[smuler]

I have a 2009 (September build) E92 335i, has anyone with this year/model hardwire a dash cam and if so, were you (or the auto electrician) able to use the fuse box?

I want the option of the power supply to be on permanently when ignition is off, so that I can use the camera to catch incidents when parked.

I'm asking because I've read that in some BMWs, fuses which appear to be permanently on (when ignition off) actually go into sleep mode after, say, 20 minutes.

This video is for a BMW 5 Series, but this Blackvue guy mentions the issue.

Thanks all

[shreksbrother]

I wired one into my fuse box... Into a fuse (the CD changer-looking fuse) that turns off when the car goes to sleep.

There are a few flaws with your thought of keeping it on all the time that I can think of:

1. Battery concerns if away from the car for a day or two
2. The camera only catches what goes on in front of the car, so someone could potentially break in or vandalize a good 2/3rds of your car without the camera catching it
3. By the time you noticed something was awry, the video will probably have been overwritten... Even with a big microSD card

For me, the camera offers great peace of mind while driving. I actually used it once when in a parking lot. Someone in front of me stopped so I stopped, then they decided that they needed to back into a space a bit further back and threw it in reverse. Before I even had time to honk my horn, they were in my bumper. I had the video queued up for the police when they arrived. I would not have been able to prove it wasn't my fault otherwise.

[smuler]

Thanks for the input, I'm really just looking, short term, to replicate the dash cam situation I had when I had my E46 which kept the cigarette lighter socket on, when engine off. Generally longest I'd use it would be 8hrs and as my cars are always driven daily so I'm confident I can avoid battery issues as I did with E46.

It's surprising how much evidence I did catch with just forward facing camera, particularly with good audio. But if it works out, I will rig up a dual camera set up.

[shreksbrother]

I would like to buy one of those dashcams with the remote rear camera so I can catch a texting driver rear-ending me, haha.

Why not run a power cable back to the battery? That would ensure an always-on connection. It's really not that difficult to run a wire back to the trunk, plus it would have the added advantage of giving you constant power at the dash for any future projects :-) Just be sure to fuse it.

[smuler]

That's what I might do. Just want to know whether fuse can be done on 2009

I'd rather catch someone texting and then not rear end me

You can still catch things with front camera. Here's a close call with a 1 series.

[Supermonkeyballs]

Modern cameras now come with G-sensors which will lock footage to the card however if they break in and take the camera clearly that evidence is gone....

Hard wiring kits also now come with minimum battery cut offs, so the camera will stop filming if the battery is getting too low...

You also have different settings for parking modes, which draw more power and or film more often... I.E you can have it just to decent motion or filming all the time... you can also change the frames per second which is being captured whilst you’re away for the car...

If you’re worried about stuff being recorded over.. memory card size is key... as the lower frames per second will give ages before its film over... however at 2 frames a second sometimes things are missed.

Either way I have done a DIY into hardwiring a dash cam into a E90 via fuses which may help.

Please see the link below...

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showth...ash+cam+wiring