Fit your Dash Cam yourself!
Whenever you’ve just paid a few hundred quid to buy a new dash cam, you don’t want it to be hanging there with wires everywhere for everyone to see.
Not only does this look bad but if someone was to possibly try and steal or damage your car, they would most definitely see the in car camera and possibly try steal it!
Every vehicle is different so whether you’re installing it to a truck or a car the fitting instructions will vary.
Firstly you need to make sure you have a long enough lead if you’re fitting it to the 12V socket. Your dash cam should also come with an adhesive backing which you can peel of or maybe a suction cup to stick to the window.
Just peel back the adhesive or stick the suction cup at the center of the window and behind the window.
This is the best place to install the camera is behind the mirror as it is out of the drivers view and not easily seen from the outside either.
Once you have the camera stuck to the windscreen then proceed to tuck away the wiring. Start of by tucking it in the headliner (you may have to pull it back slightly before tucking) then down alongside the side of the windscreen.
The next move can be difficult to get right as it becomes harder to hide wires. You may need to remove part of the dashboard.
Follow the lead underneath the dash, then above the cars steering wheel and back under the dash again. This does involve quite a bit of tucking and some pulling back of parts.
The only wire you should see is the one going direct to the 12V charger.
Advantages of using the cigarette lighter as a power source
- Easily taken out and put into other cars.
- Power source easy to find.
- Plug and go.
Disadvantages of using cigarette lighter as power source:
- Using your lighter means you can no longer use this for charging phones etc.
- Fuse can often blow on these, so make sure yours is working.
- Cable is visible where it goes into the lighter socket.
This will be different if you want to hardwire fit the Dash Cam to your vehicle.
If you’re unsure what hardwiring a dash cam means then check out our blog which explains what it means to hardwire fit a Dash Cam and all its benefits