dash cam installation - paranoid

[rainmonkey]

Hello,

I'm going to be picking up my brz on thursday (beyond excited), and i'm wondering about getting a dash cam, particularly the BlackVue DR400 Season 2.

It looks like a great device but I've been reading a lot about the installation (hard wiring or not) and it just seems a little daunting to me. I've never done any sort of electrical work, much less on a car.

For those of you that own a BlackVue, is there a way to use it without having to hard wire it into your car's electrical system while still being able to use the park feature?

Do I also need to get a power magic pro to monitor the voltage so I don't kill my battery while i leave it running?

Otherwise, do you think I can take it to a shop and they can do it for me?


Thanks, and I apologize if this has been asked before.

Regards,
rainmonkey

[Books]

I don't have one, but I'm using a cheap I found on Amazon ([ame="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0053DDNW6/"]Amazon.com: 2.5-inch HD Car LED IR Vehicle DVR Road Dash Video Camera Recorder Traffic Dashboard Camcorder - LCD 270 degrees whirl: Car Electronics[/ame]). I think both come with a 12v car charger plug and I just plugged mine into the hidden plug inside the glove box.

I don't have any pics right now (at work) but I just stuffed it into the head liner along the top of the windshield to the right and around the A pillar (Is that the right name?) and then inside the rubber lining down to the side of the glove box. I opened the side of the glovebox and plugged it in. I had a lot of extra cable so I used a twisty tie. I think I followed the instructions similar to one of the DIYs in this forum.

Overall, the install looks clean. The camera is kinda big but small enough to be out of the way. The Blackvue should be pretty similar and even more out of the way because it's even smaller.

[ngabdala]

I haven't installed my Blackvue yet. I have never done wiring. I will check out the DIY and see if I can do it on my own. If not I think it costs like $60-$80 around here to install but I have a friend that is good with wiring. The question is if he's good when it comes to cars.

And yes, I bought the Power Magic Pro so it does not drain the battery below a set voltage.

If you are only using it when you drive and completely turn it off when you leave your car I'm guessing you won't need the Magic Pro.

[rainmonkey]

so i guess regardless of the hardwiring, it's a good idea to get the power magic pro huh?
man i'm gonna have to find a shop that'll hardwire without charging through the nose for it.

[Turbowned]

Hard-wiring it is the only way that camera will be discreet, which is definitely what you want a dash cam to be. What part of MA are you in? I'm sure someone here can recommend you a good car electronics shop based on your location.

[rainmonkey]

I'm in Boston, but I don't really mind traveling. It'll give me one more excuse to drive :p

[pinoyplaya]

Currently my Blackvue is plugged in to the glove box power and no wires are shown XD

Had them all tucked in to the headliner and the rubber side thingies.

I do want to hard wire it directly though, just need to check out the fuse and see whats in there.

[rainmonkey]

Don't suppose Kaizen does hard-wiring eh?

[theredtape]

I have a question about the dash cams in mass. Are they even legal? Technically in Massachusetts you cant record someone without their permission. I wonder if the video footage could ever actually be used in court to prove you were not at fault for an accident...

[DSPographer]

Originally Posted by theredtape

I have a question about the dash cams in mass. Are they even legal? Technically in Massachusetts you cant record someone without their permission. I wonder if the video footage could ever actually be used in court to prove you were not at fault for an accident...

That sounds a lot like what the police tried to say applied to filming them while they did their job. There was a federal circuit court ruling about that which stated that it was perfectly acceptable to record them in a public location where there was no expectation of privacy. So, if you drive your car into a private lot with signs that state no video recording then you would need to turn off your dash cam.

[Edit] It seems that *openly* recording in a public place is OK from this info on the police ruling:
http://www.niemanlab.org/2012/03/aft...rding-lawsuit/

[travace]

Originally Posted by theredtape

I have a question about the dash cams in mass. Are they even legal? Technically in Massachusetts you cant record someone without their permission. I wonder if the video footage could ever actually be used in court to prove you were not at fault for an accident...

i dont know your state laws very much but when in public those laws go out the window.

think of the paparazi in Cali.... they would all be out jobs.

[theredtape]

Originally Posted by travace

i dont know your state laws very much but when in public those laws go out the window.

think of the paparazi in Cali.... they would all be out jobs.

I know in the past few years Mass cops have been hiding behind the wiretapping law and using it to arrest people who film them doing their job. But after reading the link above it looks like that is over with. Thanks guys.

[travace]

Originally Posted by theredtape

I know in the past few years Mass cops have been hiding behind the wiretapping law and using it to arrest people who film them doing their job. But after reading the link above it looks like that is over with. Thanks guys.

im gonna throw my tinfoil hat on for a min so bear with me. it truly is becoming a police state. cops making it illegal and or arresting people for filming them is more and more common. the biggest misconception that people have is that it will be a switch and all of a sudden all our freedoms are gone. thats not how it happens tho. they slowly take away a small not so significant right away one at a time so the sting isn't so bad.

[Turbowned]

I lost faith when the police in my town aggressively arrested people for lighting off fireworks on the beach on the fourth of July. Like, fucking seriously?