Let’s say that you’ve reviewed footage and the perpetrator has only been staying on the side of your car – not seen in the front, nor rear footage of your cam. While this doesn’t happen often (and dual-channel cameras can mostly cover a portion of the sides), if you need indisputable proof for your insurance company or law of court to justify whoever keyed your car, you may want to use a system that records the entire event itself. For this, you'd need a three or four-channel system; be warned, this is where things become a little more tricky.
A three-channel option would be the most straightforward. Its third interior camera, with the correct arrangement, may capture out of both rear windows, although it will most likely only be a glimpse and not full coverage. Alternatively, there are IR dash cams where you can adjust the interior camera to record one of your vehicle's sides, if there’s a specific side you’d want to focus on.
A recommended solution for this is the VIOFO T130. Like the VIOFO A139 Pro, it’s also a three-channel setup with an IR interior camera, which is also equipped with a 2MP Sony STARVIS image sensor and comes with infrared LED lights, allowing the camera to record cabin activity even in complete darkness. The inconspicuous infrared LEDs automatically activate based on the ambient light. Moreover, the T130’s standard interior camera is connected to the front unit, which can be rotated 90 degrees out the driver’s window, making the setup more versatile.
Still, for a full 360-degree coverage, we’ll be looking at a 4-channel solution. A 4-channel setup is rather complicated, and will involve either 2 setups of 2-channel cameras, with the main units in the front/back, and the rear cameras on the sides, or a Thinkware Multiplexer with the F200 Pro. The Thinkware Multiplexer is a unique option which can do 5+ channels, including exterior cameras, however, it can be very challenging to wire, and will not supply you with the advanced features such as the Cloud, which we will discuss in another scenario.