Rexing V1, Smart Hardwire Kit, and Parking Monitor

[Andy McKay]

Dashcam people,

I'm new to dashcams, and I have a couple of questions:

I just recently purchased a V1 dashcam, the GPS receiver, and the smart hardwire kit.

Before installing I checked the firmware of my unit and updated so that the parking monitor menu item was available.

I found my switched and unswitched fuse locations (both empty, vehicle: 2016 Mini Clubman) in my fuse panel and a good ground. I ran the wire, hiding it along the way and plugged the yellow wire into a constant source and the red into a switched source, and connected the ground, as directed by the labels on the wires and the Rexing video online.

I then plugged in mini USB end into the camera. The camera powers on and things looked ok. However, when I power the car off, the plugged in icon remains in the lower right of the screen and the unit never goes into what I assume should be a low power mode. It just continues recording.

If I switch the red to a constant and the yellow to a switched source, when I switch off the vehicle the camera turns off after the specified time setting and if I knock on the camera to trigger the parking monitor mode the camera comes on and records a 20 seconds clip and then turns back off. The icon in the lower right shows what looks like a battery meter icon.

The manual does not cover the parking mode or the smart hardwire kit, so I'm not exactly sure what behavior I should be seeing, but it does seem like the first option would just run my battery down eventually and record 24/7 needlessly.

The camera I purchased was:

Robot Check

The smart wire kit I purchased was:

Robot Check

L

Thanks.

 

[SawMaster]

Welcome to DCT @Andy McKay

It seems that with your kit the red is constant power, and the yellow is switched- not all kits are like that and there's no 'standard'. It seems to be going into parking mode correctly as well gauging by the behavior you noted. If it starts up and records when you switch the ignition on you should be fine. I do recommend you always look to be sure your cam is working before driving off, and occasionally as you drive.

The 11.4V voltage cutoff is considerably lower than most folks (including me) recommend as it may not leave enough 'juice' to start the car (specialty with an older worn battery), and it will definitely shorten the service life of the battery as well since they aren't meant to be discharged this deeply. Also the listed voltage cutoff may vary somewhat- errors of +/- .2V aren't unheard of. If you've got a DMM you might want to do a voltage test after parking to see what yours is doing. There are kits which have adjustable voltage cutoff levels and the usual recommended setting is 12.4V for best battery life and never less than 12.0V which is getting tough on the battery. Your parking recording time will also vary according to that setting of course.

Since you're new to the game let me add a couple pointers. First you need to keep the windshield spotlessly clean to get good video- any film, haze, or grime will reduce the video quality greatly under tough lighting conditions such as at night or when driving toward a low sun level. And you need to check the SD card occasionally to ensure it's still good. They do wear out over time and a bad card is probably the most common cause of dashcam issues. Just pop the card into your computer and view the first, last, and a couple random files. When you reinsert the card into the cam, go into the menu and reformat the card. If you suspect card problems check it with THIS freeware. Select "full overwrite" and be prepared to wait awhile for it to finish- it takes several hours with really big cards. Before starting the test, reset your card to factory specs with THIS freeware. Always do an in-cam format after doing anything to a removed card. I like to test-view my cards every 2-8 weeks to be sure all is still well. Many cards do not play well with dashcams so if you upgrade or replace yours read THIS before buying.

Happy New Year, and Happy Dashcamming!
Phil

 

[Andy McKay]

Thanks for the info. After using the Rexing and seeing the complete lack of documentation and their poor tech support I went and returned it and got a Viofo A129 Duo. I'll have to find a good way to run the rear cam, but even if I don't use it, it ended up being cheaper than the Rexing. So, I can that a win. The Viofo seems a lot more usable and the documentation isn't terrible.

 

[SawMaster]

@Andy McKay It's a much better cam and I'm sure you'll like it. Hope the install goes easy!

Phil