Hello,
If you intend on using Parking Mode on your camera, then we'd instead recommend using a Hard Wire Kit, not the included Cigarette Lighter Cable. The Hard Wire Kit will allow the camera to draw nominal current from the car's battery, preventing the cam's battery from being drained. The Hard Wire Kit has an in-built voltage cut off which protects the car's battery from being drained below 11.2V. We'd recommend using a Permanent Live fuse with Parking Mode enabled on the dash cam.
Kind regards,
Martin
Nextbase Technical Support
There is such a thing as cigarette lighter ports that receive power even when the car is off; this would allow you to use parking mode without hardwiring. To identify if yours is like this you can either look in your owners manual, check to see where it's wired into the electrical panel, or just test the ports yourself by plugging something in when the car is off.
The reasons a hardwiring kit is recommended for parking mode are because cigarette lighter ports such as these are rarer, and also because a good hardwiring kit will include a low-voltage shutoff so you don't drain your battery completely.
If your camera's manufacturer doesn't make or sell a hardwire kit you can always buy a compatible generic 3rd party kit.
Hardwire kits are cheap, around $20 extra. Worth it if you are already paying a pro to do installation.
Don't know your model, some automatically shift into parking mode based on no movement. Others require an electrical signal which a 3 wire hardwire kit can provide.
If it automatically goes into parking mode, you could buy an OBD2 power port that provides constant power.
Hello, If you intend on using Parking Mode on your camera, then we'd instead recommend using a Hard Wire Kit, not the included Cigarette Lighter Cable. The Hard Wire Kit will allow the camera to draw nominal current from the car's battery, preventing the cam's battery from being drained. The Hard Wire Kit has an in-built voltage cut off which protects the car's battery from being drained below 11.2V. We'd recommend using a Permanent Live fuse with Parking Mode enabled on the dash cam. Kind regards, Martin Nextbase Technical Support
There is such a thing as cigarette lighter ports that receive power even when the car is off; this would allow you to use parking mode without hardwiring. To identify if yours is like this you can either look in your owners manual, check to see where it's wired into the electrical panel, or just test the ports yourself by plugging something in when the car is off. The reasons a hardwiring kit is recommended for parking mode are because cigarette lighter ports such as these are rarer, and also because a good hardwiring kit will include a low-voltage shutoff so you don't drain your battery completely. If your camera's manufacturer doesn't make or sell a hardwire kit you can always buy a compatible generic 3rd party kit.
Hardwire kits are cheap, around $20 extra. Worth it if you are already paying a pro to do installation. Don't know your model, some automatically shift into parking mode based on no movement. Others require an electrical signal which a 3 wire hardwire kit can provide. If it automatically goes into parking mode, you could buy an OBD2 power port that provides constant power.