Some, like this, say 'Wifi enabled'. Does this mean that upon arrival back home, with a wifi signal, one may connect to it from a computer in the home and review/save video?
It's doable, but pointless. It's easier and faster to just copy the data off the SD card to the computer.
This one has a monitor so I presume video may be reviewed right there in the vehicle.
Yes, but it's cumbersome due to the limited number of buttons. There is an app that makes it much easier.
Do most have a wide angle lens?
The front lens is always wide-angle to catch as much of the road as possible.
The rear cameras of models with glass-mounted rear cameras have narrower fields of view because they're intended to get a good, clear view of the idiot who rear-ended you (including their plate number).
The rear lenses of "taxi cams" are usually built into the rear side of the front camera and have wide-angle lenses that can capture the whole passenger cabin in the raster.
Some dash cams have rear lenses mounted in the front camera (usually on swivels) that have a longer focal length that's optimized for recording through the rear window. They're easier to install, but miss more of the rear view.
64GB SD card...I wonder how much video that is.
That's highly variable depending on the options selected (frame rate, quality, bitrate, resolution, etc.) as well as the complexity of the image. Trees, buildings, or heavy traffic make the image more complex and require more space. But at the highest settings, I'd estimate maybe four hours on average for a 64GB card. I use 256GB cards and get several weeks on average, given my driving habits.
Because dash cams put a lot of stress on SD cards, and because they have limited write cycles, bigger cards usually last longer before failing, all else being equal. A bigger card is not re-written as often as a smaller card. Also, you need high-end SD cards for a dash cam. Street Guardian maintains a list of which cards work best based on internal testing and customer feedback, but most high-speed cards rated for constant video surveillance will work.
The monitor seems a bit bulky; I presume it resides on the dash (and can take 180F); any thoughts that it might be in the way?
It's integrated into the front camera and is windshield-mounted.
This site has some pictures under the "See it Installed" tab.
The screen shuts off after after a user-selectable interval while driving. It will come back on if the G-sensor is triggered or if manually summoned. Basically, it should be mounted in a spot in the windshield wiper's path, clear of any shading on the windshield, where it's easy enough to access if you need to save a segment or change a setting, but where it doesn't block your vision while driving.
I can take a picture of mine if you want. (It's kind of hard for me to believe I don't already have one, but I don't.)
In terms of general reliability, I have the older model of this camera. It has been running non-stop whenever the car is on and for a few hours after it's parked (an optional cable is needed to enable that) for more than three years, with no problems at all. The company also has reps on the dash cam forums who are highly responsive to questions or problems.
Rich
