Currently there are only a handful of dash cam companies that offer cloud video storage and auto upload with their dash cameras. Cloud video hosting for dash cam video can be beneficial for many circumstances when it comes to storing remote video off of your dash cam.
Reasons why you would want to remotely back up your dash cam video on the cloud:
>> Check Out The Best Dash Cams of 2023
Theft: If your dash cam is stolen while in parking mode, capturing the thieves in action, but they steal the dash cam. With a traditional dash cam they would not only steal the camera, but the memory card and video footage as well. If you have your dash cam linked up to the cloud, the captured video would be safely stored remotely on the cloud with a backup, regardless if the dash cam was stolen.
Corrupt Police: There have been numerous cases over the years of video footage mysterious disappearing after a camera device is in the hands of police for evidence. Having a copy of your video footage on the cloud ensures that your video evidence cannot be tampered with or deleted.
Easy Access: If your video is stored on the cloud you are then able to access it anywhere that you have an internet connection. You could be across the country and still have 24/7 access to the video from your cars dash cam. There is also no need to manually remove the microSD card and connect it to your computer in order to view and save videos externally, this can all be done directly via the cloud.
What is Cloud Based Storage
Cloud dash cam storage is the process of remotely storing your cameras video on to a server that is in a different location other than the dash cam. This is usually done by a cellphones carriers wifi connection, LTE connection, a cars internet hotspot connection or through a SIM card and cell phone plan directly on the dash cam itself. Cloud storage protects your video files from being stolen or damaged during an accident, as the data and video files are not stored directly on the dash camera itself.
Cloud Connectivity
Because your dash cam is storing video files in the cloud, you are able to access them from anywhere. This is often done through a smartphone iOS or Android APP that is provided by the dash cam manufacturer. These APPS are usually free and come as an integral part of the dash cam and the overall usability of the camera.
Cost of Dash Cam Cloud Services
Dash cam companies charge a monthly or yearly fee to sync up your dash camera with their cloud service. Their cloud service usually has certain restrictions, like how often you can view video files, how many minutes you can livestream and how much total space you can use to store video files. The typical monthly fee for cloud dash cam video storage seems to be about $10 per month, and some companies will offer free subscriptions in the early phase as a way to entice new buyers.
Best Dash Cams with Cloud Service
BlackVue DR900S-2CH 4K Dash Cam
BlackVue, which is considered a high end dash cam brand, was one of the first companies to offer a cloud backup service with their dash cams. They call it “BlackVue – Over The Cloud” and describe it as “State-of-the-art dashcam technology”. Many consider their cloud service to be the most stable and reliable, as they have been doing it longer than their counterparts. Their cloud service is done through Amazon Web Services (AWS).
For commercial applications, BlackVue also offers Fleet Tracking, which allows a company to track up to 100 vehicles all at the same time, using the BlackVue Viewer Pro, though this does require a BlackVue Fleet Tracking account.
The BlackVue cloud service can be paired with their Blackvue DR900S-2CH, a dual dash cam with a true 4K video front cam and a full HD 1080p rear cam. The DR900S cams have a stealthy all black tubular design, making it difficult for potential thieves to spot. It has a wide 162 degree lens angle, to capture the full road in front of you, while the rear camera has a 139 degree lens angle.
Cloud Features
- Livestream Video
- GPS Tracking
- Push Notifications
- Cloud Backup
- Auto-Upload
Dash Cam Specs
- 4K UHD Video in Front
- 8MP Front and 2.1MP Rear CMOS Sensor
- Built-In WiFi
- Built-In GPS
- Parking Mode
THINKWARE U1000 4K Dash Cam
THINKWARE has paired their new THINKWARE CLOUD 2.0 service with the U1000 4K dash camera. The THINKWARE cloud service is accessible through their free iOS or Android smartphone APP. The cloud service is connected to the dash cam through your smartphones internet connection or a mobile hotspot within your car. Once the dash cam is connected to the cloud, you are able to receive push notifications for a variety of different events. If there is a strong impact that is sensed by the U1000s g-sensor, it will automatically send an alert to the owners smartphone that is logged into the THINKWARE CLOUD app, letting them know a crash has taken place. These push notifications for an impact work both while driving and while the car is parked in parking mode.
Along with push notifications for crashes, you can also use the cloud service to watch a livestream of the dash cam video (300 minutes per month), view the vehicles current location and setup a “geo fence”, which lets you know when the car has traveled outside of a set perimeter. Geo fencing is often used by parents watching over their kids and companies that have a fleet of vehicles they want to keep an eye on. The THINKWARE CLOUD service does not store video backups, it is more of a connectivity service rather than a storage service.
These cloud services can be used with the U1000 dash cam, which is a dual dash cam with full 4K UHD video dash cam up front and a 2K video rear cam.
Cloud Features
- Push Notifications
- GEO Fencing
- Vehicle Location
- Livestream via APP
- 300 Live View Minutes Per Month
Dash Cam Specs
- Full 4K Front and 2K Rear Video
- Front 150º Rear 156º Lens Angle
- Front 8.42MP & Rear 5.14MP Sony STARVIS Image Sensor
- Accepts up to a 128GB mmicroSD Card
- Built-In GPS
Nexar Pro Dash Cam
Nexar is currently the only dash cam company that is offering free cloud service, with no monthly or yearly fees. It is not clear what their business model is or how they will turn a profit by offering a free cloud service to those who buy one of their 2 dash cam models, which are priced under $100. The Nexar cloud backup service automatically saves videos to your cloud account in the case of an accident or major event on the road. There is no limit on how many of these videos can be saved to your personal cloud account. Nexar stores these videos fro 6 months before removing them from your cloud account, although you can request to unarchive a video and have it placed back in your account for another 30 days.
If you are in an accident, Nexar offers a detailed report that you can provide to your insurance company, which includes a timeline of the crash, g-sensor info and a speed analysis along with the actual dash cam video footage.
The Nexar Pro Dash Cam that can be paired with the Nexar Cloud Service and APP features full 1080p HD video recording quality and comes with both the front camera as well as the rear cam.
Cloud Features
- Unlimited Video Uploads
- Unlimited Video Access
- 6 Month Video Archive
- Automatic Upload
- Free
Dash Cam Specs
- 1080p HD Video
- 155 Degree Lens Angle
- 128GB microSD Capacity
- Built-In WiFi
- Sticky Adhesive or Suction Cup Mount