12V power options for a recording camera
 

Attached is a pic from my Acadia. I tapped a 12V source located in the overhead console. It's ignition activated. It was easy to do since a plug with uninstalled options was there. Does the X5 have an ignition source to tap into in the upper console? With garage, lights, and an pano buttons, I assume there's no free 12V option/plug to tap. The camera above recorded its first accident two days ago. Both drivers took off so I could not share the video for their insurances. With so many bad drivers in ATX, I would like a recording camera. A rear camera will come later.

I use the cigarette plug in the passenger footwell, but my camera shuts down once movement stops for 20 minutes.

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I am about to install a Thinkware Q800 front/rear dash cam in the wife's F15 X5 for the same reason SATX drivers aren't any better than in ATX.

I know the F15 has a switched 12v in the mirror area and I thought the E53 did as well but don't recall if it's on one of the various switches, mirror harness itself, or dome light. Will have to go over the wiring diagrams again when/if I install one of these on Red.

The garage door buttons are key on powered.

Bingo! Information that I need! I'll have to pull the console down to checkout the wiring. A simple Amazon plug adapter makes it easy to install a camera. With a camera and adapter, I can probably install it in less than an hour. I may pull the Acadia camera temporarily to install in the X5. The Acadia will be down 2-3 weeks while I install new cam phasers, timing chains, VVT solenoids, and seal that darn timing cover. The timing cover is notorious for leaking oil. All because of a poor PCV design.

THANKS!

I have a similar dashcam installed on my 2001 3.0i, high cluster, no rain sensor, fairly stripped of options. I mention all those, since people may find different wiring options up there depending on what they have.

Under (above) the map light console up there, I found a 12V power source that comes on with the key to ACC or ON, and then goes off 16 minutes (the sleep timer does this) after switching to OFF. I hard wired (soldered) that to a 12V-to-USB (5V) adapter, and ran a short regular USB cable from there to the dashcam. Works great.

So the cam comes on when the key goes to ACC or ON, and stays on for 16 minutes after OFF.

But I'll add that in a different car of mine (wife's daily driver, that gets driven very regularly), there was no switched 12V option, just constant 12V. So I did some measurements and calculations and found that the cam is so energy efficient that it should be able to run 2+ weeks before causing a problem with the car's 12V battery. And the cam has a motion sensor mode so it will stop recording when nothing moves, but will wake up every time a car drives by or someone walks down the sidewalk (set to high sensitivity trigger). That works great too, withthe added feature of a security camera when parked.

I have both front and rear dashcams that are hard wired for ignition on.

For the front, I used the garage door opener (homelink) as this is ignition powered, to initiate a relay. The power source is a thick 12? AWG wire powering the Sunroof. All of this wiring and relay is tucked into the space above the overhead console. The USB power cable is fed through the gap between the headliner and windshield. My radar detector also feeds off the same relay, BTW.

For the rear, I didn't use a relay because I'm plugged into an unused relay on the trunk relay/fuse panel. (Correction: on my 4.4i it is blank and unused. On my 4.6is, it is used and has a relay plugged in). The leftmost relay is ignition powered. I tapped into the 12V+ coming out of that (it's the top middle plug) and ran the USB cable up through the trunk opening under the weatherstripping to where the wires come out from the body to the trunk, then tucked it under the plastic trim and have it come out the middle and top of the rear glass.

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Mike,
Thanks for the pictures! I know mine does not have a relay in the same location. I'll probe it for power. The power location makes it easy to add a camera. A reverse camera will go in place of a license plate light.

oldskewel,,
Do you remember the wire color? Do you have any pictures? With the info posted above, I can install both front and rear cameras in one afternoon.