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How To - Dash Cam Install - Blackvue 650 2-Channel

26K views 70 replies 31 participants last post by  jacobt112233 
#1 · (Edited)
Hey all,

I searched around and couldn’t find a hardwire install guide, so I figured I would make one in hopes of helping out others. I’ll start off by saying that I’m not very mechanically inclined…I can take anything apart, but getting it back together is another story! In terms of overall difficulty, I would rate this a 5/10.

The first thing you want to do is mount the front camera to the windshield. This is easily accomplished, just make sure the camera is oriented the correct way (power on right side), and place it as far up as you can, so the lens is as close to the windshield as possible. Please note that the kit comes with an extra double-sided adhesive strip, in case you mess up. 









2. The next thing you’ll want to do is take apart the glove box. The “tray” on top comes out by collapsing the “legs” on both sides. Simply pull that out. The next step is to remove the glove box itself. There are TWO screws on top with rubber grommets over them. Lastly, there are FOUR screws on the bottom which need to be removed. Once those are removed, you should be able to collapse the two “feet” on the inside, and the box will fall. When the box falls, just lift up and un-hinge it, then pull it out.

In this picture you can see where the screws were located, they have the copper backing.





3. Next you’ll want to locate a grommet that is behind the glove box on the firewall. 



[Glove Box View]











[Engine Bay View]











I took an awl and punched a hole in the center. Feed the power cable through the grommet.

4. This step is time consuming and a bit frustrating… now you need to run the power cable through the grommet (the end that connects to the dash cam) and through the firewall (cigarette lighter end). Once you have that complete, you’ll need to push the grommet through the firewall and use needle-nose pliers to “wiggle” the grommet back in place. 

Note* I found it best to “tie” the power cable (cigarette end) to the hood-hinge in the engine bay BEFORE pulling the cable back through the grommet. If you don’t do this, you risk having the cable come back through the firewall.







5. Once the grommet is in place you can proceed to the engine bay and fuse box. You’ll need to hook up the Multi-Safer or Power Magic Pro now. In this case, I’m using the Multi-Safer. To hook this up, you’ll need to find a constant source of power for the red wire, a ground, and a fuse which is only hot while the ignition is activated. I used the following, because they met the requirements and had nothing to do with the safety equipment in the vehicle.



Red - F67 (Bluetooth)

Yellow - F96 (Rear Seat Heater)





You’ll also note that I ground at a nearby bolt on the left side of the engine bay. 







You can also see that I lifted up the weather stripping and ran the rest of the wires attached to the Multi-Safer to the cowl area. This is an attempt to block as much heat as possible. If the unit overheats, it will automatically shut off, and I want to use parking mode, so I’m trying to avoid that!



6. Plug in the cigarette lighter and Multi-Safer unit. Zip tie any loose wires and stick some double-sided tape on the Multi-Safer. I chose to mount it to the side of the engine bay, facing up, so that I could still adjust the settings if necessary. 







7. This step is also a little frustrating and time consuming, but no where near as much as going through the firewall! Once the engine bay stuff is hooked up, you’ll need to pull back the weather stripping and side-trim panels (if necessary) to run the power cable from the camera to the glove-box area. I HIGHLY recommend you attach the power cable to the camera BEFORE running the cables through the weather stripping.

Start at the camera and tuck the cable up to the center of the rear-view mirror and around to the passenger side, around the A-pillar to the weather stripping on the door, and down the side inside the glove box area. 

Before you go any further, you’ll want to hook up the rear camera (if applicable). Revert back to step 1 and repeat. Once the camera is secure, start with the power cable at the FRONT camera. Plug it in, and repeat the process of running the cable to the passenger weather stripping. Instead of going down to the glove box, keep running the cable all the way to the lift-gate.

Once at the lift-gate, you’ll notice an overlap in the plastic, I took a long flat screwdriver and “fished” the cable through, but an actual fishing tape will work (or anything really). Pull the cable through the lift-gate (from inside to outside).


Next you’ll want to run the cable to the rear camera and hook it up. Rid the excess cable by tucking it up under the plastic cover. I used two supplied clips to secure the cable and to keep it neat. Note that you will have to open and close the lift-gate to ensure that there is enough slack in the cable. After doing that, I noticed that the metal under the weather stripping was chewing at the wires. I added some electrical tape at the “pinch point” to try and prevent this. You can also go through the grommet if you wish, however that’s more involved and permanent.

















8. Everything should now be hooked up and powered. All you need to do is put the weather stripping back in place and re-secure the glove box. I chose to put my excess wires in the glove box area with a zip-tie to keep it neat. If you did it right, there should be virtually no wires showing.

I hope this guide helps someone! It’s a PITA that Jeep put the fuse box in the engine bay, but obviously with a bit of work a clean install can be accomplished.

Special thanks to Alex at www.blackboxmycar.com I have no affiliation with him, however due to his video tutorials and positive feedback, I decided to order from him. He also agreed to switch the PMP to a Multi-Safer instead. Prompt emails, great customer service.
 
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#2 · (Edited)
like i said in another post no easy firewall grommet in a RHD model, also i would have taken the time to pop the rear trims in the rear window and concealed the wiring in the rubber grommets/sleeves. glovebox removal is also a little easier than your explanation on a rhd model unclip the wire retainer from the side, then squeeze the top corners of the glovebox inward to clear the stopping tabs, it then all falls out.
 
#3 ·
When I hook mine up I'm going to put my Power Magic Pro in with the battery under the drivers seat and not worry about the firewall job.........hopefully
 
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#4 · (Edited)
As per Nicjak, take the time and frustration to run the rear wire through the grommet/sleeve and head liner.

Pics from ChrisA



 
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#5 ·
As per Nicjak, take the time and frustration to run the rear wire through the grommet/sleeve and head liner.
+1 on running the wire through the grommet in the tailgate - not that difficult, and it's certainly not permanent. I recently upgraded to a Blackvue 750 dual camera dashcam and hid the rear cam wiring in the headliner all the way to the back and then ran it through one of the grommets. And check the link in my sig for instructions on hardwiring a dashcam (or radar detector; etc.) if you don't need constant power.
 
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#6 ·
Hey all,

I searched around and couldn’t find a hardwire install guide, so I figured I would make one in hopes of helping out others. I’ll start off by saying that I’m not very mechanically inclined…I can take anything apart, but getting it back together is another story! In terms of overall difficulty, I would rate this a 5/10.

The first thing you want to do is mount the front camera to the windshield. This is easily accomplished, just make sure the camera is oriented the correct way (power on right side), and place it as far up as you can, so the lens is as close to the windshield as possible. Please note that the kit comes with an extra double-sided adhesive strip, in case you mess up. 









2. The next thing you’ll want to do is take apart the glove box. The “tray” on top comes out by collapsing the “legs” on both sides. Simply pull that out. The next step is to remove the glove box itself. There are TWO screws on top with rubber grommets over them. Lastly, there are FOUR screws on the bottom which need to be removed. Once those are removed, you should be able to collapse the two “feet” on the inside, and the box will fall. When the box falls, just lift up and un-hinge it, then pull it out.

In this picture you can see where the screws were located, they have the copper backing.





3. Next you’ll want to locate a grommet that is behind the glove box on the firewall. 



[Glove Box View]











[Engine Bay View]











I took an awl and punched a hole in the center. Feed the power cable through the grommet.

4. This step is time consuming and a bit frustrating… now you need to run the power cable through the grommet (the end that connects to the dash cam) and through the firewall (cigarette lighter end). Once you have that complete, you’ll need to push the grommet through the firewall and use needle-nose pliers to “wiggle” the grommet back in place. 

Note* I found it best to “tie” the power cable (cigarette end) to the hood-hinge in the engine bay BEFORE pulling the cable back through the grommet. If you don’t do this, you risk having the cable come back through the firewall.







5. Once the grommet is in place you can proceed to the engine bay and fuse box. You’ll need to hook up the Multi-Safer or Power Magic Pro now. In this case, I’m using the Multi-Safer. To hook this up, you’ll need to find a constant source of power for the red wire, a ground, and a fuse which is only hot while the ignition is activated. I used the following, because they met the requirements and had nothing to do with the safety equipment in the vehicle.



Red - F67 (Bluetooth)

Yellow - F96 (Rear Seat Heater)





You’ll also note that I ground at a nearby bolt on the left side of the engine bay. 







You can also see that I lifted up the weather stripping and ran the rest of the wires attached to the Multi-Safer to the cowl area. This is an attempt to block as much heat as possible. If the unit overheats, it will automatically shut off, and I want to use parking mode, so I’m trying to avoid that!



6. Plug in the cigarette lighter and Multi-Safer unit. Zip tie any loose wires and stick some double-sided tape on the Multi-Safer. I chose to mount it to the side of the engine bay, facing up, so that I could still adjust the settings if necessary. 







7. This step is also a little frustrating and time consuming, but no where near as much as going through the firewall! Once the engine bay stuff is hooked up, you’ll need to pull back the weather stripping and side-trim panels (if necessary) to run the power cable from the camera to the glove-box area. I HIGHLY recommend you attach the power cable to the camera BEFORE running the cables through the weather stripping.

Start at the camera and tuck the cable up to the center of the rear-view mirror and around to the passenger side, around the A-pillar to the weather stripping on the door, and down the side inside the glove box area. 

Before you go any further, you’ll want to hook up the rear camera (if applicable). Revert back to step 1 and repeat. Once the camera is secure, start with the power cable at the FRONT camera. Plug it in, and repeat the process of running the cable to the passenger weather stripping. Instead of going down to the glove box, keep running the cable all the way to the lift-gate.

Once at the lift-gate, you’ll notice an overlap in the plastic, I took a long flat screwdriver and “fished” the cable through, but an actual fishing tape will work (or anything really). Pull the cable through the lift-gate (from inside to outside).


Next you’ll want to run the cable to the rear camera and hook it up. Rid the excess cable by tucking it up under the plastic cover. I used two supplied clips to secure the cable and to keep it neat. Note that you will have to open and close the lift-gate to ensure that there is enough slack in the cable. After doing that, I noticed that the metal under the weather stripping was chewing at the wires. I added some electrical tape at the “pinch point” to try and prevent this. You can also go through the grommet if you wish, however that’s more involved and permanent.

















8. Everything should now be hooked up and powered. All you need to do is put the weather stripping back in place and re-secure the glove box. I chose to put my excess wires in the glove box area with a zip-tie to keep it neat. If you did it right, there should be virtually no wires showing.

I hope this guide helps someone! It’s a PITA that Jeep put the fuse box in the engine bay, but obviously with a bit of work a clean install can be accomplished.

Special thanks to Alex at www.blackboxmycar.com I have no affiliation with him, however due to his video tutorials and positive feedback, I decided to order from him. He also agreed to switch the PMP to a Multi-Safer instead. Prompt emails, great customer service.
Many thanks,
I ordered one from Amazon, should get it next week, its a different model, never had one before but lately Ive been thinking about it, so as soon as I get it I'll read again your post in order to help me with the installation.
Rgds.
 
#8 ·
I really dont see the need for a power majic pro unless your car is sitting for over a week at a time. Power draw during park is so little mine has been fine left for upto 6days. Driving every few days and it will be fine. It definitely wont drain a battery overnight.
 
#10 · (Edited)
Using the Multi-Safer, you need to hook up a constant and a non-constant that is activated by the ignition switch (and a ground). You can't just plug it in and be done with it. That said, it was my choice to use the Multi-Safer (it was free with the kit anyway), you certainly don't have to use it. I personally like the reassurance that my battery won't be drained, while the camera is on constantly.

My goal was to help people with a general install guide. Personal preference on running a monitoring system, extra battery, camera choices, etc. wasn't the point of doing this guide. I just want to make that clear! I looked for a hardwire guide and couldn't find one, nothing less, nothing more.

Nikon, the Multi-Safer allows the camera to record while in park mode and monitor the battery while doing so. The system will shut off the camera completely if it reaches 11.8v. While it doesn't affect our vehicles, it also prevents the camera from completely shutting off on stop/go equip vehicles.
 
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#12 ·
I didn't say thanks yesterday, so um THANKS today :thumbsup: for the install guide I really appreciate it.
 
#17 · (Edited)
Figured I would share this if people were interested in a Blackvue DR650GW-2CH for a good price.
Massdrop has it for $279.99 + $5 shipping. This is the best deal I've seen since I started stalking it. Bought a few things from Massdrop before, never had any issues. You must sign up to look at it, and only 5 days left.

This is "friends" link to Massdrop (aka if so many people sign up ill get credit or something)

or if you prefer not to use my link just go to www.massdrop.com and search for Blackvue.

 
#18 ·
Thankyou to EVERYONE on this thread,boy did you guys save me headaches on putting cameras in,sad that these days we need these to protect ourselves from dangerous/ dishonest motorists etc,you all had great info and will make my install EASY and with different opinions has given me some good wiring options,again,thanks to you all.
 
#19 ·
massdrop.com just launched BlackVue DR650GW-2CH Dash Camera again for $279.99 with 8 days left.


Sent from my iPad Pro using JeepGarage
 
#23 · (Edited)
You really don't need to go in engine bay for power.

It's VERY easy to tap the back of the cigarette lighter in the cubby. Next to USB.
This is 20 amps and switched. Takes all of two minutes to get a wire from the glove box down there. The side panel just pops off.

If you want it unswitched then tap cigarette lighter in the center console.

I've also tapped power from mirror. Little trickier.
 
#30 ·
Has no-one ventured into using a USB port for power?

Any issues when doing that?

I can splice an old USB cable and utilize the 5v and gnd
Doesn't the camera expect 12V?

Also Cigarette lighter adapters can work themselves loose.
If you can get to the front of the Cigarette Lighter or USB port you can get to the back.
 
#35 ·
alright so i finally got everything set up...

I ended up finding a really easy way through the firewall..

The only issue is configuring my multi-safer - I can't seem to get it to work with parking mode..
The instructions are not clear - I have the yellow wire (constant to fuse 20 (always on armrest)) and red fuse to F67 (bluetooth)

The only time the camera comes on is when the car is on

Did i not program my Multisafer properly?
 
#37 · (Edited)
There is an elegant way of getting juice without splicing wires. It is costly, but one has to think of it as not just a $430 dollar splice. It adds lots of capability to the vehicle and it up to you to use it. It is called LockPick Air v2.

It is one of the 2 or 3 solutions for cancelling the speed lock on the navigation input, or one of the 2 mainstream methods of adding cameras. Unlike the Customtronix, the box also provides power for up to 4 cameras (Front, Rear, Left and Right) and an Aux A/V Input and A/V Output. Power is always on (if I recall correctly), the box will switch the display to each particular input based on the gear selection (Drive under 5 mph; Reverse) or turn signal position (left, right). You can also Miracast your phone screen for Waze or other needs. At the moment, I have Left, Right, and Rear ports free. And yes, it comes with short harnesses that plug back into the box, while the power and ground connectors are bare wires to accommodate all your soldering or connector needs.

The point is - like many others - I refuse tapping fuses. I went thru 5 iterations of CarPC and 2 permanent radar installs in a Subaru without ever taping a fuse - just running extra wires to the battery. Obviously, with the Jeep is far more difficult but the grommet mentioned elsewhere to reach to the engine compartment is there for a reason or several reasons. One is future capability. And for the similar reasons, you can get assorted size grommets in a little plastic box at Home Depot if you can't poke a hole thru the existing rubber plug and squeeze wires thru. You have to go thru that grommet to get a front parking camera installed. Frankly, at this point, I could just run a recorder (powered from one of the other slots) that intercepts the video feed from the front camera. Yeah, the angle is off, there is no sound, but my point is that there is more than one way to skin the cat. Lose the elegance, resolution and sound of the BlackVue, but with the appropriate aftermarket front and rear parking cameras (probably both at half the price of a BlackVue), positioned strategically, you can achieve a satisfactory result, with more capabilities added to the factory navi, and without taping wires. Not to mention that you can unhook everything and get it back to dealership ready status in just a few minutes.
 

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#39 ·
Hey all,

6. Plug in the cigarette lighter and Multi-Safer unit. Zip tie any loose wires and stick some double-sided tape on the Multi-Safer. I chose to mount it to the side of the engine bay, facing up, so that I could still adjust the settings if necessary. 






Are you not worried that water will get into the Multi-Safer unit and damaging it?

On the topic of splicing, to those that don't wish to splice into the wiring at the cig lighter - you can always remove the pin/connector from the plastic housing and solder your feed wire onto it and insert back into the plastic housing. This way you can remove it if needed and now one would be the wiser (unless they pull the pin/connector out of housing and see that it was soldered to). ;)
 
#45 ·
Hey Guys,

For anyone who has the Blackvue 650-2CH. what are you're settings at for sensitivity? I've had mine at about 5 across the board and its extremely sensitive still... records leafs blowing and trees. Also when or how hard does the car need to be hit or scratched for it to record in E mode? I've only had P and N mode. I've pushed my car while it records and didn't put it into E mode recording at all...not sure what else I need to change to fix this.

Thanks!
 
#46 · (Edited)
I've read to turn motion off and just leave make it sensitive on g sensor, especially during parking mode.

By the way, can someone shed some light on removing the panels on the lift gate? I've got my wire all the way to the back now but I'm not sure how to get the panels off from behind the liftgate to run the coax through the grommet. Same thing at the top of the trunk opening -- the top trim that wraps around the top. Is it just as simple as using a trim tool and popping it off?

I tried forcing it with my hand a little and it seemed a bit tight so I didn't want to force it any further.
 
#48 ·
Haven't tried to install a dashcam in this car yet, but in my previous vehicle (VW Wagon) I ran the power down into the passenger cabin and simply plugged it into the cig lighter that was behind the center console. It was always on and could run for a week without ruining the battery. It was a ThinkWare 550 and was the dual cam setup.

Is the Cig lighter in the back of the center console in the jeep tied to ignition and not hot all the time?
 
#49 ·
Cig lighter inside the Center console is always on.


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