Dash Cams

Puddleduck

Puddleduck

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Sorry if this is in the wrong section, probably is!!

I am looking for a dash cam that has an internal battery so doesn't need wiring to the vehicle electrics. It's for a car not a motorhome and the car is leased so I don't want to be messing around with hard wiring. I don't like dangling wires so plugging into a car socket not ideal.

I'm probably looking for unicorn poo ....
 
I would go further and say that the majority of dash cams are designed to run on a 12 volt supply. The Next Base range last about 10 minutes on battery only. Mine lasts 5 minutes max.
 
After following someone all over the road and constantly breaking then accelerating a dash cam seemed to be a good idea but as hard wiring is not an option and dangling wires dangerous perhaps I will have to look at using either an old phone or cheap camera on video mode.

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I think you are going to struggle. If it is a lease car and the camera is not going to be moved before your lease is up, why not go for a half-way solution? Get some 3M adhesive backed cable grips and route the cigarette lighter power lead neatly around the perimeter of the windscreen and closely to the dash to where it can be plugged in. This will only sort out the front view though. If you want (and I would If I wre you) a rear camera, most of them are hardwired to the head unit. You will not be able to easily achieve fixing that. Most leasing companies will give you permission to have a dashcam professionally installed. Mine have saved me thousands on two accidents where they confirmed that I was not at fault.
I hope you can find a solution.
 
Can't help with a totally battery powered dash cam.

But for the front dash cam, if you choose to use a plug in one get one which records your speed and location, that gives you a lot more info in the event of a crash.

For the back one we got one from Aldi for £20 which is video recording only. This is plug in also, but most cars will have a 12v cigarette socket in the back to plug it into.

Just use small adhesive cable grips to route the wires.
 
My car is leased. I’ve routed the wiring just behind the roof trim and around the back of the glove box to plug into the 12v (cigarette lighter) socket. The dash cam is Nextbase and they provided a small tool for tucking the wires out of the way. There’s only about 6 inches of wire still visible and certainly not in the way or dangling. This is the same camera I had on my last, also leased, car and the whole package was easily transferred with no damage.
I bought a second cable and fitting that I have installed in a similar fashion in the van, with more of it behind the dashboard. When changing vehicles I just have to transfer the camera unit.
 
1732869616388.webp


Drift ghost xl, I use it car, motorhome and motorbike lasts about 8 hours on a charge
 
The cameras used by cyclists are all battery with usb charging. Eg Go Pro It would be possible to fix one to the mirror with a bit of ingenuity ( or a cable tie😜)

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I did the same as Brynric.....took all of 3 minutes to fit. (A single cable dropping down vertically from by the rear view mirror to the ciggie socket isn't dangerous, just a bit of a pain.
I'm not sure how you're going to mount a mobile phone and power it, if on anything like a decent length journey?
 
Use an old phone with a suitable dashboard mount running droid dashcam app.
You will have to take a dashcam out to recharge it so same with a phone.
Probably don't want to leave last years iPhone whatever on a dashboard mount when you park somewhere. Come back to a broken window and no dashcam.
 
Mine is mounted top center of screen and is powered from the interior light feed. (Earth switched at door pin)
A simple cheap usb adaptor above the interior light and connected to light feed provides the power.
The adaptor is dual output so also fed the satnag until I started using Google maps
 
For me a battery powered camera would never work. I'd forget to charge it or forget to switch it on that one the it's actually needed.

Just get a wired one and poke the wires up behind the trim to the 12v socket. It's easy to get stuff out of sight in the head lining, a-pillar and under the glove box. Neat enough. And hopefully you can forget about it for 3 years until you have to give the car back.
 
Sandancers said:
Can't help with a totally battery powered dash cam.

But for the front dash cam, if you choose to use a plug in one get one which records your speed and location, that gives you a lot more info in the event of a crash.

For the back one we got one from Aldi for £20 which is video recording only. This is plug in also, but most cars will have a 12v cigarette socket in the back to plug it into.

Just use small adhesive cable grips to route the wires.
Click to expand...
Rear 12v socket is used to power wheelchair lift :)

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Thanks for all the ideas. I can't fix the camera to the rear of the mirror as the mirror doesn't have space behind it. It will go behind the information module. That will cut out a lot of the wire dangle and I will have to find a way to tuck excess wire out of the way. Loose wires are a major hazard for me.

Could have done with the camera today as three times we were almost run off the road by trucks (two from the same company) driving on the wrong side of the road.
 
I strongly suggest that you contact the leasing company and seek permission to install front and rear dashcams. Nextbase is the one I use. They have various models and offer an installation service. As do Halfords.
My last incident of the dashcam saving me money was when I stopped on a country lane with passing places about 1.5m behind a farm vehicle to allow oncoming traffic to pass. The driver of the farm vehicle put it into reverse to create more space and took the front end out of my car. Without the dashcam video I believe that I would have had little chance of proving that it was he who drove into me. He had nowhere to hide because of the dashcam and my insurers recovered all costs from his insurance. I shudder to think how much it cost to repair.
 
I have ordered a couple of cycle / motorcycle cameras with 4 hours of battery life claimed. They can be charged up when the car is charged so no issues there. I would never have considered that solution so thank you all so much.

The lease company did say okay but it would have to be their choice of camera, installed by their contractor over 100 miles from here, at my cost and left in the car at the end of the lease. I declined the offer.
 
Guigsy said:
For me a battery powered camera would never work. I'd forget to charge it or forget to switch it on that one the it's actually needed.

Just get a wired one and poke the wires up behind the trim to the 12v socket. It's easy to get stuff out of sight in the head lining, a-pillar and under the glove box. Neat enough. And hopefully you can forget about it for 3 years until you have to give the car back.
Click to expand...
It will get charged when the car does. No glove box in our car, just the airbag in front of the passenger. Electric Vauxhall. The only storage is in the doors and a shelf thing under the dash between the driver and passenger which is just big enough for my blue badge and a pack of hand cleaners.
 
Puddleduck said:
It will get charged when the car does. No glove box in our car, just the airbag in front of the passenger. Electric Vauxhall. The only storage is in the doors and a shelf thing under the dash between the driver and passenger which is just big enough for my blue badge and a pack of hand cleaners.
Click to expand...
I'm pretty sure there's a gap up under the dash above the footwell. The reason I route it down that side is you don't have to tuck up under the steering wheel and risk the cable falling on to the pedals.

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Puddleduck said:
I have ordered a couple of cycle / motorcycle cameras with 4 hours of battery life claimed. They can be charged up when the car is charged so no issues there. I would never have considered that solution so thank you all so much.

The lease company did say okay but it would have to be their choice of camera, installed by their contractor over 100 miles from here, at my cost and left in the car at the end of the lease. I declined the offer.
Click to expand...
I am sure they will be ok. Our cycling club regularly provides camera footage of close passes to North Yorkshire police and they have used it to advise/warn and even prosecute unsaferiving.
 
Guigsy said:
I'm pretty sure there's a gap up under the dash above the footwell. The reason I route it down that side is you don't have to tuck up under the steering wheel and risk the cable falling on to the pedals.
Click to expand...
I couldn't get down there to investigate :)

Anyway with thanks to everyone who has given advice I should have two battery powered cameras arriving tomorrow or Monday
 
Puddleduck said:
Sorry if this is in the wrong section, probably is!!

I am looking for a dash cam that has an internal battery so doesn't need wiring to the vehicle electrics. It's for a car not a motorhome and the car is leased so I don't want to be messing around with hard wiring. I don't like dangling wires so plugging into a car socket not ideal.

I'm probably looking for unicorn poo ....
Click to expand...

Puddleduck said:
Sorry if this is in the wrong section, probably is!!

I am looking for a dash cam that has an internal battery so doesn't need wiring to the vehicle electrics. It's for a car not a motorhome and the car is leased so I don't want to be messing around with hard wiring. I don't like dangling wires so plugging into a car socket not ideal.

I'm probably looking for unicorn poo ....
Click to expand...
Next Base dash cams have a good name from users (myself included)
have one in the car and MH
OK they need wiring in, but that is no great hassle,
in both vehicles from the camera the single wire tucked easily behind the front edge of the roof lining,
along to the windscreen pillar, then behind the pillar covering down to the corner of the windscreen, and then along to any convenient 12V supply, in our car that was the fuse box which is in the passenger footwell, and in the MH to the auxiliary cigar lighter which was convenient on the corner of the dashboard
this is almost longer to explain than it was to actually carry out,
if you don't feel confident to tackle it yourself, an auto sparky would be the way to go.
 
Puddleduck said:
Sorry if this is in the wrong section, probably is!!

I am looking for a dash cam that has an internal battery so doesn't need wiring to the vehicle electrics. It's for a car not a motorhome and the car is leased so I don't want to be messing around with hard wiring. I don't like dangling wires so plugging into a car socket not ideal.

I'm probably looking for unicorn poo ....
Click to expand...
Use a go pro type sports camera.
 
Puddleduck said:
Sorry if this is in the wrong section, probably is!!

I am looking for a dash cam that has an internal battery so doesn't need wiring to the vehicle electrics. It's for a car not a motorhome and the car is leased so I don't want to be messing around with hard wiring. I don't like dangling wires so plugging into a car socket not ideal.

I'm probably looking for unicorn poo ....
Click to expand...
I have used a mini action cam like this one from Amazon https://www.amazon.co.uk/Yolansin-Waterproof-Action-Camera-Accessories/dp/B0CRB4SXQP/?tag=mhf04-21.
The battery seems to last for a couple of hours. I hope that helps.
Rob
 
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I also can't abide either driving without a dashcam or with a dangling wire so totally sympathise but I'm quite sure you'll be able to fix the camera to the screen with the sucker or sticky pad supplied with it and tuck the wire under trim around the windscreen and by some invisible (or at least nearly so) route to a lighter socket.
If you want to test, find a bit of phone charger lead & use a credit card to push it under the trim in various places where it could go. Maybe go to somewhere like Halfords who fit them & ask where they'd route the wire.
The suckers, you prob know, are prone to falling off in certain conditions so the actual sticker is preferrable but don't worry about removing it when the time comes, there are videos on Ytube showing how to do so with a short length of fishing line to slice through the sticky pad.
 
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Can one use the cam that is already installed in a Citroen based vehicle? The cam is behind the rear view mirror (which is useless in a moho) and the GPS uses it to read the speed limit signs.
 
Barriesimpson said:
Can one use the cam that is already installed in a Citroen based vehicle? The cam is behind the rear view mirror (which is useless in a moho) and the GPS uses it to read the speed limit signs.
Click to expand...
Not desperately relevant to the OP question but why is the back of mirror useless in moho?

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