Like our top pick, these dash cams uses a supercapacitor instead of a battery. The lithium-ion batteries that come in most modern electronics don’t react well to extreme temperatures. Instead, the S1 has a supercapacitor, which keeps it running long enough after you shut off the car to save the last video and power down.

The A229 Pro is available in 1-, 2-, and 3-channel versions. And you can also add the interior or rear camera to the 1-channel model at a later time.

If you’re willing to spend more (about double as of this writing), the Miofive S1 Ultra has the same main camera and adds a 4K rear camera. The Viofo A229 Pro has a little better build quality and sturdier mount for its even higher price, but the S1 and S1 Ultra are great options for those on a budget.

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Case in point: One Wirecutter staffer was able to use his dash-cam footage to prove that he wasn’t at fault after he was rear-ended in a parking garage. Although the forward-facing camera couldn’t record the vehicle in back actually striking his car, he said, “It showed that I was driving appropriately, and captured the sound, jolt from impact, and my and my girlfriend’s reactions.” Nowadays, many dash cams also come with rear- and interior-facing cameras, which provide even better coverage.

We checked each camera’s app to determine how easy it was to connect, download recorded footage, adjust settings, and more.

The Miofive S1 offers many of the same features we like in our main pick, but for a fraction of the price. It has 4K recording, GPS, good image quality day or night, a supercapacitor instead of a battery, and a 24-hour parking mode.

If the camera’s power cord unplugs from its adapter, you could plug it into a multiport USB car charger, which leaves a port open for other devices. If not, you could use a 12-volt splitter; in our testing, we had success with these three-outlet splitters. You can use your car’s USB ports, but they need to be fairly high-powered.

Many dash cams have similar specs and resolution, but they perform differently in the real world. It was important to check each cam’s actual video.

Some states have regulations regarding what you can mount on a windshield and where, so check your local laws. Also, don’t skip the car wash: No matter how good your dash cam’s resolution is, it won’t be able to capture crisp, detailed footage through a dirty windshield.

The A229 Pro uses a supercapacitor instead of a battery, so it should be safer and more reliable, regardless of climate. Built-in GPS and a 24-hour parking mode ensure constant, data-rich coverage. Best of all, this dash cam comes in 1-, 2-, and 3-channel versions, so you can add extra cameras to fit a variety of needs and uses.

Cover’s Taser worked by firing two small barbed darts attached to thin insulated copper wires. When the darts struck a target, they created an open circuit, allowing voltage to flow between them and delivering an incapacitating electric shock. This allowed it to immobilize targets from a distance without physical confrontation.

Because this camera records 4K video, you shouldn’t get a cheap microSD card. Miofive doesn’t explicitly recommend specific speeds, but the cards it sells to go with the camera are UHS-III (V30).

If you want police alerts: The Cobra SC 400D has a 4K front-facing camera, 1080p rear-facing camera, the option to add an interior camera, 24-hour parked-car monitoring, voice control, Alexa support, Bluetooth compatibility, emergency alerts, GPS tracking, and Wi-Fi connectivity. It also offers compatibility with Cobra’s iRadar app, which gives you access to user-submitted notifications about nearby accidents, construction zones, roadway hazards, police surveillance, and more. However, if you have a newer car with Android Auto or Apple Carplay, or your phone is mounted where you can see it, other apps like Waze have a similar capability. This camera was also more difficult to set up and use than our picks.

The Rexing V55 is a 4K dash cam with optional rear or interior cameras. There’s also a waterproof rear-camera option for exterior mounting. Although the price is good, the image quality isn’t.

But there are potential disadvantages, Schwartz noted: “Not only will a dash cam document other people’s mistakes, but it’s going to document yours.” Whether or not you think you’re at fault, Schwartz said, you should first show the footage to your lawyer, who can determine whether it’s favorable to your case.

Securing the cord isn’t hard to do, but it can require patience. Some dash cams come with small cable-holding clips, which adhere to the glass and hold the cord, as well as a small tool for fitting the cord between the trim or molding. This video shows how to perform a tidy installation.

The A229 Pro instead uses a supercapacitor, which maintains enough charge to save a video and shut down the camera when you turn off your car. This also allows the camera to operate from -4 to 149 degrees Fahrenheit.

Before choosing which dash cams to test, we spent hours researching the specs and features of over 420 models, including 40 in the most recent round alone. We read reviews from Autoblog, BlackBoxMyCar, CNET, Digital Trends, PCMag, Popular Mechanics, Reddit, T3, and TechRadar, as well as customer reviews and ratings. We also perused some driving legislation and insurance claims, and we watched hours of dash-cam footage on YouTube.

In addition to being the editor at large for Wirecutter, Geoff Morrison is a tech and travel writer and photographer for The New York Times, CNET, and Forbes, among others. You can check out his extensive road trips on his YouTube channel. He’s also the author of Budget Travel for Dummies.

In the early 1990s, brothers Rick and Tom Smith acquired the rights to Cover’s Taser and formed a company called Air Taser Inc. (later renamed Taser International Inc.). So, in the story of when the Taser was invented, they re-engineered the device to make it more compact, effective, and easier to use in the field. The Smith brothers replaced the pneumatics with a small gunpowder charge to fire the darts. They also increased the electrical output while decreasing the unit size to make it pistol-shaped and easily holstered. These enhancements led to the steadily growing adoption of the Taser by police forces in the 1990s.

Mount it high and out of your eyeline. To get the best view of the road ahead, mount a dash cam high in the center of the windshield, near the rearview mirror. You should be able to see the unit’s screen and easily reach its controls, but the camera shouldn’t block your forward view.

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It has fast video download speeds. If your phone supports it (as most do), the camera can create a 5 GHz Wi-Fi network for faster downloads. Alternatively, you can remove the SD card and transfer the files to your computer using a card reader. Some modern phones might also be able to download via a USB-C cable directly between the camera and the phone, though we were unable to get this to work on our Pixel 7.

They’re easy to set up and use. The app connects easily, and it lets you crop and trim videos before sharing. After you download videos to the app, you can see where they were recorded on a map. There’s a parking-locator feature, which is helpful if you’re someone who regularly forgets where you’ve parked. We had some connectivity issues, but nothing excessive or beyond the occasionally finicky nature of all the dash cam apps we tested.

This camera offers everything we like about the S1, plus a 4K rear camera, for double the money. But it’s still cheaper than our top pick.

This compact camera combines 4K resolution with other features we like in our top pick. But this one doesn’t allow for extra cameras.

The BlackVue DR970X-2CH Plus has a 4K main camera, an LTE (cloud) option, and many other features we were looking for in a dash cam. But in our latest testing, this was the only camera that required a proprietary power cable instead of standard USB. There are different sibling versions with more or fewer cameras, but they’re all on the expensive side. Also, its image quality during the day and at night significantly trailed that of our picks.

A circular polarizing lens (CPL) is available separately. Unlike the Viofo, which includes one, a polarizer is only available as an add-on for the Miofive. It’s $20.

Most dash cameras run off of USB power, so we connected them at home to do an initial evaluation of the image quality. If footage from a given camera didn’t look good in these ideal conditions, there was no point mounting it in a car.

Installation is easy. The camera comes with a sticky pad on a flat mount that securely attaches to your windscreen. If you need to take it off and readjust, a plastic lever tool is included in the box (ostensibly to help remove your car’s interior trim), and it easily pops the mount off. You can also remove the camera and leave the mount, if desired.

Dash cams are small cameras that mount to your dashboard and continuously record video, usually to a microSD card. For power, dash cams can draw from the car's 12 V DC outlet (also known as a cigarette lighter) or a power bank, or they can connect directly to the car’s fuse box (the latter is best if you need continuous power to record even when the car is parked and the engine is off).

We put in another year and tens of thousands more miles of travel to test the best travel gear—and we stand by last year’s choices alongside a few new picks.

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Sarah Witman worked on previous versions of this guide. She has been a science writer for more than eight years, covering a wide variety of topics, from particle physics to satellite remote sensing. Since joining Wirecutter, in 2017, she has reviewed trail cameras, portable power stations, rechargeable AA and AAA batteries, and more.

The S1 Ultra’s 4K rear camera is a rarity in the dash cam market, though it records at 25 fps, compared with the 30 fps of the main and rear cameras of our other picks. This means the video won’t look quite as smooth, and fast motion might be a little blurrier, but it will be hard to notice the difference most of the time. It’s also not quite as sharp as the front camera, but for a rear camera, it’s very good.

The Vantrue N2S has a 4K-resolution front-facing camera, but it doesn’t have a rear camera, and there's no option to add one. If you use the interior camera, the resolution of both cameras is limited to 1440p.

This dash cam delivers crisp, super-high-res footage day or night. It also has key features, such as 24-hour parked-car monitoring and GPS, as well as a heat-friendly supercapacitor, instead of a battery.

This camera offers everything we like about the S1, plus a 4K rear camera, for double the money. But it’s still cheaper than our top pick.

Jun 13, 2024 — On the RCMP's website, the federal agency estimates body-worn cameras cost $3,000 per camera per year, including camera, a digital evidence ...

The Miofive MF02 Dual is a 4K dash cam shaped like a candy bar. It has a lot of the features we were looking for. However, although its daylight image quality was okay, the nighttime video was subpar. It was also the only camera in our recent testing not to have a removable microSD card, so accessing the recorded footage was more cumbersome.

This dash cam delivers crisp, super-high-res footage day or night. It also has key features, such as 24-hour parked-car monitoring and GPS, as well as a heat-friendly supercapacitor, instead of a battery.

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A dash cam can also come in handy if you just want to capture and share a funny scene, a memorable trip moment, a beautiful vista, or unusual happenings like streaking meteors (video).

Their image quality is very good, especially for the money. Even though the S1 has 4K resolution, its images weren’t as sharp as the Viofo’s. However, they were still better than those of most of the cameras we tested, and even at night you can read license plates from a reasonable distance.

The main issue with the 70mai is that it uses a lithium-ion battery, making it potentially less safe and reliable than our supercapacitor-powered picks. If you live in a cooler climate, or you don’t mind removing the camera from the car on hot days (it unplugs and slides off its mount easily), this might be less of a concern.

Viofo has several kits available, though what exactly you’ll need will depend on your car. See How to set up a dash cam below for more info.

While some consider the Taser controversial due to potential misuse, it has also been credited with reducing injuries and deaths in police encounters. But when was this now ubiquitous device first invented? Let’s take a look at when the Taser was invented.

LAW ENFORCEMENT RECORDS MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS. (RMSs) as They Pertain to FBI Programs and Systems. Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS):.

The Viofo dash cam, for instance, requires at least 2 amps. Modern cars often have at least one 2.4-amp port, which will work. If you try this and have issues with the camera shutting off, it might be because it’s not getting enough power from the USB port. In that case, you’ll need to use a 12v adapter.

A wiring kit is available. If you want to use the 24-hour parking monitor feature, you’ll either need to have a power outlet in your car that doesn’t turn off when the car does or to hardwire the camera to your fuse box. Miofive has a kit available, though your specific vehicle may or may not require additional parts. Check out the How to set up a dash cam section for more information.

After testing 17 lightweight, portable car seats, we have five good options for infants, toddlers, and big kids to recommend.

The Taser is a non-lethal, hand-held conducted energy weapon that is used by law enforcement and personal self-defense to incapacitate a target by delivering an electric shock that interrupts superficial muscle functions.

Consider direct wiring. Most dash-cam companies also sell hardwire kits that can connect directly to a vehicle’s fuse box. With most cars, this is the only way to get power to the camera when the car is off, so you can use the dash cam’s parking mode.

The Miofive S1 is an inexpensive dash cam whose features and performance are better than its price would suggest. Despite its bargain status, this dash cam meets all of our required criteria, including 4K resolution, great low-light performance, GPS tracking, a supercapacitor, and 24-hour parked-car monitoring.

The camera is powered via USB-C, and a long cable is included, as well as a small 12v adapter. If your car is equipped with a 2-amp or greater USB port, that should also work.

This camera offers everything we like about the S1, plus a 4K rear camera, for double the money. But it’s still cheaper than our top pick.

This compact camera combines 4K resolution with other features we like in our top pick. But this one doesn’t allow for extra cameras.

The S1 is very small. Despite having a larger screen than the Viofo (3-inches), the S1 is one of the smallest cameras we tested: 3.75 inches wide by 2 inches tall by 1.5 inches deep. That makes it a better fit for cars with shorter windshields.

The Viofo A129 Pro Duo has a 4K front camera and a 1080p rear camera. It offers a good mix of features (including GPS tracking, 24-hour parked-car monitoring, and app connectivity). Yet in our tests it was much more difficult to set up and use compared with less-expensive models offering the same capabilities.

We then set up the dash cams in a car, evaluating how easy it was to attach the mounts to the windshield, connect the dash cams to their mounts, adjust the aim of the cameras, and then remove them. We tested the cameras in bright sunlight, late in the day, at night, and on a variety of highways and suburban streets, racking up hours of driving time.

From compact car seats and cribs to portable blackout shades and white noise machines, the right tools for travel can lead to less fuss—and more fun.

A hardwire kit is available. Most cars cut power to their various 12v and USB ports when the car is off. If your car does this, and you want to be able to record video while your car is parked, you’ll need to hardwire the camera to your car’s fuse box.

It has a one-year warranty. The A229 Pro has a one-year warranty. If you register your camera with Viofo, it will add an additional six months, bringing the total to 18 months.

The original Taser was invented in 1974 by NASA researcher Jack Cover. Development started in 1969 and was completed in 1974. He named it the Thomas A. Swift Electric Rifle (TASER) after Tom Swift, a fictional young inventor hero famous in a book series during the early 20th century.

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Upgrading to the Ultra doubles the price of the base S1, but that’s still cheaper than the Viofo. For a little less money than the Ultra, the S1 Pro has a lower resolution rear camera. You can read more about that in the Competition.

“Night vision” is a marketing term. We tested the cameras at night to ensure they recorded legible license plates in the dark.

“There are thousands of people who are injured and killed every year by hit-and-run drivers,” said Ben Schwartz, a personal-injury attorney we interviewed. “If those hit-and-run victims had a dash cam in their car, maybe the video would record the tag number of the vehicle that hit them, and then that would lead police to the bad guys.”

In addition, a dash cam can help other drivers who need objective eyewitness evidence following a crash, a hit-and-run incident, a road-rage situation, or police misconduct. You can use it to record unsafe roadway conditions or to monitor the driving habits of someone else in your car (with their consent, of course), such as an inexperienced driver or an older adult.

The build quality could be better. While it has impressive features and performance for its price, the Miofive S1 doesn’t have the high-quality fit and finish of the other cameras we tested. Among other things, the mount is cheap-feeling, and the buttons feel flimsy. You should keep this in mind and set your expectations appropriately.

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The 4K Nextbase 622GW is a former upgrade pick, and it has some clever features. Negative user comments here and on Amazon have knocked it out of contention.

The Viofo A139 Pro has the same front sensor as our main pick, a compact design, and a built-in interior camera, but the rear camera uses an older 1080p sensor. It also lacks a screen. We think for most people the A229 Pro will be easier to use. But ride-share drivers who don’t want to install a separate interior camera, who want better image quality than that of the Vantrue N4 Pro, and who don’t mind not having a screen might find it to be a great alternative.

If you have a smaller windshield, or you want something that’s easier to set up for ride-share drivers: The Vantrue N4 Pro is a great choice. This 3-channel dash cam is the successor to our former top pick. Its overall image quality isn’t as pleasing as that of our current picks, but license plates are readable from roughly the same distance as with the Viofo dash cam. For smaller or shorter windshields, the N4 Pro’s horizontal cylinder design might be less obtrusive. And its mount has a ball joint, which makes aiming and positioning easier than with the Viofo cam.

Wirecutter is the product recommendation service from The New York Times. Our journalists combine independent research with (occasionally) over-the-top testing so you can make quick and confident buying decisions. Whether it’s finding great products or discovering helpful advice, we’ll help you get it right (the first time).

The laws on dash cams are decided at the state level, so you need to confirm whether they’re safe to use where you live, and familiarize yourself with local audio- and video-recording laws.

Its video quality is as good as or better than any dash cam we tested. Thanks to a modern Sony Starvis 2 (IMX678) image sensor, the A229 Pro can record low-noise images in low light and colorful, high-contrast images in bright light. Though its footage is not as good as what you’d get from an action camera or modern smartphone camera, the only other dash cam that came close was the 70mai, in our other good dash cams section.

Traveling in a wheelchair can pose countless challenges. The EZ Lite Cruiser power wheelchair helped this writer get past the obstacles and see the world.

After researching more than 400 models and testing 61, we’ve found that the best overall dash cam is the Viofo A229 Pro. It delivers clear and sharp 4K video, is easy to use, and has useful features, like GPS and 24-hour parking monitoring. It comes in 1-, 2-, and 3-channel versions, to suit your specific needs.

Have a power plan. If your dash cam’s charger doesn’t have an additional built-in USB-A port, and you want to be able to charge a phone or other device while the dash cam is in use, you have a few options.

Unlike our top pick, however, it doesn’t have an interior- or rear-facing camera—so you can’t record what’s going on inside the vehicle or behind you.

This dash cam delivers crisp, super-high-res footage day or night. It also has key features, such as 24-hour parked-car monitoring and GPS, as well as a heat-friendly supercapacitor, instead of a battery.

If you’re comfortable doing basic automotive wiring and using a circuit tester, you can easily hardwire the dash cam to the fuse box yourself. But any car-stereo shop (and some big-box retailers like Best Buy) can do it for you. If you go this route, consider getting some kind of battery trickle charger, since the camera can wear down your battery if you don’t drive the car every day. Some models will have a low-voltage cutoff so they don’t drain your battery completely.

We first ran all of the cameras at the same time, so the conditions were identical for each camera. But we limited the distances for these tests, given the plethora of cameras on our conveniently large van windshield. We then re-mounted the final three contenders to be up and out of the way, and we took multiple additional short local trips as well as a long road trip from Southern California to Las Vegas and Death Valley.

The Taser has evolved a long way since it was created nearly 50 years ago by a researcher who worked for NASA. It remains a topic of debate in the current society. Still, it serves as one of the crucial tools in policing to manage violently inclined incidents by offering an option that is slightly more physical than the mere use of tear gas. These and other advancements in the operation of Taser usage and the effectiveness of accountability will help prevent misuse of the tool as a method of safe enforcement. Taser’s evolution is an example of how a new idea can be transformed to revolutionize an entire field over the years.

Although its image quality isn’t as good as the Viofo A229 Pro’s, it’s still much better than that of nearly all the other dash cams we tested. It does not have a rear or interior camera, but for double the money, the S1 Ultra adds a 4K rear camera to everything we like about the S1.

The Thinkware U1000 has a 4K front camera, and you can add a 2K rear camera, for $100 more at this writing. But it’s more finicky to use and more expensive than models we tested with a wider range of features.

In 1998, the advanced Taser M26 model was introduced. It used a shaped pulse technology that improved electrical output and allowed it to penetrate thick clothing better. As safety concerns around Tasers were addressed and research demonstrated their effectiveness in subduing violent individuals without lethal force, adoption rates soared in the 2000s.

A microSD card is not included with the base S1. Like most of the cameras we tested, the base S1 does not come with a microSD card. (The S1 Ultra comes with a 64 GB SD card in the box, which is a nice bonus.) The camera supports up to 512 GB of storage, and if you don’t already have a card lying around, we recommend these.

The Miofive S1 Pro, like the S1 Ultra, adds a rear camera to the S1. The Pro’s rear camera is 2K (aka 1440p), not as high resolution as the Ultra’s 4K. This is similar to other dash cams’ rear cameras, including our top pick from Viofo. While there is a price difference between the S1 Pro and S1 Ultra, it’s slight, and the increase in resolution for the rear camera is worth it. If the difference is more than you’re interested in paying, or you don’t mind the lower-resolution rear camera, the S1 Pro is a good option.

The BlackVue DR900X-1CH Plus has many of the features we value: a 4K front-facing camera, the option to add 1080p rear and interior cameras, a 24-hour parked-car monitoring mode, built-in GPS tracking, and Wi-Fi connectivity. It’s also one of the few models we tested with a built-in mobile hotspot feature. However, its mount is less user-friendly than those of our picks, and it is an older model.

Don’t let the power cable dangle. Most dash cams have a long cord that plugs into a car’s 12 V DC outlet (aka cigarette lighter). To get the cord out of your way, we suggest running it under the molding between the top of the windshield and the car’s headliner, along the passenger side. From there, you can run the cord down along the edge of the windshield and the front pillar, into the gap on the side of the dash, and underneath the dash to the power outlet.

However, the mount is plastic and feels very cheap, with a lot of give and jiggle. This likely isn’t a problem if you plan on setting it up and never touching it, but it doesn’t inspire confidence if you want to regularly adjust and tweak it. When you're driving over rough surfaces, there’s more camera shake visible in recordings than with the other cameras.

Accidents—even small ones—can be frightening, frustrating, and distressing. Being blamed for a crash that’s not your fault can add a whole additional level of annoyance—or worse. That’s why a dash cam can be a critical aid if the unexpected happens.

Many authorities have deemed Tasers safe; by the early 2000s, over 7,000 police departments had already incorporated the tool. Its use also came as a tendency from being a weapon of last resort when firearms cannot be sourced to the general control of any rebellious or rowdy persons. This led to some highly publicized incidents involving alleged Taser misuse and overutilization by law enforcement. However, Tasers have become more accepted as less lethal weapons than guns. Other models in Taser’s offerings, such as the Taser X26, are more compact in size and were launched in the market in 2003. According to Taser statistics, more than 16000 law enforcement agencies had purchased Tasers by 2009.

If you’re on a budget, but you want better image quality and don’t mind a battery: The 70mai A810 provides an attractive combo of low price, compact design, and excellent image quality, essentially matching that of our top pick (unsurprising, since it uses the same image sensor). There are 1- and a 2-camera versions, and the latter is less than half the price of our main pick’s 2-camera version.

Their mount is useful but feels cheap. The S1’s mount lets you rotate and pivot the camera. This makes installation a little easier than it is with our non-adjustable top pick, since you don’t need to get perfect placement.

This is not a comprehensive list of all of the dash cams we’ve tested. We’ve removed those that have been discontinued or no longer meet our criteria.

Multiple camera options are available. The A229 Pro comes in three configurations. The base version, available via Viofo’s website, has a single forward-facing 4K camera built into the unit. The 2-channel version, which we recommend for most drivers, adds a rear 1440p camera. And the 3-channel version, which is what we tested, adds an interior camera. At night, this interior camera records in infrared, aided by four small IR lights that illuminate the car interior with light invisible to your eye, allowing for bright videos even in total apparent darkness.

The Viofo A229 Pro has everything you could want in a dash cam. The front camera records in 4K resolution, which is far sharper than the footage from older, 1080p dash cams. And the videos it records have lots of detail and contrast, so it’s easy to pick out license plates from a distance, even at night.

It can withstand extreme temperatures. The lithium-ion batteries that come in most modern devices don’t work well in high heat or extreme cold. In the best case, a stressed lithium ion battery can cause a dash cam to stop working temporarily due to excessive heat. At worst, the battery could expand or explode, though this is rare.

Most dash cams use loop recording, which means that when the SD card is full, the newest video will start to overwrite the oldest continuously. The amount of video you can store before the camera starts overwriting footage will depend on the size of the camera’s SD card.

The AZDome M580 2CH is a midrange dash cam with an extra-wide screen and extra-wide resolution: 5K. However, this comes at the expense of vertical resolution. This is a reasonable trade-off in theory. But in our testing, its image quality was subpar, and we had trouble connecting the camera to its app.

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If a routine drive ever turns into a life-altering event, you’ll probably appreciate having a dash cam to show what happened. This continuously recording, windshield-mounted device can document an accident or other incident you’re involved in, providing you with evidence that could (ideally) help prove your innocence to a lawyer, an insurance company, or law enforcement.

This dash cam features a supercapacitor, which should be more reliable in high temperatures than the lithium-ion batteries found in many dash cameras. It also has 24-hour parking monitoring, voice control, and a 2.4-inch screen (for quick access to settings and footage). It’s easy to install and use, with an app that offers lots of features, including a GPS map and the ability to trim clips before you save or send them.

Consider a dash cam as an additional layer of protection: It can provide an objective eyewitness to an accident or other incident you’re involved in. Dash cams can also record a crash, a hit-and-run, or police misconduct that has occurred in your vicinity.

We spent many more hours playing back the video footage on a computer, so we could examine and compare details and overall image quality. We also checked audio quality, but in all cases the audio was “fine”: We could hear what was happening and being said, but it wasn’t exactly studio quality.

There are useful included (and optional) accessories. The 12V adapter that comes with the A229 Pro has an additional USB port so you can charge a different device. A included circular polarizing lens (CPL), an option with some cameras and not available at all with others, can cut down on dashboard glare in certain lighting conditions, and it can improve the look of the videos by adding contrast. It should have a negligible effect on low-light performance. Not included but available separately is a Bluetooth remote control that you can click to permanently save the clip currently being recorded.

The MyGekoGear Orbit 960 (from the company formerly known as Geko) has a 4K front-facing camera and some premium features, such as GPS tracking and app connectivity. You can also buy a separate hardwiring kit to add 24-hour parked-car monitoring. In our testing, the Orbit 960 was easy to set up and use, and day and night footage was crisp and clear. However, this model uses an older image sensor, and it has just a handful of reviews on Amazon.

Geoffrey Morrison is Wirecutter’s former AV editor, current editor-at-large, and a travel writer and photographer. He covers action cameras, gimbals, travel backpacks, and other gear. He has been to all 50 states and 60 countries, and he is the author of Budget Travel for Dummies and the sci-fi novel Undersea.

While setting up each dash cam, we first evaluated the layout of the controls, the size and location of the buttons, and the ease of navigating the menus. We checked the brightness and clarity of the display, downloaded and connected to the app, and performed common tasks. We also took notes on the camera’s build quality and overall design.

All of the cameras that made it to our final round of testing were mounted in one vehicle, to record in identical locations and lighting.

The Viofo A229 Pro features clear, detailed 4K video during the day and—more crucially—at night. Though no dash cam is perfect, the A229 Pro will give you the best chance of being able to read another car’s license plate in the widest variety of conditions.

The Taser introduced by Cover was quite bulky, shaped like a large flashlight and powered by compressed nitrogen cartridges similar to air guns. It had an effective range of only 15 feet. While Cover intended for it to be used by law enforcement, the early Taser found minimal adoption by police departments.

The app is easy to use. Once you turn on the camera’s Wi-Fi and connect to it with your phone, the Viofo app (iOS, Android) lets you watch and download videos. On playback, you can see where each video was recorded on a map, courtesy of the built-in GPS receiver. There are also extensive settings, including camera exposure and video quality adjustments.

This compact camera combines 4K resolution with other features we like in our top pick. But this one doesn’t allow for extra cameras.

Sarah Witman is a senior staff writer who reports on powering and charging technology for Wirecutter. She previously worked as a writer, editor, and fact checker for several science magazines. Though she researches and tests chargers for a living, her phone battery is usually low.