Have you ever been involved in a car accident and couldn’t remember the details, or ever get involved in a tussle with liability? Well I did. Recently, someone hit my car while he reversed out in the car park. Our insurance company said the third party had not admitted fault and asked if we could provide any additional evidence. I am so glad that we already had a dashcam installed and had footage to prove that the other party hit my car and that I was stationary. A relatively small investment that we made early last year has proved very useful.
We have now got our hands on the Asus Reco Classic Dashcam. Unboxing the Asus, an immediate difference here is that it has a built-in screen so you can see what you’re recording and it also allows playback. This is a really nice feature as our old dashcam required us to install an app on our smartphone if we wanted to see a live feed and make any physical adjustments (not while driving).
This Asus Reco Classic Car dashcam comes with a car camcorder, car charger, GPS mount holder on suction, self-adhesive mount holder, self-adhesive cable clips and instructions. Setting up is very straightforward. I do find it strange why would they provide two holders. One with GPS and one without. Why would they not include the GPS in the camcorder itself and allow the user to turn it on or off?
Before you install this dashcam, do remember to buy a micro SD card (8-64 GB) to record the video. If you are wondering how big the size of your micro SD card needs to be, it all depends on your own needs. The bigger the size, the longer it can record without wiping off the old data and also depends on the video resolution you would like. There are four video resolution to choose from: 720P/30FPS, 720P/60FPS, 1080P_HDR/30FPS and 1080P/30FPS. If you want detailed images in limited visibility or high-contrast environments like dark tunnels or bright sunlight, you would probably need 1080P_HDR/30FPS. This full HD 1920 x 1080p record at 30 frames per second with 140-degree wide-angle lens to capture views of the sides of the vehicle and the road ahead.
In a weeks time, do look out for my full review on this dashcam where I will let you know my findings with the different video resolutions and what my overall thoughts are.
These are the other features of the dashcam:
- Built-in G-sensor triggers an emergency record function in the event of an accident, saving and locking down the latest footage in a separate file.
- Built-in safety features like forward collision and lane departure warning systems.
- Does not interfere with other in-car systems and is certified by numerous worldwide agencies.
- GPS-based speed camera detector gives the driver audio and visual warnings as a reminder to maintain a safe driving speed.
Installing this dashcam is straightforward, all you need is to clip the mount holder onto the camcorder (if use the GPS holder, plug in the cable) and stick it near the back of the mirror. Then connect mini USB connector of your car charger to the mini USB port of your car camcorder. Plug the other end of your car charger to the 12v power outlet. Now secure the cable along the windshield with the self-adhesive clips. Do remember that if you turn off your car, the recording will be stop. If you require your dashcam to record even if you turn off the engine, you will need to get the cable to power it via your car battery (need to ask a garage to do it).
Look out for my full review soon. For more information, check out Asus website. You can buy it from Amazon and other stores.
Disclosure: We received the sample for the purposes of writing this review however all thoughts and opinions remain our own.