Some Dash Cam Installation Tips

[RoyalTeaDee]

I just installed a single forward facing dash cam today and figured I’d share a few notes while it’s fresh in my mind.

• I tapped into fuse 3. The top pin was 12V live (when the ignition is on).
• I grounded to the M6 stud just below the fuse. The nut has an integrated washer that makes it hard to put a grounding lug behind it, so I just added an extra M6 nut on top of it to clamp my ground.
• Wiring ran up the passenger A pillar and was dead easy after dropping the glove box and removing the door seal. None of it is exposed anywhere.
• The rubber door seal just pulls straight out with a bit of pulling and there’s no need to monkey with any plastic panels.
• There is a hole behind the glove box in the top right that exits straight into the A pillar and from there it’s easy to pull up the wire.
• The only place I needed to flex anything was to pull down the A pillar cover a little bit where it meets the headliner and then a bit of work to get my fingertips behind the headliner.
• The headliner fabric looks pretty fragile around the edges so be delicate up there.
• I put my dash cam to the right of the mirror and ran the wire straight into the headliner.

Do you remember what type of fuse was in the 3 slot, micro 2, micro 3, maxi, etc.? Is there a list anywhere of the fuse type in each slot?

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[RoyalTeaDee]

Thanks for this info. I have a dash cam coming for when I finally get my truck. Mine is a 2 camera system, so I will be running some wire to my back window as well.

I just ran the wires for my front and rear cameras yesterday and found this video to be very helpful.

 

[colinl]

Don't they all? I thought they all came with the cameras. At this point I'm wondering why more manufacturers don't offer it, at least as an option. It would be proprietary so that's more money for them.

One trend that can eff right off though is camera side mirrors. Incredibly stupid. Same for the rear view mirror cameras... If the camera goes out you have nothing.

I believe only certain Tesla models have parking mode security and autopilot, but I'm not overly interested in searching about it just to make a point. The Maverick doesn't have a dashcam mainly because it isn't in budget.

 

[Hcopter]

I believe only certain Tesla models have parking mode security and autopilot, but I'm not overly interested in searching about it just to make a point. The Maverick doesn't have a dashcam mainly because it isn't in budget.

All the models have the same hardware, except number of motors and battery size. Autopilot functionality level is an added cost option on all models. Four of the 8 cameras are recorded, you can also view them live on your phone when away from the car. Check out Wham Baam Teslacam on Youtube for some good examples of how they work.

 

[Hansolo]

I used an old 12v to usb adapter taped power from the mirror installation I was doing at the same time and installed it in the windshield black cover then plugged in my dash cam using a 6” cord. Working fine

 

[DannyUncanny]

Do you remember what type of fuse was in the 3 slot, micro 2, micro 3, maxi, etc.? Is there a list anywhere of the fuse type in each slot?

Micro 2. Most of them are micro 2.

 

[DannyUncanny]

I just ran the wires for my front and rear cameras yesterday and found this video to be very helpful.

The only thing I would disagree about in this is that pulling out the door seal first will make the wiring routing immediately obvious. If you want to pull panels and zip tie afterwards it will be easier with the door seal off. You’re also less likely to trap the edge under a plastic panel during reassembly because the door seal goes back on last.

 

[RoyalTeaDee]

The only thing I would disagree about in this is that pulling out the door seal first will make the wiring routing immediately obvious. If you want to pull panels and zip tie afterwards it will be easier with the door seal off. You’re also less likely to trap the edge under a plastic panel during reassembly because the door seal goes back on last.

The only wires that aren’t 100% hidden are near the back speaker because I didn’t want to mess with trying to pull the speaker trim off. I also fed the wires from the top instead of from the bottom like he did. Overall the wires seem to be hidden pretty well.

 

[RichardCranium]

My dash cam has parking mode, so it will need constant power. Has anyone tried running it through a usb power bank? So the power bank charges when the truck is on, but the camera won’t draw off the battery when the truck is off.

 

[DannyUncanny]

The only wires that aren’t 100% hidden are near the back speaker because I didn’t want to mess with trying to pull the speaker trim off. I also fed the wires from the top instead of from the bottom like he did. Overall the wires seem to be hidden pretty well.

After reading this and others I went back to check how I routed past the side airbag. My first post crossed over it so I went back and pulled down the A pillar cover and rerouted it to the inside, next to the windshield and behind the airbag.

 

[HughdMan]

I just installed a single forward facing dash cam today and figured I’d share a few notes while it’s fresh in my mind.

• I tapped into fuse 3. The top pin was 12V live (when the ignition is on).
• I grounded to the M6 stud just below the fuse. The nut has an integrated washer that makes it hard to put a grounding lug behind it, so I just added an extra M6 nut on top of it to clamp my ground.
• Wiring ran up the passenger A pillar and was dead easy after dropping the glove box and removing the door seal. None of it is exposed anywhere.
• The rubber door seal just pulls straight out with a bit of pulling and there’s no need to monkey with any plastic panels.
• There is a hole behind the glove box in the top right that exits straight into the A pillar and from there it’s easy to pull up the wire.
• The only place I needed to flex anything was to pull down the A pillar cover a little bit where it meets the headliner and then a bit of work to get my fingertips behind the headliner.
• The headliner fabric looks pretty fragile around the edges so be delicate up there.
• Make sure to run the wire behind the airbag, not over top of it.
• I put my dash cam to the right of the mirror and ran the wire straight into the headliner.

I appreciate it! Eventually, when I decide on which $15 dashcam from Temu I can tolerate. I will put your advice to good use!

 

[SLJ]

Installed mine this week. Was pretty easy running the 12 volt wire across the headliner and down through the A pillar to the fuse panel behind the glove box. Also ran a wire for the rear camera up the pillar for the rear dash cam. Very happy with the quality. Also got the sensor to turn it on if there's any vibration when parked.

 

[Joester]

I appreciate it! Eventually, when I decide on which $15 dashcam from Temu I can tolerate. I will put your advice to good use!

I would suggest a better model over a moderate price. I've had several of the "cheaper" dashcams and they die quickly. One I have locked the sd card and there is simply no unlocking it. Thinking it was a card fault I installed a second one... locked that one too. Once locked, even the cam that locked it cannot use it.

My dashcams from here on will be "better" models and I'm willing to pay for them. Too many problems with the cheap ones. I'm eyeing the ones with one main front cam unit and an additional rear facing camera mounted in the rear window. Done messing around.

 

[Enchalada]

I would suggest a better model over a moderate price. I've had several of the "cheaper" dashcams and they die quickly. One I have locked the sd card and there is simply no unlocking it. Thinking it was a card fault I installed a second one... locked that one too. Once locked, even the cam that locked it cannot use it.

My dashcams from here on will be "better" models and I'm willing to pay for them. Too many problems with the cheap ones. I'm eyeing the ones with one main front cam unit and an additional rear facing camera mounted in the rear window. Done messing around.

I've been considering 70 Mai A810 or Thinkware F200 PRO but still researching.

 

[Samus]

I've had a Vantrue N2 Pro for 2 years now. No problems at all. Decent price. Very good video quality. It's a bit old at this point, but I'm pretty sure they have come out with an updated version since I purchased it.

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