Dashcam Install Help

[umair239]

Thanks for the prompt responses guys. I got the dome light panel out and am now tapping the wires. One more question: how are you guys hiding the camera wire? Is there a way to push the wire from the front of the headliner to make it come out of the gap of the dome light wires?

 

[umair239]

Nevermind, got it

 

[JPP]

Thanks for the prompt responses guys. I got the dome light panel out and am now tapping the wires. One more question: how are you guys hiding the camera wire? Is there a way to push the wire from the front of the headliner to make it come out of the gap of the dome light wires?

You fish the wire from the area under the dome light through the small hole in the headliner and then forward to the gap in the headliner at the windshield just to the right of the mirror mount/camera housing. Once I had everything wired up, I used a plastic spudger to gently pry the right hand cover of the mirror mount to tuck the wires under.

 

[ranova]

So what has been the longest someone has left the dash cam running in parking mode through the headliner? As long as the headliner method doesnt throw up 12v errors, this is a huge benefit from traditional ICE vehicles who are limited to just their 12V

 

[JPP]

So what has been the longest someone has left the dash cam running in parking mode through the headliner? As long as the headliner method doesnt throw up 12v errors, this is a huge benefit from traditional ICE vehicles who are limited to just their 12V

I have had this connected for 3 weeks--no errors or issues. Not in Park Mode all the time, but during the day and night (when I am not driving my P3D+).

 

[outie]

1 month+ and counting.

 

[ranova]

So I (and a couple others) noticed that after the V9 42.2 update, the 12V battery now charges up to 14.8V whereas before V9, my 12V cig splitter would show around 13.6V or 13.7V. This should technically be better for us dash cam users utilizing parking mode, correct? It would take longer for parking mode to drain the 12V battery down to a point where the car would have to kick in and charge the 12V from the car's battery - unless that threshold is also higher after this update.

 

[umair239]

All thanks to you guys I was able to wire tap the BlackVue cameras into the dome light wiring and it's been working amazingly well so far. I have some more questions regarding the operations of the cameras: should I keep the recording settings to time lapse or motion detection? I work 12hr shifts and would like to have my cameras record in parking mode for all that time at least. Also where are my cameras storing their videos because when I checked for videos via blackvue app using the BlackVue wifi I was only able to see videos from early morning and no recording from yesterday? Does it mean the cameras are re-writing videos every single day since I have only 16GB SD card? I also purchased 10GB cloud storage from BlackVue, how do I set that up?

 

[dailo]

Wish I saw the post about the dome light before I bought my battery pack. Hopefully the dome power source works out.

 

[arcus]

All thanks to you guys I was able to wire tap the BlackVue cameras into the dome light wiring and it's been working amazingly well so far. I have some more questions regarding the operations of the cameras: should I keep the recording settings to time lapse or motion detection? I work 12hr shifts and would like to have my cameras record in parking mode for all that time at least. Also where are my cameras storing their videos because when I checked for videos via blackvue app using the BlackVue wifi I was only able to see videos from early morning and no recording from yesterday? Does it mean the cameras are re-writing videos every single day since I have only 16GB SD card? I also purchased 10GB cloud storage from BlackVue, how do I set that up?

My 750S with 128 GB card will store about 11-12 hrs of recordings before it starts overwriting the old ones. I use the default settings (60 fps front, 30 fps rear, both HD). If you are parked for the 12 hrs you are at work I would enable parking mode - that way the cameras will record only when motion is detected nearby or when the impact is detected (hope the latter one never happens!)

 

[AdamNS]

oes it mean the cameras are re-writing videos every single day since I have only 16GB SD card?

Not every day, every hour or so.
A 16Gb card can fit less than an hour and a half of video (for DR750S-2CH on high def settings, less than 60 min on 'extreme')

 

[voip-ninja]

Just catching up on this thread..... what's the group consensus on the easiest to install hardwired setup for a dash cam on the Model-3? I started looking into Blackvue's offerings, man there sure are a lot of them, it's kind of confusing.

My use case is typically a 20 minute commute to and from work. The car is normally parked in a covered garage and I'm not terribly worried about someone trying to break into it there.

Outside of work it's just the normal family hauling stuff around town and to nearby destinations.

 

[whatthe2]

Just catching up on this thread..... what's the group consensus on the easiest to install hardwired setup for a dash cam on the Model-3? I started looking into Blackvue's offerings, man there sure are a lot of them, it's kind of confusing.

My use case is typically a 20 minute commute to and from work. The car is normally parked in a covered garage and I'm not terribly worried about someone trying to break into it there.

Outside of work it's just the normal family hauling stuff around town and to nearby destinations.

Although I have yet to attempt it, seems like the dome light has been working well for others and is an easy install.

I've got the Blackvue DR-900S 2Ch and have been very happy with it.

 

[voip-ninja]

Although I have yet to attempt it, seems like the dome light has been working well for others and is an easy install.

I've got the Blackvue DR-900S 2Ch and have been very happy with it.

What is being used as the power source for the rear camera?

 

[MP3Mike]

What is being used as the power source for the rear camera?

The front camera via the data cable.

 

[whatthe2]

The front camera via the data cable.

Yep, back camera powers off the front. I've currently got the B-124 battery connected to the cigarette lighter until I have time to attempt the hardwire. I get about 15 hours of power when parked off the B-124. I leave my car at the airport each week so I'll turn on the climate once or twice a day to power the battery back up and try and keep parking mode recording on as much as I can while I'm away. Kind of a pain, but works ok until I can get the hardwire completed.

 

[ChrisPDX]

Just catching up on this thread..... what's the group consensus on the easiest to install hardwired setup for a dash cam on the Model-3?

Honestly, the easiest solution is to just install a USB thumb drive with the TeslaCam folder and use the integrated one. The jury is still out if the latest firmware fixes the corrupt drive issue. If so, it's quick and does the job as needed. You don't get fancy features like speed, GPS location or recording when away, but it sounds like you don't need those. If you already have a spare thumb drive laying around, then there's no harm in trying it out as it just takes a few minutes to setup.

However, if you want a dedicated unit, then the Blackvue is probably your best bet. It runs directly off 12v, so you just need to run the power wire to the dome light assembly. No need for a voltage regulator. Or if wiring scares you, then any camera will come with a 12v plug and you just have to run the wire all the way down to the center console and plug in there.

 

[JPP]

What is being used as the power source for the rear camera?

Blackvues have a single coax cable for both power and data for the rear camera.

A couple of notes on Blackvues:

They provide (in their documentation) a table of memory card size vs. resolution, frame rate, etc. In my old 500 dual HD setup (2013 S), I had a 32 Gb card and it would be good for a day or so. With my new 900 dual ultra HD system, I got the 128 Gb card, and get the same recording time (...more data). Also, the Blackvue does overwrite older 'routine' image data. But it saves (does not overwrite) Events, which are triggers usually due to excess G-forces (impacts). You set this up--so if your threshold for impact is low, you get a lot of stored clips which will rapidly fill up your card. Note that the Blackvue OEM cards are robust and durable. If you buy a new card, be sure to get one rated for extreme use in dash cams (hot, endless read-write cycles).

As far as using Parking Mode vs Time Lapse, if my memory serves me correctly (...always read and refer to the manual and documentation), if you have a big card, use Parking Mode. if you have a small card, use the time lapse 1 FPS mode.

 

[JPP]

Honestly, the easiest solution is to just install a USB thumb drive with the TeslaCam folder and use the integrated one. The jury is still out if the latest firmware fixes the corrupt drive issue. If so, it's quick and does the job as needed. You don't get fancy features like speed, GPS location or recording when away, but it sounds like you don't need those. If you already have a spare thumb drive laying around, then there's no harm in trying it out as it just takes a few minutes to setup.

However, if you want a dedicated unit, then the Blackvue is probably your best bet. It runs directly off 12v, so you just need to run the power wire to the dome light assembly. No need for a voltage regulator. Or if wiring scares you, then any camera will come with a 12v plug and you just have to run the wire all the way down to the center console and plug in there.

But TeslaCam only runs when the car is on. The resolution and FOV is suboptimal. There is no rear camera (...yet). And for now the USB jump drives are getting corrupted a lot. Also, if you want to save the video clip, you have to tap on the TeslaCam icon. No audio recording. No GPS mapping on the video. Not an optimal implementation. I rely on a good dual Blackvue now--maybe in a couple of years the TeslaCam will include all cameras 24/7, etc.

 

[MP3Mike]

maybe in a couple of years the TeslaCam will include all cameras 24/7, etc.

Highly unlikely as that would require the APE computer to run 24/7 which would probably cause a lot of vampire drain. The exception would be if HW3 was built with low power dashcam functionality built-in to it.