Can I use the USB outlet in my vehicle to power the dash cam?

BlackboxMyCar Updated by BlackboxMyCar

Unfortunately, this is not something we would recommend as the USB power source in some vehicles can only provide upwards of ~500mA to ~550mA worth of current, which is not enough to power a dash cam where it requires at least 12V from a cigarette lighter adapter. This is why dash cams typically include a cigarette lighter adapter cable (also known as a 12V power cable).

To add, some USB ports are also connected to the data line, meaning some dash cams may go into file download mode, similar to when you connect it to your PC.

One last thing to add, instead of powering your dash cam using the 12V power cable, we always recommend our customers to hardwire install the dash cam into your vehicle so that they can activate parking mode protection too.

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