Dash Cam Installation

[skymera]

Hi guys,

I've decided to attempt to locate my dash cam up high behind the mirror, for several reasons.
Right now, it's stuck low down with the wire dangling down the centre console.

The car is still in great condition so I'd like to avoid pulling off / breaking trim as much as possible. (I also can't be bothered)

Has anyone been able to run a wire around the roof liner, through the glove box area to the cigarette lighter socket? I'm not interested in hard wiring to the fuse box.

I'm interested in some pics

[hjgtiger]

I had mine installed by Halfords - the cost was the same as the 'hard wire kit'
The cable went to the right of the mirror down behind the w/s pillar trim into the fuse box - so always on with the ignition.

I also made a stick-on mount so that the camera is totally out of my eye-line behind the mirror

I'll take some pics tomorrow if interested

My cam is a Nextbase 312gw

[Bigtam]

It's probably easier to hard wire
viewtopic.php?f=56&t=66839&p=496699#p496699

[skymera]

I had mine installed by Halfords - the cost was the same as the 'hard wire kit'
The cable went to the right of the mirror down behind the w/s pillar trim into the fuse box - so always on with the ignition.

I also made a stick-on mount so that the camera is totally out of my eye-line behind the mirror

I'll take some pics tomorrow if interested

My cam is a Nextbase 312gw

I'd prefer to avoid Halfords as I've read some reviews saying they misfitted trim and left dirty finger marks on the roof liner.
I'll check out our local guys regardless.

My cam is a Nextbase 312gw

Interesting. I've just returned my cam back to Amazon. Endless issues with the WiFi app and sub-par footage. Incredibly grainy in the day and white speckly artefacts at night.
I've got a Transcend DrivePro 220 arriving today

It's probably easier to hard wire
viewtopic.php?f=56&t=66839&p=496699#p496699

Cheers dude. For now, I'll leave it low down with a cable dangling and check out a hardwire in the coming months!

[Bigtam]

I will take some photos of mine at the weekend the only panel I took of was the end one when you open the drivers door

[Igf1234]

Hi.

I had a dashcam fitted to my sons Polo yesterday. The Nextbase 312GW. Hardwired. Only when I got home and read the manual online did I find the rule / law about only 4cm encroachment into the wiper swept area of the windscreen- which makes sense. Halfords have placed the mount in a place which contravenes the law. I have tried to find a place where I can fit with the mount provided, keeping to the law and it looks like this will not be possible on the Polo. I am going to call Halfords later today and get their views and see if they can find a way to fit it legally. In the meantime, has anybody else fitted the Nextbase 312GW behind the mirror, perhaps using a different mount?

Thanks in advance.

[wolfie]

If you can't manage to get the 312GW into an acceptable position there are other options to get the camera up and out of the way.

I spent a little while looking for alternatives that had reasonable performance and were way more discrete. In the end I plumbed for a Viofo A119Pro, it's a wedge camera so it hugs the screen way better and is a bit more compact than the 312GW. I mounted mine on the optional GPS mount which sticks to the screen and acts as a permanent mount. I placed mine up behind the mirror, so you can't even see it from the drivers side and lowered it just enough to peek though the area swept by the wipers.

It's discrete and should I need to remove the camera it simply unclips. I tucked the wires up under the headlining and simply routed them to the fuse box behind the 'A' pillar trim. Then used a 12V-5V converter tucked into the space at the side of the fuse box. All DIY stuff if you have the time.

Only downside to the Viofo is it doesn't come with any bespoke software to view the files. But they are stored in MP4 format so Windows 10, plays them without any issues. I think there is now a Wifi enabled version. But it sneaks over the £100 all-in limit I set myself.

[Igf1234]

Many thanks Wolfe.

Very helpful information!

The Viofo looks like a great option to avoid breaking the law re windscreen placement on the polo.

I presume that the mount needs to be stuck on (at least partially) onto the black spotted area of the windscreen behind the rear view mirror?

Is yours installed in a Polo? Ours is a 13 plate Match.


One last point - is the power connector the same as the Nextbase 312gw?

Halfords have fitted the hardwire kit so I should be able to use that and get a refund on the 312gw they sold me.

Cheers!

[wolfie]

Happy to help.

Yeah, It's in my own Polo. (2011, 1.2 Tsi SEL)

The A119 Pro, has a number of options for mounting as standard.
It comes with a little suction base, even that is pretty small and discrete compared to some I've seen. If you go for just the camera it also has a adhesive base that the camera simply clips onto. The only issue with that is that the power entry into the camera is on the right hand side, so the power cable needs to bend/loop it's way to the side of the camera. I plumbed for the additional GPS mount as that has the power entry at the top and means you only see a tiny bit of the power cable. Plus it has the advantage, that you can remove the camera without having to unplug the power cable (It has a connector built into the base)

Position wise, you're spot on. On mine, I actually went a little lower so I would be directly behind the rearview mirror so as not to be a distraction. With the camera having a screen I assumed it would be lit up all the time and did not want it to catch my eye, especially at night. Turns out you can adjust most settings and the screen can be set to turn off automatically after 15 seconds, so it wouldn't have been a problem had it not been behind the mirror. My mounting pad is about 75% on the hatched bit and the lower portion just below that.

It's one of the few cameras that actually looks oem once it's in. You barely notice it. I've had people in the car ask what the tweet is as it starts up, having not even noticed the camera.

I've had mine in around 10 months and it's been faultless. If I had any criticism it would be that it doesn't have wifi. But there is a newer version that does (A129?.) Also the sound recording volume is quite low, so you need to turn the volume up on playback. They are observations, rather than niggles. It was in the car all through last years scorching hot summer and never missed a beat.

If you're DIY minded, you'd fit one start to finish in an hour or so.

If I can work out how to do it I'll post some pics up. (PhotoBucket doesn't do free anymore and that what I used to use.)

[Igf1234]

Many thanks for the great detailed reply. The GPS mount option is what I think I will go for. Do you know if I can use the suction fitting with that or will I need to use the adhesive mount?

Sorry for all the questions.

This looks like a great and legal alternative to the Nextbase 312GW which Halfords sold and fitted for me.

I will be visiting them again tomorrow to see how they may be able to fit that without breaking the law! If that’s not possible I will be seeking a refund and buying the Viofo.

I am hoping the USB power connector is the same!

Cheers.

[wolfie]

Many thanks for the great detailed reply. The GPS mount option is what I think I will go for. Do you know if I can use the suction fitting with that or will I need to use the adhesive mount?

I am hoping the USB power connector is the same!

Cheers.

You're welcome

I'm not quite sure what you're asking with the first question? If you choose to go down the GPS mount route, once you've removed the camera, you'd be free to still use the suction mount, say if you wanted to use the camera in another car for a day. With the A119 Pro version, when used with the GPS mount, essentially comes with 3 mounts.

1. Suction mount. Clips to the camera and can be angled. Much like the 312GW, I think
2. Adhesive mounts X2 (both the same, they just supply a spare)
3. GPS, Adhesive mount.

The power socket is a "Mini-USB" (Not the Micro USB that is common on phones)

I actually used a "NextBase" Hardwire kit I bought from Halfords. So you should be OK if you purchased it from Halfords (Didn't twig until afterwards, that you can buy identical hardwire kits for half the price on trusty old FleaBay. Doh…!!!)

You may well get sorted with your 312GW. To be honest you see 1000's of folk with them dangling from just about every inch of the screen and don't know of anyone who has ever been pulled. I think it's just a matter of using a little common sense and sighting it in a position that doesn't obstruct your view. I was just picky and wanted a discrete install.

I found this, this just about covers the install for a Viofo tucked up behind the rear view mirror (Not in a Polo)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZCQt_tXIi0

[Igf1234]

Thanks. I was told that as long as I remove it for the MOT it should be ok.... I want to be always within the law, not just on MOT day! I like the Viofo solution much better anyway. Thanks!

[Igf1234]

Hi.

I returned to Halfords with the Nextbase 312gw.
I couldn’t find anywhere where I could legally place the unit on the windscreen so I got a refund.
I wanted to buy another type of dashcam for them to fit but the advisor in the store told me that dashcams cant be stuck to the black shaded area because these are used for heating sensors etc... !!! Not true - having done some online research the black area behind the mirror is purely to act as a sun shade. So sticking a dashcam there with the lens (obviously) in the clear area should be fine.

I have now taken delivery of the viofo a119 v2 from Amazon with the gps unit. I also ordered the suction mount but that won’t work with the gps unit attached so I will be sending that back.

I will be sticking the camera to the screen in the next couple of days. If you could possibly post a picture of the position on your screen, or private message me with a photo, I would appreciate it.

Thanks.

[wolfie]

Nice one, good to hear you've got it sorted. Hope the VioFo does the job for you.

You do have to laugh at some of the flannel they come out with. I suppose the majority of the time they get away with it.

[Igf1234]

I have installed the viofo 119 v2 camera using the suction cup mount as a trial and it looks like a much better solution than the Nextbase 312GW.
I will install using the GPS mount during the week.

One question - I have read somewhere that using GPS mounts can cause interference to the radio.

Has anyone experienced this on the Polo?