$20 challenge: this cheap dash cam has Full HD video, but don’t let the spec sheet fool you
I’ve reviewed dozens of dash cams over the years, but none quite as cheap as the Dash Cam Front and Rear Wireless, which I snapped up at Amazon for £19.99, and which is available from Amazon US for around $20. Dash cams mostly sit somewhere between $120 / £100 and $250 / £200, with the occasional tech-packed flagship crossing the $350 / £300 barrier.
Loaded to their suction cups with features like speed camera alerts and entire suites of driver assistance tech, they often promise to do much more than simply record video, yet often struggle to fully deliver on every promise. All too often, and no matter the price, I wish they would just keep things simple, stick to the basics, and deliver the perfect dash cam experience without the bells and whistles.
So does this present an open goal for the $20 dash cam? Assumed to be mythical, at least until the depths of Amazon were truly plumbed, such a product does indeed exist.
On the box it’s called the Advanced Portable Car Camcorder (I bet you haven’t seen that word for a while), and it’s from a company called, erm, Wakerug. You know the one – it also sells mini thermal printers, body cameras, headphones, security cameras, dog beds and ankle braces – and yes, rugs. A virtually identical camera is sold under a couple of brand names at Amazon US.
Wakerug also sells another dash cam in the UK, this time with a cabin-facing lens attached to the main unit. It costs a bit more, and has received a single review – one star, “Would not recommend to anyone” – but I won’t let that cloud my judgement. The model I bought doesn’t yet have any customer reviews, perhaps because the owners are so wowed by it they haven’t had time to write one.
I digress. It’s time to unbox the Car Camcorder, fit it to my car and see if you really can buy a dash cam for $20.What’s in the box?
Dash cam
Suction cup windscreen mount
12V plug with integrated cable and mini USB connection
16GB microSD card
Bit of a shocker, that last one.
