Do Dash Cameras Record When The Car Is Off? Explained
Dash cams are fantastic car gadgets to have in your car. They can be helpful in many situations, especially in the case of a car accident. Many people wonder if dash cams record even when the car is off. I’ll answer that question in this article thoroughly, so you understand everything in detail.
I always refused to install the dash cam in my car, but since I had an accident in which it was hard to prove my innocence, I immediately bought it. Today, I even leave it recording when my car is turned off, but only when I’m in some suspicious areas of the town.
Do Dash Cams Record When The Car Is Turned Off?
Most dash cameras have an option to record even when the car is turned off. That option is usually called “Parking Mode”. You just have to enable it when installing the dash cam in your car.
However, since dash cams usually connect through the cigarette lighter port that only has power while the car is turned on, in order to run while the vehicle is off, the camera should be connected directly to the car’s battery, or the camera need to have its own rechargeable battery, which is mostly the case.
Some budget cameras won’t have their own batteries, and that’s why you should avoid buying them. I always suggest you invest a little bit more money for a dash cam with more advanced features such as:
- Parking Mode
- Rechargeable battery
- Motion detection features
- Low power consumption
- Night vision technology
- Wifi or LTE connectivity
- Loop recording (continuous recording that overwrites old data in order to save space)
How Long Can Dash Cameras Record While the Car Is Off?
How long the dash camera can record while the car is turned off depends on the camera’s battery. Cheap dash cams usually have small batteries and can only record for about 5 minutes without external power. On the other hand, some more expensive cameras, such as this Losfom 4K Dash Cam (AMAZON LINK), have larger batteries and can record up to 11 hours.
You should connect the dash cam directly to the car’s battery. For that, you’ll have to buy a hardwire kit. If you’re not an expert in the car field or DIYer, you’ll have to pay some professional to do the job. However, if you’re lucky, your car will have an additional 12V port with an always-on option, so you can avoid paying mechanics to do the job.
When the dash cam is connected directly to the car’s battery, you can expect to get 24+ hours of recording, depending on the size of the car’s battery. If you have a larger vehicle, you have nothing to worry about. However, if you’re driving some small city vehicles, they don’t have ample batteries, and the dash cam will drain quickly.
Another option is buying an external dash cam battery (AMAZON LINK) that can give you up to 20 hours of constant recording in Parking Mode. External batteries are a great thing, and they recharge pretty quickly. However, these batteries often cost more than a dash cam, with some better batteries costing more than $200.
Don’t forget to buy a large enough SD card. You need enough storage to save all the data that’s being recorded. I suggest going with at least a 64GB SD card, especially with more expensive dash cams that record in 4K resolution.
Can Dash Camera Drain The Car’s Battery?
If your dash camera is recording all the time and is connected directly to the car’s battery, there’s a possibility that it may drain the battery completely. Luckily, most newer dash cams have a monitoring option, and when it recognizes that the battery is almost dead, it’ll turn off the camera and leave your battery with enough power to start the car.
If the car’s battery isn’t new and it’s older than 5 years, there’s a possibility that it’s not so powerful anymore. That’s why I always recommend checking your battery condition during regular maintenance checks.
Here are a few tips to prevent the dash cam from draining the car’s battery: – Always make sure that the car’s battery is in good condition (with good output power) – Avoid using the parking mode of your dash cam all the time. You don’t always need it. – Let professionals connect the cam to the car’s battery. Otherwise, you might screw something up, and it may drain the battery quickly.
Of course, buying an external battery that you’ll use only for powering the dash cam is best. That way, you’re 100% sure that the car’s battery won’t die, and you’ll always have enough power to turn the vehicle on.
Why Do People Use Parking Mode on Dash Cams?
There are many reasons one would want to use a parking mode (24/7 recording) on their dash cam. Just make sure you have a clean windshield so that the camera can record high-quality videos.
Here I’m bringing you the most common reasons why you should use it:
- Anti-theft purposes: if thieves try to steal your car and damage something, you’ll be able to send the video to the police, who may find them. Some high-end dash cams can even send the video directly to your phone, so you can even prevent thieves from stealing your car.
- Car accidents: if your car is parked and someone crashes into it, you’ll have a full video showing everything that happened, which is important for insurance claims – Other exciting things include some funny moments, other types of accidents, etc.
Not everything is milk and honey. As always, there are some disadvantages of using your dash cam when the car is turned off: – It may drain the car’s battery if you don’t have the external dash cam battery – Equipment and installation might be costly, and you’ll need some space for it – You need to ensure you’re not doing anything against the law (in some public areas, etc.)
Conclusion
As you can see above, most dash cameras have the option to record while the car is turned off. That’s a fantastic option, just make sure everything’s installed correctly, and don’t hesitate to invest a few more bucks in the proper equipment to prevent car battery draining.
