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Hardwire radar detector to rear view mirror?

securityguy

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It has no issues with the park assist mode. Dash cams have a feature called "parking mode" where they will continue recording after the car is shut off to monitor incidents while parked. I am not a fan of mirror taps for any device period but they are an easier DIY solution for those that don't want to mess with a fuse panel.
 

Jako

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Dash Cams using park mode need constant power. My Garmin 65W requires an optional 3 wire cord (constant power, on/off with car power and ground) to use the park mode. I believe the cord is equipped so it monitors the battery voltage and will turn off the dash cam if the voltage goes below a certain point. I have not wired the dash cam to the mirror but assume if it is wired it will record while the vehicle is powered and you will not have park mode unless the optional cord is purchased and powered appropriately, park sense will not be an issue.

www8.garmin.com/manuals/webhelp/dashcam45-55/EN-US/GUID-53F06810-9AE9-4212-B419-5153DD3B3F3B.html
www8.garmin.com/manuals/webhelp/dashcam45-55/EN-US/GUID-4893EF84-E82C-4A21-8FFD-ED26F0AC0AD6.html
 
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securityguy

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All dash cams with Parking Mode require GROUND, SWITCHED 12V and CONSTANT 12V. Either an external device or power supply has circuitry that monitors battery voltage, and when it drops to 12.0V (and some are adjustable as my Power Magic Pro), the cam will shut off. HIGHLY recommend for any purchasing a dash cam...DO NOT wire it using mirror taps!
 

Walkedu

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Thought I might share how I did my install, I wasnt too keen on running 20” of mirror tap from the bottom of the hunk of crap giant mirror cover these trucks come with like some were doing in this thread.. If im trying to hide the cord I am going to hide it. Drilled a 1/2” hole in the ridiculous cover and put a grommet on it and ran a 12” cord from the mirror. I will say I used the same connector with the 3 wires everybody else was recommending and the wire tap prongs were a tight fit. Did a mirror tap on my C7, my old Gen 2 Raptor, my CTS V and my Super Duty and none of them were this big of a pitta.....

30872 30873 30874 30875 30876 30877 30878
 

securityguy

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Thought I might share how I did my install, I wasnt too keen on running 20” of mirror tap from the bottom of the hunk of crap giant mirror cover these trucks come with like some were doing in this thread.. If im trying to hide the cord I am going to hide it. Drilled a 1/2” hole in the ridiculous cover and put a grommet on it and ran a 12” cord from the mirror. I will say I used the same connector with the 3 wires everybody else was recommending and the wire tap prongs were a tight fit. Did a mirror tap on my C7, my old Gen 2 Raptor, my CTS V and my Super Duty and none of them were this big of a pitta.....

View attachment 30877

Just an FYI...first off, the install looks nice and clean. However, there was no reason to drill a hole and install a grommet. If you look at the pics of my install, you could have come right through the hole where your Blendmount attaches to the mirror stalk for an even cleaner and stealthier look. There is a huge gap that allows the wire to pass through easily.
 

Neurobit

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Thought I might share how I did my install, I wasnt too keen on running 20” of mirror tap from the bottom of the hunk of crap giant mirror cover these trucks come with like some were doing in this thread.. If im trying to hide the cord I am going to hide it. Drilled a 1/2” hole in the ridiculous cover and put a grommet on it and ran a 12” cord from the mirror. I will say I used the same connector with the 3 wires everybody else was recommending and the wire tap prongs were a tight fit. Did a mirror tap on my C7, my old Gen 2 Raptor, my CTS V and my Super Duty and none of them were this big of a pitta.....

View attachment 30872 View attachment 30873 View attachment 30874 View attachment 30875 View attachment 30876 View attachment 30877 View attachment 30878
Very nice & clean. I did mine a little dif
Thought I might share how I did my install, I wasnt too keen on running 20” of mirror tap from the bottom of the hunk of crap giant mirror cover these trucks come with like some were doing in this thread.. If im trying to hide the cord I am going to hide it. Drilled a 1/2” hole in the ridiculous cover and put a grommet on it and ran a 12” cord from the mirror. I will say I used the same connector with the 3 wires everybody else was recommending and the wire tap prongs were a tight fit. Did a mirror tap on my C7, my old Gen 2 Raptor, my CTS V and my Super Duty and none of them were this big of a pitta.....

View attachment 30872 View attachment 30873 View attachment 30874 View attachment 30875 View attachment 30876 View attachment 30877 View attachment 30878
Nice install. My V1 runs from SAAVY power via ODBC port , so I had to run a long cable routed through A pillar, and front of headliner (and then through the stalk, like SG's install).

Cheers,

IMG_0494.JPG IMG_0493.JPG IMG_0492.JPG IMG_0491.JPG IMG_0495.JPG
 

Jraventos

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See attached instructions for removal of overhead console & rearview mirror, and the wiring harness for rearview mirror.

The headliner harness runs in the same area:

View attachment 1208

This is the mirror harness:

View attachment 1209
[/have a 2019 Ram 3500 HO Limited and I’m trying to install a mirror tap for my radar but I don’t know how to remove the top mirror cover.. HELP
 

securityguy

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So to clarify for hard wiring a dash cam... should I mirror tap or run to fuse box?
In my opinion, as a professional installer for 40+ years, mirror taps are not a good idea. It is very easy to run to the fuse box and use fuse taps and also give yourself an important capability of implementing "PARKING MODE". You cannot enable parking mode using a fuse tap which should be a non-starter for most anyone that fully understands the value of a dash cam. As an FYI...most accidents happen in parking lots!!!
 

MValdez

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In my opinion, as a professional installer for 40+ years, mirror taps are not a good idea. It is very easy to run to the fuse box and use fuse taps and also give yourself an important capability of implementing "PARKING MODE". You cannot enable parking mode using a fuse tap which should be a non-starter for most anyone that fully understands the value of a dash cam. As an FYI...most accidents happen in parking lots!!!
Maybe you could help clear the air of confusion I am undergoing. So the dash Cam I purchased (rexing V1 Pro) came with this hard wire kit s-l300.jpg . Someone recommended that i should buy this tap fuse wire 61bKIHKAjcL._AC_SL1500_.jpg (which I did). For now I am not planning on implementing the "parking mode"just yet. Can you give a newbie hear some advice? The last thing I want to do is install incorrectly resulting in damage to the cam or my truck...
 

securityguy

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@MValdez ...happy to help you out my friend. Since you have the hardwired kit, you do NOT need the fuse taps as the hardwired kit appears, from the picture, to already had the fuse tap installed but hard to tell. All you need to do is ground the cable adjacent to the fuse panel and plug the fuse tap on the hardwired kit into an ACCESSORY fuse position that is switched OFF with the ignition. This kit does not allow for or accommodate Parking Mode as there is no option for both switched and unswitched 12VDC power. I hope this helps!
 

WilburNJ

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All dash cams with Parking Mode require GROUND, SWITCHED 12V and CONSTANT 12V. Either an external device or power supply has circuitry that monitors battery voltage, and when it drops to 12.0V (and some are adjustable as my Power Magic Pro), the cam will shut off. HIGHLY recommend for any purchasing a dash cam...DO NOT wire it using mirror taps!
Agree on all point, but just wanted to point out an alternative. Some dash cams include a battery that allows it to run in parking mode even if the unit's power is otherwise switched. My 2020 Laramie had constant power to the 12V on top of the dash and I flipped the fuse to make it a switched 12V so my dash cash is not constantly recording.

That aside, given the great info in this thread, I'll be hardwiring my dash cam soon so that I can get rid of the unsightly wire running from my 12V on the dash to my dash cam!
 

securityguy

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Agree on all point, but just wanted to point out an alternative. Some dash cams include a battery that allows it to run in parking mode even if the unit's power is otherwise switched.
I don't believe they have a "battery" but what they call a "super capacitor" which stores energy. However, I do not believe that the SC stores enough power for a dash cam to operate in parking mode long enough to make a difference. I am sure it differs among manufacturers. I get a good day to day and a half of parking mode and I don't believe that a SC will provide more than an hour or two but I may be wrong.
 

Thedude1980

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I used a MirrorTap Power Cord MTX-1020, RJ-11, 20" for my Escort and wired in behind the mirror housing box close to the windshield. Not the mirror itself like the older trucks, but the plastic housing box flush with the windshield behind the mirror. Then tapped into the pink/yellow for + power and black for - negative. The wiring area to tied into is actually attached to the roundish thing on the windshield (see pictures). To get inside the housing just use a plastic ply tool to pop down the housing way from the windshield. Then there is a 2nd plastic piece to ply apart directly behind the mirror. So there are 2 pieces of plastic to pop apart before you can remove the housing. Be careful not to break the tabs on the 2nd smaller piece and take your time. I did not have to remove the mirror itself at all. I ran the Mirror Tap wire through the hole where the mirror stem goes through and reassembled in reverse. Very clean with my RamMount radar Detector holder attach to the mirror stem. Yes a PITA, but works great when done.

Did you need the whole 20 inches? Found a 14 inch one for less than half of what the MTX-1020 costs
 

securityguy

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Just sayin...it is so easy to just hardwire it to the fuse box and get the full benefit of parking mode why use a mirror tap at all???
 

Thedude1980

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Totally agree. I find the fuse tap to be a PITA, removing the shroud, etc. Running the wire to the fuse box takes one minute.

Really? It seems like more work to me but I've never done it that way. I don't think I need parking mode for a radar detector? I'm all about easier
 

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