ThinkWare ARC Dash Cam Review

As has been the case with other dash cams I've tested, I had to get a suction mount so I could easily swap it from press car to press car -- I can't hard-mount to a dash permanently. Nor can I hardwire it -- I used a long cable that plugged into the car's 12-volt outlet (what those of us over 40 remember as the cigarette lighter, even if we never smoked). I had to carefully put the wiring out of the way so that it wouldn't interfere with my driving in an unsafe manner.

The ARC comes with a rear-facing camera, too, but I wasn't able to set it up to use the rear camera.

Both cameras film in 2K @ 30 fps.

Other features include a 2.7-inch LCD screen, privacy lock mode, rear HDR, night vision, dewarping technology, Wi-Fi, GPS antenna compatibility, traffic-signal alert, parking surveillance mode, an app, anti-file corruption, and more.

Once I plugged the cam in and fired up whatever car I was driving, the camera beeped and a perky automated female voice said something along the lines of "have a nice/safe drive". The touchscreen would fade after a minute or two, but the camera was still filming.

In fact, I'd forget about it until a particularly rough bump caused it to beep.

The suction cup mount generally worked, though it popped loose a few times. It's an easy mount to work with, and there's a plastic lever that helps clamp it in place. I have to wonder if the weather played a factor -- it was pretty hot on my last day of testing, and the suction cup stuck firmly that day. Earlier, when it was still cold out, is when the cup tended to let go.

Each video is a minute long. Perhaps the biggest issue I had is that some didn't turn out -- I just got a black screen. These, of course, might be video shot after the camera fell and I was unable to re-affix while driving. That, at least, shows that the camera will keep rolling even if a bump or poor suction causes the camera to drop.

Some features were unavailable to me since I was using the 12-volt outlet. For example, the Parking Mode only works when the camera is hardwired. This is because ThinkWare cams use a supercapacitor instead of a lithium-ion battery in order to avoid damage from heat. So if you're plugged into the 12-volt and you turn your car off, there goes the power supply. If you're hardwired, the cam will draw a bit of juice from your car's battery so that Parking Mode can engage.

The clarity of the videos looks pretty good, though a setting sun obscured some shots. It was easy to download them by popping the SD card out and putting it into a card reader.

I did strip the audio -- not because I am afraid of you judging my taste in music, but because I don't want to get in trouble for having copyrighted music played without permission. So you'll just have to pretend. Hint: The Talking Heads feature heavily in my playlist rotation.

You may notice that some digital signs, like the pricing signs at a gas station, tend to "blink" in the videos.

By the way, I never set the time/date, so the dates shown here are incorrect.

I found myself impressed with the video quality, and audio comes through loud and clear (because of the copyrighted music, you won't get to hear me cuss when the camera fell off during one drive). The camera itself is small and sleek and didn't block my view.

The downside is that one needs to do what I didn't -- read the bleepin' manual. I know I could've made better use of this camera if I had -- but instead I sort of just plugged and played. I still got a lot out of it, but I know that a deep dive into the documentation would've enhanced my experience.

The $250 starting price might seem a bit steep, especially since ThinkWare has cheaper options, but you do get a camera that does a lot. There are fancier models on the market, loaded down with more features, but for someone who wants basic functionality with a few extra add-ons, the ARC is a pretty solid choice.

Just read the manual, please.

[Image: ThinkWare. Videos: The Author]

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