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      08-05-2016, 11:05 AM   #1
lookasyoufeel
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BlackVue Dash Cam Install NJ

Looking to have a front and rear blackvue security cam installed on my i8 in NJ. Can you guys recommend anyone?
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      08-05-2016, 02:35 PM   #2
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I can't help with installers but I can recommend the camera as I have one installed.

Things to note is the rear view camera coaxial cable needs extra shielding as they give out a lot of RF interference which can affect DAB radio

I can PM a video if you want to see the quality
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      08-07-2016, 06:28 AM   #3
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I wouldn't mind seeing how you installed the 2 cameras, cable routing and power pickup

Am I right in saying you can leave these permanently powered up and they go into standby mode automatically ?
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      08-07-2016, 07:26 AM   #4
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I never installed it myself, but the UPS and wiring loom are in a side compartment on the front console near where the glovebox is. You can get access to this when the door is open. This is a common feature on all BMW's I've found. It's then wired underneath the interior trim to the rear view mirror on the windscreen and then there is approx 5cm of visible power wire to where the dash cam is fitted. The rear view camera is then ran in the same fashion under the trim to the centre gorilla glass partition where the rear view camera is fitted. Cost £150 to fit.

Bmw radio system DAB is apparently particularly prone to the interference so all the wiring is tined for extra shielding.

I have just got a target blue eye system installed and I have to unplug the rear view camera to avoid interference on the blue eye. I'm still working on this problem. Apparently it's a known problem as it uses a coaxial cable for the rear view which creates a lot of noise. No problem with DAB with the standard shielding I hasten to add. Worst case I will just accept loss of the rear view dashcam for the blue eye.

Blackvue recommend installing a thing called magic power. It's just a low voltage switch but I found with my old M5 it would trigger low voltage alarms, even though it was supposed to stop the battery draining. FYI BMW has a standard current drain protection system...it plain didn't like the power draw. So I installed a UPS. This means the camera is powered off an internal battery and the UPS is charged from the vehicle when on. This means you get several hours of parking camera at night and the camera is not directly wired into the car.

I'll go out to the car now and take some photos and download some vids from the dashcam.
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Last edited by Mightymousemighty; 08-07-2016 at 09:46 AM..
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      08-07-2016, 09:47 AM   #5
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      08-07-2016, 11:01 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ian_i8_i3 View Post
I wouldn't mind seeing how you installed the 2 cameras, cable routing and power pickup

Am I right in saying you can leave these permanently powered up and they go into standby mode automatically ?
That's right it goes into parking mode, which is triggered by motion detection until the battery runs out
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      08-08-2016, 01:15 AM   #7
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Video

[u2b][/u2b]


Last edited by Mightymousemighty; 08-08-2016 at 01:22 AM..
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      08-08-2016, 02:00 AM   #8
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Sorry for jacking your thread
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      08-08-2016, 04:09 PM   #9
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Sorry for jacking your thread
this looks good! can you email me? i Sent you a DM
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      08-09-2016, 01:18 PM   #10
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Solved the RF interference issue with a ferrite core at either end of the rear view camera cable
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      08-18-2016, 07:41 AM   #11
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Why did you go with battery pack VS hard wired?
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      10-13-2016, 03:41 PM   #12
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Bump
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      11-01-2016, 04:10 AM   #13
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I fitted my Blackvue 650s with the Cellink UPS on Sunday. The UPS provides for 24hr recording without impacting the car battery. Very happy with it - video quality is impressive.
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      11-07-2016, 02:13 AM   #14
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Looks great doesn't it, but I can't use the rear camera due to RF interference because I have the Target Blue Eye installed. Apparently the S is better and s stands for "shielded" apparently.

BMWs are apparently all badly affected, did your installer tin the wiring as this is recommend? Have you checked DAB radio reception?
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      11-07-2016, 02:44 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mightymousemighty View Post
Looks great doesn't it, but I can't use the rear camera due to RF interference because I have the Target Blue Eye installed. Apparently the S is better and s stands for "shielded" apparently.

BMWs are apparently all badly affected, did your installer tin the wiring as this is recommend? Have you checked DAB radio reception?
I purchased the 650S and the dealer said that there were no issues with interference on this model. Just to be sure, I taped up the rear camera cable with copper tape and added a clip-on ferrite at the rear camera end. I have had no RF interference nor any issues with DAB - so all seems to be going to plan .

Apparently you can now buy the shielded coax separately online from Blackvue dealers, so you might want to try swapping out your existing cable with one of those to try to overcome the RF issue.

I also added a 4G hotspot to the car so now have live notifications of incidents and 24 hour access to both the front and rear cameras via the Blackvue app - a bit geeky I know, but I like it .
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      11-07-2016, 05:55 AM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by fishpond View Post
I purchased the 650S and the dealer said that there were no issues with interference on this model. Just to be sure, I taped up the rear camera cable with copper tape and added a clip-on ferrite at the rear camera end. I have had no RF interference nor any issues with DAB - so all seems to be going to plan .

Apparently you can now buy the shielded coax separately online from Blackvue dealers, so you might want to try swapping out your existing cable with one of those to try to overcome the RF issue.

I also added a 4G hotspot to the car so now have live notifications of incidents and 24 hour access to both the front and rear cameras via the Blackvue app - a bit geeky I know, but I like it .
Don't apologise...tell me more...I fancy the BlackVue cloud function, is that what you are referring to, so I'm guessing you have wired this 4g into your UPS.
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      11-07-2016, 06:55 AM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mightymousemighty View Post
Don't apologise...tell me more...I fancy the BlackVue cloud function, is that what you are referring to, so I'm guessing you have wired this 4g into your UPS.
Correct - it's all via the Blackvue Cloud function. Basically you can receive notifications, access both cameras live in real-time, see the vehicle location and access all recorded footage remotely from anywhere.

I bought an EE 4GEE hotspot which came with a built in battery that lasts around 6 hours and I plugged it in to the UPS via a USB cigarette adapter together with the Blackbue so it is always powered up. The hotspot wasn't expensive - only £80 which included 12 months of data (24GB - 2GB per month) which I thought would be plenty for the dashcam.
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      11-07-2016, 01:58 PM   #18
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Nice ...will look it up
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      11-27-2016, 01:56 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by fishpond View Post
I fitted my Blackvue 650s with the Cellink UPS on Sunday. The UPS provides for 24hr recording without impacting the car battery. Very happy with it - video quality is impressive.
Hi fishpond,

Did you order the 650s direct from Blackvue or elsewhere? Where did you get the Cellink UPS from?

I've just taken delivery of my Protonic Red i8 yesterday and keen to get a dashcam fitted ASAP (especially after the idiots trying to race me when I went for a drive out last night!!).

I have a 3 mobile hotspot which I don't use often, so thought about putting that in the car to make use of the cloud function.

Would appreciate any advice!

Thanks,
Stuart
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      11-27-2016, 04:15 PM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by skillick View Post
Hi fishpond,

Did you order the 650s direct from Blackvue or elsewhere? Where did you get the Cellink UPS from?

I've just taken delivery of my Protonic Red i8 yesterday and keen to get a dashcam fitted ASAP (especially after the idiots trying to race me when I went for a drive out last night!!).

I have a 3 mobile hotspot which I don't use often, so thought about putting that in the car to make use of the cloud function.

Would appreciate any advice!

Thanks,
Stuart
Hi Stuart

Congrats on the protonic red - very nice choice indeed!

I purchased my 650S from Halfords and the Celllink from Amazon (see: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1 ). Also purchased a 64gb microSD card (Lexar 300x which is known to be compatible with the 650s). The dash cams were pretty easy to fit and only took me about an hour and a half. The only awkward bit was working in the passenger footwell area to access the fuse compartment which is under the glove box for the piggyback fuse connection.

The cloud function is brilliant since you can set it to pop up specific notifications on your phone allowing you to play back events or access the cameras live from wherever you are as needed. I've just ordered a 2nd EE hotspot with 12 months of data included since Currys had them for £65 in their Black Friday sale. The plan is to use the sim from this new one once the first year is up on my existing hotspot. At just over a fiver a month it seemed a no-brainer to me...

Let me know if you have any queries - happy to help if I can.

Last edited by fishpond; 02-22-2018 at 02:27 PM..
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      11-28-2016, 11:04 AM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by fishpond View Post
Hi Stuart

Congrats on the protonic red - very nice choice indeed!

I purchased my 650S from Halfords and the Celllink from Amazon (see: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1 ). Also purchased a 64gb microSD card (Lexar 300x which is known to be compatible with the 650s). The dash cams were pretty easy to fit and only took me about an hour and a half. The only awkward bit was working in the passenger footwell area to access the fuse compartment which is under the glove box for the piggyback fuse connection.

The cloud function is brilliant since you can set it to pop up specific notifications on your phone allowing you to play back events or access the cameras live from wherever you are as needed. I've just ordered a 2nd EE hotspot with 12 months of data included since Currys had them for £65 in their Black Friday sale. The plan is to use the sim from this new one once the first year is up on my existing hotspot. At just over a fiver a month it seemed a no-brainer to me...

Let me know if you have any queries - happy to help if I can.

Steve
Hi Steve,

Perfect, thanks! Will certainly give you a shout if I have any questions (which I'm sure I will have!)

Stuart
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      12-08-2016, 09:10 PM   #22
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Any tips/suggestions for installing? I have the battery pack with the cig lighter (will use that for now). I'm thinking of just keeping that and the hotspot in the glove compartment. I know I have to run the coax across the headliner, and I assume the front camera wire down the a pillar? Is that the best location? Any secrets for working in those areas?
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