Will this setup work ? Looking to buying an A119 V3

Paddy32

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Hello, I've never had a dashcam before and I would like to buy one and hardwire it to my car. Where I live (France) dashcams aren't illegal but very rarely used.

The 2 models that have made my final list are the VIOFO A119 V3 and the Nextbase 522gw. When I look at the reviews it seems the VIOFO A119 V3 is extremely superior to the Nextbase. All the reviews tend to say that the Nextbase is of mediocre quality (I'm suprises by this because the 522 isn't inexpensive).

I have a 2017 Audi A3 S-Line and I watched this tutorial on an 2017 Audi S5 (link :
) which gives me confidence that I can hardwire it on my own. I do not wish for a parking mode, since I park my car every day in an underground private locked garage. My plan is to hardwire the dashcam to an ACC fuse.

I wanted to know if I buy an A119 V3 and I just wanted to hardwire it to an ACC fuse, will a hardwire kit like this work : https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/B07F71RBR8
The VIOFO hardwire kit doesn't interest me because it has both Battery and ACC cable, and I just want the ACC cable so that the camera will only turn on when the car is on + It doesn't have the fuses so you need to buy extra things. Having all in 1 kit is very convenient for me.

Thank you for your answers.
 
The problem is that the VIOFO hardwire kit has a battery cable that I won't use + it doesn't have the extra fuse taps and I don't have the tool to crimp the wires to fuse taps.

Why is that particular hardwire kit bad ?
 
You can use the dashcam with a power feed just from the cigarette lighter socket or a USB socket if you have one. You can buy the V3 without the hardwire kit.
 
The VIOFO hardwire kit doesn't interest me because it has both Battery and ACC cable, and I just want the ACC cable so that the camera will only turn on when the car is on + It doesn't have the fuses so you need to buy extra things. Having all in 1 kit is very convenient for me.
This is not a problem, the Viofo HK3 kit is recommended since it has voltage selection for the cutoff voltage. You can just wire both battery and acc wires into the same fuse tap. Fuse taps are normally separate purchases since different cars have different size fuses.

You don't need a proper crimp tool, although they can be quite cheap, just some pliers will work, or a hammer to squash the crimp, although I always solder the crimps rather than crimping them.
 
The problem is that if I leave the A119 plugged in my cigarette lighter it will drain my battery and then I won't be able to start my car. I don't want this to happen, I don't want to have to plug out the dashcam every time I exit the vehicule and I would like to do a clean install.
 
Why is that particular hardwire kit bad ?
The 11.6V cutoff is too low for most people, it will damage the battery a little every time it gets that low, a higher voltage is recommended, especially in cold winters where you still want your car to start.
 
Any electronics repair shop can solder the wires for you. Shouldn't cost too much.
 
Is your lighter socket powered all the time?
Most cars these days have a USB socket try that and see if that powers up when ignition on is only.
If not a hardwire kit maybe the only way to go.
 
Is your lighter socket powered all the time?
Most cars these days have a USB socket try that and see if that powers up when ignition is only.
If not a hardwire kit maybe the only way to go.
Both lighter socket and USB are powered up when ignition is off.


aside from the voltage cutoff being too low it's a poor quality power supply, just buy the correct one and be done with it
But what if I connect the hardwire kit only to an accessory fuse ? The battery won't power the dashcam when the car is off. Doesn't that render the voltage cutoff useless ?


Any electronics repair shop can solder the wires for you. Shouldn't cost too much.
Unfortunately in France this costs quite expensive, it's not really possible to just pop down a car shop and ask for a solder unfortunately, unless you know the owner I suppose.
 
if the car has a built in USB socket save that for your phone, they're not suitable as a dashcam power source
 
But what if I connect the hardwire kit only to an accessory fuse ? The battery won't power the dashcam when the car is off. Doesn't that render the voltage cutoff useless ?
yes if you are only wiring to an accessory switched circuit then the low voltage cutoff doesn't come into it, but as I said, aside from the voltage cutoff being too low as @Nigel pointed out, it's just not a good quality power supply, you want reliable performance from any camera two things you need are a good quality memory card, and a good power supply
 
yes if you are only wiring to an accessory switched circuit then the low voltage cutoff doesn't come into it, but as I said, aside from the voltage cutoff being too low as @Nigel pointed out, it's just not a good quality power supply, you want reliable performance from any camera two things you need are a good quality memory card, and a good power supply
Is there on the market a hardwire kit that is good quality and comes with the fuse taps ?
 
Fuse taps will always come separate, there's more than one type.

From Wiki

Blade SizeBlade GroupDimensions L × W × HCommon Ratings (Maximum Current)
Micro2APT, ATR9.1 × 3.8 × 15.3 mm5, 7.5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30
Micro3ATL14.4 × 4.2 × 18.1 mm5, 7.5, 10, 15
LP-MiniAPS, ATT10.9 × 3.81 × 8.73 mm2, 3, 4, 5, 7.5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30
MiniAPM, ATM10.9 × 3.6 × 16.3 mm2, 3, 4, 5, 7.5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30
RegularAPR, ATC[2], ATO[1], ATS[3]19.1 × 5.1 × 18.5 mm0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7.5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40
MaxiAPX29.2 × 8.5 × 34.3 mm20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 100, 120
 
Unfortunately in France this costs quite expensive, it's not really possible to just pop down a car shop and ask for a solder unfortunately, unless you know the owner I suppose.
The crimp connections just need to be squashed so that the wires are trapped, the proper tool will do a neat job, but you can do an OK job with two stones, one used as a hammer and one used as a chisel to direct the blow to the correct place! A solder connection is definitely best, but not necessary.

You can also cut the crimp connector off, and use a screw terminal connector normally used for house wiring. Not normally used for car use because all the vibrations can loosen the screws, but get them tight and they will be good enough.

There are also some connecters that you just squeeze together and don't need any tools, not really recommended but OK if there is no other choice.
 
Been using Wago connectors for the past few months with my HW kit, no problems, connection stays firm. I tinned the wires.

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For your info - I'm using my old Nextbase hardwire kit with my Viofo V3 and it works perfectly, as it did on my old A119 V2.

All you need is a multimeter to find a fuse that only comes to life when the ignition is turned on.

In my case I found one that only comes live with ignition position 2 so it only comes to life when I'm about to start the engine. My Garmin SatNav is wired to ignition position 1 so I can play with it before starting the engine.

Just my preference.
 
Ok guys I have an update with a video I made just now. I searched in my car manual and found out that the cigarette lighter turns off when the ignition is off. To test this, I had a dongle with a light that turns on when it has power. It works only when the ignition is on. Here is a 2 minute video :


So since I do not want parking mode, I cant just plug the A119 V3 in the cig lighter and wire it neatly... right ?
 
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