Confused with Limited Power Options

[Dannni]

Hey all. I am hoping you guys can help me with this. I am looking for a dash cam that is less than $200 (the closer to $100, the better). However, I have limited power supply options and I am really confused about this whole thing. Let me explain:

I just leased a Mazda CX-5.

I have only one 12V outlet in the front, located in the compartment between the two front seats. It is constantly powered, so the power isn't cut when the vehicle turns off.

I have a radar detector that I use on my drive to and from work every day. It gets plugged in to the 12V outlet (I unplug it when I park the car). Unfortunately, the wire for it dangles across the center console, but it's not that bad since I put the whole device away whenever I am not driving on the highway anyway.

I do have two USB ports where most cars would have a 12V outlet at the bottom of my center console.

Okay, so I am not sure how to go about getting a dash cam. My usual power source is already occupied, and I am not sure that I can hardwire the cam to my LEASED car. Anyone know the answer to this? Also, do you guys always leave the cam up? I want to leave it in my car because I want to know if someone breaks in or tries to steal the car, but wouldn't people want to steal the camera? If the camera is stolen, then the data on the SD card is lost, correct? I guess I can't have it recording all night anyway if I have to use a battery to power it. I don't care about GPS, I have no idea what the benefits of having WiFi are, and I would prefer a front and rear camera but it's not a deal breaker. Can anyone help me out??

 

[DT MI]

...Anyone know the answer to this?...

First - Welcome to the forum.

Second - Drive at or under the limit and ditch the radar detector.

Serious answer - look into using a Tap-a-Fuse 12v to 5v setup and tap into a switched accessory circuit.

 

[Deleted member 46308]

Welcome Dannni

 

[kamkar]

If some one steal your car with the camera in it you are screwed, or maybe not cuz if the thief is stupid enuff like we saw from the guy who got his jeep car jacked they will not notise the camera.
And with a really stealthy camera i think there is a good chance a thief will overlook the camera all together, but then again if he head strait to a chop shop you will not see camera or car again.

If you want a chance of keeping camera if car get broken into or stolen, its a must have to get a stealthy camera, and a stealthy install with no wires dangeling here and there.

You can easy tab into the fuse box of your leasing car without leaving any trace of you doing that when returning the car, and you should allso be able to do or have done a stealthy install without tearing apart the inside of your car.

In my little car all i have to do is to unscrew 1 screw on my A-pillar to be able to rute wires unseen, and my headliner just peel back a little ( cheap car ) along the windscreen so i can tuck wire up there.

Allso if you want to have the camera on all the time, when working and at home doing whatever and sleeping, then you will need to upgrade the power in the car, not least the generator if you only drive a little every day it will be hard to keep up with the ever on dashcamera.

Me at home i have a 1080P ip camera on the balcony of my 2 floor apartment aimed at where my car is parked, and it have optical zoom i use to zoom in so just my car is in the frame and a little on each side, this is done to make sure i get a good face shot of any one messing with my little cheap ass Suzuki.
If you go that route at home you will offcourse allso nede a plave where the IP camera can unload its footage, either on a NVR or a NAS storage box ( Network Video Recorder / Network Attached Storage )

While parked at the mall it might be a good idea to use parking guard or just record all the time, but if thats not that often i would just power the camera or cameras with a USB power bank.

O and welcome to the party Dannni.

PS. if you have little DIY skills yourself, there is a good chance you can get in contact with another member of this forum and get help from him.
Most ppl in here appear to be nice helpfull guys, that can likely be bought off with a handshake and a cold beverage of sorts while the work go on.

 

[Witness Auto Dash Cam]

For example, in Vancouver BC, there are many car dealerships holding Lukas Dash Cameras now. The dash camera can be hardwired while the warranty is not affected by the camera, even it is a leased car.

Just in my opinion, North America's car dealerships accept it then it should be fine for others place like US. However, you need to confirm with the car dealership in order to make sure everything is fine.

If you have limited power supply option, then you should purchase an external power kit where you don't have to take off all of the power from your car. Many power kit support 12/24 V

 

[SawMaster]

Fuse taps leave the car unaltered when you return it. You could also use a cigarette-lighter splitter to run your RD and DC at the same time but you'll still be plugging and unplugging as you do now. The USB posts MAY support the DC but you will need 1.5 amps from there and the industry standard is 1/2 amp so many USB ports won't work. use a good cable for that, the cheap ones tend to fail quickly.

Phil