I had questioned the need for a dashcam. However, I did end up getting one. Some months later, a drive cut across three lanes of traffic and hit me. I called his insurance company to file a claim and told them I had a video. I sent the video to his insurance company, and 30 minutes later, they called and told me they would cover repairs. That changed my opinion of dashcams. Now wonder is there a need for a rearview camera on the rear glass.

 

Very neat installation indeed. I have seen these advertised on Facebook. Am very tempted.

 

I have barely started using it yet, and so far so good. It seems to take forever to download video through the App, but I'm not sure how much I would use that. The main thing is to have video stored on the memory card in the event it captured something you need. Like, when our neighbor's house was broken into and my husband's dashcam (he was parked on the street) captured the license plate number of the burglar and that footage eventually led to her arrest! Not the typical use for a dashcam, but it certainly a bonus for my neighbor! Plus, it's just so much fun when a cop walks up to ask for your license and registration and says, "just to let you know this conversation is being recorded..." and you can reply, "oh, I know it is...because my dashcam is running, sir!" Not that I plan to get pulled over much. At least that's the plan.

I'll post a review of this unit after I've had some time with it. I do love how discreet the installation is. And how easy it was to plug in without splicing or needing to run a line to the fuse box. I could easily take it out if I take the car in for service (you know, in case they decide my leaky radiator or failed transmission is the result of "aftermarket modifications")!

 

The same Chinese company sells the 10.25" Touch screen center display. This Integrates the NTG functionality with a lot of other features. I bought this screen for my C63, which didn't have even a rearview cam. If you have the 10.25, buying the integrated housing dashcam brings up additional functionality. Videos from the dashcam can be viewed on the display. Maybe even some storage can happen in the storage or card slot of the display.
I never bought the dashcam, because went through the trouble to integrate a regular dashcam into the housing of the rain sensor, before I found out that this wheel had already been invented.
Now, I was gonna transfer that kit of dashcams from the C63 to the GLA45 and buy the integrated dashcam for the C63.
So maybe I'll buy this cam instead.

 

Which camera is it?

 

I wonder how it might look for track driving....

 

Very tempted too, 170* view, night capability, looping when data card is full, and looks totally stock. I'd like to see real driving video, but specs say the vid quality should be good.

 

I have seen so many near-misses when driving. Like, when a truck coming off the highway was slamming on his breaks at the end of the ramp, one of his wheels (full wheel, not just tire) came off and WAS ON FIRE as it rolled past within inches in front of my car! That's one that I wish I had on video to share on social media! But I don't like anything obstructing my view, have more than enough screens in my face, and I didn't want to have to remember to hide it sometimes. So, I looked into these dashcams that are built into a housing that replaces the housing between the rearview mirror and the rain sensor. The seller asked me to send them photos of my mirror before purchasing, confirmed the fit/color, and then I purchased and waited for the unit to arrive from China.

Installation was such a cake-walk I almost feel like I shouldn't be posting this as something "I did to my GLA". It was so simple, you just pop off the old housing, unplug something from a wiring harness (probably the power to the rain sensor? I didn't bother to figure that out), plug this thing in as a pass-through for power, and snap the new housing which contains the camera into place.

The camera records to a microSD card and connects to my phone via an app to view photos and change some settings. It seems to record good quality and I see that it sensed motion a few times in the night while the car was parked, recording little loops of video.

What I love is how stealthy this thing is. And how easy it was to give it power without running any wires anywhere. It looks OEM to me. No one will ever notice it. Here are before and after photos:

View attachment 27192 View attachment 27193 View attachment 27194 View attachment 27195
Good information Christine. Thank you. Just wondering how can you have the live realtime images ( if not in your mobile phone- I assume that is what you mean) while driving / parking. Appreciate your reply on this. Guess -Realtime live images are important than the recording.

 

This does look like a very smooth integration option for a dashcam. I too would like to see a video sample. Any chance you could post up a small clip? Even if it's boring and not much happening. Doesn't need to be a wheel on fire or anything, ha. Just daily traffic.

The only concern that came to mind for me is security. In my line of work we are drilled not to trust software or certain types of electronic products coming out of China. Surveillance cameras are a known item on this list, and were found in 1000's of secure government buildings, and countless businesses and homes. They have a backdoor in the firmware that allows the maker to see everything the camera sees, whenever they want, and even control it. Here's a quick example: https://www.tomshardware.com/news/huawei-security-backdoors-surveillance-cameras-firmware

I'm not a "conspiracy guy" like that, and I'm not suggesting these cameras would have that though. And I guess if you never link it to your phone there would be zero risk. It's just something we are educated on in my industry to reduce security risks. All that said, I'll probably get one if the video quality is good. Looks like a dang smooth option!

 

As the dashcam is not connected to the internet think it would not be monitored as it is offline.

 

I have seen so many near-misses when driving. Like, when a truck coming off the highway was slamming on his breaks at the end of the ramp, one of his wheels (full wheel, not just tire) came off and WAS ON FIRE as it rolled past within inches in front of my car! That's one that I wish I had on video to share on social media! But I don't like anything obstructing my view, have more than enough screens in my face, and I didn't want to have to remember to hide it sometimes. So, I looked into these dashcams that are built into a housing that replaces the housing between the rearview mirror and the rain sensor. The seller asked me to send them photos of my mirror before purchasing, confirmed the fit/color, and then I purchased and waited for the unit to arrive from China.

Installation was such a cake-walk I almost feel like I shouldn't be posting this as something "I did to my GLA". It was so simple, you just pop off the old housing, unplug something from a wiring harness (probably the power to the rain sensor? I didn't bother to figure that out), plug this thing in as a pass-through for power, and snap the new housing which contains the camera into place.

The camera records to a microSD card and connects to my phone via an app to view photos and change some settings. It seems to record good quality and I see that it sensed motion a few times in the night while the car was parked, recording little loops of video.

What I love is how stealthy this thing is. And how easy it was to give it power without running any wires anywhere. It looks OEM to me. No one will ever notice it. Here are before and after photos:

View attachment 27192 View attachment 27193 View attachment 27194 View attachment 27195

That is clean, nice find!

 

I thought I would post an update on this "dash" cam.

I've had this for roughly 15 months. I love the stealthiness of it. No one knows it's there. The Amazon reviews complain about having to connect to the camera via WiFi (because there's no screen) but I don't mind having to connect to the camera via wifi to retrieve video because not needing a screen is what makes it so tiny and discrete. Besides, I'm hoping never to need the video!

I did have a problem with it, however. Sometime in October or so, I realized that my phone wasn't picking up the WiFi SSID anymore. I thought maybe the camera wasn't working, so I pulled the SD Card and saw that it was still recording videos, so I didn't worry much and thought maybe it was something to do with my new phone.

However, sometime in November, someone blew a stop sign right in front of me and I had to swerve to avoid hitting them. So, I pulled the card to see the video (I admit it, I wanted to see if it was my neighbor or some other @$$#01e in a white GLE). I discovered that it is a PITA to view the view the videos from the card because, apparently the manufacturer uses some weird Codec. So, I decided it would be best to get the app working with the thing again. Troubleshooting some more, I couldn't pick up an SSID from it with any phone. I spent a few weeks going back and forth with the manufacturer's tech support in China (time differences made for some asynchronous communication, but they were always responsive, but their troubleshooting processes were sound). Finally, they determined that it was indeed hardware. I was because it was out of warranty. But, the company was so kind---they told me to ship it to them and they'd repair it. I did. They did. They had it back to me a few days after they received it. It's working great.

I'll try to remember to post some video samples soon.

 

I appreciate the update. I have this product on an amazon wishlist, has been there since you started the thread. I haven’t been able to bring myself to pull the trigger on it, but I tell myself every other month to just buy it. I like reading the feedback even months later.

 

I agree with Whiterabbit. It's on my list, but I keep delaying the purchase. It seems like a great stealthy integrated option. Thanks for the update!

 

I just ordered and installed the fitcamx myself on my 2017 GLA45. I would say it could not have been simpler, and I don’t want to imply that it was hard, but removing the little plate surrounding the mirror was a little more difficult than I anticipated. My GLA seemed to have one larger plate that I had to remove before I could slide off the main shroud (as opposed to the little plate that you see in their install tutorial), and in the process I snapped off one of the little retaining lugs (not from the shroud, just from the larger plate that surrounds the mirror stem and clips into the shroud).

Looking at the design I’m not really sure how I would have removed it without damage, but thankfully even with one of the lugs snapped the plate is holding the new dashcam shroud just fine, not loose. If it starts to be an issue I’m sure I can order just a replacement plate.

I realize this post is useless without photos to back up my vague description so I’ll try to provide some later, but anyone thinking about this should just be aware that it may or may not be as ”simple” as their youtube installation tutorial makes it out to be.

My 24 hour review is that it seems to be working as intended, I’m not really sure what else to say. I’ll pull some video off it today when I get a chance since I think we’re seeing people ask for it. I did have some weird problems with the phone disconnecting from the camera/SSID while trying to save settings so hopefully it’s not some indication of a bad unit, but honestly as long as it’s recording (checked that the blue light WAS flashing indicating recording, when I had a chance at stop lights) I’m fine even pulling out the card if I need footage. Will keep an eye on it though, and I’m really happy to hear the factory is responsive to issues.

 

Looking at the design I’m not really sure how I would have removed it without damage, but thankfully even with one of the lugs snapped the plate is holding the new dashcam shroud just fine, not loose. If it starts to be an issue I’m sure I can order just a replacement plate.

I hear you! I got this in my 2015 GLA without any damage, but with after having taken it in and out a bunch of times for troubleshooting back in November, I did break one of the retaining clips on the panel with the (now totally useless) SOS/Info/etc buttons. The panel is still on correctly but can wiggle on one side just a tiny bit. The buttons are useless now because that whole system communicated via 3G and Mercedes was like, "tough ****, you want a connected car, you should buy a new one every few years" when 3G went dark. So, maybe I will want to do something different with that panel one day anyway (rocket launcher? ejector seat trigger? TicTok jammer?) and replace the broken piece. Problem? No problem. Just an opportunity for a new feature!

Congrats on the installation. I hope you'll end up happy with it, especially if my review influenced you to buy it (🤞).

Glad to hear you'll be posting videos. I never got around to it. I have pulled a few and they look pretty good but didn't want to post them because, apparently, I sing in the car...a lot! (don't want to end up with a lifetime ban on the forum; that would make me😢)

 

I also broke one (or more) of the clips for the bezel around the SOS buttons when re-running a wire for my dash cam, but the larger rain sensor cover and the mounting bracket that's part of the windshield are undamaged. Call button panel is able to loosely clip back onto the larger cover but the clip that attaches it to the windshield is gone. The piece doesn't come out unless it's pulled on. my car is a 2020 so those buttons operate the Mercedes me call functions.

The bezel that holds the call buttons is a separate piece from the call buttons themselves and (surprisingly) is available through the parts department as a separate piece as well (no need to buy the whole assembly). It costs about $20CAD and is available through online retailers for less. This is one of the few reasonably priced pieces I've seen on a Mercedes. The one half of the two-piece trunk grab handle broke on my car and the parts dept says the whole lower panel must be ordered to get a replacement even though it has a separate part number. Same with the upper hatch panels, one of which was broken by the "professional" that installed the dash cam for me originally. I have to buy the pair even though I only need one side. Surprising that the whole button set doesn't need to be replaced.

I have the power tailgate so I don't need the handle (I JB Welded it and stuck it back) but I may have a local 3D printing company make a replacement. I may have the call button bezel 3D printed too if it can be made cheaply (<$10)

The electrical connector that goes to the SOS buttons is difficult to remove (I haven't been able to take it out), but the bezel seems really easy to remove once you get that assembly out (just a few tabs you have to pry using a trim tool or flathead screwdriver). I am not terribly bothered by it and may replace it if I sell the car or change dash cams.

3D printing is a great way to cheaply replace trim pieces (as @tto has done for the sunroof replacement parts) and supports local business and tradespeople.

 

Some sample videos. I make no promises you won't hear some weird signing or coughing. Glad I had the cam actually, encountered a Tesla driver who wasn't really going to wait for me to finish turning.

Just realized it's only recording 2K instead of 4K. Honestly? I'm probably going to leave it at 2K. Seems fine and will let me keep a few more files.

If they look blurry they're probably still processing. Check back in an hour or two.

Not sure if I read this here or in another thread or youtube review, but someone said the camera used some weird codec. My Mac read them just fine right off the SD card. macOS reports the codec as "MPEG-4 AAC, HEVC" so seems fine to me.

 

Thanks for posting! I have the same camera, and my videos look the same. I just assumed that was 4K, not 2K. Do you know how to switch to 4K?

 

bonjour les amis Mercedes, j'ai une GLA 250 2022 écran 10.25 pensez vous que cette camera peut être ajouter a mon Mercedes sans problème ?
si oui s'il vous plait envoyez moi un lien d'achat
MERCI

 

Welcome to the forum @hodhod. Please post in English.

[hello Mercedes friends, I have a GLA 250 2022 screen 10.25 do you think that this camera can be added to my Mercedes without problem?
if yes please send me purchase link
THANK YOU]

 

merci infiniment, mais a ton avis est ce qu'elle affecte les fonctions de détection des distances de poursuites

 

I won’t ask you again to please post only in English.

 

can we view the videos with this camera on the original screen in real time?

 

you mean the MBUX screen? No, it's not meant to do that. you can only view the video by removing the SD card or by downloading over WiFi

 

I am interested in this camera. DMP Car Design has a version, but although the housing is just as nice, the power feed is the classic having to snake a wire all the way down to the fusebox.
I have two questions:
Did anybody at this time manage to see videos directly off of the Micro SD card?
How does the rear camera installation look like?
Does that also have local power and then only the data cable has to be run?

 

I think the pass-thru power adapter the uses the power to the rain sensor is one of the beautiful things about this device, but having to run a line down to the fuse box isn't a deal breaker.

I only have the front camera, so I cannot comment on the rear camera setup. I have been thinking about pitting a separate camera (like a garmin mini) in the rear because I see no real advantage to having the two combined.

I was unable to view the complete videos directly from the card. I could see brief sections and i could see the filenames. It apparently required a codec that I don't have. I didn't try very hard to resolve that; I was happy just knowing that the files were there and can be viewed/downloaded via the app. However, if your phone cannot communicate with the camera (which is what happened to me last year) and you need the video, you'd have to figure out the codec thing. I bet the manufacturer can answer the question about how to view the files without the app. The company from whom I bought the unit was very good with support. I just had to wait 6 hours or so for answers because of time differences.

 

Well, let’s think about this for a second. The goal is to be able to provide footage to the insurance company.
so a software decoder must exist.
As far as hardwiring, I just don’t like having to sneak wires under the curtain airbags.
hopefully they have an elegant solution for the rear camera.

 

Well, let’s think about this for a second. The goal is to be able to provide footage to the insurance company.
so a software decoder must exist.
As far as hardwiring, I just don’t like having to sneak wires under the curtain airbags.
hopefully they have an elegant solution for the rear camera.

Nope, rear cam and fusebox hardwire cables are your typical dash cam-types; remove A, B and C-pillar covers, weather stripping, and rear hatch covers. 3-4 hour job when I did it last. @Christine_S's idea to get a standalone rear cam is a great option if you want to avoid all that, handy 12V plug in the trunk.

 

I know this is over a year old but just wanted to say thanks to everyone in the thread, I found it very helpful in deciding - I have ordered my FitcamX now and looking forward to installation

 

Hi Christine. Thanks. Can you share the details of the manufacturer please. I would love to try one for my GLA250

 

FitCamX. Find on Amazon or AliExpress.