Silly Question: Powering a Dashcam with a USB adapter.

[RobinAJ]

I'm 17, living in the UK, going though my driving lessons as-of-now. I'll be car sharing for a little while with my parents, they and I want a Dashcam, probably an 0806 or whatever the newest version of that camera is.

The question for me is, can I get a lighter socket to 2/3/4 port USB adapter like this:

Then I'd purchase a USB to Micro USB cable to power the Dashcam(s).

Why? Incase I want to charge my phone and use my Dashcam(s) at the same time.

Before anyone says "Just hardwire it, Jesus". I would, however it's not my car and I don't want my Grandmother's car to have a flat battery, also a PowerMagic Pro seems as hard if not harder to setup also.

 

[iptelman]

Hiya Robin

Welcome to Dashcamtalk.
That adapter will be fine to power most any dashcam that's powered via USB.

 

[Module 79L]

@RobinAJ, just make sure the port you're going to use has enough current (amps) to power the camera correctly and that they're not shared with the other ports.

 

[DrekiTech]

Yep, I use a similar adapter without issue (though mine is Ravpower). One USB port for the cam, one for the BT adapter I have and one for charging my phone. Aukey products are generally reliable, from my experience with the brand.

 

[Treybadd]

That is a nice adapter. I need one.

 

[ThePro]

It shouldn't be a problem, although I wouldn't use that specific one with dashcams because I'm not sure how the qualcomm quick charge would affect them.

 

[DrekiTech]

It shouldn't be a problem, although I wouldn't use that specific one with dashcams because I'm not sure how the qualcomm quick charge would affect them.

It doesn't make a difference from my experience. QC ports are backwards compatible with non-qc devices, since the device just pulls the amperage it needs.

 

[DT MI]

I'm currently running 2 SG9665GCs and 2 A118-Cs (all 4 with GPS) using one these with no problems so I would think that as long as your 12V supply is adequate it should work just fine for you.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/B0169K7SQS

 

[Ralph2]

Then I'd purchase a USB to Micro USB cable to power the Dashcam(s).

Just ensure you get a dash cam that is powered via USB.. not all are.

 

[Lola]

I'm 17, living in the UK, going though my driving lessons as-of-now. I'll be car sharing for a little while with my parents, they and I want a Dashcam, probably an 0806 or whatever the newest version of that camera is.

The question for me is, can I get a lighter socket to 2/3/4 port USB adapter like this:

Then I'd purchase a USB to Micro USB cable to power the Dashcam(s).

Why? Incase I want to charge my phone and use my Dashcam(s) at the same time.

Before anyone says "Just hardwire it, Jesus". I would, however it's not my car and I don't want my Grandmother's car to have a flat battery, also a PowerMagic Pro seems as hard if not harder to setup also.

You might want to give this a look. It's rated #1. http://www.scosche.com/consumer-tech/usb-car-charger-dual-port

I bought one on Ebay for about $12.00 including shipping.

 

[RobinAJ]

Thank you for your replies. I'm probably getting a G1W/0806 as my 1st dashcam. I'll be using it in a 2001 Polo 1.4, being a VW I expect the 12v Lighter Socket will produce enough current to power it. However, I'm probably buying myself a Perodua Kelisa 1.0, I don't know if that will push enough current... The Polo is my grandmother's car, mum doesnt drive.

Thank you all for your help, I'll check amperage and voltage ratings on the camera and USB adapters.

 

[Rajagra]

QC ports are backwards compatible with non-qc devices, since the device just pulls the amperage it needs.

QC also varies the voltage.

"Quick Charge 3.0 employs Intelligent Negotiation for Optimum Voltage (INOV), an algorithm which allows your portable device to determine what power level to request at any point in time, enabling optimum power transfer while maximizing efficiency. It also supports wider voltage options, allowing a mobile device to dynamically adjust to the ideal voltage level supported by that specific device. Specifically, Quick Charge 3.0 offers a more granular range of voltages: 200mV increments, from 3.6V to 20V."

It shouldn't matter if everything works properly. But I avoid using QC ports for non-QC devices if a regular port is available.

 

[SawMaster]

Scosche and Anker are the brands I recommend. QC ports should be OK, and given how long Scosche and Anker usually last, may be worth going for now since more products will be using QC in the near future

Phil

 

[gpo]

Hi guys. I have kind of a similar question. Keep in mind that I have never used any dash cams before nor I have any acquaintances that do/did.

So, I do not have a power outlet in my car, just an usb port that can be used to play music from a regular USB stick. My question is if can I power any dash cams
using an USB to USB cable?

If so, can you guys give some options? I've searched on the web and none of the ones I look at clearly state that. I'm kind of lost. Thanks!

 

[jokiin]

USB ports that are connected to the radio are generally not good for dashcams as the data pins put most cameras into mass storage mode

 

[gpo]

So does this yield the camera unusable? Or is it just annoying that you have to put it into recording mode or something?

 

[jokiin]

So does this yield the camera unusable? Or is it just annoying that you have to put it into recording mode or something?

in this case they won't auto start and record so you'd need to manually do that each time

 

[gpo]

Great, thanks! Do you guys have any recommendations of cameras that will definitely work like that? Maybe you can private message me if this is getting off topic! Thank you!

 

[jokiin]

car USB port is generally not good for dashcam use

 

[Street Guardian USA]

The USB port from a car/radio/computer are often times under powered for your dashcam and can cause flaky behaviors.
(or can kick the camera into mass storage mode thinking you're at a computer ready to transfer files)