Hardwiring Dash Cam

[Ben1989]

Hi guys,

I'm looking into getting a dash cam and I have a few questions.

1) Are there any dash cams people recommend? I don't care about screens - all i need to know is that it's turned on but I understand most models come with screens now.

2) I have searched for Battery powered dash cams, my ideal was to have one I could charge every night but it seems they don't exist. So i have accepted that I'll need to hardwire. Where is the fusebox in the CT? Is to the fusebox the easiest method to hardwire? Any tips?

3) Does anybody have any experience in hardwiring anything and how to make wires as hidden as possible (from the mirror)?

4) Are there any issues I should be concerned with hardwiring in terms of draining batteries etc?

Thanks everyone.

Many thanks, Ben

[stormchaser]

A decent fair priced cam I would say is a Möbius. Very compact and you can hardwire it or it has its own Battery supply.

On the CT there is an ignition feed in the dome light cluster in the roof making a short routed wire up.

 

 

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[J Henderson]

I'm not familiar with the CT but I'd wager the fuse box is probably in the footwell area somewhere, either on the driver's side or the passenger's, or maybe even both like in an IS. The manual should tell you if you have one

Hiding the wire is pretty easy regardless of camera. Just feed it up into the headlinig. You should be able to pull the edge down a little and tuck it in, then feed the wire all along the edge of the windscreen and then route it down whichever A-pillar is necessary.

Again, not familiar with the layout in a CT200h, but on my car (and a lot of others), you can usually tuck the wire in behind the cover on the A-Pillar and have it exit somewhere near to where the fusebox is located. From there it's a case of finding the best solution to conceal the rest of the wiring and install the piggy-back in one of the fuses.

Regarding the install draining the Battery. That will only be an issue if you tap into the fuse of something that's "always on". If you tap into something that only uses power when the car is running, the camera will shut down shortly after locking the car.

[Ben1989]

Thanks everyone for the detailed replies.

I'm mechanically minded but really am not electronically minded.

Is tapping into the dome light easily done and is there a guide? It seems this would be absolutely ideal and saves messing around with wires but I don't want to mess anything up.

[Farqui]

Hard wiring a dash cam is relatively straight forward, I did mine earlier this year and you're hard pressed to see it.

Thinkware F770 -> http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/topic/110248-hunting-for-a-gs-450h/?page=4#comment-984465

I piggy backed power from the drivers foot well fuse board; http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/topic/110248-hunting-for-a-gs-450h/?page=4#comment-984345

When looking for dash cams ensure the supply is the correct voltage, not all run off 12v. Either buy a camera with a 12v feed or if it runs off a lower voltage (5v) then ensure you use a step down, the camera's own hardwire kit should handle this.

As for a guide, check out this write up by @Pidu http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/topic/95452-diy-fitting-auto-dimming-rear-view-mirror/

Good luck and let us know how you get on.

[Ben1989]

I'm currently looking at the Viofo's A119S dash cam. That's as high as my budget goes.

What would you recommend then Farqui? Piggy back onto the fuse board as you've done? Also, where did you run the ground to?

Cheers

[Farqui]

12 minutes ago, Ben1989 said:

I'm currently looking at the Viofo's A119S dash cam. That's as high as my budget goes.

What would you recommend then Farqui? Piggy back onto the fuse board as you've done? Also, where did you run the ground to?

Cheers

I'm no expert on the dash cam's that are available, but there are plenty of websites that review and compare the kit. I went with the F770 as Thinkware kit gets good reviews, it's sleek and does't have a screen, it's good quality, has a nice features (speed camera alerts) and is 2 channel (front and rear camera's)...it also has a bunch of features I don't use like parked recordings, lane departure warnings, etc.

I see that the Viofo A119S got a good review here; https://dashboardcamerareviews.com/viofo-a119s/ - I though you said you weren't interested in a camera with a screen tho?

In my thread you see that I earthed to the forward fuse board bolt 

[J Henderson]

The Viofo A119S is what I have. I had it's predecessor (A118) in my old car and was impressed with it, so getting the newer, improved version seemed like the thing to do.

It has a screen, but it's really small and turns off after a few seconds and doesn't come back on unless prompted to. If you install it behind your mirror, you'll be hard-pressed to see the camera at all, never mind the screen.

[rayaans]

Yep I fitted an A118-C to my son's car - very good quality and seems well built compared to others at a similiar price range.

The A119 is supposed to be improved so get either one. I think the A118-C is £45 from amazon whereas the A119 is a bit more

[stormchaser]

I,m just about to purchase a Nextbase 512G as the write ups are great.its a bit expensive but has everything I need from a cam.I shall be hardwiring it into the feed in the dome lights in the roof once I find out how to remove that unit.

 

 

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