Powering a hotspot safely?

in2ndo

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So has anyone found a safe and efficient way to power a hotspot while parked?
Dashcam is a Thinkware U1000 2 channel. I have a hotspot that I want to power for at least 12 hours. And in the summer the outside temperature can reach 110 with an average of probably around 90’s. Most summer days. No shade in the office parking lot.
 
That's in the range for safe discharging od some LiFePO4 batteries, and AGM can do it too. But it will have to be cooler to charge these and that will also take some time (not a quick short drive). Those temps might exceed the hotspot's specs; you should check that. You might also experience cam shutdown via thermal protection at those temps. Devices like the Cellink Neo can be used for this as your car battery might not be able to carry both a cam and a hotspot too.

It seems do-able, it just might take some fiddling around and extra power to get there.

Phil
 
That's in the range for safe discharging od some LiFePO4 batteries, and AGM can do it too. But it will have to be cooler to charge these and that will also take some time (not a quick short drive). Those temps might exceed the hotspot's specs; you should check that. You might also experience cam shutdown via thermal protection at those temps. Devices like the Cellink Neo can be used for this as your car battery might not be able to carry both a cam and a hotspot too.

It seems do-able, it just might take some fiddling around and extra power to get there.

Phil
I’ve been looking for a LiFePO4. But haven’t been able to find something in a decent size. And the Cellinks look nice. But I want something I can take out and charge in the garage outlet. I don’t drive much during the week. So hardwiring one is not an option.
 
Lots of folks run their cams on powerbanks, swapping out the one in the car with one charged from home on a schedule. It's not all that inconvenient when you get used to doing it. How long the powerbank lasts before charging will be relative to how much current you pull from it and how big it is.

Phil
 
Lots of folks run their cams on powerbanks, swapping out the one in the car with one charged from home on a schedule. It's not all that inconvenient when you get used to doing it. How long the powerbank lasts before charging will be relative to how much current you pull from it and how big it is.

Phil
I did that for a while and it works out just fine. I just don't feel comfortable keeping them in the truck during the summer. I was actually hoping that some one had found a decent LiFePO4. but I've been looking for a long time. so is probably not out there yet.
 
When I was installing a LiFePO4 battery in my car to power my dash cams another member recommended Will Prowse's YouTube channel. He tears down the batteries and does reviews on them and has a list of recommended batteries.
 
I just don't feel comfortable keeping them in the truck during the summer.
You needn't worry about LiFePO4 in high heat situations, the composition of these is far less volatile than LiIon, and even those will tolerate quite a lot of heat as I discovered watching my car burn up with a powerful LiIon flashlight still in the center console :cry: As long as you're using high-quality stuff, the worst you'll experience is a shortened user-life and that isn't likely to be significant enough to worry about.

What matters here is that you do not charge outside of the recommended heat range; discharging limits go far beyond that. Also never use any lower-quality Lithium battery products- that's where almost every known issue with Lithium batteries and cells originates from. There's a lot of energy density happening here and anything less than high quality is risky even within the manufacturer's stated limits.

On the larger LiFePO4 batteries, every one I've seen reviewed in the last few years has a BMS with high-temp charging protection but may lack the same for low-temp charging limitations. The big problem with that has been that most battery makers claim to have low-temp protection but actually do not. Now that folks like Will Prowse, David Poz, and Hobotech who have popular YouTune channels about this technology have made that situation well known, more of the cheaper LiFePO4 batteries are being equipped with low-temp sensors that work :) Many of the better outboard charge controllers like Victron will also have low-temp protection built in so as long as you know what is what and configure everything properly it's quite safe (y)

Phil
 
You needn't worry about LiFePO4 in high heat situations, the composition of these is far less volatile than LiIon, and even those will tolerate quite a lot of heat as I discovered watching my car burn up with a powerful LiIon flashlight still in the center console :cry: As long as you're using high-quality stuff, the worst you'll experience is a shortened user-life and that isn't likely to be significant enough to worry about.

What matters here is that you do not charge outside of the recommended heat range; discharging limits go far beyond that. Also never use any lower-quality Lithium battery products- that's where almost every known issue with Lithium batteries and cells originates from. There's a lot of energy density happening here and anything less than high quality is risky even within the manufacturer's stated limits.

On the larger LiFePO4 batteries, every one I've seen reviewed in the last few years has a BMS with high-temp charging protection but may lack the same for low-temp charging limitations. The big problem with that has been that most battery makers claim to have low-temp protection but actually do not. Now that folks like Will Prowse, David Poz, and Hobotech who have popular YouTune channels about this technology have made that situation well known, more of the cheaper LiFePO4 batteries are being equipped with low-temp sensors that work :) Many of the better outboard charge controllers like Victron will also have low-temp protection built in so as long as you know what is what and configure everything properly it's quite safe (y)

Phil
I was referring to regular Lithium power banks. I haven't even been able to find a decent size on a LiFePO4. other than the ones sold by the dash cam dealers/manufacturers. and those don't have the option of charging them on a wall outlet.
 
You might have to expand your search beyond power banks and look into batteries by themselves. You might want to look at batteries marketed for e-scooters.
 
I think I finally found one. Check this out.
 
How is your hotspot powered? Does it accept 12V DC input?

Here's a 12Ah battery for less than half that one:


You would need to either buy or make some cables that would work with it. You would need to check the dimensions and make sure you had some place to store it.
 
How is your hotspot powered? Does it accept 12V DC input?

Here's a 12Ah battery for less than half that one:


You would need to either buy or make some cables that would work with it. You would need to check the dimensions and make sure you had some place to store it.
That one looks good. Going to read up on what I’ll need. I’ll have to check what the hotspot takes exactly to get the right adapter. Thanks.
 
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