VIOFO BP100 Dash Cam Battery Pack - Test & Review PP

I'm confused because I keep seeing "70mai" being mentioned. What is "70mai"?

I also see "CLS" being mentioned. What is "CLS"?
 
Synomenon said:
I'm confused because I keep seeing "70mai" being mentioned. What is "70mai"?

I also see "CLS" being mentioned. What is "CLS"?
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CLS in the context of what I am reading in these posts must be "Cigarette Lighter Socket". Normally we say "CLA" for Cigarette Lighter Adapter which is the plug and cable that goes into the 12V socket.
70mai is the name of a manufacturer of dashcams who also recently released a dashcam battery pack.
 
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Dashcam7588 said:
Got it, thanks for the explanation, ya Viofo did made this confusing by using this name.

I currently using an a329s on vehicle A, an 229pro for vehicle B, I previously purchased a 70mai battery to try to run it on vehicle A, but the biggest fuse in my in cabin fuse box are 15A, I think the 70mai asked to be tap into a 20 or 25A fuse, I forgot which, so in the end I didn’t hardwire it, and use CLS, but then that way it doesn’t go into parking mode, so in the end i just returned the battery, and recently I saw Viofo has this battery, I’m just wondering will it had lower amp requirement(which seems to be also 11A max so 15A fuse will probably be too close to that line, it was for the Amplifier of the sound system and idk how many amps it draws)
And then you guys said I can use the CLS to power the camera and it will still has parking mode so I wondered, coz the 70mai battery doesn’t work that way. So if the BP100 does gives parking mode even on CLS, I guess my vehicle A will get this BP100.

My other vehicle has a 40amp fuse in cabin, so that won’t be the problem and I’ll probably get the battery hardwired, although in this case idk should I get 70mai on vehicle B or Viofo bp100, they do have a 100 usd price differences and I wonder what’s the advantage of the bp100 if it’s on Vehicle B
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My understanding is that in the near future Viofo battery packs will be able to communicate with the dashcam when the battery falls below a certain level to kick in the Low Power Impact Protection. That is a big benefit of getting a Viofo Battery pack because it essentially will be able to utilize what percentage of battery is left and then kick in the lower power parking consumption mode. I don't know anything else about the other battery packs.
 
losang30 said:
My understanding is that in the near future Viofo battery packs will be able to communicate with the dashcam when the battery falls below a certain level to kick in the Low Power Impact Protection. That is a big benefit of getting a Viofo Battery pack because it essentially will be able to utilize what percentage of battery is left and then kick in the lower power parking consumption mode. I don't know anything else about the other battery packs.
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That feature is already available when you order an HK6 hardwire kit and use it with a compatible Viofo dashcam.
To my knowledge, the Viofo battery pack by itself does not support Hybrid parking mode (by switching the camera to low power impact parking mode), that functionality is performed by the HK6 kit.
If it were me and I wanted the low power hybrid parking mode with an external battery, I'd want the custom HK6 kit which has a "no cutoff voltage" setting. You have to ask Viofo nicely for it 🙂
 
Hack_man said:
That feature is already available when you order an HK6 hardwire kit and use it with a compatible Viofo dashcam.
To my knowledge, the Viofo battery pack by itself does not support Hybrid parking mode (by switching the camera to low power impact parking mode), that functionality is performed by the HK6 kit.
If it were me and I wanted the low power hybrid parking mode with an external battery, I'd want the custom HK6 kit which has a "no cutoff voltage" setting. You have to ask Viofo nicely for it
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Now, I can't swear by this because I was not the one installing it. But, my installers told me that they were unable to get the HK6 to work with the battery on the output side. They said the dashcam wasn't turning on. They reached out allegedly to VIOFO support state side and they were told not to instal the modified HK6 with the battery pack on the output side. Again, I wasn't there so just telling you what I was told. However, as you will recall Viofo support on this forum also was recommending against the use of the HK6 with no cut off with the battery pack. He is the one that said they would be releasing V2 on the battery cam that allows you to fully utilize LIPM when it get released perhaps bases on percentage of battery left which is probably more precise measurement of what is left in the tank. The other issue is with the HK6 the lowest setting on the dashcam I believe is 12.0 v. I would imagine that is still way too much power left for a battery pack to switch over. I could see why it would switch over on your car's battery to save the power but the pack you want it be more depleted. Again, I am not technical guy at all. I bet RetroGuy can tell us what that means in terms of mAH left over when it switch over at 12.0 v when using the viofo battery pack.

You have a great point, I don't know how that would get implemented. I agree I don't see the battery pack having said option. I wonder if it will be a new option available on the dashcam as an optional way for it to switch over. The Viofo support said V2.1 which could be the battery firmware update or the dashcam update. He didn't provide any additional information. Would have been nice to know how it will be implemented.
 
losang30 said:
Now, I can't swear by this because I was not the one installing it. But, my installers told me that they were unable to get the HK6 to work with the battery on the output side. They said the dashcam wasn't turning on. They reached out allegedly to VIOFO support state side and they were told not to instal the modified HK6 with the battery pack on the output side. Again, I wasn't there so just telling you what I was told. However, as you will recall Viofo support on this forum also was recommending against the use of the HK6 with no cut off with the battery pack. He is the one that said they would be releasing V2 on the battery cam that allows you to fully utilize LIPM when it get released perhaps bases on percentage of battery left which is probably more precise measurement of what is left in the tank. The other issue is with the HK6 the lowest setting on the dashcam I believe is 12.0 v. I would imagine that is still way too much power left for a battery pack to switch over. I could see why it would switch over on your car's battery to save the power but the pack you want it be more depleted. Again, I am not technical guy at all. I bet RetroGuy can tell us what that means in terms of mAH left over when it switch over at 12.0 v when using the viofo battery pack.

You have a great point, I don't know how that would get implemented. I agree I don't see the battery pack having said option. I wonder if it will be a new option available on the dashcam as an optional way for it to switch over. The Viofo support said V2.1 which could be the battery firmware update or the dashcam update. He didn't provide any additional information. Would have been nice to know how it will be implemented.
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I missed that thread where Viofo said not to use the modified HK6 with BP100 battery pack. HK6 uses Bluetooth to transmit its input voltage (from the external battery or from the car) to the camera, which then uses that voltage to decide if it should switch to low power parking mode. Since the BP100 battery pack is also Bluetooth equipped, I dont know why it can't also be programmed to transmit that same voltage data. It already transmits it to the BP100 battery app. I also don't know why the BP100 won't work with the modified cable, but I'll accept that since it's over my pay grade.

My understanding based on numerous posts and my own experience with the battery app is that even the "percentage of battery left" parameter is not very accurate. I can see why that would be a hard parameter to obtain, since it's not necessarily correlated directly with battery voltage level. The best way to accurately measure it is with a wattmeter integrated over time to obtain KWHR which is energy but by the time you get your answer the battery is depleted. Heisenberg at his finest.
 
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Hack_man said:
I missed that thread where Viofo said not to use the modified HK6 with BP100 battery pack. HK6 uses Bluetooth to transmit its input voltage (from the external battery or from the car) to the camera, which then uses that voltage to decide if it should switch to low power parking mode. Since the BP100 battery pack is also Bluetooth equipped, I dont know why it can't also be programmed to transmit that voltage data. It already transmits it to the BP100 battery app. I also don't know why the BP100 won't work with the modified cable, but I'll accept that since it's over my pay grade.
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If you look at the other thread on the battery pack the last entire page was partially devoted to this issue . I tried to get it installed pending the new firmware update but it was a no go with the HK6, but it appears percentages will be used. All of this is above my paygrade as well, but I am grateful to the community that provides responses and support, specially those with the electronic and know how background.

BP-100 HK vs HK6 (No Cut-Off Version)
 
losang30 said:
If you look at the other thread on the battery pack the last entire page was partially devoted to this issue . I tried to get it installed pending the new firmware update but it was a no go with the HK6, but it appears percentages will be used. All of this is above my paygrade as well, but I am grateful to the community that provides responses and support, specially those with the electronic and know how background.

BP-100 HK vs HK6 (No Cut-Off Version)
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I read the thread you linked, but can't find reference to where it states the Modified HK6 won't work with the BP100? It sounds like it doesn't matter since a new FW for the cameras will make HK6 obsolete when paired with the BP100.
 
losang30 said:
Now, I can't swear by this because I was not the one installing it. But, my installers told me that they were unable to get the HK6 to work with the battery on the output side. They said the dashcam wasn't turning on. They reached out allegedly to VIOFO support state side and they were told not to instal the modified HK6 with the battery pack on the output side. Again, I wasn't there so just telling you what I was told. However, as you will recall Viofo support on this forum also was recommending against the use of the HK6 with no cut off with the battery pack. He is the one that said they would be releasing V2 on the battery cam that allows you to fully utilize LIPM when it get released perhaps bases on percentage of battery left which is probably more precise measurement of what is left in the tank. The other issue is with the HK6 the lowest setting on the dashcam I believe is 12.0 v. I would imagine that is still way too much power left for a battery pack to switch over. I could see why it would switch over on your car's battery to save the power but the pack you want it be more depleted. Again, I am not technical guy at all. I bet RetroGuy can tell us what that means in terms of mAH left over when it switch over at 12.0 v when using the viofo battery pack.

You have a great point, I don't know how that would get implemented. I agree I don't see the battery pack having said option. I wonder if it will be a new option available on the dashcam as an optional way for it to switch over. The Viofo support said V2.1 which could be the battery firmware update or the dashcam update. He didn't provide any additional information. Would have been nice to know how it will be implemented.
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ya I dont buy that either, I forgot which model but isnt that they already said something will be available afterwards via firmware update but then in the end they just released a completely new model to provide the said feature? think it was 229 or 329 i'm not sure, but something similar already happened once.
 
GPak

Post in thread 'BP-100 HK vs HK6 (No Cut-Off Version)'

Unlike the lead-acid battery, the LFP (LiFePO4) battery's discharge curve is almost flat, so the voltage difference between roughly 90% and 20% state of charge (SoC) is very small, especially with the miniscule power consumption of the dashcam in parking mode.
Therefore, determining the state of charge (SoC) of the LFP battery based solely on voltage is practically impossible; consequently, the HK6 may switch between hybrid parking modes inconsistently and not very accurately relative to the actual state of charge (SoC).
So it's best to use the cable that comes with the battery.

A...
 
Hack_man said:
I read the thread you linked, but can't find reference to where it states the Modified HK6 won't work with the BP100? It sounds like it doesn't matter since a new FW for the cameras will make HK6 obsolete when paired with the BP100.
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I agree with that comment completely. I didn't mean to infer that it will not work. All I said, is that I did ask my installer to install it when it was being hardwired and they told me that it would not turn on or function after they installed it. They called the US Viofo support and they were told not to install the HK6 on the outpout battery pack.

I am sure someone with better installer and or knowledge can make it work. I just told the installers not to bother with it since the Viofo support said they will be releasing a new firmware that will help with that.
 
losang30 said:
I agree with that comment completely. I didn't mean to infer that it will not work. All I said, is that I did ask my installer to install it when it was being hardwired and they told me that it would not turn on or function after they installed it. They called the US Viofo support and they were told not to install the HK6 on the outpout battery pack.

I am sure someone with better installer and or knowledge can make it work. I just told the installers not to bother with it since the Viofo support said they will be releasing a new firmware that will help with that.
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Unfortunately, no one can guarantee reliable operation of the HK6 with a lithium iron phosphate battery (LFP) in hybrid switching mode.
 
I think the best solution with the BP100 and a Viofo camera is to use this cable that comes with the BP100. All it does is regulate 12V input to 5V output. There is no cutoff voltage switch.
screenshot_1143.webp
 
Well this was a very cool surprise.
My BP100 updated its firmware via Bluetooth iPhone connection! I believe the Powercell 8 can only be updated by BBMC.
I don't see where in the app to confirm what FW is currently installed but if you launch the app the battery will stay up to date.
 
So here is another interesting datapoint regarding self discharge:
My BP100 has been powered ON for 3 solid days with nothing connected to the output and the battery meter has stayed rock solid at 33% for the entire time
This indicates minimal loss due to internal power management requirements (BMS, Bluetooth).
The battery has been maintained at 68ºF-71ºF the entire time.

My only complaint with my PowerCell 8 is the 8% power loss per 24 hours especially at lower temperatures.
I think I'll stick the BP100 in the cold garage to see how it performs.

Edit 12/31/25

I first turned the BP100 on Dec 24 straight out of the shipping box with the charge meter reading 33%
As of Dec 31 it's still reading 33%. Most of that time the battery was at 43ºF
The battery certainly is stingy with Bluetooth and BMS power requirements.

Bluetooth signal strength is excellent.
The BP100's Bluetooth signal is traveling from inside a closed car in a garage below me to my iPhone with zero connection problems.
The BBMC PC8 needs to be MUCH closer to my iPhone to connect and it drops out frequently.

So far I am more impressed with the BP100
 
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Today (07 Jan 2026) my BT100 prompted me to update the firmware.
This is the second time it does that since I bought it.

No idea which version. AND there was no wifi/cell service where I was parked at that moment.
So not sure where from and how it pulled its firmware update.
 
tenderloins_strigilator said:
Today (07 Jan 2026) my BT100 prompted me to update the firmware.
This is the second time it does that since I bought it.

No idea which version. AND there was no wifi/cell service where I was parked at that moment.
So not sure where from and how it pulled its firmware update.
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The BP100's phone app receives the FW update via wifi or cell data when you last had an internet connection but the battery receives the update by Bluetooth when it comes within range of your phone.
At least that's what makes sense to me.

The FW version does not seem to be shown anywhere.
 
Hack_man said:
At least that's what makes sense to me.
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Yeah, that's one explanation I could imagine for this.
Another one would be if the app had the FW bundled with it as a resource and got the new one with an update.
Having said that I was not watching when this app last updated.
 
Hi, all. First post here. I've got an A329S and BP100 on the way as my first dashcam, so I appreciate all the info and discussion.

I'm more of a computer—than a car—guy, so I'm not familiar with voltages and the inner workings of a car's electrical system. However, I did do my due diligence to research various reviews, install processes, and general information, part of which admittedly involved Google Gemini which I know isn't perfect. One recommendation I got for the BP100 (via Gemini) is to twist together the BP100's ACC and battery wires to connect them to a single fuse tap instead of individual fuse taps for both wires. I'd like to know if this is safe, with the intent of connecting that single fuse tap to an accessory fuse so there's no draw from the car's battery when the car is shut off, leaving the dashcam power draw solely from the BP100.

I will be installing this in a Mazda 6 which has a feature called i-ELOOP which uses a supercapacitor to store energy for the car's electrical accessories during regenerative braking. I intend on using the A329S' parking mode, and my concern—even with the low voltage cutoff—is that connecting the BP100's battery wire to a constant power fuse will interfere with i-ELOOP with parking mode on. Gemini seems to think that with the battery cable connected, the BP100 will continue to charge itself even when the car is off.

In all, would I connect the ACC and battery wires separately as instructed (in the BP100 manual), twist together the ACC and battery wires to connect them to a single fuse tap, or connect only the ACC wire to a fuse tap and leave the battery wire disconnected?
 
rockman said:
Hi, all. First post here. I've got an A329S and BP100 on the way as my first dashcam, so I appreciate all the info and discussion.

I'm more of a computer—than a car—guy, so I'm not familiar with voltages and the inner workings of a car's electrical system. However, I did do my due diligence to research various reviews, install processes, and general information, part of which admittedly involved Google Gemini which I know isn't perfect. One recommendation I got for the BP100 (via Gemini) is to twist together the BP100's ACC and battery wires to connect them to a single fuse tap instead of individual fuse taps for both wires. I'd like to know if this is safe, with the intent of connecting that single fuse tap to an accessory fuse so there's no draw from the car's battery when the car is shut off, leaving the dashcam power draw solely from the BP100.

I will be installing this in a Mazda 6 which has a feature called i-ELOOP which uses a supercapacitor to store energy for the car's electrical accessories during regenerative braking. I intend on using the A329S' parking mode, and my concern—even with the low voltage cutoff—is that connecting the BP100's battery wire to a constant power fuse will interfere with i-ELOOP with parking mode on. Gemini seems to think that with the battery cable connected, the BP100 will continue to charge itself even when the car is off.

In all, would I connect the ACC and battery wires separately as instructed (in the BP100 manual), twist together the ACC and battery wires to connect them to a single fuse tap, or connect only the ACC wire to a fuse tap and leave the battery wire disconnected?
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There's plenty of information here about connecting and operating the VIOFO BP100 Dash Cam Battery Pack.

BP100 Battery

dashcamtalk.com dashcamtalk.com

Take a little time to read through it, and you'll find answers to all your questions.
 
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