My Reliable Insta360 X3 Car Setup for 360° Street View

On September 10, 2025, somewhat on a spontaneous whim, I treated myself to a used Insta360 X3 along with a comprehensive set of accessories via a second-hand platform – and I got it at a really good price. It wasn’t until December 2025 that I finally found the time to dive more deeply into this fascinating camera.

Previous Experience with GoPro Hero 8 – and why it disappointed

Before that, I had already gained some experience creating Street View material for Mapillary with my GoPro Hero 8. Unfortunately, that experience was quite sobering. While the Hero 8 delivers excellent image quality, reliably recording the GPX track required for Mapillary was a real problem. Even driving under a simple bridge or through a short tunnel was often enough to completely interrupt the GPS recording.

The Insta360 X3 and its GPS challenges

The Insta360 X3 cannot record its own GPX track natively. The manufacturer refers users to the smartphone app for this. However, I had already read online that this workflow is problematic: the app must remain active for the entire recording session and the phone screen stays on – this drains the battery enormously and is far from practical.

My first test drives confirmed these warnings: the GPX tracks generated by the app sometimes deviated significantly from the actual route – by several meters at times, sometimes with erratic jumps, making them unusable for Mapillary or Google Street View.

The solution: Insta360 GPS Action Remote

That’s why, on January 2, 2025, I purchased the official Insta360 GPS Action Remote. This small remote control can be mounted on the handlebar or helmet and transmits reliable GPS data directly to the X3 via Bluetooth. The camera then writes these data precisely time-synchronized into the video files.

However, to turn the raw files into a finished 360° video with an accurate GPX track, you need the Insta360 Studio software on a powerful desktop PC or laptop. A smartphone definitely won’t suffice for this step.

Finding the perfect mounting position in the car

When doing Street View drives by car, the question arises where to best place the GPS Action Remote. Simply letting it lie loosely on the dashboard is not a good idea – even the slightest curve or braking causes it to slide around. Many people therefore attach it to the windshield with a suction cup. While this works, it has two major drawbacks:

In summer the remote gets extremely hot in direct sunlight
It’s difficult to reach from the driver’s seat

After quite a bit of experimenting, I found a solution that I’m very happy with – and which has proven itself excellently over several thousand kilometers.

My current favorite mounting method (A-pillar + Selfie Stick)

It is based on a second (short) selfie stick. To the left of the driver’s seat, almost every car has an A-pillar side window vent plus the door rubber seal. I clamp a small loop (e.g. a piece of paracord or a strong rubber band) into the door rubber and hang the grip of the selfie stick through it.

I then extend the stick far enough so that its thin end rests exactly behind my centrally placed smartphone holder (which is already mounted above the central vent). This creates a stable “arch” along the A-pillar.

The GPS remote itself is mounted directly on the grip of the selfie stick using the original short Insta360 armband.

A thin USB-C cable, which I routed under the A-pillar trim all the way to the cigarette lighter/USB port, permanently powers the remote. Battery level is therefore no longer an issue – neither in winter nor on hours-long summer tours.

Biggest advantages of this position

All buttons on the remote are comfortably and safely reachable with one hand from the driver’s seat – and nothing wobbles when pressing them.
The airflow from the left side vent actively cools the remote on hot days.
The Bluetooth connection to the roof-mounted X3 is rock-solid.
GPS reception is excellent (comparable to or better than on the dashboard).

Conclusion: A simple, almost free mounting solution (if you already have a spare selfie stick lying around) that simply works perfectly in practice.

Bonus: Lightning-fast switch to walking / pedestrian mode

An additional, unexpectedly practical benefit of this mount: when you arrive at an interesting location and want to capture Street View footage on foot, the whole setup can be converted in seconds.

Just pull the selfie stick – with the already connected and powered-on GPS remote – out of its holder, unscrew the Insta360 X3 from the car roof and mount it on the top of the stick – done.

No searching for the remote, no separate powering on or pairing, no battery check. In under a minute, the car setup turns into the perfect pedestrian configuration.

This saves an enormous amount of time and frustration on longer trips – especially when you spontaneously stop because a beautiful village, viewpoint, or old town alley catches your eye.

Have you found an even better / more elegant mounting solution? Feel free to share it in the comments!