Thanks for taking the time to do this. My Platinum is scheduled to arrive this week and I have toyed with the idea of getting this cam.

Great video, especially the part about how to tuck the wires.

 

I appreciate the kind feedback! If I knew how to tuck the wires from the beginning, this install would've taken 30 minutes tops. Can't wait for you to experience your Highlander, it's going to be a fun drive!

 

I just installed one on my 2020 XLE and that's a great video. I too had a bit of an issue getting all the cables tucked in but I don't have all the sensors you did. Took some time but eventually got them in. So far, so good. Nice quality video, etc. on the camera and the OP.

 

I just found an interesting glitch in this product. Since it uses wifi to connect to your phone, if you are away from your home network, and try to use google assistant, it tries to connect via wifi which obviously doesn't work since the camera isn't in range to your home network and it apparently uses that before cell data. I had to turn off wifi to get any google assistant to work and then just turned the camera wifi off so that I wouldn't have to toggle it on/off when I come in the house. I don't access my camera now that it's set up and if a need arises I'll turn it on. I was going to check with the company to see if I did something wrong. BTW, I'm on Verizon on an Android device.

 

Good observation, I have Tmoble on an Android phone too but haven't used Google Assistant yet. Looks like I'll need to do the same and turn the camera wifi off until I need to access it.

 

I just got mine yesterday and installed today. The only difference with mine was the top insert came with the piece removed that you had to cut out. Your video saved me lots of time and it took me about an hour to install but most of that was setting up lighting and looking for tools. Thanks.

 

How does the integration with the existing Toyota software go? Can you show a video of the final camera IN ACTION? This is a great thread - thanks to all!

 

The Fitcamx app runs independently from the Toyota software so they never interact with each other. I don't think about it anymore other than glance at the blinking blue light to confirm its recording before I drive off. Once in a while when I'm waiting for my wife in the car, I'll access the app to test the videos and it's working perfectly. I wouldn't mind creating a video, was there anything specific you wanted to see in action?

 

KambientRE - Just installed one of these cams in my Platinum. Watched your video before product arrived in the mail. As a result of your video, took me less than an hour to install. Thank you very much for sharing your experience and recommendations.

 

Nice, glad it helped you!

 

Thank you for the video and write up. I was able to install the dash cam housing in less than 30 minutes using your instructions. I did add a bit to the housing myself with a mirror mount drilled into the housing for my Escort 360 Max. I also used a wire tap to connect the ground and power for the detector. I pushed the wire tap pins into the connector closest to the passenger side. This connector has only three wires coming from the aft end. White with black stripe is ground. The wire to the left of that one is switched power, so the detector turns on and off with the vehicle power. All wires tucked in without issues just like the video showed. Detector sits just below the mirror when fully installed.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

I have a 360 Max as well. May have to look into this. What mount is that? Never seen it before.

 

Looks nice with your radar detector, wow is that is an expensive radar detector!

 

Mirror Mount

Mirror Mount Radar Detector Bracket - Escort MAX360 MAX2 MAX – RadarMount.com - The Radar Detector Expert ™

radarmount.com

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

mkay exactly how does that mount to the fitcamx?

 

Are you running the rear cam too?

 

Only the front cam on this one.

mkay exactly how does that mount to the fitcamx?

I used a dremel to drill two holes just above the cam portion of the fitcamx…then screwed in the two long screws to mount it to the plastic housing…then used a cutting disc on the dremel to trim down the screws since there’s not a lot of clearance with the vehicle’s camera…

 

The fitcam website lists a front and rear resolution. I don’t see any pictures that show a rear camera. Does anyone have this option?

 

I'm using the FitCamX for the front & would have loved to use FitCamX for the rear as well but I don't think one was available. I'm currently using a Rove 4k in the rear but it's not as inconspicuous as I would like.

 

For those in the market for a 4K dash cam, I recently made a video documenting my experience installing this in my Highlander. I've read reviews from other Platinum owners that the small case cover at the top did not fit with the additional wires from the digital rear view camera. I brang this concern to the seller and am happy to inform others that the company has since created a new cover that allows for extra clearance by snipping off a removable plastic piece along with an update that they have their own dedicated app now.

I will admit that initially finding space to cram the wiring harness was a pain in the *ss that took me 2 hours to figure out but I found a way to tuck them in to make it work. Let my pain be your gain!

Thank you for the great video, @KambientRE ! It helped me with the installation.

Just wondering: did you notice any downsides when using a 128GB card?

Their website is ambiguous about this: “128GB(128GB Can Only View Video On The PC, And The Maximum Support For Mobile APP View Video Is 64GB)” - what does this even mean? That half the videos won’t be playable on mobile app when the card fills up? I tried the playback from mobile app and it seemed to be working fine, but the card was almost empty.

Thanks!

 

Their website is ambiguous about this: “128GB(128GB Can Only View Video On The PC, And The Maximum Support For Mobile APP View Video Is 64GB)” - what does this even mean? That half the videos won’t be playable on mobile app when the card fills up? I tried the playback from mobile app and it seemed to be working fine, but the card was almost empty.

Thinkware claims to support only 128gb and recommends using only a Thinkware chip.
I'm running Samsung EVO 512s in both of our U1000s and they work just fine after formatting in the camera.

The documentation typically only lists support for products that they have actually tested.

 

Pretty expensive dashcam. Are they worth it?

Besides having a very "clean" install and final appearance, how do they compare to other dashcams on the market? I've found that dashcams only last a few years at most. So, I usually get cheap (but highly rated) dashcams for $50 or less since I've had to replace them every 2-3 yrs.

I usually just put them behind the driver sun visor near the top of the windshield next to my Fastrak tag. I usually have the sun visor down too. So, I almost never see the dash cam.

 

Pretty expensive dashcam. Are they worth it?

$500 deductible saved, no increase in insurance rates, AAA applied fault to the other party and agreed to process a total loss on my Corolla within 24 hours.

Ya... $1000 would be worth it.
The FitcamX is less than $200, not even close to "pretty expensive" as dashcams go.
My Thinkware U1000 was on sale for $400, normally goes for $500
Blackvue, which is another premium product is $400+

Anything under $150 is going to be useful, but won't do well at providing a license plate in the event of a hit and run.

Dashcams are not something you want to cheap out on.

 

Any tips for getting all the wires tucked up under there?

 

OP’s video explains how to do it. It helped me get the wires organized well

 

I've been running this in my 2022 Camry since about Christmas. Install was pretty straight forward. I connected to it via wi-fi and ran a few initial tests. Seemed to work fine. Took a few pics downloaded a clip etc. Then I disconnected the wi-fi so I could use cellular to use a GPS app or access the internet. I reconnected recently to view some clips and see if the cam was functioning correctly. There are a few new clips on there, but about 95% of my drives are not recorded. I don't know what I'm doing wrong? Do I need to leave my phone always connected to it via wifi when I'm driving so that it records? That doesn't seem normal. I really don't want a camera that isn't consistent.

 

The Fitcamx only needs to be connected to an internet connection when you're attempting to view footage or download footage otherwise, 95% of the time, it's just recording on a continuous loop. If you're having issues with consistency, I'd try reformating the SD card from the app. Also try using a high endurance card rated for extreme cold/hot temps as the card can get hot. Another thing the instruction manual mentioned is using a card no higher than 64GB otherwise it can only be viewed from a computer. I've had no issues with mine so far.

 

Do you record if the car is parked?
It means that it is useful in the event of sleep and when approaching the car to try to steal, it is recorded

 

Some cameras can do that.
The Thinkware U1000 has an optional radar module that "wakes" the camera when triggered. If there is no impact, the camera goes back to sleep without recording anything. If there is an impact (something as slight as opening a door), then it records the incident.
Without radar, you are limited to time-lapse, or record-on-impact, but the problem with that is it takes a second or two for the camera to wake up, so you may not actually record the impact if someone backs into your car.

 

Finally ordered one and installed it. But I ran the wires a little different and resorted to using a cable tie to assist me

the top cover, the center part broke off allowing me to finally to fit the cover and had to trim down the 2 legs to make install angle easier

so, you see some wiring from underneath

But it doesn’t bother me since you can’t see it unless you try to look

and here’s a driving video clip