Will the dashcam drain the car battery when the engine is off (but the dashcam is still plugged in via the cigarette charger)? Thanks!
208711
Surely you have a car charger that you can plug into your vehicle's 12 VDC outlets. If the device (phone, etc.) is not showing that it is charging when the charger is plugged into an outlet, then turn on the key to verify that the charger is functional. If it charges only when the ignition is ON, then you have your answer.On my vehicle, the only outlet with power when the ignition is OFF is the one at the rear hatch.
208712
it shouldn't drain the battery, only draw a few milliamps to keep the light lit. if you have a weak or old battery you may want to unplug it to be safe. I leave mine plugged in all the time & have had no issues.
208713
If 1) the lighter is "on" all the time and 2) you don't run the car to charge the battery at least every 3 or 4 days, yes, it can run the battery down. It's happened to me a few times. But most people run their car at least every day or two, so it's generally not a problem. Or unplug it from the lighter at the end of each day.
208714
My car (2004 Ford Taurus) has two power jacks under the radio and both are on at all times. I have forgotten to unplug the dash cam a number of times and it did not run the battery down. It stops recording after 45 minutes, but it stays on. I am going to have to rig up another jack and wire it to a fuse that is only on when the ignition is on. I also have an old 1997 Dodge Ram Van Conversion Van that turns off the power jack when the key is turned off. It seems backward - You need power to stay on in a Van, more than a car.
208715
I've heard that constant drains on the battery can be hard on it, which I find somewhat contradictory (clock, radio saves, etc) but still feel there may be some merit to. I've only used my always-on 12v supply in my car twice, when my phone was important but completely dead.If the camera doesn't have a Charge light, your phone charger should (or at the very least, your phone should show whether it's charging on the screen or not). I'd use that to see if it's switched, requiring the On position (or, perhaps on some models, Accessory), or constant.
208716
This is a great question and one that I have wrestled with. The answer is that it depends which cigarette charger you plug into. The charger below your radio is most likely "on" all the time. You can check this by plugging in your phone while the car is off and seeing if it 's charging. I found that my other cigarette charger in my center console was only on when my car was running or I had the ignition key in the in position. So, I use that one. When plugged into the center console cigarette charger, the camera turns on when I'm running the car and turns off when I turn off the car and does not drain the battery. This is a great question and one that I have wrestled with. The answer is that it depends which cigarette charger you plug into. The charger below your radio is most likely "on" all the time. You can check this by plugging in your phone while the car is off and seeing if it 's charging. I found that my other cigarette charger in my center console was only on when my car was running or I had the ignition key in the in position. So, I use that one. When plugged into the center console cigarette charger, the camera turns on when I'm running the car and turns off when I turn off the... » Read More This is a great question and one that I have wrestled with. The answer is that it depends which cigarette charger you plug into. The charger below your radio is most likely "on" all the time. You can check this by plugging in your phone while the car is off and seeing if it 's charging. I found that my other cigarette charger in my center console was only on when my car was running or I had the ignition key in the in position. So, I use that one. When plugged into the center console cigarette charger, the camera turns on when I'm running the car and turns off when I turn off the car and does not drain the battery. « Show Less
208717
No. I left this cam recording (with screen turned off) seven long days and it worked flawlessly. My car battery wasn't drained.
208718
For the record GM and Ford vehicles may have one (but not all) cigarette outlets in the vehicle which may stay on. However you should check your owners manual as some of the vehicles in GM/Ford's lineup are rebadged from other manufacturers. AFIK most Japanese vehicles will not stay on.Also be advised the dashcam is designed to turn on when power is applied, thus it does consume some power while running.
208719
NO. It senses that the car is off, and turns off by itself. That said, I have a Honda CIVIC. When the key comes out, the power is out too. Conversely, when I turn on my car, it powers up automatically and starts recording.
2087703
Yes and no. It depends on the car. If the car turns off the cigar lighter socket when the car is off, you should have no problem leaving it connected. If the car doesn't turn off the cigar lighter socket, then you could drain your battery if the gadgets plugged into the socket extender are left on.
816754
As the others point out, just connect it to a switched power source. However, they also point out that you lose the parking mode. I have it always on, my truck sits for a week or two at a time and I have no issues. The camera goes to sleep and wakes up on impact. You have plenty of computers (clocks, radios, etc.) in your car that draw some power even when off.
1100902
It should not drain your battery while your car is off unless you cigarette lighter socket is wired to your battery instead of a accessory fuse. Many cars before 1992 were like this. You could get it rewired, probably for under $20 depending on your location, or DIY, if this is the case. It shouldn't drain the battery very fast though unless you have an already bad battery.
1368130
If the USB is powered while the car is off, it depends on your car. My Sante Fe can draw power, my Accord doesnt seem to, but never really tried what you'd attempt. The only way to test is is to find another powered device and wire it up before you order. I connected it to my motorcycle, but its directly connected to the battery. As for draining the battery, on my motorcycle as long as nothing else is plugged into the USB port, no, no power is being drawn. Motorcycle batteries are easily drained. Even if something were left plugged in, on a car for low powered devices I wouldnt worry about it if its for a cell/tablet. A dash cam unless it was running 24/7 I would assume wouldn't be too bad as long as the car isn't sitting for a week at at time? (This is only a guess) I've had mine for about two years, no issues...
418424
Assuming your car doesn't send power to the 12v outlet when it is off (and most don't) it won't drain your battery. I left mine plugged in until it died and never had any issues.
1688825
No.If your car outlet connect straight to the battery you car record on parking lot,but you gonna kill battery.
504162
Ok so most modern cars only supply power to the cigarette plugs and radio when the ignition is turned halfway to accessory mode. To answer your question, on my Toyota it will not drain unless the key is turned to accessory. There is an indicator light that will also let you know when it is receiving power. My dads old ford would supply power without the key in. So double check with the blue light. And u can always plug it in halfway so it doesn't draw power
1916648
Short answer: no. If you leave the car for longer periods with the camera in parking mode it may drain the battery preventing the car from starting. I would recommend that you get the discharge prevention unless you hook the camera up to a connection that does not have power when the car is switched off.
880180
Garry - i'm not 100% positive (like 75%), but pretty sure that the OBDII comm shuts down shortly after most cars are turned off & I believe that this device (powered by OBDii) will also shut-off and thus not drain the battery.
1784641
No, your dash cam runs on DC current, which your car provides. I run a 5V wireless charger on mine. The red wire will go to the positive lead on your dash cam and you will ground the negative lead from your cam.
858626
Hi! as long as you have it hooked up to the Cigarette Lighter and connected to the device, it will automatically turn on and off, record and overlap until you need the video, if in an accident or similar; when you need video, I would suggest you disconnect right away to make sure a new recording doesn't overlap the one you need but you have plenty of space so theoretically - should be fine; great device to have inside vehicle.
2131229
I'm not sure what you mean. If you're asking if it will still work without the car being either on or on accessory, every car I've ever been in does maintain power to the cigarette outlet even when the car is completely off. If that doesn't work, just turn your car on accessory and it will work fine. You just turn the switch on the invertor on. I'd recommend turning the interior lights off in your car while doing this or run the cord through the window to prevent running the battery dead. If you do that, you won't have a problem with your battery going dead, not even close.
1779555
It will keep recording as long as the remote power is on. On my car the lighter plug is always on so I have to manually unplug it to turn it off. If your car lighter plug turns off when the key is turned off, then the camera will turn off as well. The camera will only record for a couple of minutes or less on it's own power.
458448
It won't drain the battery while the car is running. Most cigarette outlets will shut off within minutes after the car is turned off. Or you could do what I did, buy the hardwire kit and wire it so it comes on when you start the car and shuts off when you shut the car off. Total cost thru Amazon fifteen dollars, and twenty minutes to hook up.
990483
Only when the car is on. Once you turn car off it shots off camera too. Camera has built on battery but does not lots charge it is enough to just finish the recording and shout the thing off. Just let you know that built quality is very cheep but video quality is very good and remember 5 min video takes about .6 gb space so get yourself at list 32 gb enaugh for about 4 hours
1658134
yes it will turn off engine goes off a cigarette lighter but either way the Bluetooth devicedoes not take up nearly enough power to drain your battery and if it did stay on the whole time even with the engine off the Bluetooth device with automatic shut off after a few minutes of inactivity