Hardwiring a dash cam is an essential step for those who want to take full advantage of their device’s features. By connecting the dash cam directly to your vehicle’s fuse box, you can ensure a constant power supply without the risk of draining your car’s battery. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the process of hardwiring your dash cam, explaining what a hardwire kit is, why it’s important, and providing a step-by-step installation guide.
What is a hardwire kit?
A dash cam hardwire kit is a set of cables and components designed to connect your dash cam directly to your vehicle’s fuse box. The kit typically includes a power cable with a built-in voltage regulator, which helps maintain a stable power supply and prevents battery drainage.
Hardwiring requires different parts and wires depending on the model you have. Most manufacturers sell a complete Hardwire kit which provides everything needed to hardwire that particular dash cam make and model. By using a hardwire kit, you can avoid the need for a separate battery pack or the inconvenience of plugging and unplugging your dash cam from a cigarette lighter socket.
Why Hardwire a Dash Camera?
The main reason to hardwire your dash cam is to enable its parking mode feature. Parking mode allows your dash cam to continue recording even when your car is turned off. This can be particularly useful for capturing footage of hit-and-run accidents, vandalism, or other incidents that may occur while your car is unattended.
In order for parking mode security footage to be possible, the dash camera needs constant power from battery voltage or a micro USB hardwire kit which helps provide power to the dash cam without draining the cars battery.
In addition to enabling parking mode, hardwiring your dash cam provides a cleaner, more professional installation. By concealing the power cable behind your vehicle’s trim and panels, you can avoid wires dangling from your windshield or dashboard.
How To Hardwire a Dash Cam
Hard wiring a dash cam to the fuse box of your vehicle is the simplest way to power your dash cam when in parking mode. Parking mode is simply a dash cams way of recording while the car is in park for dash cams with the capability, not all dash cams have parking mode. Before starting the process, ensure your dash cam supports hardwiring.
1. Gather Necessary Supplies
- Dash cam hardwire kit (specific to your dash cam model)
- Fuse taps (add-a-fuse)
- Fuse puller or needle-nose pliers
- Wire stripper and cutter
- Electrical tape or heat shrink tubing
- Multimeter (optional but recommended)
For hard wiring on fuse boxes, you’ll also need a crimping device, and a multimeter that helps to make installation a smooth operation.
2. Find your fuse box location
A fuse box controls electrical currents through car electrical components. The location of your fuse box depends upon the model of your car and the year, find the location of your vehicles’ user manual. Alternatively, the internet is very efficient at getting information for your specific vehicle, search for your vehicle manual on Google if you don’t have it in person.
Pro-Tip: In most cars, the fuse box is situated under the dashboard on the driver’s side, but it may also be found in the engine compartment or trunk.
You may need remove some panels in your vehicle or lift an item or thing out of it because this it could be hidden. If your car has several fuse box options, use the one that is easily accessible and close by. Once you’ve located the fuse box, remove the cover to access the fuses.
3. Choose the Correct Fuse Slots
To hardwire your dash cam, you’ll need to identify two fuse slots: one that provides constant power (always on) and another that only provides power when the ignition is turned on (switched power). Use your vehicle’s fuse diagram or a multimeter to determine the appropriate fuses. Avoid using fuses related to critical systems like airbags, ABS, or ECU.
Turn off your motor and remove your keys before continuing. Use a circuit tester to find the most constant fuse. What does this mean? Basically, if your fuse causes your circuit tester to light up, this is a constant fuse.
Find the the ignition-switched fuse which will read cold when your engine is off. With your circuit tester on the fuse, put your keys back in the ignition and turn on the car. If your circuit tester lights up then you’ve found the switched fuse via ignition. Remove the keys once again before continuing to step 4.
Takeaway: The best fuse slot should be at least 10A-30A rated to provide enough power to the dashcam.
4. Connect the Hardwire Kit
- As a safety precaution, disconnect your vehicle’s negative battery terminal to avoid any electrical shorts or damage during the installation process. Your car should be off with a cold engine.
- Using the fuse puller or needle-nose pliers, carefully remove the fuses you identified in step 3 from their slots.
- Insert the fuse taps (add-a-fuse) into the empty fuse slots, making sure they are securely in place. Fuse taps allow you to add a new connection without losing the original fuse’s functionality.
- Connect the power cable’s positive wire (usually red) to the constant power fuse tap. This will provide continuous power to your dash cam, even when the vehicle is turned off.
- Connect the power cable’s negative wire (usually black) to a ground point, such as a metal screw or bolt on the vehicle’s frame. Ensure that the ground point is clean and free of paint or debris for a secure connection.
- Connect the power cable’s ACC wire (usually yellow) to the switched power fuse tap. This will provide power to your dash cam only when the vehicle’s ignition is turned on, conserving battery power when the vehicle is not in use.
- Use electrical tape or heat shrink tubing to insulate the connections and prevent any exposed wires from touching each other or the vehicle’s metal frame. This step is crucial to avoid short circuits or electrical fires.
5. Test your dash camera
Once all the connections are made, reconnect your vehicle’s negative battery terminal. Turn on your vehicle’s ignition and check if the dash cam powers on. If it does, this indicates that the switched power connection is working correctly.
Turn off the ignition and wait for the set time (usually 10-15 minutes, depending on your dash cam’s settings) to see if the dash cam enters parking mode. If the dash cam remains on and continues to record, this confirms that the constant power connection is functioning properly.
The best practice is to tuck loose cables under the fuse box is to remove them from the most used spots in your vehicle, which protects both you and your cars fuse box. Use zip tags and electrical tape to make sure things secured. It’s also super important to avoid having cables strung throughout your car as mentioned in our article about hiding dash cam wires.
Finally, reinstall any panels or trim pieces that you may have removed during the installation process, ensuring that they are securely fastened.
Please test to make sure your dash cam turns on before doing this though because all of the troubleshooting involved will need to have the wires exposed and easily accessible. If your dash cam turns on, it means everything’s right. If you’ve gotten this far and your dash cam doesn’t turn on, visit our below FAQ for troubleshooting info.
FAQ
No, it’s essential to choose the appropriate fuse slots based on your vehicle’s fuse diagram. Avoid using fuses related to critical systems, as this may cause malfunctions or safety issues.
Yes, disconnecting the negative battery terminal is a crucial safety precaution that prevents electrical shorts and potential damage to your vehicle’s electrical system or your dash cam.
You can use the battery pack externally or connect it to the USB or light-powered battery. If you have to recharge your external battery you’ll probably have to go out of town for the next few hours, a lot longer than you expected for your commute. Other alternatives are lighter sockets.
While the battery cannot be charged there are no parking modes, and you can take advantage of the lighter socket. The USB connector allows parking mode, however if the port is needed for other devices like a phone or an insurance dongle then your cable must be unplugged and plugged in.
1. Use a multimeter and set it to 20 DCV. Make sure the vehicle is shut off completely, and let it sit for a few minutes.
2. Choose a fuse to test, you can find which fuse in your cars owner manual. Avoid using fuses over 10A)
3. Please the black lead from your Hardwire kit on your ground point.
4. Place black lead on ground point and place red lead on fuse. If multimeter reads zero volts then its a switched fuse.
1. Use a multimeter and set it to 20 DCV.
2. Choose which fuse you want to test and repeat the same steps as the Switched.
3. Remove fuse and insert your add-a-fuse into the empty slot.
4. With the black lead from your hardwire kit touching the ground point, test for the line side of the add-a-fuse. This should be 12 volts.
5. Test the load side on the add-a-fuse with a red lead. This should be zero volts.
6. If both of the above are true then it’s time to make sure your add-a-fuse in the correct position and orientation. If it isn’t then you’ll need to insert it as the inverse and repeat steps 4 and 5.
7. Once complete, repeat steps 2-5 for other fuses.
While hardwiring a dash cam is a relatively straightforward process, it does require some basic knowledge of electrical systems and the ability to follow instructions carefully. If you are unsure of your skills or uncomfortable working with your vehicle’s electrical system, it may be best to seek the assistance of a professional installer.
Check out our full guide on for a step by step tutorial.
Conclusion
Hardwiring your dash cam is an excellent way to ensure your device has a constant power supply, enabling features like parking mode and providing a cleaner, more professional installation. By following this step-by-step guide and taking the necessary safety precautions, you can successfully hardwire your dash cam and enjoy the added peace of mind it provides. Always consult your dash cam’s user manual and your vehicle’s fuse diagram before beginning the installation process, and if in doubt, hire a professional installer.
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