Dash cam question

[mr_sparkle6666]

I have read and reread everything here regarding hardwiring a dash cam and I am still not sure if it is safe to wire it only to accessory (power only while car is running) and not to constant power. I am ok with just having the cam powered while driving (with no parking mode) but do not want to drain the battery

thanks

Sponsored

 

[bowhun2r]

Pros and cons. I have 2 dash cams in 2 vehilces wired to accessory power. I understand while my vehicle is off and sitting in some location there will be zero data capture. If you go constant power then yes... most modern dash came setups have a voltage meter to turn off when battery gets to a certain level. Some have an aux power brick to supplement power to the camera. If you want to enable capture while your vehicle is turned off you will need to invest in one of those setups. If you are fine with data capture while your engine is on... tapping aux power is all you need.

The battery is being charged via the alternator while the engine is on (assuming the alternator is functioning). You will not drain your battery tapped into an aux power source. When your engine is off... alternator is not charging your battery thus what I mentioned above would be needed if you want to capture data while the vehicle is off and parked.

 

[MyCorolla]

I have read and reread everything here regarding hardwiring a dash cam and I am still not sure if it is safe to wire it only to accessory (power only while car is running) and not to constant power. I am ok with just having the cam powered while driving (with no parking mode) but do not want to drain the battery

thanks

It is safe to do so. The accessory circuit remains on for about five minutes after you turn the car off so the camera would continue recording. If you get a camera with a power button, you could always manually turn it off at will.

 

[Xproplayer]

I had a dashcam for 2 months on the cigarette outlet up front and now a month or two on hardwired, doing just fine with no issues to report.

 

[Matthewstorm]

I have read and reread everything here regarding hardwiring a dash cam and I am still not sure if it is safe to wire it only to accessory (power only while car is running) and not to constant power. I am ok with just having the cam powered while driving (with no parking mode) but do not want to drain the battery

thanks

If you get a BlackVue I recommend also getting the battery.

 

[mr_sparkle6666]

If you get a BlackVue I recommend also getting the battery.

I looked at the black vue setup and would love to do it but it’s just too many dollarydoos for me. I got the Garmin mini 2 which I like bc it’s so small. It’s upgradable as you can add up to 4 and at some point I will add one to the rear and do the battery as well.

Sponsored