Installed BlackVue 900X, CM100LTE module, and backup battery

Bought everything during Black Friday but never got around to installing. Spent about five hours today getting everything set up.

The dashcam is the 900XPlus by BlackVue with two channels. The CM100 LTE module is optional, but I liked the idea that I could "just upgrade the dashcam" in the future without having to buy a LTE enabled version. Everything is powered by BlackVue's PowerCell 8 battery which appears to be a rebranded Celllink. 12v power is supplied through the OEM brake controller. In theory, the 7500mAh battery should be able to power the two channel, 4k video for 20 hours. We'll see about that...

I sourced the brake controller harness from Tesla and soldered the hardwire pigtail. The brake controller sits on a 15A fuse and the battery pulls about 8-9 amps while charging. In theory, it can charge itself in about 50 minutes. So, a quick trip around town in addition to the "sleep delay" the car has. When I was verifying everything with my multimeter I never did see the voltage drop to 0, so I'm doing a little more research to ensure this is actually the case.

The battery is hidden at the bottom of my center console. I tried feeding the wires from the back of the center console but it was a giant pain in the ass. Ultimately just used a step drill and put a hole in the side of the console for the power cables. Here's a photo of me test fitting the battery before I placed it in the bottom of the console.

The original plan was to remove the AP harness trim and tuck all the wires in, but after laying everything out I don't think there's enough room in there. It was getting dark so I decided to use the included 3M mounts and run the wire bundle in parallel. Not ideal, but I don't really look up there so I can live with it.

Most people stick the LTE module to the windshield, but I think it looks terrible. LTE has no issue with plastic, so I placed mine under the dashboard. It's got better service than the damn car does!

All wires were run up along the A pillar and above the headliner. To run the rear camera cable I made two small cuts with a razor in the body to trunk door rubber. Shouldn't be any issues with water, but I may go back and add a few dabs of sealant.

Glad I was able to get everything installed. I may get around to editing an installation video at some point.

 

[Zuikkis]

I originally had DR900S in my Model S. It died after just two months! I got a DR900X as a warranty replacement, and it has now worked for over a year with no issues. Running 24/7.

 

[chukiechz]

I've noticed I have some significant drain on my battery. I dont think it would be the dash cam causing this, but I became more paranoid so I started paying attention to the mileage. I used a rental car for the last 3 days, and I noticed I lost about 18 miles in range just sitting in my driveway. Is this normal? I have a 2016 with the MCU upgrade. Key is kept in one of those RFID pouches as well.

 

[ngng]

I originally had DR900S in my Model S. It died after just two months! I got a DR900X as a warranty replacement, and it has now worked for over a year with no issues. Running 24/7.

Hoping I don't have any issues. Good to know your replacement has been solid. What died on the original?

 

[SomeJoe7777]

Blackvue is *sugar*, I got rid of mine after dashcam feature came out. Always “Blackvue Restarting” in the middle of a drive, no matter what brand of microsd card I used.

Seems like a pointless upgrade since this feature is built in.

If you're getting "BlackVue Restarting" every few minutes, that means that the power wire you're tapped into is not 12V. Tesla has actually CHANGED the voltage on some wires via software updates (I was informed of this by my Dashcam installer), and what was once a 12V switched wire may no longer be. I had this happen in both of my Model 3's, and was corrected when we moved the power wire to the 12V accessory outlet in the center console.

As for "pointless", I could not disagree more. Here's what the BlackVue (and most other aftermarket dashcams) have that the TeslaCam does not:

1. Way better resolution. Full 1920x1080 HD on even the most entry-level dashcams, and up to 4K resolution on higher end models. This is good enough to read license plates if they're within a reasonable distance. You will never read a license plate on TeslaCam footage unless the other car is right next to you.

2. Higher frame rate - 60fps on many models.

3. Records audio, which can be important.

4. Records GPS position and correlates it with the footage -- you can see exactly where the car was and where it was heading when playing back the footage.

5. On-screen speed display from GPS (can be suppressed if you want, or leave it to offer additional evidence in your favor).

6. Interior camera option.

7. Parking mode recordings do not require the car stay powered up, draining your battery. With the PowerMagic Pro battery, record up to 36 hours while your car sleeps and doesn't drain the battery.

8. With LTE module, view the camera and download footage from anywhere.

9. Way longer retention of footage -- 1 hour limit for TeslaCam, BlackVue can save up to 2 days of footage with 256GB SD card. If you forgot to hit the manual record button after an incident, the footage is probably still on your SD card and you can retrieve it.


I just had the system in my 3 upgraded to add the interior camera and the LTE module. Going to put the same setup in my X in the next couple weeks.

TeslaCam is better than nothing, but is really a bottom-of-the-barrel bare minimum when it comes to dashcams. BlackVue's are some of the top-end dashcams, but even budget dashcams on Amazon have a lot of these features for very little money.

 

[Zuikkis]

Hoping I don't have any issues. Good to know your replacement has been solid. What died on the original?

Original DR900S just died completely, would not power on. I''m pretty sure it just died because of heat. DR900X has improved power supply design and runs much cooler, so I think the issue is fixed..

 

[ngng]

Original DR900S just died completely, would not power on. I''m pretty sure it just died because of heat. DR900X has improved power supply design and runs much cooler, so I think the issue is fixed..

Did you run with WiFi always on? I leave mine on because I have a security cap on, so I can't easily turn WiFi on/off.

 

[Zuikkis]

Yeah, wifi always on. Also I have a script running in my home server that downloads everything from the camera, so camera is often active with the file transfer even when it should be sleeping..

 

[ngng]

Yeah, wifi always on. Also I have a script running in my home server that downloads everything from the camera, so camera is often active with the file transfer even when it should be sleeping..

Oh nice! Is there an API to do that?

 

[Zuikkis]

Oh nice! Is there an API to do that?

I don't think there's any documentation, but people have figured out how it works.

GitHub - cbo100/dashcamtool: Script(s) to download videos from BlackVue wifi dashcams

Script(s) to download videos from BlackVue wifi dashcams - cbo100/dashcamtool

github.com

This is the script I used..

 

[ngng]

I don't think there's any documentation, but people have figured out how it works.

GitHub - cbo100/dashcamtool: Script(s) to download videos from BlackVue wifi dashcams

Script(s) to download videos from BlackVue wifi dashcams - cbo100/dashcamtool

github.com

This is the script I used..

nice, thanks! that beats pulling files using their app

 

[ngng]

Wrapped the exposed wires in some TechFlex. Have some flush zip tie mounts cmoing that will suck the loom closer to the window:

 

[ngng]

 

[chukiechz]

You have 3 cables running to the camera? I only have 2. No wonder it wouldn’t fit in the channel.

 

[ngng]

You have 3 cables running to the camera? I only have 2. No wonder it wouldn’t fit in the channel.

Yeah: power, rear coax, and a thick USB for the LTE.

 

[Operator64]

It's my understanding that the onboard charger will kick in and recharge the 12v battery when the voltage is low. Makes sense to me. But, what I read seems to indicate otherwise. Somebody had posted this regarding their 3 and confirmed it was from a dashcam install. I wonder why some people like yourself don't have any issues? I'd love to be able to just leave it on 24/7

View attachment 790337

If I remember correctly this particular situation was from an aftermarket stereo install, requiring a tremendous amount of power.

 

[Zuikkis]

I pulled the passenger side center console trim off and gained access to the center console's wiring harness. It was tucked behind the plastic trim and had to be de-clipped and pulled down. There are two wires that provide switched 12v+ when the car is unlocked. The cigarette lighter has a 20A fuse, but the wires off the harness are tiny.

Thanks for this hint. I had to do the same thing.

My Blackvue has been acting up, it very often fails to enter parking mode when parked in my garage. Garage has metal walls and ceiling, so GPS is very weak inside.. Camera seemed to think it's moving around 1-2 km/h and recorded everything in "driving" mode, filling my 256GB memory card in 24 hours...

When parked outside, it worked as expected. After 5 minutes idle, went to parking mode.

Anyway, now I have the yellow power wire connected to permanent supply, and red wire connected to this cigarette lighter wire. Now it seems to work correctly..

 

[ngng]

Thanks for this hint. I had to do the same thing.

My Blackvue has been acting up, it very often fails to enter parking mode when parked in my garage. Garage has metal walls and ceiling, so GPS is very weak inside.. Camera seemed to think it's moving around 1-2 km/h and recorded everything in "driving" mode, filling my 256GB memory card in 24 hours...

When parked outside, it worked as expected. After 5 minutes idle, went to parking mode.

Anyway, now I have the yellow power wire connected to permanent supply, and red wire connected to this cigarette lighter wire. Now it seems to work correctly..

Nice, glad you were able to get it working!

I am actually considering using the constant 12. Still doing some more research...