Dash Cam Hard Wiring Alternative
 

Hey everyone! So I've been running a dash cam in my cars for a little bit over a year now and I've been using the 12v outlet in the glovebox to run power to my A118 Dashcam but then as I was reviewing the footage for the camera I figured it was time for an upgrade because of poor night time performance.

As I was looking for new alternatives I came across this: [ame="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00SKVGE5G?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailp age_o02_s00"]Amazon.com: iDoood OBD Car Charger 16pin with Switch Micro USB 24h Charging High Quality(3.5 Meters): Automotive[/ame]

This is an OBD II Car Charger with a mini-USB (Even though the description lists it as Micro-USB) plug on the end. As you may know the power to our 12v outlets is cut off once the ignition or vehicle is turned off but I needed a solution to keep running power to my Dash Cam so that I can keep motion detection on. Some cameras even have parking mode where they wake if they detect g-sensor shocks or if there is movement in front of your camera. These features are great but only if you continue to have power to your dashcam.

The only method that I was aware of until now was to "Hardwire" some power from the fuse box into the dash cam. The downside of this is that if you leave your vehicle sitting for long periods of time then you could possibly drain your battery and leave you stranded until you could get a jump. So there were some kits created with a Low Voltage Protection feature which would cut power to the dashcam once the battery reached a certain level. All of these were fine and good but I always felt like they were too invasive and if I wanted to reverse the splicing and dicing that I did in order to remove the camera permanently then I'd have to tape up the wires that I had to tap. There was just too many headaches associated with the current hardwire kits that I didn't want to go that route.

So when I came across this cable on Amazon I thought I'd try it out. After a week of using it, it seems to work perfectly for my application! It plugs right into your OBD II port which has continuous power all the time regardless of if the vehicle is turned on or not. It even has a built in "Low Voltage Protection" mode in which it turns off when your battery reaches a certain power threshold. The cable is plenty long and I was able to route it from underneath the dash from the OBD II port around the windshield to my dash cam with plenty of slack left.

Just wanted to let you guys know about this type of product because I wasn't aware of any alternatives to giving your DashCam power without a "Hard Wire Kit." Hopefully this solves some of you guys issues as it did with mine!

Pros:
- Plug and Play solution
- Long and durable cable
- Retain a clean fusebox
- Prevents draining of battery

Cons:
- Has a power switch that doesn't really do anything. In both positions it always supplies power.
- USB Mini plug is kind of fat and won't allow me to plug it into my Dash Cam while it's mounted. Must unmount, plug in, then remount.

Just FYI my dashcam setup:
- Street Guardian SG9665GC (Fantastic Low Light Capabilities.)
- iDoood OBD II Car Charger w/ Mini-USB connector
- Samsung EVO 128 GB Class 10 MicroSD Memory Card (Allows recording of 1080p/30 up to ~17 hours.)

TL;DR - There's a cable you can buy that runs from your OBD II port to your camera to provide continuous power with Low Voltage Protection. Did not know, now I do.

My solution is just to get a quality dashcam that has a built-in battery.

-alex

Any suggestions on a quality DashCam with a built in battery?

The general consensus on DashCam's with batteries is that batteries typically can't handle the extreme temperature differences well and can cause them to fail quickly. When the battery fails then the DashCams no longer work. Capacitor based dashcams are more hearty and won't leak like Li-Ion batteries can when/if they fail. In my own personal experience I haven't had any issues with a battery based dashcam but it only records for a few mins (~5mins max) and I really wanted the cam to continue to run for as long as possible even after the car has been turned off.

Mav is right, get a LUKAS LP UPS or Cellink UPS to power the dashcam regardless of whether or not it has a capacitor or battery. The capacitor or built in battery only really help when the car is parked for a short period of time and to help run while in extreme temps (capacitor). I have a rexing V1 which has a capacitor with the wiring for the dashcam as well as my escort passport 8500ix radar detector running through the headliner across and into the glovebox, connecting to one of these the usb 2.4 amp socket is for the dashcam and the cigarette lighter socket is for the valentine one:
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MJ27L90?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_ detailpage"]Amazon.com: Cable Matters 17W 3.4A Car Charger with Lighter Socket and Dual USB Charging Ports: Cell Phones & Accessories[/ame]

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/LUKAS-LK-530-12V-Battery-Potable-Blackbox/dp/B00CHYKOD0/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&qid=1452025207&sr=8-16&keywords=lukas+dash+cam"]Amazon.com : LUKAS LK-530-12V Dash Cam Smart Power Supply Battery Pack (All in one Potable UPS) For Car Blackbox : In Dash Vehicle Gps Units : GPS & Navigation[/ame]

That connects to my UPS which in turn connects to the socket in the glovebox and can power them both for 12-14 hours when the car isn't running and is parked somewhere also it charges super quick. Much better solution than drawing power from OBD2

I do not have any suggestions as I don't have the need for one. However, your post points out the problem with any constant-powered plug-in device: battery failure.

I'd rather have my dashcam battery fail than my car battery fail because of excessive draw, cold, or both.

-alex

I use [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Blackvue-Power-Magic-Pro-Prevention/dp/B008B8ERIO/"]this[/ame] in my other car and it works well. I can switch it off when I don't need it and it powers itself down if the battery starts getting low. Never had a problem with it and there was no splicing, I just used tap-a-fuses into the fuse box.

I'm getting this [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Street-Guardian-SG9665GC-Supercapacitor-DashCam/dp/B00U0OJMYG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1452026700&sr=8-1&keywords=street+guardian+sg9665gc"]Amazon.com : Street Guardian SG9665GC Supercapacitor Sony Exmor IMX322 WDR CMOS Sensor DashCam 1080P 30FPS + 32GB microSD card + USB/OTG Android Card Reader + GPS (Best Of - DashCamTalk) : Electronics[/ame] Waiting for it to come in the mail. I need capacitor cause I live in a Hot state and Battery would not last as long.

Best bang for buck, and compact. Better quality video in day and night. A bit pricey but well worth it. The Hardwire kit [ame="http://www.amazon.com/CELL-POWER-CPUSB01-Discharge-Prevention/dp/B00VLAEPJ0/ref=pd_bxgy_422_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=1FGT02B41T5A399HP PV5"]Amazon.com : CELL POWER CPUSB01 12V to 5V MiniUSB Power Adapter with BDP (Battery Discharge Prevention) Low Voltage Cut-Off for Street Guardian SG9665GC (and other mini-USB powered) DashCam products : Electronics[/ame] Contact Pier28 on Dashcamtalk for more info since he is authorized to sell it.

Love my blackvue and all it's features. I got the 720p version, front and rear, slim and discreet, records audio, has parking mode, and can connect via wifi to my phone for live footage for only $200. A black magic pro runs about $25 and it connects to a running power source to enable parking mode. I wired mine so that it didn't require any splicing and is 100% reversible. Don't fall for dashcams with screens..why would you ever need a screen after you set your view. Screens just make the camera bigger/bulkier. Wifi/bluetooth is the future. Plus, in any accident, I can immediately pull the footage via my phone to show any law enforcement instead of having them crawl into the wreckage.

Fair warning though, the higher end blackvue, 1080p front and rear runs about $400. Worth it IMO, especially since I live in the heart of asian driver territory. FTR I'm asian.

You get what you pay for: http://www.blackvue.com/products/

They seem to be utilizing cloud storage now so that's a plus. Never lose anything important again.

Huh...never thought about the OBD as a car charger...! Guess I should take off my bluetooth connector since I always left it plugged in for the torque app.

I just got the Cellink B external battery pack just a few days ago and I'm testing it at the moment but it works perfectly with my blackvue 550 (2 channel) It has a 6000ma lithium-ion phosphate battery so it drains that first before it uses the juice from the car battery if you decide to hardwire it. Or you can plug it to the 12v plug so it'll power the dashcam while the car is off but if you drive your car, it'll recharge the battery but the dashcam would still be running while you're driving. Alternatively, if you have a DC to 12v adaptor, you can fully charge it at home before you connect it to your car in the morning to work or a roadtrip. It's a bit pricey but it's a good solution if you're hesitant about hardwiring the dashcam directly to the car battery.

I saw this powerbank battery constantly while I was watching a hockey game yesterday. It has double the power and you can boost your car battery if it dies! It also has multiple connectors so I believe it'll work with a dashcam along with smartphones, ipods, et. I think it's sold under multiple brands so it's a generic battery product out of china.

You haven't seen crazy asian drivers til you drive here in Vancouver Canada :burnrubber: Seriously, there's youtube channels and a facebook page dedicated to it.

FTR I'm asian too.

Yeah, I have the DR650GW-2CH in my S4, they're constantly on MassDrop for $300 or so (where I got mine from) if you don't mind the wait for shipping. Sadly, mine's too old to support cloud storage which kind of sucks because the Audi has its own 3G hotspot. The software for the BlackVue is so nice too, just hit the calendar and time for the event rather than searching through hundreds of files.

That camera looks just like the one I run in my FRS, probably just different innards: [ame="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KZ0GKVS"]Amazon.com : Spy Tec A118 Full 1080P HD Video Car Dashboard Camera - Novatek NT96650 Chipset + Aptina AR0330 Lens | Stealth Dashboard Covert Mini Cam | 170° Super Wide Angle 6G Lens | B40 G-Sensor Night Vision Motion Detection : Electronics[/ame]. Only problem I've had with it is that I only drive the car a few times a week so the date & time are always wrong, not a big deal at all. Doesn't look out of place on the windshield either, it's almost stealthy.

Yeah, there's plenty of this dash cam format floating around the Market and the SG is the best one so far.

It includes the GPS sensor also, so it automatically update the date and time for ya. Also the internals and lens are different also. Still a great dash cam format tho!

Similar housing but better chipset and lens.

Keep in mind running your cam 24/7 isn't a true Parking mode imo, if you were to sniff thru hours of parked car footage just to find that one moment, that car hit you. It's a huge hassle. But if it works for you. Also, it is also a lot of wear on both sd card and cam to run full recording mode.

I have the Panorama X2 with built-in Battery drain prevention. Never had an issue with car battery, I set my power cut-off 12.1V if I recall correctly, just add-a-fuse to the fusebox and 15min install. Front and Rear cam works independently, and it buffers frames during parking mode, when a motion is detected, it will save 5 sec before and 15 sec after motion is gone. So far it's working fine for me.

sub'd also interested in this

I've always been interested in the Cellink B battery but never really looked into it other than some youtube videos and stuff. The price really turned me off on it and all the extra wires you have to run makes my head hurt. It's not that I'm too dumb, I'm just too lazy.

I do keep a powerbank in my cars especially in the winter because there's always a ton of people at my workplace who have crap batteries that die during the cold season. It's the Anker Powercore Jump Starter 600.

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B010N8YM2U?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailp age_o06_s00"]Amazon.com: Anker PowerCore Jump Starter 600 (High 600A Peak Current Car Battery Jump Starter and 15000mAh Portable Charger with Built-in Flashlight and Safety Protection) Perfect for 5L Gas and 3L Diesel Engines: Automotive[/ame]

I haven't really used it yet other than charging it and throwing it under the passenger seat. Hopefully I'll never really have to use it but now since my DashCam is being powered by the OBD II port it frees up the center 12v outlet so I can run a charger from that to the battery to always top it off while I'm driving. It's probably a terrible habit that would probably kill the battery but hopefully I'll be able to use it during long trips to charge phones/tablets. I was considering using it to power the dashcam but I wasn't able to find a suitably long enough USB cord to run from underneath the passenger seat to the top of the windshield. Maybe I'll try to come up with something in the future. It's 15,000 mAh so it'll probably run the Dashcam when the car is off for a pretty long period of time.

The extra wiring is only if you want to hardwire into the fusebox. I didn't bother because I got lazy so I just plug the cellink into the 12v in the glovebox and dashcam into the cellink. The only issue I have with it so far is there's no indicator somewhere showing how much juice is left on the battery pack.

this is going overboard, regular dash wired to cigarette lighter works fine

Depends on how ghetto the area you drive in.

How'd you wire it without splicing?

Lol I'm gonna get a lot of shit for this...

I literally just stripped the ends of the wires, removed the fuse I wanted to connect them to, shoved wires/fuse back in. Been running fine ever since. Over a year now.

Do you leave your Lukas battery switched on all the time? Or do you only turn it on when you're charging?

Which fuse did you end up using? Sounds like something I would consider doing rather completely splicing things

The lukas battery is on all the time, and plugged into the glovebox cigarrette lighter socket, in a short 15-20 minute drive it charges enough to leave the dashcam running for quiet a noticeable amount of time maybe 2-3 hours if it was dead from sitting from not driving for a couple days.