4G WIF GPS MDVR CCTV CAMERA System for Vehicle Fleet Management
MDVRs, or Mobile Digital Video Recorders, are seeing a significant growth in adoption in recent years. This can be attributed primarily to the ever-economical cost of hardware, improvements in technology, and reduction of connectivity costs. Fleet managers around the globe are finding MDVRs to be an integral part of managing a well-oiled fleet.
In this article, we will demystify MDVRs to guide you in making a sound decision when procuring MDVRs for your fleet.
What is MDVR? How does it differ from Dashcams (Dashboard camera)?
When coupled with Kysail Lintech Integrated Fleet Management platform, an MDVR system can be immensely useful to decrease risk & operational cost, improve fleet & driver safety, and increase profitability of a fleet operator. The Kysail Lintech Integrated Fleet Management platform provides a number of features that can be used to manage and analyze the data from an MDVR system.
1. Primary users of MDVR and Dashcams
Dashcams are typically designed for use in passenger cars and are not as rugged or durable as MDVRs. They also typically have a smaller storage capacity and do not have the same level of connectivity features as MDVRs.
MDVRs are designed for use in commercial vehicles, where they can withstand the harsh conditions and provide the features that fleet managers need. They are often used in fleets of public transportation vehicles, such as shuttle buses, school buses, and coaches. They are also used in fleets of commercial vehicles, such as logistic fleets, freight vehicles, cold chain, bonded trucks, and taxis.
Public services such as police, fire brigades, ambulances, and school buses are increasingly using MDVRs to reduce fraud in accidents. MDVRs record video footage from inside and outside of vehicles, providing indisputable evidence of who was at fault in an accident. This can help to protect drivers, fleet operators, and insurance companies from financial losses.
A Kysail MDVR customer was recently involved in an accident with a passenger car. The passenger car forced its way in front of the truck, causing the truck to hit the car and damage its body panel. The Kysail MDVR customer was able to use the video footage from their MDVR to prove that they were not at fault for the accident. This helped them to avoid being held liable for the damages to the car.
Screenshots of traffic accident between a truck equipped with Kysail MDVR and passenger car.
There are many reasons why MDVR is the perfect choice for fleet operators. I would suggest you to continue reading to know more.
2. Number of recording cameras on MDVR and Dashcams
A standard off-the-shelf dashcam can record video from up to two cameras: one facing forward and one facing backward. More expensive dashcams can record video from three cameras: one facing forward, one facing backward, and one facing inside the cabin.
MDVRs, on the other hand, can typically record video from at least three or four cameras simultaneously. Some high-end MDVRs can even record video from up to 16 cameras! This allows for a variety of recording configurations, such as recording video from the front, rear, and driver-facing cameras simultaneously, or recording video from multiple cameras around a trailer or cargo door.
The number of cameras that an MDVR can support depends on the model and the hardware specifications. MDVRs with more cameras are typically more expensive, but they can provide a more comprehensive view of the surrounding environment. This can be helpful for improving safety and security, especially in commercial vehicles.
While a passenger vehicle may need 2-3 cameras at the most, a large truck hauling cargo will likely require up to 8 cameras to ensure complete video coverage of the surrounding. This is because a large truck has a larger blind spot than a passenger vehicle, and it is important to have video footage from all sides of the vehicle.
Kysail MDVR system supports up to 8 Channel cameras at 1080P resolution (1x) and 720P resolution (7x).
3. Quality & Properties of recording cameras on MDVR and Dashcams:
Dashcams are typically installed within the vehicle cabin, which means they are protected from the elements. However, extended cameras that are attached to dashcams are not designed to be IP69/IP69K waterproof or weatherproof. This is because they are not expected to be exposed to the elements.
The IP69/IP69K rating is an international standard that specifies the degree of protection that a device has against water and dust. The IP69 rating means that the device is protected against high-pressure water jets, and the IP69K rating means that the device is protected against high-pressure steam jets.
Extended cameras that are attached to dashcams are not designed to be exposed to these types of conditions. They are typically only expected to operate within the passenger car cabin, where they are protected from the elements.
Kysail vehicle video recorder cameras almost IP69K-rated. Cameras installed on external surfaces have added enclosure for protection against hit and bumps.
4. Storage size, Storage type and Video Compression supported on MDVR and Dashcams:
A major difference between dashcams and MDVRs is the size and type of memory/storage they support.
Dashcams typically use SD cards as their only storage medium. Most consumer dashcams support up to 64GB of SD storage, while prosumer models may support up to 128/256GB. This is sufficient for most personal vehicles, as they are not typically driven for long periods of time.
MDVRs, on the other hand, often come with several options for storage, including SD cards, HDDs (hard disk drives), and SSDs (solid state drives). It is not uncommon to find MDVR models that support both or more types of storage as a matter of redundancy or storage extension. As for the size of storage supported, MDVRs typically support up to 2TB even 4TB of storage, which is up to 32x more storage than a dashcam.
This is because MDVRs are typically used in commercial vehicles, which are often driven for longer periods of time and may need to record video from multiple cameras. The larger storage capacity of MDVRs allows them to record more video footage for longer periods of time.
Here is a table that summarizes the key differences in storage between dashcams and MDVRs:
The duration of video recording varies depending on the compression format used by the video recorder. An efficient compression format, such as H.264 or H.265, makes for a smaller file size. However, such compression is typically only found on mid-to-high range dashcams and MDVRs.
Generally, you can refer to the following list for the estimated duration of recording that can be captured on popular storage sizes::
16GB = 4.6 hours of recording at 8Mbps bitrate
32GB = 9.1 hours of recording
64GB = 18.2 hours of recording
128GB = 36.4 hours of recording
256GB = 72.8 hours of recording
512GB = 145.6 hours of recording
1024GB / 1TB = 291.2 hours of recording
2048 / 2TB = 582.4 hours of recording
Note: Both Dashcams and MDVRs implement cyclic recording whereby upon exhaustion of storage, old videos will be overwritten with new videos.
5. Temper-proof construction
Professional MDVRs often feature extended storage security by securing the storage compartments against intrusion. This is a feature that is seldom found on consumer dashcams, but it is especially important for commercial vehicles.
The storage compartments of professional MDVRs are typically protected by a combination of physical and electronic security measures. Physical security measures may include a lockable door or a tamper-evident seal. Electronic security measures may include a password or a fingerprint reader.
These security measures help to prevent unauthorized access to the storage compartments and the video footage that they contain. This is important to prevent tampering or deletion of precious evidence videos.
6. Advanced video recording feature – Real-time video streaming to the cloud
What’s exciting about MDVR is its ability to be upgraded with new features, or extended with new connected sensors and hardware. With dashcams, what you see is what you get.
A popular upgrade for MDVRs is real-time video streaming to the cloud. This allows fleet managers to view recording as it happens from their phones, tablets, or personal computers. To enable this feature, the MDVR will be equipped with a 3G/4G/5G SIM card to establish internet connectivity.
In the Fleet Management platform, MDVR is well integrated to allow you to stream up to 4 cameras at a time.
7. Advanced safety feature – Driver Monitoring System (DMS)
With the advent of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in the form of edge computing, a new safety concept began to take place in the past 5 years called driver monitoring system (DMS).
A DMS relies on an in-cabin, driver-facing camera to actively gauge the safety index of a driver. This index is derived from the driver’s facial expression and overall behavior behind the wheels. A capable DMS is able to distinguish the following behaviors:
- Lack of driving attentiveness: Driver eyes are not focused on the road
- Use of smartphones while driving: Phone usage, including calling and messaging
- Smoking while driving
- Not wearing seatbelts
- Sleepy: Driver is yawning or eyes closed
- Drinking
- Single hand use of the wheel
What used to be an expensive system due to the computing power needed to actively score the driver has now become cheap enough to be embedded within MDVRs.
8. Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS), and BSD cameras
Thanks to AI and ML, advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) have become increasingly popular in recent years. ADAS are often available in the form of a camera module that is mounted onto the vehicle’s front windshield. The camera actively monitors vehicle approaches (frontal) and will beep when it detects potential collisions (based on rate of speed to the vehicle in front).
ADAS are fast becoming an economical solution for collision prevention and mitigation. More advanced ADAS solutions go beyond monitoring frontal collision. They are also capable of detecting lane departures (with or without signal stalk integration), traffic signs such as stop/slow down, speed limit adherence, pedestrians, lane markings and others.
ADAS are a valuable tool for improving traffic safety. They can help to prevent accidents by alerting drivers to potential hazards and by taking corrective action in some cases. As AI and ML technologies continue to develop, ADAS will become even more sophisticated and effective.
Combination of Driver Monitoring System (DMS), Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) and Mobile Digital Video Recording (MDVR) is the most robust way to ensure fleet & driver safety in recent times.
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