[Question] Lowest voltage to start up? [Dashcam hardwire related]

hbw94

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Hello

I do apologize if i'm posting this in the wrong section~
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Car info
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I drive a 2017 Civic Ex sedan in NYC
I usually drive the car only 3-4 times a week, other times it would just be parked on the street.
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My Story
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So few days ago someone curbed the front-driver side of my car, and didn't leave anything.
so i decided to get my self a "Vantrue n2 pro with the Vantrue hardwire kit" to allow 24/7 motion/g sensor capture.

But after reading reviews of the kit, people are complaining about the "11.4v low voltage protection" not allowing car to start or drains the battery?
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My Question
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So my question is,
1. Whats the minimum voltage to start the car? or can it start if the voltage is at 11.4v?
2. Has anyone has experienced any issues with the Vantrue hardwire kit?


Thanks!

Picture of the damage

Honda Civic 10th gen [Question] Lowest voltage to start up? [Dashcam hardwire related] vZC4otU
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blitz

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The concern in this matter is determining the amount of amperage load the dash cam is using. Typically, the car will have very minor parasitic loads to keep ECU settings and alarm, for example, functioning while the car is OFF; these will produce a load in the range of 0.01A to 0.04A (high). A constant load of 0.5A will drain the battery much sooner than normal.

To test your load, get a multimeter and set it to read amperage, and then go test your battery with your car OFF, and your dash cam ON.


Conceptually, think of the dash cam as an interior light that remains ON when you shut the engine OFF (ie it is drawing power although you can’t “see” it).

Considering your battery is rated at 100AH @ 24hrs for 12.6V, then the battery will sustain approximately 4.16A of current for 24 hours (100AH/24H = 4.16A), while still being able to produce 12.6V (or the rated voltage for your battery). A dash cam drawing 0.5A consistently will drain it in a little more than 8.5 hours.

With this explained, you need to check your battery ratings, and more importantly determine the load of the dash cam along with the other vehicle functions.
 

Rickmeister 48

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On top of everything Blitz said, which is way more thecnical than I can explain, lol, I read that once a battery gets below 12 volts , it's pretty much done.
I was concerned about this myself when using a rexing smartwire kit that shutoff after the battery reached 11.6 volts.
From what I read, that was to low, so I don't use it.
 

davidgostbo

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I'd recommend you just buy an external dashcam battery pack and not rely on your battery. Everytime your battery gets below 12v it's getting damaged.
 


Andre

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Hey so i also just purchased the dash cam and also was wondering what a good alternative source of power for the parking mode would be. @hbw94 What did you end up doing? I have a garmin that uses my parking mode cable and has no issues. However, i read the reviews about the vantrue cable and see how many have been stranded. Any response is appreciated.
 

Andre

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@latole Would that plug into my dash cam and work at night? i have the vantrue N2.
 

Mcclaughry95

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Mine shuts off at 11.4 and its been there a few times to where it turned off. Starts perfectly fine. The concern is amperage for starting. Colder it gets the harder it is on battery. I haven't been running mine through a winter yet to say anything about that.
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