What is a Car Spy Camera?

A car spy camera is a type of video recorder that can be easily concealed within a car and used to capture video and sometimes audio. This sort of camera is usually mounted within a car and pointed either toward the interior of the car itself or outward to record what happens around the car. Interior cameras are usually used to monitor the activities of the driver or passengers in a vehicle. A car spy camera that is aimed outward, however, is often used to capture images of other vehicles and traffic.

Sometimes called a dashboard camera, a car spy camera can be concealed within a car or simply mounted on the dashboard to remain unseen by casual observation from outside the car. These cameras often have internal storage for recorded video and audio, usually a digital video recorder (DVR), though they can potentially feed to a monitor within the car as well. Cameras with internal storage can usually connect to a computer, often through a universal serial bus (USB) port, to download captured images and audio to the computer. This allows a car spy camera to capture several hours of video and audio, and store that data for later access.

A car spy camera aimed toward the inside of the vehicle is usually used to record the actions of those within the vehicle. This can be used by a parent to ensure that a young driver is being responsible, or to ensure that passengers are observing safe practices while in the car. These cameras can also be used by law enforcement and similar types of investigators to capture audio and video while the agent is undercover. A car spy camera of this type is usually concealed within the rear view mirror.

When a car spy camera is pointed out from the car, it is usually aimed toward the front of the car to capture video of what occurs outside of the vehicle. This can be used by law enforcement officers to monitor and record the actions of both law enforcement and private citizens during traffic stops or vehicular pursuits. A car spy camera can also be mounted backward to record behind a vehicle, which can be used in case of an accident, or fed to a monitor within the vehicle to help with seeing what is behind the car while moving backward.