Can I connect my Dash cam to a car USB port instead of to the cigarette lighter?

[kayut]

Hi,
Can I connect my Dash cam to a car USB port instead of to the cigarette lighter?

Thanks

 

[DT MI]

It's really not recommended. I've tried that in my last 3 vehicles and over half the cameras I powered that way experienced erratic behavior that could be attributed directly to using that as the power source.

 

[Ralph2]

Yes.. if your dash cam came with a USB cord. Some dashcams are powered by a USB connection which is nominally 5 volts.. Some dashcams have a cigarette lighter plug.. that outputs 5 volts (same then as a USB connection).. And some dashcams are powered with 12 volts from a cigarette lighter plug. Know what your camera needs before plugging in things that did not come with the camera.

 

[tempviewer12]

Theoretically yes, but there are some things to be mindful of:

• Some cars (like my own) only provide up to ~500mA of current. My dashcam (Mobius Maxi) I know can pull over 550mA in certain situations. If this happens, you will get erratic behaviour from the camera.
• The USB port will have data lines connected, which means most cameras will go into file download mode or something similar, just like when you connect it to your PC. The car will try to discover files on the device. My Mobius Maxi doesn't allow recording while it is in this mode, so this wouldn't work for me. A workaround would be to use a power-only USB cable - or to disconnect the data wires yourself on an existing cable.

 

[SawMaster]

The USB ports in most cars do not work well with most cams. Better to use the supplied cigarette lighter adapter.

Phil