Purpose of hardwire kit and what if car has continuous power to cig lighter

nagooro

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Probably a noob question but, what's the purpose of hardwiring the camera to the car battery? Is it so the dashcam has power 24/7 allowing it to use the parking mode feature?

I drive a f150, the cigarette lighter socket always delivers power, even when the vehicle is off, is this essentially the same thing as a hardwire kit? (if I kept it plugged in at all times)?

If I do leave mine plugged in all the time, should I be worried that it will drain my battery? (eg. leaving the dashcam plugged in overnight)

Thanks for any input.
 
Hardwire kit gives you a cleaner install, no wires running to your cigarette lighter plugs. You can connect the hardwire kit to constant power if you always want the camera to record, or to auxillary power, where the camera powers on and off with the running of your car
 
Hardwire kit also has a cut-off for the power to make sure your battery is not drained. Usually has a selector for how low you are willing the battery to go before cutting power to the dashcam allowing maximum use but still leaving you enough power to start the engine.
 
I can't remember where it was discussed but would a powerbank work ? It would hold enough power to run PM overnight and the car would then recharge it if it was connected to an ignition triggered source.

That's what I would try.
 
Will it do any harm to the camera if I unplug/plug in the camera each time I enter/exit the car? Not too keen on hardwiring as it seems outside of my comfort zone.
 
It would not do any harm along as you careful and do not damage the connection. It is possible thought wear and tear or damage to get a bad connector/connection. I have connected and disconnected mine several times with no problem but who can tell the connector does not have a infinite life.
It is not that difficult to fit an hardwire device. There are several YouTube video describing how to do it. Or get the local car mechanic/knowledgable person to do it.
 
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You should be fine, pickup batteries are larger than car batteries. I've never worried about leaving my A119S V2 plugged in for days at at a time. Granted my 3500HD has dual batteries but if a dashcam kills the cranking battery (meaning the accessory battery was drained first) I've got bigger problems. As far as pluggin/unplugging I do it when I park at home (if I remember) so at least a few times a week up to a few times a day. End of August will be 1 year since I bought it. I unplug the whole adapter not just the wire from the adapter though.

@Kremmen with the A119S V2 I could get over 30 hours (2 work days of 17ish hours + the drives to/from so more like 36 hours) if I remember correctly with a RavPower 25k power bank.

I know I have a different dashcam but power usage wise the difference shouldn't be significant. Also I don't, and probably never will, use parking mode so if mine is powered on it's continuously recording. Apparently parking mode uses less power so run times theoretically will be increased.
 
Just to update this thread, realized my USB port in my vehicle does not receive power when the car is off, but the cigarette lighter continues to be powered. Thus, I am now just using the USB port and the cam plugged in 24/7 as it turns on and off with the car.
 
Just to update this thread, realized my USB port in my vehicle does not receive power when the car is off, but the cigarette lighter continues to be powered. Thus, I am now just using the USB port and the cam plugged in 24/7 as it turns on and off with the car.
Car USB ports are generally not recommended for powering dash cameras, as they are usually under powered.
 
Using the USB port will run the battery down completely. A continuous power supply will cut the power off before the battery goes flat and still leave a enough power to start the engine. The continuous supply will work for 24V as well as 12V, The latest allows you set it down to 11.8v (set to 12V min. recommended) and the switches off the dashcam hence saving the battery power for the important job of allow you to continue your journey or to get you home.
 
Using the USB port will run the battery down completely. A continuous power supply will cut the power off before the battery goes flat and still leave a enough power to start the engine. The continuous supply will work for 24V as well as 12V, The latest allows you set it down to 11.8v (set to 12V min. recommended) and the switches off the dashcam hence saving the battery power for the important job of allow you to continue your journey or to get you home.
But if the USB Port isnt even putting out any power when the car is off, how can it run down the battery? I also tried charging my phone with the USB when the cars off, nothing.
 
I assumed you are using the Cigarette lighter socket with the USB adaptor as you say the cigarette lighter is always powered. I read again and see you are actually using the USB that is connected to the accessories which is normal to be unpowered when engine switched off. Along as you do not need the parking mode it will be fine.
 
I assumed you are using the Cigarette lighter socket with the USB adaptor as you say the cigarette lighter is always powered. I read again and see you are actually using the USB that is connected to the accessories which is normal to be unpowered when engine switched off. Along as you do not need the parking mode it will be fine.
Great, thanks. I dont need parking mode so will continue with the USB port. (y)
 
With the hardwire kit, can you put a switch in the continuous +12v supply so if car is left for extended periods with no need for parking mode, you can shut the whole thing down?
 
With the hardwire kit, can you put a switch in the continuous +12v supply so if car is left for extended periods with no need for parking mode, you can shut the whole thing down?
You could if you wanted to. Easier to just use the power button on the cam though.

Sent from my SM-G975U1 using Tapatalk
 
Great, thanks. I dont need parking mode so will continue with the USB port. (y)

I was fairly confident that the USB ports in my car were unpowered when the engine was turned off (camera turned on + off with car), but I came out tonight to a dead battery. Connected through the GPS mount.

YMMV of course, but I'll be switching to a hardwired setup moving forward.
 
Thank you StinkyCheese, it’s amazing sometimes how the simplest solution is forgotten. Certainly hadn’t thought of the off switch
 
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