nellborg

New owner of a 997.2 C2S here. I'd like to install a dashcam, front and rear, but would like to avoid messing with the fusebox if possible and do the install myself.

The cigarette lighter is a no-go because the owner's manual says that it doesn't lose power when the ignition is shut off, so when I forget to unplug the dashcam from the socket, it will drain the battery. So, how about the OBD port in this car? There are dashcam-to-OBD plugs sold on some websites (like blackboxmycar) and they do recommend that as an option in some vehicles. But, does anyone know if this is ok to do on the 997.2? Or, should I just have a shop do a hardwire at the fusebox?

Edit - I believe that the OBD port is always drawing power from the battery, too, even when the ignition is off.

andino

If you can plug in an OBD2 adapter, you'll be able to install a tap in the fuse box. Use an "Add-A-Fuse" type power connector. I recommend using the rear wiper fuse location if your car isn't equipped with one.

I have my dr750s-2ch wired to a neolink battery pack and the battery pack charges from the fusebox at the rear wiper location. Works great and powers down when the car is locked.

https://www.blackboxmycar.com/collec...cts/add-a-fuse

nellborg

Andino, thanks for the reply. So, if I'm not adding a battery pack, and if I use the Add-a-Fuse, is it simply a matter of plugging the dashcam into the Add-a-fuse, and then that fuse into the fusebox? Sorry, my brain sort of goes walleyed with electrical and mechanical stuff. I suppose that I'd need to pull a fuse from the fusebox and see what the fuses look like and match it to the pic on that website.

andino

You'll need the add-a-fuse kit and a hardwire kit that fits your dashcam. Then you just take the positive lead from that kit and crimp to the add-a-fuse in your fusebox and then ground your neg lead somewhere near the fusebox. There's a good ground somewhere in there but I can't recall exactly where I used.

wolfsburgde

Many dashcams can be set up to automatically shut off after not feeling any vibrations for some amount of time. I have my ddpai mini2p plugged into the passenger footwell lighter socket and it does what it’s supposed to. In addition it will allegedly wake up and record of the car gets bumped (thankfully haven’t tested that).

AIrey1507

I installed my front/rear cameras (both which have motion detector parking modes) using this little gadget (Power Magic Pro) - . It's marketed for BlackVue (high end/$$) dashcams but will work with any 12V device. Taps into both a constant 12v power source and a switched power source within the fuse box, and gives you another 12v socket (I was able to tuck everything back in with the fuse box). You use the jumpers to set either a cutoff voltage or timer. So it knows when the car is off and feeds the constant power source to the dashcam (enabling the dashcam to record if motion is detected), but cuts all power once battery voltage drops below 12.5V.

Hootsama

Related, but curious about any dashcam recommendations. Considered the Escort that piggy-backs to my Max360, but 175 bucks seemed excessive.

nellborg

I watched some reviews on youtube videos made somewhat recently and have decided on the Viofo A129 duo (front and rear) - the only question now is either the Pro (4k) or the regular version. Blackboxmycar has plenty of good video reviews. They seem to like the Viofo, the Thinkware, and the Blackvue. While I can't vouch for the honesty of the reviews, they seem fair and if I were to make a decision on my own it would pretty much be a stab in the dark as there are about a hundred other Dashcam companies out there.

andino

Thinkware has the best battery life if you're looking for extended parking mode. I like my Blackvue because it works with a blendmount and attaches out of view to my rear view mirror. I don't have experience with the Viofo lineup but BlackboxMyCar seem to like them.

Petza914

I have those in 2 cars. One piggybacked to an Escort and the other to a V1. Bought them for the ease of install as the detectors were already hardwired, which meant no additional wiring.




As far as the dashcam power, the receptacle in the center console under the armrest is a switched one. The other 2 (ashtray and passenger footwell) are hot all the time.

Hootsama

[QUOTE=Petza914;17022480]I have those in 2 cars. One piggybacked to an Escort and the other to a V1. Bought them for the ease of install as the detectors were already hardwired, which meant no additional wiring.

Thanks, Pete. I'm more interested in clean and simple than having the finest multi-directional capture.

n1gels

I'll be parking my car for a few days at my office, and I'm installing a dashcam, mostly to record any parking lot impact. The dashcam I'm using (Vantrue N4) has a parking mode so it only wakes up in the event of an impact. Do I need to be concerned about battery drain over a period of 2-3 days?

BHMav8r

Blackview front/back here. No problems. Works great.
Plugged into the always on adapter in passenger footwell. Added a switch so I can leave it on when need be.
It has a "stationary" very low power mode so it draws less power. Activates w/impact.
I have left it on 3 days over the weekend and not had any battery drain problems. Maybe if your battery was weak?
Daily driver, so daily charging.

cringely

Just bought an N4 and asked Vantrue the same question. Jennifer at Customer Support replied:
If you set parking mode to collision detection only and manually turn off the cam, the cam will start to record for 1 minute after it detects the collision, then turn off the dash cam again. If you set parking mode to other options and manually turn off the cam, the cam will shut down completely and will not consume power. Only the car charger will consume power that is rarely negligible.
Please note that if the dash cam continues to be hit during collision detection recording, it will exit the collision detection mode and enter normal recording, restarting the 5-minute entry mechanism.
The N4 requires a 5V 2A power supply and it consumes 1000Mha per hour.
This depends on the option of parking mode and the number of times the detection is triggered. Also consider other power consuming equipment in the car (like car insurance system, radar, etc.)
If motion detection is enabled and is not triggered too often, then a healthy battery can support the camera for about 5 days. If you need to use parking mode for a long time, we recommend choosing collision detection, which will be more power saving.

n1gels

Thank you @cringely for this information from Vantrue. That's exactly what I needed to know. I looks like I don't need to worry about leaving the car with the dashcam in parking mode.
How did you route the wires? Did you power from the OBD connector or the passenger side power outlet?