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Disclaimer: I do not represent 70mai in any way and this article does not promote any product of any particular brand. The same procedure can be applied for the installation of any similar Dashcam of any other brand.
Hello everyone. Hope you are all doing well in these tough times of the COVID pandemic. This is my first ever article on the forum. Due to the ever-growing traffic on Indian roads and our infamous driving style, sometimes we all have to face minor or major accidents which involve our beloved cars. It’s OK when we are at fault, we make peace with the fact that we were not behaving as responsible drivers and we have to pay for that. But for drivers who drive safely and responsibly on roads, it’s always unfair for them to pay for someone else’s mistake. Like pedestrians jumping in between the road out of nowhere, motorists coming in front from link roads out of nowhere, sudden brakes from the vehicle in front of you, and many more such incidents. I too have faced my fair share of such incidents where I have mostly paid for someone else’s mistake. Thank god we have a thing called insurance to get us out of trouble, but still, keeping your vehicle in the garage for 1-2 weeks for repairs is always annoying. And things get ugly when the accidents involve the other party’s bodily injury or worse, casualty. For the innocent, it’s the worst kind of nightmare, and strong evidence is needed to prove the innocence. That is where Dashcam recordings come into play. These things can save you a lot of mental trauma and financial loss. Therefore, investing in a good Dashcam is always a wise choice.
I recently bought a dual-channel dashcam for my vehicle. I have a November 2017 manufactured Ford EcoSport Titanium TDCi (Facelifted). It came with 8-inch SYNC 3 touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Current Titanium variant misses on SYNC 3, Android Auto, and Apple CarPlay along with few other things like ambient lighting, puddle lamps, etc. However, it didn't come with a reverse parking camera at that time, which is present in the current Titanium. Though I never felt the absence of a reverse parking camera as I am more old school that way and rely mostly on IRVM and ORVMs. But the new dashcam came with a reverse parking camera mode which is a plus.
I got 70mai Rearview Dashcam + Night Vision Rear Cam from Amazon for 11k. I recommend going with a Night vision rear cam as it's only 1k more than the regular one but visibility at night is great. Both the cameras come with a 1080p resolution. The front camera is without night vision. Visibility is great in the daytime and acceptable at night.
It's pretty simple. Just attach the 9.35-inch full-screen display onto the IRVM with the help of the rubber straps provided in the package. It will fit perfectly for most cars. The front dashcam which is attached on the backside of the display is provided with extendable support so that if the IRVM is of the same size as the display, the extendable support can be stretched out to adjust the camera. The camera itself comes with a four-way adjustment so that it can be adjusted for the perfect front vision. Now attach the micro USB power supply to the display and route the power cable through the roof-line, weather seal at A-pillar, then to the back of the glove box, and finally to the 12 Volt output of the car. Use the plastic tool to perfectly tuck in the cable inside the weather seal and roof lining so that no part of the cable is visible outside. Now switch on the display. It will immediately start recording. Keep in mind that the footage visible on the display is not the complete view of the front camera. The full view can be obtained by installing the 70mai android/iOS app and connecting the display with the app. After a successful connection, it will project the actual view of the camera to the mobile app. Now, the view can be adjusted as per requirements. This display can also be used as normal IRVM when in screen-OFF mode (recording continues in screen-OFF mode). But I strongly advise using the rear camera view as it gives a much better 135-degrees rear view. It might be weird in the beginning but you’ll get used to it with time. This completes the installation of the front camera/display and power supply.
For this installation, separate the rear camera and AV cable by detaching the male/female connector provided near the rear cam. Now AV cable and rear camera can be installed separately.
For installation of AV cable, connect the output end of AV cable to AV input port at the 9.35-inch display. Now route the AV cable through roof-line, weather seal at A-pillar, above the front door, B-pillar, above the rear door, C-pillar, then weather seal in the boot. Keep the terminal end of this cable in the boot. It will be connected to the AV cable coming from the rear camera later.
It is advisable to install the rear camera above/below the registration number plate for most of the vehicles as most of the OEMs install reverse parking cameras there for maximum view. It can be different for different vehicles. In my case, I installed it between the two lights above HSRP with the help of double-sided tape and two screws provided in the package. A dedicated space was already provided by Ford. I routed the cable through a small hole above the dedicated space for the reverse parking camera, then to below the water drain hole provided below the tool kit (Jack, spanner, reflector, tow hook). I had to make some adjustments to the rubber seal at one of the drain holes so as to avoid damage to the camera cable by constantly rubbing it against the metal edge. Now connect the cable coming from the camera to the cable terminal end we left in the boot earlier by means of the male/female connector provided. The rear camera output should start displaying on the 9.35-inch display. Adjust the camera with the help of two vertical adjustment screws provided on the rear camera as per your requirement. This completes the installation of the rear camera and AV cable.
Normal rear view:
A red/black cable is provided with the rear camera which originates from the male/female connector. This red cable needs to be connected to the red/yellow/green cable of the reverse parking white tail light so that whenever reverse gear is engaged, it will get supply along with the reverse parking white tail light, and reverse parking guidelines start appearing on the 9.35-inch display. It also changes the display on the screen so that the maximum focus of the camera stays on the lower backside while reversing. For most of the vehicles, reverse parking white tail light is provided within the main tail light enclosure along with the brake light and indication light. But for EcoSport, it is provided at the rear bumper on the lower side. This made it difficult for me to connect the reverse parking mode cable as opening the main tail lights enclosure was relatively easy. Nonetheless, I had to install the jack and remove the rear left wheel so that I can access the reverse light which was exactly behind the rear wheel arch. In my case, the color of the main power cable for the reverse light was greenish. It can be red or yellow for other cars. Just connect this green cable with the red cable coming from the camera connector with the help of a scotch lock as it involves zero cutting. I didn’t have the scotch lock so I had to make few cuts to expose the conductor on the green cable and then connect it with the red one with the help of PVC insulation tape. Apply insulation to the terminal end of the black cable from the camera and just leave it there. Now engage the reverse gear, reverse parking guidelines must be appearing on the 9.35-inch display. This completes the activation of reverse parking mode.
Rear view with guidelines while reverse gear in engaged:
I haven’t hardwired the dashcam for parking surveillance mode yet. Will update it in the future.
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