Protecting Your Parked Vehicle: How Dash Cam Parking Mode Works

Your vehicle is an investment, and protecting it while parked is just as important as when it's on the road. One valuable tool for safeguarding your parked vehicle is a dash cam with parking mode. In this blog post, we'll explain how parking mode works and how it can help protect your car from theft, vandalism, and accidental damage.

What is Parking Mode? 

Parking mode is a feature found in some dash cams that allows the camera to continue recording even when the vehicle is parked and the engine is off. This feature provides round-the-clock surveillance, capturing any incidents or suspicious activity occurring near your parked vehicle.

How Dash Cams with Parking Mode Work When your vehicle is parked: a dash cam with parking mode will enter a standby state, conserving power by not actively recording. The dash cam will use motion and impact sensors to detect any activity or disturbances around the car. If the sensors are triggered, the camera will automatically start recording, capturing crucial footage of the event.

Types of Parking Mode Activation

There are several methods for activating parking mode on dash cams, including:

• Motion Detection: The dash cam will start recording when it detects motion in its field of view, such as someone approaching or walking by the vehicle. Motion detection-based parking mode can indeed capture a significant amount of unnecessary footage, as it can be triggered by light variations or other non-threatening activities near your vehicle. This could lead to important footage being overwritten if the storage capacity is reached.
• Impact Detection: It is specifically designed to record incidents directly affecting your vehicle, such as collisions, hit-and-runs, or attempted break-ins. Unlike motion detection, impact detection is less likely to be triggered by unrelated activities or changes in lighting conditions. This leads to fewer false alarms and less unnecessary footage being recorded. Impact detection-based parking mode consumes less power compared to motion detection parking mode, as it only starts recording when a significant impact is detected. This can help conserve your vehicle's battery life when the dash cam is hardwired or connected to an external battery pack.
• Timelapse: In this mode, the dash cam records at a lower frame rate, capturing images at regular intervals instead of continuous video. This allows for extended recording periods without using excessive storage space. However, timelapse-based parking mode doesn't record sound, because, in timelapse mode, the dash cam captures images at regular intervals rather than continuous video. Since sound is not captured in a single image, it cannot be included in the timelapse recording.

• Low-Bitrate: In parking mode, low-bitrate recording can be especially useful since it allows for longer recording times without consuming excessive storage space. This is particularly important when your vehicle is parked for an extended period, such as overnight or during a long workday. It's important to note that the lower the bitrate, the more the quality of the video may be compromised. Compared to timelapse recording, which captures images at regular intervals, the low-bitrate recording captures continuous video footage. This means that low-bitrate recording can include audio, whereas timelapse recording generally does not.

Since your vehicle's engine is off during parking mode, the dash cam needs an alternative power source. There are two common options:

• Hardwiring Kit: This involves connecting the dash cam directly to the vehicle's electrical system, allowing it to draw power from the car's battery even when the engine is off.
• External Battery Pack: An external battery pack can provide power to the dash cam while your vehicle is parked, without draining the car's battery.

• Protection Against Theft and Vandalism: Parking mode can help capture footage of thieves or vandals, providing valuable evidence for law enforcement or insurance claims.
• Evidence for Hit-and-Run Incidents: If another vehicle damages your parked car and leaves the scene, the dash cam can record crucial information, such as the license plate number and vehicle description.
• Peace of Mind: Knowing your vehicle is being monitored even when you're not around can provide a sense of security and reassurance.

A dash cam with parking mode is an essential tool for protecting your parked vehicle from potential damage, theft, or vandalism. By understanding how parking mode works and the different activation methods, you can choose the right dash cam for your needs and enjoy the peace of mind that comes with knowing your vehicle is secure even when you're not around.