As an auto mechanic, I can definitively say that using the OBD-II port for power is not dangerous or harmful in any way, provided that the adapter is made properly, and uses only the power pins for power. The power pins are a direct battery connection (through a fuse, of course) and are not connected to any onboard computer. Nearly every diagnostic scanner out there draws its power from that source, and those use a lot more power than a dash cam does. In addition, fleet tracking devices use it for power. Many insurance company tracking systems do so. In fact, many cars (a lot of General Motors models, for example) even have the power pins on the OBD-II port on the same circuit as the power outlets- connecting to those is exactly like plugging something in to your cigarette lighter. People who are saying you might damage your vehicle's electronics have no idea how these things work. Again, the sole caveat is that the power cord is made properly, and only connects to the power pins. It's essentially the same as using USB for power. You have power pins, and you have data pins. Same thing on OBD-II ports. The different OBD-II protocols (CAN-BUS, ISO9141, Keyword 2000, K-line, etc) all have their own pinouts for data, but the power connections always use the same pins on all cars.

OBD has a spec, you can look it up. All the internet experts can pipe down now. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On-board_diagnostics#OBD-II_diagnostic_connector OBD spec says 4 amps @ 12v or 2 amps @ 24v, so 48 watts of power ... I've been using my obd port to power home made diagnostic tools for quite some time. It's perfectly fine. This is just another case of some people pretending they know something, and passing that on as "advice".

I'd just like to thank you for uploading stuff for me to watch on a sunday like this. I've noticed my feed sort of dries up on weekends and by sunday I usually have to re-watch something old if I want anything interesting.

thank you. I never knew this socket could be used in such ways. I always thought it was only for mechanical diagnostic.Now I have to find a use for it:)

Great review. My daughters 2014 Corolla S, odb port stays powered all the time. So, I did not use it to power the Dashcam we bought. The accessory plug that came with her Mini 0806 has a sliding back cover so you can plug a standard usb cable in to the back of it if you needed to charge an accessory. Take care and thanks for the great reviews.

I have wired in several G1W cameras over the years (first one bought on a recommendation from Techmoan, ta muchly!). The problem with cheaper dashcams (and possibly expensive ones too) is that the supplied PSUs are very noisy. Recently I wired a dashcam by using a piggyback fuse off the OBD circuit (this was due to the configuration of the fuseboxes in that car), and the noise the PSU introduced on the OBD power lines was enough to bring up random error messages every few minutes. I removed it and no more error messages. Hopefully the OBD power supplies are sufficiently well-built to avoid that, but the best way I have found is to piggyback from the cigarette lighter as this circuit is usually fairly robust against noisy electronics and is usually switched by the ignition. On one occasion I even had to bin the supplied PSU and use a high-quality branded USB supply and cable due to a particularly sensitive FM tuner that couldn't be avoided without having cables on show.

I hate extra wires, I'm going to great lengths to hide as much as I can, my main complaint is lack of accessory sockets! My car is an 07 model and it has 1. I don't like 3 or 4 way plugs as they're messy. I'm hard wiring my 3 cams with a voltage drop switch, and adding some USB ports and mounting 2 extra power sockets. It will look stock and neat, which is exactly what I want. One of these would temporarily solve my problem, but I have a blackvue and it has a different socket to everything else so it won't work, but I could put a different camera up front and do it, so I might give it a go. Good review Tech, great info.

There's a new version that pairs this with a switch as well as a proximity sensor eradar which only draws power when and where an object comes within 3-5 m of the car, and auto switches off when there is no subsequent movement. It is also paired with an on off switch. Presumably, this deals with the issues of overdrawing from battery while running the car or after the ignition is switched off. The plug and play nature of an OBD based power source, and a 12V to 5V step down is a great USP

I made a "frankenbox" for my car, a wireless 4 channel relay, a small plastic box to contain everything, and the lighter sockets to get power to everything. The main power comes from the socket in my console, the box and other sockets are under the passenger seat and the wires go out from there tucked under moldings and such. I have the remote mounted on the headliner, pretty slick. They make piggyback fuse holders, depending on what fuse you choose it may be live all the time or go on and off with the ignition, very easy to hardwire something safely without making any permanent modifications.

You can buy OBD power adapters that switch between accessory or always on (ie ignition switched or always on) that have a low voltage detection circuit built in, and auto cut off when the battery voltage drops below a fixed threshold. I use one, and it works fine.

Cool stuff! I work in a maplin and have been posed a few questions/issues which could have been solved by this method. Thanks for the info!

The OBD2 port is constant 12 volts in every car I've ever seen. It is there for powering scan tools.

Many dash cams now that have a parking more require a switched ignition line, and a always hot wire. These can be taken from the radio harness, and on some vehicles, you can take the power from the interior lights, and map lights if the map lights are switched.

Also in my experience OBD ports should always supply voltage, I've worked for a shop for about 2 years and I don't recall any cars that weren't like that.

i have this vantrue 2pro, i used the OBD port adapter on my honda accord hybrid, and it is a perfect setup! had it in sentry mode or parking mode for days, and no drain on battery. wont consume your battery, and its a clean install with no wires all hidden up to the windshield!! do it!!

Thankyou, I searched online to see if the OBD is a permanent live & came across this. I was going to get one of those adaptors for when I installed the dashcam in my wife's car but as it's not ignition switched I'll go the usual (ignition fed) cigarette lighter socket route.

Genius idea! Could have used it last year before I started drilling holes though LOL

Are charging cables interchangeable for dash cams? As in "The mini 801, 803, 805 and 806 can use the same charging cable"? Thanks for any input you have.

I really enjoy this channel, keep it up.

A video recorder should be standard Ina car integrated by the factory. They've already go a standard rear camera. Just add one to the front and a DVR.

when the hell are they going to "make vehicles", with all the dash cams ya want.....I have no need and don't really care about them. But I'm here to always be edjumacated by Mr. T.

Its a good idea had no idea you can do this, very useful 😁

If it only taps the power pins it should be safe (other than draining the battery). It should be a more or less direct connection to the battery to enable voltage measurement.

You should have added the information on a "Y" OBD connectors as well as many of us are using the ports for several simultaneous tasks such as GPS/insurance devices, enhanced gauge information and so forth.

Techmoan :- Have you considered testing 'Battery Saver' devices such as the 'Power Magic Pro' which cut the feed when the battery voltage drops below a certain threshold value - so if fed from a permanent supply, when engine is switched off it will cut power to the dashcam when voltage drops to say 12.2v. As I couldn't find a switched feed in the rear hatch - {fitting cam to rear window} - I need something like this to automatically kill power shortly after Ive stopped.

China makes an adapter for everything.

The Smart Roadster is an excellent choice of vehicle good sir!

I saw this immediately when it got uploaded and put it in the watch later playlist, and when I woke the title had changed. :P Still a good video

By today Aukey sells an OBD hardwire kit for their dashcams which includes motion sensor for turning on and off the camera when needed or not! Cool thing... not tried with non-aukey cameras but... I bet the thing is merely switching in 5V to the dashcam when detecting motion, I might measure it in the future and let you know!

Used to have a theory about you being James May in disguise. The Smart utterly destroyed it today.

I was watching some videos and related video linked showing powering dash camera via OBD-II port. To get to the point, one of the best dash camera manufacturer ' Thinkware Dash Cam' has approved a 3rd party OBD-II power adapter called "EchoMaster OBD II Power Cable" and even selling it on their website directly + even made a video about it as well. I think this should give enough confidence that... OBD-II port can used without any issues?

Another option I did was to make up two male/female blade connector short wires , with a lead joining each into a new separate cigarette lighter socket. The short wires plug into the old cig lighter at the back and the car loom. now you have a second socket to plug the dash cam into. It's all removable and no damage to the cars wiring etc

Great, you post this a bit late for me now! lol Had I known this I think I would have chosen this method for my dashcam, the manual switch would be great. I went for the hardwire which is very neat and tidy but not always the most convenient as I would like to be able to run the camera more manually sometimes. Oh well, maybe in my next car :)

I thought you had a Mini, not a Smart Roadster. Nice car though, must be very plesant to drive it, especially now, with the weather improving. Great video as always!

wow love where your ignition is on your car, irrelivant i know but thought id mention that. never heard of something like that being done, i wonder if a person couldn't use one for their phone.

The pinout for OBD ports lists Pin 16 as Battery voltage. It will be on permanently in any vehicle that abides by the standard afaik.

OBD is fused with a 5A fuse in any case, and the always on is there for the connection of the diagnostic scanner, as often you are required to switch the engine off and on again to verify codes are cleared. Great if you have a dashcam with voltage sensing or inertial motion sensing, or if you want the parked sensing, but otherwise not so good. Best to hard wire it in to the wiring, and you can use a simple tap in connector to do that, using the rear of the accessory socket and some spade tap in connectors.

Thanks TM ...after viewing the video , placed the order, it just arrived ,followed your instructions , 10 mins ...BINGO ! Excellent ...keep 'em coming !

Hi there and thanks for the great work on your channel. A while ago you reviewed the Ricoh Theta, I liked it so much that I bought one and I am very pleased with it. Since your review there have been a few updates that adressed quite a few of the flaws you mentioned. So.. (here is the part where I imagine you roll your eyes and think "here we go" lol ) could you please do another review of the Theta S, or maybe just an addendum? Thanks again, and all the best from the Netherlands.

Could you not put a transistor/relay circuit in place of the manual switch to have it only switch on with the ignition?

it is unbeliveable the ammount of curious cables and switches you can find there !

I don't think a (healthy) car battery could run low by a connected dashcam or something similar. It just doesn't consume that much energy other than e.g. the headlights or the radio. But I would rather not mess with the OBD port by connecting a cheap adapter. But as always, interesting video! :)

I have a blackvue camera, was about 200 quid but it takes power permanently from the battery and the switching on and off is done based on the GPS and weather the car is moving or not. I have it in parking mode so when the car stops it only records if it sees movement or senses a jolt, with a rolling buffer. I think if your really serious about a proper dash cam, one like this is the best choice. I had a 0803 and 0805 before and the blackvue blows them out of the water. Well worth it.

On one of my car, the fuse for the OBD is the same as the immobilizer for starting the car... A malfunction from the adapter coud prevent the car from starting.

OBD PORT power conections pin 16 12v pin 4-5 ground are direct chasis ground and direct battery 12v from a fuse of constant 12v of all the vehicle (same wire); others pins go to all car ECUs. there no will be ANY damage to the car using this device.

If im going to have only DDPai M4 base connected to it ( actual camera module removed) , will it drain the car battery? If it doesnt then its quite neat solution tather than tinckering with fuse box. Please reply Technomoan.

1. There are dash-cams which can sense when the car is standing still, and they go into "parking mode" which is very low power consuming (one picture every second). I have one of these, it's called "mini 0807" and is really really good (it's an older model, i think there are newer ones now). When something hits the car the dashcam immediately starts recording with HD-quality and sound. This camera has recorded a hit-and-run so far, saved me 2000$ in repairs. 2. Some cars, BMW for example, sense the battery level and when the cars battery is getting too drained, they cut the power-feed to the OBD-port and 12V sockets in the car. My BMW 520D lasts about 6 hours in parking mode before it shuts off the power to the OBD. I have had my dashcam installed for two years and have never had any problems, works like a charm.

A review of a Smart Roadster, please! :)

I never though of that. I actually like the idea. That's what I'm gonna do when I pass my test. I can actually see what's going on when I parked. With having a nice car and not living in a nice area,this'll be a good way to see what's going on.

Usefull... As always, worth watching :)

Hi, I love this product. Can you please help me, I am looking for a small camera with motion detector a good night vision BUT powered by a power pack or with a good endurance to put in the garage a monitor what's going on there. They took my bike last week. Thanks a lot

I think the idea of using OBD is that when the ignition key turns off the dashcam senses a change in voltage and switches from (constant) operating mode to park mode, which operates only periodically and briefly to conserve battery power. It is likely to only come to life when a sensor indicates outside movement near the car, or a nudge to the vehicle, or else it just takes 1fps snaps until the car is started again. A power pack for £20-£40 gives peace of mind for your poor old car battery, but many dashcams claim that they automatically shut down when your car battery voltage drops to a specified threshold. But bear in mind these dashcams are often made in China where reliability and quality control is the Opposite of Germany. The OBD port is a discreet location near the door and therefore it's usually easy to hide cabling runs to it.

Great tip for constant power.

Id say its fine to power your stuff assuming you check where where the 5v is coming from, ECU or straight from battery. Also check the fuse rating on the OBD port but seeing as it hasn't blown its probably fine.

Thanks for this video. I'm buying a new car and I'm looking for an easy way to power a dashcam without taking up a usb or doing any modifications

another solution : buy a rechargeable battery pack (lets say 20,000 MAh) for about $10 U.S. and you'll have power for your dash cam for all day long. you also can recharge your battery pack via the 12V in your car.

I have a Toyota prius and used to use the on-board diagnostic port and it used to turn off with the ignition however had a problem with the hybrid battery had to be replaced and ever since the on-board diagnostic is on continuously, however I have had to replace the 12v battery as well a couple of day later, so it could've been down to low voltage turn off.??

i wouldent worry about drilling holes in that car interior, it looks very cheap and nasty. what a difference to that gorgeous mini interior.

Same thing for iPODS, some cars power ports are continuously powered and you can drain your battery leaving the iPOD plugged in. Good thing to check so you don't have a dead battery. Now day's with cars having 5 computers it doesn't take long for batteries to go dead a lot faster then older cars with the same battery.

What I would have done is buy a spare/replacement tray and drill out a corner so I could close it properly. Good to know this option exists!

As long as you're a person that drives drive everyday it probably wouldn't drain your battery fully, but it really depends on how much driving you do since your alternator will recharge your battery.

Using the port should't damage anything in theory. The problem could be if a product you are attaching has some fault - perhaps a short in the wiring. There is the potential (although quite remote) that you could destroy the ECU - very expensive. Much safer to get a gadget to attach the device to the vehicle's fuse box - safer too in case of overloads (getting hot/catching fire, and so on) etc.

My older vehicle is one of the last ones that keeps the lighter port hot when the ignition is off, I like it for charging my cell phone while the car is parked. The newer vehicles all seem to switch it off when the key is out, which really annoys me, so this is good to know.

Sir you are awesome thank you very much for sharing

Not all cars have a directly ignition controlled fuse to take a feed from these days, many use the CANBUS to tell things when they should be on or off,.The only ignition switch controlled fuse in my 2004 A3 fusebox is for the rear wiper for some weird reason, everything else is switched by the ECU.

what adapter would I need for the g1wh is just the mini one

Do they have any fancy gauges kits, that run from data from your OBD port?

I just run a small wire from the dashcam to the ceiling lights, just tuck it under the roof lining, you will normally find a permanent live up there. But, unfortunately not going to help with a convertible car like yours. But scotchloks connectors are very good for a low power device like a dashcam, just tap into any suitable circuit - radio supply will do fine.

a good solution. thanks for the video.

Check eBay for "blade fuse tap", no need to cut into any wires, and just put the earth under a metal chassis screw. Do check your blade fuse size first as there appears to be 3 sizes, mini/micro/standard.

I bought 3 of these with female usb adapter to connect my dashcams, it works really good, I leave it on at all times, soo far have not killed the battery, fast and easy to connect

I’m looking for the opposite.... I have a Navdy heads up display and a GoFar for logging drives. Unfortunately they both need to be plugged into your OBD port the problem is the OBD II port is only designed to send information to 1 thing ... I did buy a OBD Il splitter but it’s useless as the OBD ll port can’t send information to 2 things at the same time so neither work properly... So I was Wondering if there was something I could plug my Navdy into as it Bluetooths information from the phone anyway that I could then simply plug it into a USB socket in the car.

Might have missed something, but weren't you driving a 2015 Mini cooper ?

There's no issue powering low power things from the OBD port but a tap-a-fuse would be a much more sensible option and much neater.

People saying it would drain your battery but wouldn't it draw the same amount of power if it was hardwired to the fuses? Whats the difference? I never hear people saging that will drain the battery.

There is a built in kill switch to prevent yr vehicles battery from draining and causing a no start condition. This allows your vehicle to record in parking mode without draining your battery. Also park mode only records for a few mins then shuts off if no movement is detected. Anyways I have the obd wire kit and is supposed to supply power at all times just like a telematics receiver for your insurance company that plugs into your OBD port. If it is draining your battery you most definitely have a short somewhere and would advise you to get that fixed asap or the obd port adapter is broken and the built in kill switch has failed and either will not work at all or basically heats up so much it sodders itself into an open current position causing a constant power drain. That would require a replacement obd adapter

This is also important if you plan on using an ELM327 OBD2 reader with the Torque app - you should get an ELM327 with a switch, or use the extension switch as shown in the video. Otherwise the battery will go flat.

You can use an add a fuse which basically makes one fuse Into two! So you have a fused dashcam!

That Smart Roadster you have is a very cool car btw ;)

My car also keeps the power of the OBD on all the time. I had Bluetooth dongle to monitor car parameters on my phone and it was running all the time also.

did you know on the smart roadster Ecu has about 6 connectors on the side, 3 switched and 3 permanent. Smart do the adaptor you need or you can just crimp a spade to the cable and use that, connect neutral to any metal part of the car and you are good to go. I had a Windows car PC installed in my Roadster :-)

Use a fuse tap to power your hard-wired USB PSU. No need to cut into cables, everything is protected by its own fuse and they only cost a few quid! You can get them for standard size automotive fuses and micro and mini size. I use them to power my dashcams.

Why on EARTH would that be a bad idea? How could it possibly damage anything? It's just a 12V power point! Just as dangerous as using the cigarette lighter socket.......

Can you start reviewing bluetooth locator devices like Tile, chipolo, nut, there are several

Great Video!!

OBD ports always carry a constant power feed and an earth - some manufacturers use a pin for an ignition supply, but this is not always the case. This adaptor will just take the live and earth pins - You won't damage your car taking power from the OBD port this way. Neat way if it suits your needs tho.

best way I find getting an extra 12v is by using an "add a circuit" fuse holder. Gives you a fused second circuit easily.

Using the OBD port to power devices can't really harm the car in any way. Still, some of my cars keep the OBD port powered at all times, so leaving something connected is a good way to find a flat battery if you leave it too long.

excelentes videos

what is the small lamp you used? thanks

I like the OBD switch thing. When mine comes ill be adding an LED to it.

I think you should use a piggyback fuse holder instead. That way you can pick a circuit that delivers power when you'd like it to do. (you will need an extra fuse though.) Wire the voltage converter into the piggyback, pop the original fuse back in and the extra one for your circuit. Making sure the positive connection is on the positive output of the socket. A decent negative connection can usually be found at nearly every nearby bolt or screw into the cassis. You could also easily undo all of that work leaving no trace of it.

My OBD2 port is just behind a pull out drawer so it doesn't close if anything's plugged in to it. I want to relocate the port if I can to use a bluetooth adaptor to connect to my Android head unit. Thanks this is a useful video.

You got any plans to review the FDR-X1000V? I think it's a great little cam and I don't get why more people aren't talking about it.

Does that OBD to USB adapter also work with those OBD apps available on Android phones? Or is it just a power-only solution?

I think its a good thing the dash cam keeps running because someone could break into your car and steal something (yes that's happened to me and didn't have a dash cam) so its good to keep it running so its recording when you're not in the car in case someone steals something from your car or hits your car while parked and takes off. just get an obd cable for the dash cam with low voltage detection so it doesn't kill the battery.

my obd2 port makes the radio turn on

In the US, it has been my experience that the Cigarette Lighter Port/12V Accessory Port does not turn off when you turn off the ignition with domestic vehicles. The only "foreign" vehicles I've owned are Toyotas, and they both turned off the 12V socket when the ignition was turned off. So, I don't really see an issue here, given how little power these cameras and phones use, compared to other items that usually cause you to drain the battery, like headlights.

No consume mucha batería del auto ?

Almost all test equipment is powered by the obd2 port. No cellphone or tablet will draw enough power to damage the obd2 port.