Dashcam installation issues -- fuse box location?

[Fleming23]

I just installed my front a rear fitcam yesterday. For the most part the videos online show enough to get it done. There is video of a guy who installed one on a 2024 cayenne that was helpful. everything came apart and went back together relatively easily. I found it easier to install the camera and route the wires and then put the mirror back on. Routing the cable to the back took some time, and getting it through the grommets to mounting place took some time.

Do you mind sharing which Model you used from fitcam (A/B/C)? I haven't given it enough of a look, but Fitcamx cannot use the factory pre-wire, correct? Meaning you have to go to a fuse box to hardwire, or did you go to the sensor wire in the overhead console as they suggest?

 

[verdee]

I used model A. I did not have the factory dash cam prep. I just used the fitcam harness that connects to the mirror power plug. I considered fuse box to hardwire, but decided I didn’t want the hassle. My car is garages most of the time or ina secure lot, so I wanted it more forwhile driving

 

[bbmertz]

my SA told me as long as you have the harness pre installed (ordered) it is much harder for Porsche to make a case against any dashcam. they would now only have to find a way to prove you installed it wrong. BTW i am planning on the DR770x box version for my Turbo when it arrives. ( i just installed one on my e-tron) it is great to know you can access/see the car anytime you like. no 4k but at least 3ch.

Would you recommend buying the Blackvue battery pack (B-130X) even if my Blackvue dashcam (DR970X Box 2-CH Plus or 2-CH LTE Plus) will be hardwired? It’s quite expensive at $359 but I would get it if necessary to protect the Macan’s 12v battery when in parked mode.

Btw, my local installer said that he’s unable to use the Porsche dashcam prewiring since they “cannot connect to the oem dash cam harness as that uses can bus instead of the traditional 12 volt power to turn the camera on and off. We are better suited running to the fuse box so we do not upset any of the circuits in the vehicle.” Does that sound right?

 

[krissrock]

ooh that FitCam actually looks pretty nice. Super stealthy.... but those videos on the website are anything but convincing that it's easy to install lol

 

[gregb]

Btw, my local installer said that he’s unable to use the Porsche dashcam prewiring since they “cannot connect to the oem dash cam harness as that uses can bus instead of the traditional 12 volt power to turn the camera on and off. We are better suited running to the fuse box so we do not upset any of the circuits in the vehicle.” Does that sound right?

I am not an electrical engineer, but that does not sound right. Check out the camera installation on a taycan here. As far as I can tell, the prewired wires run directly down to the fusebox and are not part of any can bus. I am basing this assumption on the fact that the porsche instructions for installing a prewired camera call for a new fuse to be inserted into the fuse box to protect the camera. This makes me believe that the prewired cables are not "live" until the fuse is added to the fusebox.

The easiest way to check would be to get the prewired connections our and test the connections via a multimeter.

 

[BigApple]

Would you recommend buying the Blackvue battery pack (B-130X) even if my Blackvue dashcam (DR970X Box 2-CH Plus or 2-CH LTE Plus) will be hardwired? It’s quite expensive at $359 but I would get it if necessary to protect the Macan’s 12v battery when in parked mode.

Btw, my local installer said that he’s unable to use the Porsche dashcam prewiring since they “cannot connect to the oem dash cam harness as that uses can bus instead of the traditional 12 volt power to turn the camera on and off. We are better suited running to the fuse box so we do not upset any of the circuits in the vehicle.” Does that sound right?

on my e-tron i have the B-124 battery Hardwired. and so far no issues with the 12v bat from the car. But i am not sure yet how the Macan handles/charges the battery. I am planning the B-130x for the macan. Just make sure you have it set to a voltage cut off to avoid draining the car bat. the blackvue i use is a box version so the wiring goes out from the box that is to be installed below somewhere. I will not touch the pre-installed harness for the dashcam. I think this is just helpful to justify the install of a dashcam itself.

 

[Rocket Roger]

Would you recommend buying the Blackvue battery pack (B-130X) even if my Blackvue dashcam (DR970X Box 2-CH Plus or 2-CH LTE Plus) will be hardwired? It’s quite expensive at $359 but I would get it if necessary to protect the Macan’s 12v battery when in parked mode.

Btw, my local installer said that he’s unable to use the Porsche dashcam prewiring since they “cannot connect to the oem dash cam harness as that uses can bus instead of the traditional 12 volt power to turn the camera on and off. We are better suited running to the fuse box so we do not upset any of the circuits in the vehicle.” Does that sound right?

Your installer is wrong, the CAN buss cannot power a camera, or anything else. CAN is used for high speed communication between controllers and devices and sensors. The prewire definitely has 12v for a camera.

 

[bbmertz]

on my e-tron i have the B-124 battery Hardwired. and so far no issues with the 12v bat from the car. But i am not sure yet how the Macan handles/charges the battery. I am planning the B-130x for the macan. Just make sure you have it set to a voltage cut off to avoid draining the car bat. the blackvue i use is a box version so the wiring goes out from the box that is to be installed below somewhere. I will not touch the pre-installed harness for the dashcam. I think this is just helpful to justify the install of a dashcam itself.

Would you recommend the Box or LTE version of the Blackvue DR970X 2-CH Dashcam? The Box version has a smaller footprint and is more secure but may be more complex to install and requires a separate $135 LTE module for Cloud viewing. The LTE version has the SIM card built in, so it doesn’t require a separate module saving about $100 overall.

While I like the cloud viewing features of the Blackvue dashcams, they cost $900-$1000 before installation if you purchase their $360 B-130X battery pack.

 

[BigApple]

Would you recommend the Box or LTE version of the Blackvue DR970X 2-CH Dashcam? The Box version has a smaller footprint and is more secure but may be more complex to install and requires a separate $135 LTE module for Cloud viewing. The LTE version has the SIM card built in, so it doesn’t require a separate module saving about $100 overall.

While I like the cloud viewing features of the Blackvue dashcams, they cost $900-$1000 before installation if you purchase their $360 B-130X battery pack.

here is my reasoning why the box version is better. (at least for me)
Pros: smaller footprint of the front dash cam. (Smaller cam)
Wiring is all coming from the box. (wiring starts below at the box, no need to find wires up there)
Much harder for anyone to mess (turn off your cameras) they could block the view if any.
the unit runs cooler as it is not exposed to the extra heat at the windshield.
Cons: 3ch is only HD no 4k for now. starvis 1 only. Maybe a future upgrade allows the wiring to stay but allows for hardware / camera upgrades. (fingers crossed)
Needs the extra sim expansion that takes up a little extra space

overall I love the box version. I am glad I did it.

 

[bbmertz]

Thanks for your response. I was leaning toward the DR970X Box version as well. Blackvue appears to be the best option for remote Cloud viewing but requires settling for lower image quality and very high cost including the LTE module and external battery.

The only other dashcam I was seriously considering is the Thinkware U3000 which has better image quality but requires a hotspot for Cloud viewing since it doesn’t have a built in SIM card.

Hopefully I can find a local installer with lots of experience installing dashcams on EVs, although none will have much experience on a Macan EV.

 

[BigApple]

Thanks for your response. I was leaning toward the DR970X Box version as well. Blackvue appears to be the best option for remote Cloud viewing but requires settling for lower image quality and very high cost including the LTE module and external battery.

Hopefully I can find a local installer with lots of experience installing dashcams on EVs, although none will have much experience on a Macan EV.

I have done it myself on the e-TRon and I will likely also do it myself on the macan. Unless I cant find ACC power also the factor you mentioned. The car is too new to most installers. They may guess around as much as we do.
I had bad experiences with dealerships and other 3rd party. I think in this case the saying is true. Want something done right do it yourself. At least you can control how nice and careful your install will be.

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