Thanks for the info. Whats weird is the new Garmin has both the lens/sensor on the right (passenger) side along with the plug, yet the old Thinkware also has the lens/sensor on the right, however its power cord is on the left (driver) side. That’s why I couldn’t understand why Garmin couldn’t wire it the same way. Thanks for watching and commenting.
You can just use the 30 buck adaptor that has OEM plugs that use the power from your mirror if you have self dimming mirror and you don’t have to run any wires through the headliner
This is so much easier. Connect to the power of your rearview mirror starts up when you start the vehicle. Dongar Dashcam Power Adapter (16-pin Type A) for Ford Vehicles. Plug & Play Adapters.
I've witnessed accidents and it's easy to just remove the card and let the Police plug it into their Laptop and copy it, rather than waiting for your phone to read it, then play it. Besides, the speed you get on a computer is way faster than any phone or tablet!!! My only advice... make sure you carry some spare cards, in case the police want to keep it, then return it to you a few days later.
@@Roadrunnerz45 agreed but keep in mind this is their entry level dash cam and is priced as such. There are some brands that include gps at this price point but many are just cheap junk. In the Mini 3 they have switched the camera orientation from vertical to horizontal and added a polarizing issue. They have also resolved the overheating issue that many of the Mini 2’s were experiencing. The two Mini 2’s that we already have do get quite hot, but have never failed to work. Thanks for watching and commenting.
Enjoyed the video. I just picked this camera up today and agree about the app. It's worthless to view anything. I attempted to export a short 6 minute drive video to save to my phone but it was agonizingly slow and I gave up. I'll need to get an adapter for my computer and just view the videos that way off the SD card. I cannot see paying for their vault subscription. I wonder why Garmin provides 24 hours of free vault storage to some cameras but not this one?
Good video. Do you think it’s possible to swivel to the camera to face the driver during a traffic stop? You may not have enough slack on the power cable but I am wondering if the camera can be spun around without hitting the windshield.
@@shieldj7112 thanks. Great idea. I tried it this morning and while the camera will swivel around the full 360 (no issues with the cord), the problem is that the ball mount won’t allow the camera to swivel down when it’s facing you because of the angle of the windshield. As a result, it’s pointed up at the roof. Also in my case, it wouldn’t record me anyways because it’s behind my mirror and I can’t see it. Only good thing is it would still record the audio as long as you had your car running. Thanks for commenting and watching.
I mount mine using adhesive magnets so if I get pulled over, it can easily be pulled off the front and placed onto a second magnet I stuck to the back of my Rear View Mirror. That way, the body of the camera is hidden behind the mirror with just the lense hanging down and the cops don't even notice it! It's also easy to point it in other directions by repositioning the mirror!
Thank you for this video !- very helpful as I'm about to install one of these in my car. The app issue seems lousy. Is it common for dashcam apps to create a whole bunch of 1 minute videos instead of larger segments?
@@miketennis14 thanks. It’s actually the other way around. The dashcam creates one minute segments on the card. In the app it tries to jam them all together in one trip. I had a 3 hour drive that I was trying to open in the app and it took forever and was constantly buffering. When I put the card in my computer, I could easily open whatever one minute segment I wanted. It might make finding a particular scene a bit more tricky if you don’t know the exact time, but at least it’s watchable, unlike in the app. Thanks for watching and commenting.
@@EverydayATV Good video. So, I cannot watch the whole video from the SD card plugged into my laptop? It's just a whole bunch of 1-minute clips? How can I watch the whole video? Or do I have to watch the whole video from the app on my phone? @t 10:22: how are you playing the audio card?
@@prettygirlus9008 if you look at the files form the card on your computer, each video clip is 1 minute long. The file names are date and time coded. If you want to see the whole “trip” together as one, you will have to do that from the app. The reason the app hangs and is so slow is that it’s trying to put all the clips together for you. Stay tuned for a follow up video tomorrow on plugging your phone into the camera and reading the card directly…no computer needed. The music you hear in the dash cam recording at the 10:20 mark is the radio I have playing in my car as I was driving. I have audio recording turned on the camera so it records any audio it hears in the car. Thanks for watching and commenting.
@@Truthh4040 yes but the Garmin app is terrible and takes forever to try and view and download a clip on your phone. I did another video where you can plug your phone directly into the camera to view and grab the files as if the camera was an external drive.
Great video. I currently have the Mini 2. Do you know what the difference is between the Mini 2 and Mini 3? I was hoping the upgrade from Mini 2 to Mini 3 would be a resolution increase to 4k. The cable entry is on the best side for us with steering wheels on the right side of the car 🙂
@@knwatkins lol regarding the wheel on the right side. Yes I wish it was 4k also but then I’m sure the price would be higher. They are both 1080 with 140 degree view. The Mini 3 has the polarizing lens built in for less glare. The Mini 3 also has voice control and is just ever so slightly smaller than the Mini 2. Biggest thing I noticed is it does not get hot like our Mini 2’s do. Some Mini 2’s had overheating issues. Thanks for watching and commenting.
@@EverydayATV Over here in the UK, the Mini 3 is £150 and the Mini 2 is £100. I don't think I'll upgrade just yet. It's great they've integrated the polarizing lens into the camera itself. I think I paid an extra £20 for the lens on the Mini 2. I completely agree with you regarding the app - best to remove the SD card and watch on a laptop or desktop PC. Thanks for the great video!
Great video. Yes, the app is really horrible. I manage to connect my android phone with a cable to the camera (where you power it) and I can see the videos from my phone as it recognizes the camera as external drive. I can also copy the videos to my phone.... Not sure it is possible with all phones. Great little camera, really crapoy app.
@@joeladd6023 wow that’s really cool that the phone will recognize it as external storage. I will give it a shot with my iPhone 15 Pro Max. Thank you. Thanks for watching and commenting.
@@benjaminmiranda6655 it will take any size up to 512GB. No matter what size card you use, it’s not like you’re going to run out of space, as the camera continually records over the oldest videos. The only drawback with a smaller card is that you won’t have as much history to go back to should you need it. I believe I’m running a 64GB now and it always keeps at least a few hours worth of the latest drives.
Added a follow up video on an easier way to get the videos off your camera.
ua-cam.com/video/Kilez1-gX54/v-deo.htmlsi=7KWmE9HBcBnua8zb
Great video, thanks for taking the time to review it! **edit- you’re right, I got mixed up on sides
Thanks for the info. Whats weird is the new Garmin has both the lens/sensor on the right (passenger) side along with the plug, yet the old Thinkware also has the lens/sensor on the right, however its power cord is on the left (driver) side. That’s why I couldn’t understand why Garmin couldn’t wire it the same way.
Thanks for watching and commenting.
Thanks for the review. I’m looking to pick one up now.
You can just use the 30 buck adaptor that has OEM plugs that use the power from your mirror if you have self dimming mirror and you don’t have to run any wires through the headliner
This is so much easier. Connect to the power of your rearview mirror starts up when you start the vehicle. Dongar Dashcam Power Adapter (16-pin Type A) for Ford Vehicles. Plug & Play Adapters.
@@KTM22Ride very cool. Thanks for the suggestion.
Thanks for watching and commenting.
I've witnessed accidents and it's easy to just remove the card and let the Police plug it into their Laptop and copy it, rather than waiting for your phone to read it, then play it. Besides, the speed you get on a computer is way faster than any phone or tablet!!! My only advice... make sure you carry some spare cards, in case the police want to keep it, then return it to you a few days later.
@@MatthewFordVictoria couldn’t agree more. Thanks for the tip on the spare card. Great idea 👍
Thanks for watching and commenting.
really should have gps and speed on the display in 2024. what is the upgrade from the mini 2?
@@Roadrunnerz45 agreed but keep in mind this is their entry level dash cam and is priced as such. There are some brands that include gps at this price point but many are just cheap junk.
In the Mini 3 they have switched the camera orientation from vertical to horizontal and added a polarizing issue. They have also resolved the overheating issue that many of the Mini 2’s were experiencing. The two Mini 2’s that we already have do get quite hot, but have never failed to work.
Thanks for watching and commenting.
Enjoyed the video. I just picked this camera up today and agree about the app. It's worthless to view anything. I attempted to export a short 6 minute drive video to save to my phone but it was agonizingly slow and I gave up. I'll need to get an adapter for my computer and just view the videos that way off the SD card. I cannot see paying for their vault subscription. I wonder why Garmin provides 24 hours of free vault storage to some cameras but not this one?
Good video. Do you think it’s possible to swivel to the camera to face the driver during a traffic stop? You may not have enough slack on the power cable but I am wondering if the camera can be spun around without hitting the windshield.
@@shieldj7112 thanks. Great idea. I tried it this morning and while the camera will swivel around the full 360 (no issues with the cord), the problem is that the ball mount won’t allow the camera to swivel down when it’s facing you because of the angle of the windshield. As a result, it’s pointed up at the roof. Also in my case, it wouldn’t record me anyways because it’s behind my mirror and I can’t see it. Only good thing is it would still record the audio as long as you had your car running.
Thanks for commenting and watching.
I mount mine using adhesive magnets so if I get pulled over, it can easily be pulled off the front and placed onto a second magnet I stuck to the back of my Rear View Mirror. That way, the body of the camera is hidden behind the mirror with just the lense hanging down and the cops don't even notice it! It's also easy to point it in other directions by repositioning the mirror!
That's because they moved from the USB Micro on the 2 to the USB-C on the 3.
Thank you for this video !- very helpful as I'm about to install one of these in my car. The app issue seems lousy. Is it common for dashcam apps to create a whole bunch of 1 minute videos instead of larger segments?
@@miketennis14 thanks. It’s actually the other way around. The dashcam creates one minute segments on the card. In the app it tries to jam them all together in one trip. I had a 3 hour drive that I was trying to open in the app and it took forever and was constantly buffering. When I put the card in my computer, I could easily open whatever one minute segment I wanted. It might make finding a particular scene a bit more tricky if you don’t know the exact time, but at least it’s watchable, unlike in the app.
Thanks for watching and commenting.
@@EverydayATV Good video. So, I cannot watch the whole video from the SD card plugged into my laptop? It's just a whole bunch of 1-minute clips? How can I watch the whole video? Or do I have to watch the whole video from the app on my phone? @t 10:22: how are you playing the audio card?
@@prettygirlus9008 if you look at the files form the card on your computer, each video clip is 1 minute long. The file names are date and time coded. If you want to see the whole “trip” together as one, you will have to do that from the app. The reason the app hangs and is so slow is that it’s trying to put all the clips together for you. Stay tuned for a follow up video tomorrow on plugging your phone into the camera and reading the card directly…no computer needed.
The music you hear in the dash cam recording at the 10:20 mark is the radio I have playing in my car as I was driving. I have audio recording turned on the camera so it records any audio it hears in the car.
Thanks for watching and commenting.
Does this dash cam record your speed?
@@joe522 unfortunately not, as this entry unit does not have gps built in.
Thanks for watching and commenting.
can we view / transfer data via gamin drive app ? via Bluetooth ?
@@Truthh4040 yes but the Garmin app is terrible and takes forever to try and view and download a clip on your phone. I did another video where you can plug your phone directly into the camera to view and grab the files as if the camera was an external drive.
Great video. I currently have the Mini 2. Do you know what the difference is between the Mini 2 and Mini 3? I was hoping the upgrade from Mini 2 to Mini 3 would be a resolution increase to 4k. The cable entry is on the best side for us with steering wheels on the right side of the car 🙂
@@knwatkins lol regarding the wheel on the right side. Yes I wish it was 4k also but then I’m sure the price would be higher. They are both 1080 with 140 degree view. The Mini 3 has the polarizing lens built in for less glare. The Mini 3 also has voice control and is just ever so slightly smaller than the Mini 2. Biggest thing I noticed is it does not get hot like our Mini 2’s do. Some Mini 2’s had overheating issues.
Thanks for watching and commenting.
@@EverydayATV Over here in the UK, the Mini 3 is £150 and the Mini 2 is £100. I don't think I'll upgrade just yet. It's great they've integrated the polarizing lens into the camera itself. I think I paid an extra £20 for the lens on the Mini 2. I completely agree with you regarding the app - best to remove the SD card and watch on a laptop or desktop PC. Thanks for the great video!
Great video. Yes, the app is really horrible. I manage to connect my android phone with a cable to the camera (where you power it) and I can see the videos from my phone as it recognizes the camera as external drive. I can also copy the videos to my phone.... Not sure it is possible with all phones.
Great little camera, really crapoy app.
@@joeladd6023 wow that’s really cool that the phone will recognize it as external storage. I will give it a shot with my iPhone 15 Pro Max. Thank you.
Thanks for watching and commenting.
Thanks again for the great tip. I made a follow up video on it and yes it does also work for Apple phones. Thank you 👍
I wonder how big of a SD Card I'm supposed to buy for this same device, 128-256GB?
@@benjaminmiranda6655 it will take any size up to 512GB. No matter what size card you use, it’s not like you’re going to run out of space, as the camera continually records over the oldest videos. The only drawback with a smaller card is that you won’t have as much history to go back to should you need it. I believe I’m running a 64GB now and it always keeps at least a few hours worth of the latest drives.