SG9663DCPRO and F-150 Remote Start Issue

[mogulbumm]

I have a SG9663DCPRO in a 2019 F-150 with factory remote start. I had issues in the past that were resolved last March with a firmware update. Recently, I have encountered a strange issue:

If I use the remote start to start the truck, the unit does not power on. Even after I get in and start driving, it will not come on. If I press the power button, the record button flashed red briefly and then off. I just can't get it to turn on at all. If I stop the vehicle and start it back up, the camera works fine. I just can't get it to power on at all, even manually, if I used remote start (no ideal since I use that all the time). I just find it odd that I can't even manually power on the camera if I had previously started the truck with the remote start - I have to physically turn off the vehicle and then start it manually.

Again, this had been working fine until this winter. It also never really enters parking mode either, but perhaps it's because I have the battery setting pretty high in the winter at 12.2V to account for any really cold days. Any feedback on where I can set the battery and still be safe to start on a sub-0 day? I generally drop the power device to 12v in the summer.

 

[jokiin]

entering parking mode is reliant on how it's connected, battery voltage doesn't change that, sounds like it may not be connected to a suitable circuit, same goes for your problem when using remote start

to turn the camera on manually when using hardwired you need to press and hold the power button, it won't turn on if you just short press the power button, that's the expected result

if you can give us details of which circuits you're currently connected to I can get one of our install techs to check it and advise

 

[mogulbumm]

This seems to be a recent issue as it has worked well for quite some time.

With respect to the parking mode, it does work, but just not that long. I suspect that it is the battery voltage the hardwire kit is set for in combination with not driving as much due to the pandemic (the switch is set at a cutoff of 12.2V). I would expect that if I set it for 12V or 11.8V the recording would last longer, but then I have concerns over enough voltage to turn the engine over on really cold days.

With the camera itself, it has worked well on the following circuits for the past year without issue:

Constant Power: Room Lamp (dome light). This is always live regardless of vehicle status.
Switched Power: Power Socket. Only live when vehicle is running.

It is only recent that it is not turning on with the remote start. If I use the remote start, then get into the vehicle to drive, the camera does NOT come on, even when I hold down the power button for several seconds (the most I get is a flash of the recording button). If I physically turn off the truck, then restart it (without remote start) the camera powers on fine and works great.

Like I had said, this has worked great for months without issue. Now, suddenly I'm having this issue and it is baffling. It simply makes no sense that the camera won't turn on, at all (even with a long press of the power button), after using remote start to start the vehicle.

 

[jokiin]

is the remote start OEM or a genuine/aftermarket accessory?

 

[mogulbumm]

It’s the OEM one built into the F150 and also uses the Fordpass app.

 

[jokiin]

It’s the OEM one built into the F150 and also uses the Fordpass app.

ok thanks, just need to confirm before checking with our tech

Again, this had been working fine until this winter. It also never really enters parking mode either

can you clarify what you mean here, what happens exactly?

 

[mogulbumm]

ok thanks, just need to confirm before checking with our tech


can you clarify what you mean here, what happens exactly?

I think the parking mode issue is the low voltage cutofff on the hardware kit. It is currently set to 12.2v because it's winter, but that doesn't seem to be enough to even keep the camera recording for a few minutes let alone hours. I generally drop it to 12V over the summer which buys several hours. Worried about dropping it further as you need to cold-cranking voltage here in the colder months.

 

[kamkar]

Before i put a new battery in my car ( 8 years old car ) using another system and low voltage cut off, using 12.4 did not give much parking time only a few hours as i recall, but changing to 12.2 gave a lot more.
And 12.2 is also as low as i would go, no matter the time of the year.
Getting another SG camera to test ( The SG9663DR ) using parking mode was problematic and not functioning correct, myself and other testers had the time/date revert to default.
So after trying a few things that did not work, i bit the sour apple and went and got a new battery to replace the original battery though it did appear to be fine, and that also wiped all of my issues with the SG9663DR system.
But i have not tested actually how much parking guard ( low bitrate ) i get, i use the build in times set to 1 hour as that cover all my shopping, and should i park in a suspect place one day, i can always up the timer for that one occasion.
At home i have CCTV on my car, and parking guard will also be hampered as the car is parked in a pretty dark back yard, though there now is a PIR activated LED light, but my CCTV camera have build in IR light, and a host of specialty modes that far exceed what a dashcam have.

But in your case a 2019 car, your battery should still be in mint condition, but if you can it might be a good idea to have it tested / checked by a battery specialist, cuz even batteries also some time come in a dud version that are not quite what it should be.
Of course the SG hard wire kit could also be the problem, not something that can be excluded for sure.

A battery specialist might also be able to measure if you have any other parasitic loss in the car, saw a guy on YT a few weeks ago having gotten a #2 hand PU truck, with a strange beeping sound,,,,,, which turned out to be a tracking unit installed by the original #1 sale car dealer,,,,,, assuming making it more easy if the car need to be taken back by the dealer due to missing payments.


Just got to think @jokiin would it be possible to have a 1 time timer in the options ? so say i park in a place where i like 6 hours VS my regular 1 hours, but then using that 1 time setting i would not have to change back to 1 hour normal mode as it would do that automatic.
Not that it is a big deal,,,,,,,, when you have wifi working but would be a nifty feature i think.

Maybe have a preferred timer, and a secondary 1 time only timer where you can choose XX hours

 

[mogulbumm]

This seems to be more of a "winter" issue here Coupled with the pandemic and not driving a lot, it is likely that the battery just never charges high enough to support any recording. It's definitely not the battery as I have similar issues in (3) vehicles (all with the same camera) and have already replaced the battery in 2 of them. What I haven't done yet is put a meter on my battery to see what the standing charge is, and that should at least rule out some challenges with a potentially faulty hardwire kit. i.e. if my battery reads 12.6V at shutoff and the parking mode is not working with the hardwire kit set at 12.2V, then I have further questions.

 

[kamkar]

Yeah lack of driving will also do you in, the virus only mean i wear a mask when shopping and my bank are closed so i cant empty my piggy bank.
Everything else is just me welcoming the rest of the world to my world, actually the last couple of weeks i have been driving more than usual as the few people i care for have been asking for my assistance, and in that situation the word NO do not exist in my vocabulary.

I am sure jokiin will return with a gameplan.

 

[DT MI]

But in your case a 2019 car, your battery should still be in mint condition,

Not necessarily true. My '19 vehicle (bought new) had various electrical gremlins almost from the first day. Was never a real problem until last winter when the CoVid shutdowns reduced my driving considerably. Went out one day after the car had been sitting for a few days and no start because the battery was dead. Had it checked and it failed the load test due to a bad cell. Replaced with a new battery (under warranty) and things were well again - and the previous electrical gremlins never reappeared so I'm certain the battery was flaky from the day I got the car.

My suggestion would be for @mogulbumm to have the battery checked including a load test. A marginal battery can check out as being OK when just sitting but under load it will fail.

 

[mogulbumm]

Not necessarily true. My '19 vehicle (bought new) had various electrical gremlins almost from the first day. Was never a real problem until last winter when the CoVid shutdowns reduced my driving considerably. Went out one day after the car had been sitting for a few days and no start because the battery was dead. Had it checked and it failed the load test due to a bad cell. Replaced with a new battery (under warranty) and things were well again - and the previous electrical gremlins never reappeared so I'm certain the battery was flaky from the day I got the car.

My suggestion would be for @mogulbumm to have the battery checked including a load test. A marginal battery can check out as being OK when just sitting but under load it will fail.

Everything works great in the vehicle and the F150 does full system status and reports to the app. It starts without issue even on those days that were in the negative number temps. Real issue here is that the camera will not turn on if I use remote start on the vehicle, even after getting in, using the push-button start, then driving. However if I just get in the truck and turn it on, camera works fine. This is a relatively new development as it has worked previously.

I'm going to try to re-flash the unit today to see if that addresses the issue.

 

[mogulbumm]

UPDATE: I reflashed the unit with 1.17 firmware and it appears to be working again. Only issue is that I don't think the voltage sensor on the hardwire kit is working well. Just metered out the battery at 12.48V standing. Hardwire kit set for 12.2V. Camera only records for about 2 minutes in parking mode before shutting down.

 

[jokiin]

I think the parking mode issue is the low voltage cutofff on the hardware kit. It is currently set to 12.2v because it's winter, but that doesn't seem to be enough to even keep the camera recording for a few minutes let alone hours.

can you check and let me know how long it does actually run in parking mode when you switch off, there is some relevance to this depending on the time involved

What I haven't done yet is put a meter on my battery to see what the standing charge is, and that should at least rule out some challenges with a potentially faulty hardwire kit. i.e. if my battery reads 12.6V at shutoff and the parking mode is not working with the hardwire kit set at 12.2V, then I have further questions.

battery voltage will be highest immediately after you shutoff, measure it again at 15 minutes and 1 hour and see how it looks, also worth checking voltages at the same point that you connected the hardwire kit to as well as this can sometimes vary compared to directly at the battery

also is the hardware kit grounded to the factory ground point by the fuse panel?

 

[jokiin]

UPDATE: I reflashed the unit with 1.17 firmware and it appears to be working again. Only issue is that I don't think the voltage sensor on the hardwire kit is working well. Just metered out the battery at 12.48V standing. Hardwire kit set for 12.2V. Camera only records for about 2 minutes in parking mode before shutting down.

check your voltage at the kit, the hardwire kit will run for 100 seconds after voltage dips below the cutoff point

 

[kamkar]

Sort of related, i have just seen a video on youtube with someone testing hard wire kit cut off values ( cant recall if it was SG gear or other brand ) anyway there was some inaccuracies indeed but as i recall within 0.2 volts in the worst case ( i think the guy mentioned other kits he tested this way )

Just looked but i can not find the damn video again.

 

[jokiin]

there's a +/- 0.1v tolerance, mistake people sometimes make when checking is they don't realise that there's a 100 second timer before the cutoff applies so they move the voltage, don't see it cutoff, move it again etc etc and drop much lower by the time the first 100 seconds is up and think it's inaccurate

 

[kamkar]

The discrepancies the guy saw, was also to the good side, so not like if you set 12.2 V cut off, it is actually 12.0 when it cut off, his testing showed 12.3 or more, so while i can understand it being confusing and annoying it is much better than if the discrepancies was on the other side.

 

[kamkar]

OMG i hope i spelled that 10 point work correct

 

[SawMaster]

Of the few reports of testing HWK low-voltage cutoff settings, they seem to always be within 0.2V of the specified parameter. That should be close enough except for the lowest of settings where some of the cheaper HWK's aren't adjustable and are pre-set to something like 11.8V which is too low for any car battery. Jokiin and SG are sticklers for accuracy and truth in advertising so you can have complete faith in what he says in his post above

Other issues are involved here too; one is that many cheaper DMM's are not terribly accurate. I've had several and they've all been pretty good when I compared a few of them to the "Fluke" meters most house electricians use, but in general I would expect them to vary up to 0.05VDC, which concurs with what many other knowledgeable people have also found with them. Also a L/A battery will drop voltage under load (as expected) but it will 'recover' a little bit of voltage a short while after the load is removed, this varies with the condition of the battery and it's state of charge but I've seen 0.5V rises a few minutes after loads were removed. I've also seen worn batteries which did not 'recover' at all. How quickly and how far the voltage drops under load also varies with age and condition of the battery.

So in the end you can only generalize here; there are no absolutes. In that generalization one thing you can count on is that if you can hear the car starter turning slower than it does with a fully charged battery, then you're pushing near the limits and you will be shortening the service life of the battery considerably. Of course a no-start means you've gone too far. With a newish battery you're probably hardly affecting things at 12.4V cut-off but you'll not get much recording time. 12.2V will likely reduce battery service life 10%- 15%, but as the battery ages and/or wears that can be too low sometimes. 12.0V may be good enough when the battery is newish but I wouldn't go any lower as that is going to shorten the battery's service life considerably and may risk a no-start.

Whether you can get the parking recording times you want with these settings can only be found by trying, but best to go with the highest voltage cut-off setting you can use while still getting the times you need, and rather than pushing the battery too low to get those times, consider using one of the powerbank solutions to run your cam while parking instead,

Phil