Do you ever wonder what’s happening to your vehicle when you’re away? When your vehicle is parked outside, it’s vulnerable to whatever may happen to it. Of course, most of the time, your vehicle might simply sit there unscathed. But sometimes, drivers come back to a smashed window, stolen personal items, a big mystery dent, or even no car at all. But instead of simply leaving the fate of their vehicle up to chance while it’s parked, many drivers are using a parking mode dash cam to protect their vehicle while they’re away.
Even in the safest areas, it’s not possible to guarantee that a vehicle will remain untouched while it's parked. Motor vehicle thefts have been steadily rising in the United States over the past decade, after decreasing in the early 2000s. And one study showed what might be common sense: about 80% of vehicle-related thefts happen at night, under the cover of darkness. But with a parking mode dash cam, drivers can have eyes on their vehicles 24/7, no matter where they’re located, and get notified instantly if something does happen to their vehicle.
For most drivers the best dash cam with parking mode is a connected Nexar, the Nexar One on the LTE Protection Plan, because it arms parking mode automatically, alerts you in real time, and backs the footage up to the cloud while you're away.
What is parking mode in dash cams?
What exactly is a parking mode dash cam, and why does it make a huge difference in the way drivers protect and monitor their vehicles? To start with, a dash cam is a small camera that is mounted inside a vehicle, which records the exterior of the vehicle (there is also typically an option to add an internal camera). Most drivers utilize dash cams for footage of their drives: the dash cam is always recording, and drivers have crisp footage of what’s happening around their vehicles. This can be useful in the event of a driving incident, is perfect if you have loved ones behind the wheel, and is even great for monitoring fleet vehicles.
Dash cams typically provide you with clear footage of your drives, and have some other main features, such as the ability to view a remote livestream, track vehicle locations, and get incident alerts, in the event of a driving incident involving your vehicle. But only certain dash cams have parking mode, a next-generation feature that’s used to protect vehicles while they’re parked.
A parking mode dash cam uses advanced technology to actively monitor your parked vehicle. Specifically, these dash cams use sensors that detect impact when your car is parked. This then “wakes up” the dash cam, which will not only send you automatic alerts, but will also capture an automatic clip of the incident, to ensure you have the video evidence you need.
Advantages and disadvantages of parking mode dash cam
Here are the top advantages and disadvantages when it comes to using a parking mode dash cam.
Advantages
- Get automatic alerts if an impact is detected, so you can instantly know what’s happening with your vehicle at all times.
- Remotely view a live stream of your dash cam to see what’s happening in real time.
- Have instant access to valuable video evidence.
- Get crisp, clear footage, any time of day or night.
Disadvantages
- Typically, you need to pay for an ongoing service for your dash cam (this is often the case with connected dash cams, regardless of whether they have parking mode).
- You have to ensure you’re driving your vehicle enough in order to keep the parking mode dash cam charged OR you’ll need a continuous power source.
Top 3 parking mode dash cams today:
Choosing a parking mode dash cam can be tricky, because there are several top contenders on the market. Here is a roundup of the top 3 parking mode dash cams today.
Nexar One
The Nexar One dash cam is Nexar’s most advanced dash cam yet. It films in crystal clear 4K resolution, provides users with real-time emergency alerts no matter where you’re located, automatically uploads footage to the cloud, and of course, also has parking mode. With Nexar’s front and interior dash cam with parking mode, your vehicle is protected while you’re away with powerful sensors.
Here’s how it works: Nexar dash cams are designed to go into a state of “hibernation” while you’re away, and the Nexar One dash cam utilizes its sensors when your vehicle is parked to detect impact when you are not nearby, providing around-the-clock protection. If impact does occur, your Nexar One dash cam will “wake up,” send you a real-time alert, and cut a 30-second clip of the incident. This means you’ll be immediately notified if something does happen to your parked vehicle, and you’ll have the crisp video evidence that you need to show exactly what happened.
Get the Nexar One →
Multi-mode parking monitors
Some 4K dash cams offer a 24-hour parking monitor with several detection modes to choose from. In motion detection mode, the camera stays on standby and wakes up to record once it senses movement in front of or inside the vehicle. An automatic collision detection mode runs in an energy-saving state and starts recording as soon as an impact is detected.
Dual-camera systems with detection regions
Some 4K dual-camera systems take this approach to parking protection. They switch to parking mode automatically to monitor a parked vehicle, detect motion and impacts, and let you choose "detection regions" to cut down on unwanted motion recordings (trees swaying, far-away movement). When you return, the camera flags any events it captured while you were away.
FAQ
Here are some answers to frequently asked questions when it comes to parking mode dash cams.
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Does parking mode drain my car battery?
Not if it’s wired up right. The OBD-II adapter supplies steady power and the hardwiring kit runs in a low-power mode; most cars sit through an overnight fine. -
Do I need a subscription for parking mode?
The free Basic plan covers incident detection and Wi-Fi access. For 24/7 Live Parking Mode with instant cloud alerts and unlimited backup, the LTE Protection Plan is $9.99/month after a free first month. -
Should I use motion or impact detection?
Impact detection is low-noise and catches collisions and dings. Motion catches more but false-triggers in busy areas. Start with impact only and add motion if you’re missing things.
Final Thoughts
When it comes to protecting your vehicle, protecting it while it’s on the road isn’t the only thing that matters. Vehicles that are parked, whether it’s on the street or elsewhere, are extremely vulnerable to theft, burglary, and collisions. In order to always know what’s happening with your vehicle, be instantly notified in the event of an incident while you’re away, and to have the valuable and crisp video evidence you need, you can protect your car with the power of a parking mode dash cam.
Want to understand how footage is managed when your camera is running continuously? See how loop recording works. If you witness an incident near your parked car, witness mode explains how to document it. GPS-equipped cameras can also alert you to speed cameras along your route.