Hello everyone, this is the Angry Systems Administrator. It’s been a year since I took delivery of my Ford Bronco, and I’ve been happy with it. About a month or so ago, I decided it was time to get a dash cam for it. Now I have never owned a dash cam before although I have seen them in friends cars.
I wasn’t looking forward to having something stuck to the windshield so I started researching. I finally found a dash cam that actually replaces an OEM part for my Bronco. It is the Fitcamx. There are a few variations to it. You can get it with both a dash cam and rear window camera or just a forward camera. They also come in both 2K and 4K versions.
The one I purchased was the 4K front only camera. It comes as a replacement equipment cover that goes in front of the rear view mirror and is integrated in the cover. It also comes with a plug that draws power from the rear view mirror, (The mirror has to be the auto dimmer model). This has the advantage of not being obvious for criminals to go after.
Installation is very straightforward using the provided tool. You pry off the original equipment cover, unplug the power lead to the mirror, plug in the replacement/extension cable, connect that to the Fitcamx and then plug that back into the mirror. Next put the Fitcamx cover into place and you’re done. Oh, don’t forget to remove the lens cover that ships with the unit to protect it. (Yes, I did and wondered why the first images were nothing buy a blue field)
You will need to download the app to your phone. Now with this version, it only comes on when the vehicle is on, either the engine started or the accessory power going. Then it’s just a matter of connecting the phone wirelessly to the app. (The Fitcamx uses it’s own WiFi. It doesn’t connect the car’s WiFi or Bluetooth)
Now I did have some issues and actually had to send the original camera back to Amazon for replacement. One of the issues was the auto dimming mirror was darkened almost to the point of unusability. Working with the Angry Brother InLaw, we tried everything including removing the camera. Nothing worked and I was looking at heading to the dealership for help.
I did a lot of searches on the innerwebtubes trying to find anyone who had a similar issue. After a couple of days I found an obscure forum where someone described the same issue. Someone offered a fix. It was stupidly simple. The answer? Rotate the mirror 180 degrees, it’s upside down and the light sensor was blocked.
In my defense, there is nothing on the mirror to indicate that there is an actual top and a bottom. At this point I put the camera back in place, but it wasn’t working. At this point I went through the return/replacement process with Amazon and got a replacement. That is in place now and has been working perfectly.
The Fitcamx also has an internal mike and comes with a 64GB SAN card. I replaced it with a 128GB card. It also comes with an adapter so you pull the card out and download the files. Considering how big these files can get, (500MB), downloading them using the onboard WiFi connection to your phone can take a while. Popping the SAN disk into your laptop or desktop and then doing other things is a lot better.
Now the image quality, especially at 4K is quite good. Not as good as with an Iphone or Android phone, but those cameras are more advanced and have a lot more features to them. The internal mic is adequate, enough so that you need to be careful with your language when your inner road rage is triggered. It will pick up the music I’m playing as well.
If your car has an oem part that this unit can replace, and Fitcamx offers a large selection, I would recommend getting one. You won’t have to stick something to the windshield or to the dashboard and you won’t have to give up valuable visual real estate. (Something that is lacking in the Ford Broncos) It’s certainly better then what Ford offers on their site.
Thank you
(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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~The Angry Systems Administrator~
