Street Guardian SGZC12RC-V2 just arrived, setting up questions...

[AudiCraig]

Hello all,

First post here, but his forum helped greatly when selecting which dash cam to buy... so thank you!

I got the Street Guardian SGZC12RC-V2 via Nico's site and it arrived just fine. Other than not being able to find the memory card i was going to put into it, i thought i was ready to get recording!
Getting it set up however has raised a few questions that i'd appreciate some guidance with.
For reference i'm installing this into a European/UK Audi A6 Avant 2008 model.

1. Location... playing about with the location of the camera unit before sticking in place is proving troublesome. When trying to find a discrete spot for the unit, the rear view mirror bracket (which is stuck to the glass) always seems to get into the field of view.
I selected the SGZC12RC because of the remote camera that i could hide, but i'm struggling for a suitable location.
I'm in the UK so drive on the right hand side of the car; where are you situating your cameras compared to the rear view mirror, on the right or left of it and how far up... as high as possible or behind the wider mirror part of the rear view mirror assembly?

2. Power... my car has a 12v power socket in the boot (standard cigarette lighter assembly but has a cap with "12v" on it). Since i'm a fool, i have already destroyed my fingers routing the cable from the unit to this power supply before checking that 12v was ok or if it was a switched supply or not. I have a feeling that it's a permanent feed but not entirely sure the best way to check (when you unlock the car a whole manner of lights and what-not come on).
Secondly, do i want a permanent feed or not for this? I see on Niko's site there are a number of hard wire kits, are these needed just so you don't lose your cigarette lighter socket or do they have some other function to do with regulating when the power is supplied and not? I'd like to use the SGZC12RC-V2 to do the recording when i'm away from the car and it's parked, but don't want to drain the battery by using the wrong type of connection.

So, thank you for reading... any help would be superb!

Thank you
Craig.

 

[niko]

Hello Craig, and welcome to DCT forum !

1. does your Audi has rain sensor style RVmirror or standard VW group RVmirror ?
Could you please make photo of your RVmirror and share here so we can give you more detailed advice.

2.
a) as I understood, you still have switched cig.lighter socket in the front, but you don't want to use it and keep it free for some other devices, right ?
- in this case you can buy cigarette lighter socket splitter. I got them in stock and will be listing soon

b) to check if your cig.lighter socket in the boot has constant or switched power, you can connect / plug main unit power supply to it just for test purpose and leave it in the rear seat the way you see the screen. Set the LCD ON always from menu., start recording. Leave car, lock doors and check if unit shots down or not. Some cars have delayed power-off up to few hours, but in most cases it is 5-10 ( 20? ) min. You can come back time to time and check status of LCD screen or unit if it still records. Or just come back after 2-3 hours, remove microsd card, check on your PC what time last file was recorded, this way you will know how long is your accessories socket have boot delay.

c) in order to use SGZC12RC while car is parked for motion detection recording you need to hardwire it to fuse box and to avoid car battery going flat - need a BDP ( battery discharge prevention device ). You can set cut-off by timer or by low-voltage, what suits you best.
Hardwiring is not complicated. To help to hardwire to fuse box most people use add-a-circuit / piggy back.

 

[AudiCraig]

Thanks for the quick reply!

1. does your Audi has rain sensor style RVmirror or standard VW group RVmirror ?
Could you please make photo of your RVmirror and share here so we can give you more detailed advice.

It's a rain sensor RV mirror; see photo:

2.
a) as I understood, you still have switched cig.lighter socket in the front, but you don't want to use it and keep it free for some other devices, right ?
- in this case you can buy cigarette lighter socket splitter. I got them in stock and will be listing soon

Yes, but it's in the center console area and under a flap/lid thing so i cannot have things permanently plugged in. Plus it'd be super tricky to get the cable there without looking naff.

b) to check if your cig.lighter socket in the boot has constant or switched power, you can connect / plug main unit power supply to it just for test purpose and leave it in the rear seat the way you see the screen. Set the LCD ON always from menu., start recording. Leave car, lock doors and check if unit shots down or not. Some cars have delayed power-off up to few hours, but in most cases it is 5-10 ( 20? ) min. You can come back time to time and check status of LCD screen or unit if it still records. Or just come back after 2-3 hours, remove microsd card, check on your PC what time last file was recorded, this way you will know how long is your accessories socket have boot delay.

Screen standby mode disabled; car locked... will update once known.

c) in order to use SGZC12RC while car is parked for motion detection recording you need to hardwire it to fuse box and to avoid car battery going flat - need a BDP ( battery discharge prevention device ). You can set cut-off by timer or by low-voltage, what suits you best.
Hardwiring is not complicated. To help to hardwire to fuse box most people use add-a-circuit / piggy back.

Since i have the power cable already routed into the boot, here's a picture of where it is and how it's connected currently.
I removed the cig.lighter from the panel as having the supply plugged in there would have got in the way of shopping/kids push chairs etc. I was going to tuck it behind the panel with the camera power supply connected so it's hidden/safe.

and here's a close up of the 2nd fusebox

If i were to get a hardwire kit i'd probably chop the end of the current cable off and wire it into here i'm guessing.

 

[AudiCraig]

So it seems all the 12v sockets are perm live in my car.
I'll have to get the hard wired kit it seems along with a BDP, but I've found there is a fuse panel accessible when you open the drivers door (closer than all the way in the boot so should make for a nicer install).
Just need to identify the correct fuse to piggy back off, but it's pouring with rain now though so that's a job for later. I need to find out if the space near the fuse panel is big enough to also hide the BDP device.
At the moment though it's still plugged into the rear socket; if i turn the unit off by holding down the main button, does this completely stop the power or do i need to unplug it all together?

 

[AudiCraig]

Ordered the BDP device just now from hiniko.
Local auto-electrician company (car stereo place) is going to do a full concealed fitment and hardwired installation for £40 when it arrives.
I just need to pull back out the power cable that i ran all the way into the boot as they're going to use a different fuse panel.

As for location goes, the only uninterrupted location is below the rain sensor bit stuck to the window... not a neat looking as i'd like but the wide angled lenses of the camera sees the housing wherever I put it Just hope the installers have some tricks for getting the cables looking really neat.

 

[niko]

40£ is fair price for full installation.
I am sure there should be some switched fuse in your car.
In regards to fitment of dashcam you can install it in full length from left side of the RVmirror wo its going to look like two RVmirror rain sensors in your car and will not block lens view.

Edit: sorry, I mixed up SG9665GC vs SGZC12RC threads. Will post my picture suggestions below.

 

[AudiCraig]

In regards to fitment of dashcam you can install it in full length from left side of the RVmirror wo its going to look like two RVmirror rain sensors in your car and will not block lens view.

Not sure what you mean by "full length"

 

[Street Guardian USA]

Make sure you don't mount it too high. You want to keep it in the sweep of the windshield wiper blades.

 

[niko]

Side is correct, so can access memory card. Full length I mean all the way or almost to the front edge of RVmirror rain sensor.

Edit: sorry @"memory card access", I mixed up SG9665GC vs SGZC12RC threads.

 

[kajmac]

Why dont you mount it like this:

I myself will have my like this. Will post pictures and videos on how I installed everything tomorrow too:

 

[niko]

@kajmac got it right.
With this set-up it will be almost in the centre and in case you want to unplug and remove camera you have access from both sides ( left and right )
Of course in your case the drawback is light colour or RVmirror shell. It would look more stealthy with black colour RVmirror. Of course you can do some DIY painting of camera shell to match the colour of your RVmirror shell, but for health & safety reason we never encourage to do any DIY unless you are and expert and you must know that any DIY / design changes / opening case etc. may void warranty, it's just formality I must write

 

[AudiCraig]

Majmac, are you using the supplied straight usb cable for that installation location or have you got a 90° alternative?

Also, I was wondering if there's any kind of glue (not too strong, not too weak) that I could use to make the cable hug close to the awkward shape of my rear view mirror mount.... anyone used such a method?

 

[kajmac]

Majmac, are you using the supplied straight usb cable for that installation location or have you got a 90° alternative?

Also, I was wondering if there's any kind of glue (not too strong, not too weak) that I could use to make the cable hug close to the awkward shape of my rear view mirror mount.... anyone used such a method?

Im using this one http://hiniko.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=166_170&product_id=297.
Both cameras are now mounted and this is how it looks:

 

[niko]

Im using this one http://hiniko.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=166_170&product_id=297.
Both cameras are now mounted and this is how it looks:

Nice installation and comparison size vs mini 08xx.

 

[AudiCraig]

Kajmac, that 90deg adapter looks much better...
Niko, I just ordered it... if you've not shipped the BDP yet feel free to combine the shipment

 

[niko]

Kajmac, that 90deg adapter looks much better...
Niko, I just ordered it... if you've not shipped the BDP yet feel free to combine the shipment

Thanks for your new order. Your yesterday BDP order has been dispatched "next day" ( today ) as promised and new order will be dispatched tomorrow.

 

[wozzzzza]

yeah that 90 degree adaptor is great. hides the cable well and makes cam look smaller.