Alert

It provides immediate phone notifications in the event of a collision or other suspicious event, allowing you to monitor the area around your vehicle and never miss anything notable.

Note: A separate 4G Hardwire Kit is needed and is available for purchase.

Do Dash Cams Only Record When Motion Is Detected?

No, dash cams do not rely solely on motion detection to record. Most dash cams utilize two primary recording methods: loop recording and motion detection.

Loop Recording: This is a continuous recording method where the dash cam records video in short segments or loops. When the storage capacity of the dash cam's memory is reached, the oldest recorded footage is automatically overwritten by new recordings. This feature ensures that the dash cam always has the most recent footage available and eliminates the need for manual storage management.
Motion Detection: Motion detection is an additional feature that enhances the functionality of dash cams. When enabled, the G sensor detects significant changes in acceleration or impacts, prompting the dash cam to save the current recording and start a new file. This dual system ensures that important events, such as accidents or sudden movements, are captured and stored separately for easy access.

Conclusion

Motion detection on a dash cam is an essential feature that helps capture important moments by triggering recording when the G sensor detects changes in acceleration. While you can choose to disable motion detection, keeping it enabled ensures that significant events are recorded and preserved. With customizable settings, like those offered by 70mai Dash Cam Omni, you can tailor motion detection to your specific needs, providing an extra layer of security for your driving and parking experiences.