How to wire Dash Cam to recently installed Mopar Aux Switches (not from factory)

[Rustycoins26]

So I recently installed the Mopar auxiliary switches into my new JL. Looking back, I wish I would have just included them in my build. Keep in mind the kit does not include the ignition wire and battery wire like the factory set up. I do have the four switch lines in the cab and under the hood though.

1) My question is, can I just wire the dash cam (BlackVue 900) to one of the switches and select the switch to be on all the time (power by battery) in the Uconnect settings? It has a parking mode feature that I’d like to use, if possible.

2) My dash cam has a built in voltage monitor that will shut the camera down if the battery gets to low. Will the switch drain my battery if the camera is off?

3) Also, the camera has a yellow (ignition) and red (battery) wire; should I just hook both of them up to the same aux wire?

Thank you in advance!

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[JSFoster75]

So I recently installed the Mopar auxiliary switches into my new JL. Looking back, I wish I would have just included them in my build. Keep in mind the kit does not include the ignition wire and battery wire like the factory set up. I do have the four switch lines in the cab and under the hood though.

1) My question is, can I just wire the dash cam to one of the switches and select the switch to be on all the time (power by battery) in the Uconnect settings?

2) My dash cam has a built in voyage monitor that will shut the camera down if the battery gets to low. Will the switch drain my battery if the camera is off?

3) Also, the camera has a yellow (ignition) and red (battery) wire; should I just hook both of them up to the same aux wire?

Thank you in advance!

I would by an aftermarket cigarette lighter plug from an Auto Parts store (unless your camera doesn't have the plug already on it), wire that to the appropriate Auxiliary Switch and then go to the settings in UConnect and tell it to stay on when the Jeep is on.

 

[GATORB8]

I would by an aftermarket cigarette lighter plug from an Auto Parts store (unless your camera doesn't have the plug already on it), wire that to the appropriate Auxiliary Switch and then go to the settings in UConnect and tell it to stay on when the Jeep is on.

He wants in on when the Jeep is off.

What about just running another power wire through the grommet the Aux went through.

 

[Rustycoins26]

He wants in on when the Jeep is off.

What about just running another power wire through the grommet the Aux went through.

I could do that but why not just hook it up to an auxiliary switch and select always on in the settings? That way I don’t have to mess with that grommet again; it was horrible.

 

[Rustycoins26]

I would by an aftermarket cigarette lighter plug from an Auto Parts store (unless your camera doesn't have the plug already on it), wire that to the appropriate Auxiliary Switch and then go to the settings in UConnect and tell it to stay on when the Jeep is on.

Yeah, I’m trying to keep it on when parked. It has a parking mode feature. Also, I’d really like to just use the hardwire method that it has. It also comes with if possible.

 

[RAO]

Are you using the Blackvue Power Magic Pro with the dash cam? That monitors the voltage and will disconnect the camera when the battery voltage drops below the set battery voltage. You need to connect the yellow wire to a source that turns on when the Jeep is on, and the red wire to the always on source. The dash cam uses the yellow wire to know when the Jeep isn't powered on to go into parking mode.

Hope this helps.

 

[Rustycoins26]

If you have a JL equipped with an outlet in the cargo area, I'd avoid in Aux switches all together....not that they're incapable of meeting the needs for electrical current when the vehicle is both cranked and at rest, but....it's overkill...a waste of the Aux switches...like hooking a night light up to a home 60amp rating garden hose thick cable

You can let me know if this is the case before guide you further, perhaps in private message.



If you choose to nevertheless go with the Aux switches, and configure one as always energized, regardless of whether the vehicle's engine is cranked or it's parked, I can't imagine this will draw current--although today's vehicle's pull small amounts of electric current even when the vehicle is at rest in weird ways.

The unused electric plug in your home is always on too. So too by factory default is the one referenced above (if equipped) in your JL's cargo area. Like one connected to a switch, it only pulls current if an appliance is plugged into to it that is electrical turned on. *Most* dash cameras with low voltage cutoff threshold features, once reaching that a low voltage threshold, shut completely off, never to turn on again even if the vehicle batteries are charged, until the next engine crank***, where the wire from the camera that is energized only when the vehicle is cranked, becomes "live" again.



While what you propose isn't likely to do harm to the camera, such actions will prevent the camera from operating as designed in exactly one of the two following ways.

a) If you hook up both of these wires to an always energized power source the camera will "think" the engine is always on and never engage its voltage monitoring mode. This risks draining your batteries.

b) If you hook up both of these wires to a power source only energized when the vehicile is cranked then the camera will not operate when the vehcile is parked.


*** technically you don't need to crank the engine. Pressing the engine start button once of twice, when first in the off position, without depressing the brake, will energize the ignition wires as well. In terms of jargon, ignition wires are energized with the vehicile is on, like the cigarette lighter in your dash. Battery wires are always energized.

This is what I was looking for! Thank you for the well thought out response. I’d basically have to use to aux switches to power this thing and make it function as it’s supposed to with the yellow and red wires. I don’t think I’ll do that since it seems like a waste of the switches.

 

[JSFoster75]

He wants in on when the Jeep is off.

What about just running another power wire through the grommet the Aux went through.

In that case, change the setting to stay on even with the Jeep off...

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