Images of how I installed a Blackvue DR650GW-2CH

[m3vhf]

I've mounted my pretty much the same, also cut a small notch into the rear view mirror housing so I could feed the cables up into the head lining for a cleaner look.

The rear is the same, and pretty much invisible from the outside, especially with privacy glass.

One thing I did change is the power magic pro, after a few months of use, I found it was drawing more power from the battery when In parking mode, when with the cut off set at 6 hrs and 12v. My start stop barely cut in because the battery level was too low, some of the other things like engine cut off when I stop and open the door didn't work unless I had been on a long drive.

I decided to change over and go for a small ups battery, this powers my dual cams for upto 10 hours, then uses the car battery when it's battery has run down. It has rapid charge when the engine is running.

The cabling is pretty much the same as the PMP, I chopped the cigar connection off and used an atx cable extension so there's no bulky connections rattling about behind the glovebox.

Heres my install. The ups is a T Power Plus Alpha.

 

[Kugaman1]

Any DAB issues?

An update on mine.....its about 30% worse than it was before the rear cam was fitted.
Been on a long drive over the past few days and found the DAB a bit hit and miss.
I just generally use FM now, which is a bit dissapointing, but hey ho, it looks like theres no fix for this.
They claim the newer models have a better shielded cable, but mines the very newest version with the latest cable and its still garbage.

Personally, Im not very impressed with blackvue. Rang them to look for support on this known issue and basically, they didnt give a to$$. Didnt want to know what I have done about the issue, just no interest at all.

Ive got a few ferric rings fitted and have shielded the rear camera co-ax where it runs near to the DAB antennas......still not great, like I say, about 30% poorer DAB reception than before the camera install.

 

[royalsteve68]

Any DAB issues?

An update on mine.....its about 30% worse than it was before the rear cam was fitted.
Been on a long drive over the past few days and found the DAB a bit hit and miss.
I just generally use FM now, which is a bit dissapointing, but hey ho, it looks like theres no fix for this.
They claim the newer models have a better shielded cable, but mines the very newest version with the latest cable and its still garbage.

Personally, Im not very impressed with blackvue. Rang them to look for support on this known issue and basically, they didnt give a to$$. Didnt want to know what I have done about the issue, just no interest at all.

Ive got a few ferric rings fitted and have shielded the rear camera co-ax where it runs near to the DAB antennas......still not great, like I say, about 30% poorer DAB reception than before the camera install.

Have to agree I have had a blackvue for about six years and their products are good, reliable but support is rubbish as they don't have a proper presence in the UK. Winycam are much better at support but their products are not quite as well built as blackvue.

 

[royalsteve68]

So was the tpower easy to install. I was thinking about getting a Lukas 570 which I was told has three times the capacity but it's a lot bigger than the tpower and isn't lithium ion but uses a different battery tech. Lukas is 229 but would need to install in the boot.

On checking it seems the Lukas is 6000 may compared to tpower 15600

 

[Big Matt]

Looks good, does anyone know if there is a dash cam that comes with a rechargeable battery only so no worries with wires??

 

[azibux1]

I assume they're not popular as by chance they may run out just when you need them! Haha

 

[royalsteve68]

Looks good, does anyone know if there is a dash cam that comes with a rechargeable battery only so no worries with wires??

Get a ups. Basically a car version of the battery cells you may use to charge your phone. Anypower and lukas do them. Think anypower also branded tpower are the best and are 15200 mah. Blackvue have a rebranded one but it's only 5200 mah. Lukas I think are only 6000 mah though someone told they do a larger 50000 mah one

 

[royalsteve68]

Anypower and lukas are south Korean made as are most decent cameras like blackvue, winycam Ipixi lukas. Just avoid the rubbish in halfords Costco etc and avoid cheap stuff on eBay and Amazon. I bought a decent car from gearbest in China though which works well and cost 40.00. Pic quality is not far off blackvue and winycam but build quality is pretty good but not on a par. Firmware and screen are pretty naff

 

[Big Matt]

Get a ups. Basically a car version of the battery cells you may use to charge your phone. Anypower and lukas do them. Think anypower also branded tpower are the best and are 15200 mah. Blackvue have a rebranded one but it's only 5200 mah. Lukas I think are only 6000 mah though someone told they do a larger 50000 mah one

Ok thanks will have a look

 

[royalsteve68]

I did buy a cheap £10 camera a few years from a seller on Amazon - one of those common cheapo ones.

Waste of money, terrible quality, etc and could only be powered via 12v supply and programmed via its in built rubbish screen. With no parking mode you had to change the settings in the car with engine running. Moronic

I binned it a month later when it packed up

 

[royalsteve68]

One common issue with Blackvue dual camera setup is the impact on DAB. ferrite cores can help a little but what a pain. Gonna junk my 500 and trade in my winycam 200 for a winycam log wifi dual camera setup with tpower ups. have two cameras and a magic pro seperately fed power to the fuse box is proving too much power drain for the pathetic Audi, so gonna simplify it after 2 years hassle

 

[Raul_sbd]

This original install guide and photos along with the following one here really helped me with my recent Dashcam installation. So thanks guys.

I was torn between the Thinkware F750 and the Blackvue 650. I wanted something from a trusted make and something that was discrete. Both of these cameras have good / bad points and it was a hard decision. I swayed many times....I think if you are only worried about the very best picture quality and especially night vision and can live with the marginally larger front unit then the Thinkware is probably the one to go for, as according to reviews and youtube clips it just edges the Blackvue. I have to say though that the Blackvue 650 is pretty good at night and excellent during the day. Both have 1080P front cameras and the Thinkware has a 1080P rear camera vs the 720 on the Blackvue. Daytime vision / video is excellent on both. Thinkware F750 does have the edge on night vision though. Night vision is good on the Blackvue even through my tinted windows however its not perfect, but you can certainly see the road and vehicles behind you etc. The Blackvue App is excellent showing you the footage as well as GPS location / speed information. Front and Rear cameras are also in sync and can be viewed separately etc.

In the end Blackvue won it for me as it has had a few firmware updates / physical improvements since it was first launched, i.e. cables updated and improved bit rates on video / improvements on the APP. ( where as reading on various Forums Thinkware haven't really moved things on much since its launch, but you could argue they didn't really need to ) also in terms of discrete permanent install the Blackvue is a smaller unit. Blackvue have updated the rear camera cable and the main power cable so that both now offer better insulation with the power cable now having its own Ferrite core ( I fitted one also to the rear camera cable - 5mm). DAB issues was a major concern of mine, but I have to say I have not had any problems in over 1000 miles.

The final swing point for me was the hardware vs software solution for battery management when these units are hardwired in. The Thinkware has a software solution and I read quite a bit about units failing to turn off and overheating, I'm sure there are hardwire solutions and maybe the software solution has been fixed / user error but I didn't like this possible lack of control and did not know which hard wire kit to buy if I wanted to override this. Blackvue won here for me as it is easy for the novice, with plenty of reviews and youtube clips of installs etc.

The Blackvue has the Magic Pro which seems to offer a decent solution ( hardware i.e. small box ) in that you can manage the camera power settings in several different ways. Turn on with ignition only / On all the time with various cut off's for duration, i.e. 6 hrs, 12 hrs, 24 or infinity etc and cut offs for voltage settings so that the battery does not get drained. The voltage setting always overrides the time / duration setting , i.e. if you have the Magic Pro set up to power the camera all of the time but the battery in the car runs low then the unit will override and power down the camera ensuring you can always start the car. I like the fact that I can change the settings very easily as well. This enables you to do Park mode.

I was almost put off having a rear camera due to interference issues with DAB. But I have to say I have not had any problems. I do not know if this is a due to the new improved cables on the latest models direct from Blackvue or the fact that I added my own ferrite coil to the rear camera cable. Or indeed a combination of both. I recently did a large road trip across the UK and had no issues due to the camera/s. I had the occasional drop out ( about 4 across the entire country for 2 secs, whilst it found a new signal ) However I have no doubt I would have had similar issues with or without the camera across these regions. So very pleased, no constant interference, crackles or lack of DAB as I read on many forums.

Install took quite a few hours, but I was being careful not to break anything, especially when removing the boot plastics and messed about for ages deciding what fuses to use in the glove box.. In fact I wasted an awful amount of time here !.

Anyway I basically used the same principle / route around the car cabling wise as Kimmy.e but used different fuses for install as I could not get my piggyback fuses to fit in a number of original places !. Maybe I have more fuses in mine than what Kimmy.e had.

Here is a picture of the of the items I used. Ferrite Coils - I used 5mm items for the Rear Camera. I also used an old coat hanger with some tape around the ends rather than the Fish tape shown to thread the cable around the rear boot. Very useful indeed. Masking tape was used to roughly position the cameras before final mount, this was used in conjunction with the APP. And sticky velcro was used to mount the Magic Pro in the glove box. Simples..

View attachment 81499


Here was my fuse box:

View attachment 81500

I ended up using Fuses F11 ( reversible belt tensioner ) and F40 ( cigarette lighter ) as shown here: I used the same grounding point as Kimmy.e, i.e. the small screw on the outside of the side of the glove box, accessible via the side panel removal. No need to sand nut down just screw earth cable to it.. Easy. Although a bit fiddly.


View attachment 81501

The bulk of the wires are hidden in the side of the glove box which is accessible by removing the side panel by the passenger door. I mounted the Blackvue Magic Pro in the glove box with sticky velcro so that I can change settings at a whim.

View attachment 81503 View attachment 81504

View attachment 81506

Camera at top of screen is barely visible from the outside. I had to mount it here as did not want it in the way of the rain sensor or the auto headlight sensor. I also wanted it out of sight. Vision is not impaired nor is camera video quality as lens points down below the actual tint line.

View attachment 81507

Rear Camera is not visible at all.

View attachment 81508

With the ferrite coils attached ( 5mm to the rear camera cable and the one already attached from the factory on the power cable ) I have had no DAB radio problems what so ever.
View attachment 81509

Some sample footage zoomed in with GPS tags removed etc:

Front Camera Day

View attachment 81510

Front Camera Night

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Rear Footage - Day - Through heavily tinted glass.

View attachment 81514

Rear Camera - Dark Night / road - Through heavily tinted glass. Cars still clearly visible etc.

View attachment 81517

Im sure this is been already answered.. I bought the DR 650GW 2 CH camera, I am going to give it a go this weekend and install it.. but my question is with the rear camera how do you pass the coax cable from the rubber seal to the rear door hidding totally the cable?? I know you take out the door plastic trim and then the cable goes underneath of it and then only shows the bit of cable on the rear door window, but how to pass the cable from the car rubber seal to the rear door? Could anyone explain? I been looking at the pictures posted here but doesnt show exactly where goes through that coax cable on the boot door.

Many thanks

 

[SW14NY'S]

Im sure this is been already answered.. I bought the DR 650GW 2 CH camera, I am going to give it a go this weekend and install it.. but my question is with the rear camera how do you pass the coax cable from the rubber seal to the rear door hidding totally the cable?? I know you take out the door plastic trim and then the cable goes underneath of it and then only shows the bit of cable on the rear door window, but how to pass the cable from the car rubber seal to the rear door? Could anyone explain? I been looking at the pictures posted here but doesnt show exactly where goes through that coax cable on the boot door.

Many thanks

If you don't get an answer by tonight I'll try and get some photos for you as I've just fitted mine

I would recommend getting a set of 'Bojo' trim removal tools in the mean time if you haven't already got some

 

[Kugaman1]

I passed the coax through the rubber sleeve which carries the wiring loom into the hatchback.

This way means the whole job takes a bit longer as the plastics of the rear hatch have to come off to get access to the hatch side of the rubber sleeve.

Its a bit of a pain, but gives a much tidier, more professional install.

The rubber on the right (as you look at the car from the rear) has the least wires inside it, so is easiest to work with.

However, I used the rubber on the left (a lot of wiring in it already). It was a bit more awkward, but I wanted the absolute minimum of cable to be exposed to the DAB antenna which is in the top of the hatch.

As I had sent the cable from the front camera down the passenger side of the car, I didnt want to have to crossover the car to the emptiest sleeve and then back to the middle again for the rear camera.
Hope that makes sense!?

 

[jungle650]

To

Im sure this is been already answered.. I bought the DR 650GW 2 CH camera, I am going to give it a go this weekend and install it.. but my question is with the rear camera how do you pass the coax cable from the rubber seal to the rear door hidding totally the cable?? I know you take out the door plastic trim and then the cable goes underneath of it and then only shows the bit of cable on the rear door window, but how to pass the cable from the car rubber seal to the rear door? Could anyone explain? I been looking at the pictures posted here but doesnt show exactly where goes through that coax cable on the boot door.

Many thanks

To pass through the rubber seal use an old wire coat hanger or somthing thin and similar, with tape on the end to soften the edges. Tape your cable to it, then supress the rubber and gentle pass the coat hanger with the cable through the rubber. Simples.

Once cable is through the rubber remove from coat hanger and then there are plenty of holes and reach points to push the cable along. I simply followed the existing wiring line and cable tied to it. Simple.

 

[Kimmy.E]

As others have said avoid using the drivers side rubber as the DAB wiring passes through that, yes the passenger side has a lot more wires but it's still very straight forward to do with the right kit.

Use a cable fish tape to fish it through. Remove the rubber both ends, it just pulls of gently. This makes it a lot easier! Pass your fish tape through the rubber, tape your coax to the fish tape and pull it back through, simples! When you have got the cable through simply push the rubber seal back into place, wriggle it a bit until it seals back up. I have attached a picture that shows the rubber partly off. The end of the rubber with the bit sticking out goes in first then push the rest in. It's the same both ends. Can be tight to get off but just keep pulling it and wriggling it out gently, will eventually just pop out.

 

[Raul_sbd]

As others have said avoid using the drivers side rubber as the DAB wiring passes through that, yes the passenger side has a lot more wires but it's still very straight forward to do with the right kit.

Use a cable fish tape to fish it through. Remove the rubber both ends, it just pulls of gently. This makes it a lot easier! Pass your fish tape through the rubber, tape your coax to the fish tape and pull it back through, simples! When you have got the cable through simply push the rubber seal back into place, wriggle it a bit until it seals back up. I have attached a picture that shows the rubber partly off. The end of the rubber with the bit sticking out goes in first then push the rest in. It's the same both ends. Can be tight to get off but just keep pulling it and wriggling it out gently, will eventually just pop out.

View attachment 90091

Did you pass both the coax and power cable ( this one only to the lighter) though the passenger side?

Many thanks for your help and explanations , much appreciated!?

 

[Kimmy.E]

Did you pass both the coax and power cable ( this one only to the lighter) though the passenger side?

Many thanks for your help and explanations , much appreciated!?

The DR650GW-2CH only needs one cable to the rear camera, the coax carries both power and video signal.

 

[Raul_sbd]

The DR650GW-2CH only needs one cable to the rear camera, the coax carries both power and video signal.

I know it does I meant to say on the front camera the 2 cables u did coax on passenger side and the power cable that goes to the lighter u also chosed passenger side? Thanks

 

[Kimmy.E]

I know it does I meant to say on the front camera the 2 cables u did coax on passenger side and the power cable that goes to the lighter u also chosed passenger side? Thanks

Yes that is correct.

 

[thegingerone]

Has anyone fitted the read camera at the bottom of the rear window close to the wiper motor area? I'm wondering if maybe this would avoid some of the DAB issues?

 

[SW14NY'S]

Has anyone fitted the read camera at the bottom of the rear window close to the wiper motor area? I'm wondering if maybe this would avoid some of the DAB issues?

I have just recently fitted mine at the top of the rear screen, and so far have not experienced any of the DAB issues. If you are installing the latest camera, I'm led to believe that Blackvue have upgraded the coaxial cable to prevent the DAB issues.

 

[Rob2k68]

Not so much about installation but moreso setup, I've just created a free Blackvue 'Over The Cloud' account and connected to my dashcam to my cars wifi hotspot via connect. Now whenever the car has the ignition switched on or off I get a notification on my phone. I can also use my phone and see in real time what the camera sees, view a map of where the car is and what speed it is doing. This is easily switched off from within the car should someone wish to do so but for casual use for example when the cars having some work done to it or when the wife borrows it LoL I find this to be quite a useful feature. It only uses your connect data when you're connecting to the camera as a live feed - notifications do not seem to use any data that registers on the cars usage meter. You could should you wish set it up to connect to your home or works wifi but you wouldn't get any information once these are out of range.

More info on Blackvue Cloud here :-

http://www.blackvue.com/blackvue-over-the-cloud/#

http://www.blackvue.com/linux_downl...app/blackvue_cloud_app_manual_en_ver.1.00.pdf

 

[Raul_sbd]

Done my DR650 now on my car!! Im really happy with the outcome the image quality its just brilliant. only thing that doesnt really bother m that much is that DAB reception as its been pointed here many times losses here on South Manchester (Sale area) but then it switches to FM and all good (the tdk ferrite at each end didnt help ). So all in all really happy with it.. i think i need to get now the Magic pro.. in order to enable the parking mode.. anyone could recommend where to buy it at decent price? (had already spend big bucks on the camera

 

[Kugaman1]

I think the upgraded cable applied to the 550 models.

All DR650w have the upgraded cable.

For those of us in less than perfect DAB coverage areas, we seem to get the issues.

I did try initially mounting the rear camera at the bottom of the screen.....made no difference whatsoever to the DAB problem.

As Raul says above....its not the end of the world as the radio switches to FM....only time its a real pain is when listening to 5 live and theres no FM alternative!

 

[Trevolly]

One thing I did change is the power magic pro, after a few months of use, I found it was drawing more power from the battery when In parking mode, when with the cut off set at 6 hrs and 12v. My start stop barely cut in because the battery level was too low, some of the other things like engine cut off when I stop and open the door didn't work unless I had been on a long drive.

I decided to change over and go for a small ups battery, this powers my dual cams for upto 10 hours, then uses the car battery when it's battery has run down. It has rapid charge when the engine is running.

@m3vhf Does the Tpower Plus Alpha work the same as the magic pro and monitor the battery level of the car when in park mode and turn off when the car battery gets low?

 

[Rob2k68]

Firmware v2.003 is now available.

 

[Rob2k68]

Firmware update seems to reset all of your settings so make a note of them or take some screen grabs of them on your phone before performing an update.

 

[Raul_sbd]

Firmware update seems to reset all of your settings so make a note of them or take some screen grabs of them on your phone before performing an update.

Is that update only for the cloud version or for all the versions of the dr650? I have goot only the wifi version.. will it be applicable? does it brings any benefits (dab reception etc.._)?

 

[Rob2k68]

Is that update only for the cloud version or for all the versions of the dr650? I have goot only the wifi version.. will it be applicable? does it brings any benefits (dab reception etc.._)?

All DR650GW's from what I can tell. No mention of DAB unless it's rolled into 'Stability Improvements'. This is the change log from their support site :-

This version adds:
1. Time Zone defaulted to ‘Pacific/Midway Islands’: make sure to update the Time Zone as required.
2. Fixed issue where users could not retrieve video file list from 128GB microSD cards via BlackVue Over the Cloud.
3. Fixed issue where “Cloud access failed” voice message was repeated when out of range of Wi-Fi hotspot.
4. Stability improvements.

Note 1: Even if you install this firmware, you will be able to return to version 1.003 by installing 1.003 again.
Note 2: To check how to get your Cloud security code, in case there is no QR code on your BlackVue DR650GW-1CH dashcam, refer to [link].
Note 3: This firmware is compatible with the new BlackVue C app only, as well as the BlackVue Windows / Mac Viewer.

 

[SW14NY'S]

What a day in sunny Bonnie Scotland ️ great view from my Blackvue Dashcam DR650GW-2CH

www.supercarsofscotland.co.uk
Twitter: @supercarsofSCOT
Instagram: supercarsofscotland_uk

 

[Rob2k68]

What a day in sunny Bonnie Scotland ️ great view from my Blackvue Dashcam DR650GW-2CH

www.supercarsofscotland.co.uk
Twitter: @supercarsofSCOT
Instagram: supercarsofscotland_uk

Don't believe that - must be photoshopped !!

Enjoy mate and have a fab weekend

 

[SW14NY'S]

New App v2.000 and Firmware 2.004 now available

www.supercarsofscotland.co.uk
Twitter: @supercarsofSCOT
Instagram: supercarsofscotland_uk

 

[thebluefox]

So I've finally got round to installing my DR650gw-2ch.

Really happy with it EXCEPT the ****** DAB issues. I only tend to listen to 5Live in the car, and it now drops at the same place on my drive to work every day.

Prior to install, there would be a slight drop of about a second at around the same place - now around that area it drops for 30seconds - minute.

I've only routed the power cable into the 12v/cig lighter. Is it the ream cam cable that causes the problems though?

 

[Kugaman1]

Yes, definitely the rear cam cable thats the issue.
Unplug the rear cam tomorrow and see if your coverage is back to normal!

It annoys me also as I like to listen to 5 live during the footy season...

 

[SW14NY'S]

Never had an issue with mine did you buy yours direct from Blackvue?.....they told me there are a few unauthorised sellers on eBay and Amazon.....and they don't support any warranty if purchased from them.


www.supercarsofscotland.co.uk
Twitter: @supercarsofSCOT
Instagram: supercarsofscotland_uk

 

[Reznor]

I have a BlackVue 650 as well and have to say that I'm not very impressed with it. I have it set at the highest recording quality but after viewing many of the video clips it takes, (even transferred to my computer and displayed full screen/zoomed in), I still cannot read the license plate of the vehicle in front of me unless we are stopped and I'm about 3 feet from their bumper. I realize there are limitations to what devices like this can capture and the overall quality of the image and stabilization seems very good, but with this information missing, it almost seems useless. Anyone else having these problems?