I wish providers let you use all of your data via hotspot instead of charging extra. I don't get what difference it makes for them whether you use all your data directly or through hotspot.
Just turn hotspot on and use the data, isn’t that how it works? That’s how it is for me in Australia at least. We only get one data allotment and that’s it, and if you hotspot it very well can suck back all your data. I know it was different in your country (assuming USA)
I just wanted to let you know that your video on getting WI-FI in a vehicle. I was having a problem . I recently had retractable steps on my truck and they also use OBD to make them work. And the my steps started lowering and retracting driving. So after going back to the company that installed them and found out that they installed a spitter to they could install the OBD and my OBD for my T-Mobile wi-fi. So they temporarily disabled my T-Mobile OBD and that seemed to solve the problem..... So I went to the internet and search for how to get WI-FI back in my truck. And the first video I went was this video on how to get WI-FI. As it turned out your video helped solve my dilemma by getting the USB adapter to OBD and now it works great. I subscribed to start watching your video's. Thank's for the great post.
One thing nobody seems to mention in any of these setup help videos, is temperature. If you plan on full time employment of your car's WiFi access (IOW connected 24/7), you need to consider temperature! Many choices, such as the OBD2 connection, dedicated WiFi hotspot via cell phone or a stick, BUT they all need to be wired to a DC charging asset, AND most if not all of the devices you can consider are affected by a temperature controlled charging. The charge current will drop to zero if the device senses higher or lower temperatures than what its design perimeters allow for. Just leave your cell phone in your car plugged into a 12V DC socket overnight in the cold, and in the morning you will find a message that the phone's battery was too cold to continue charging. Keeping the car battery charged is easy with a small solar voltaic panel, but the temperature inside the car is the biggest pain in the ass......
would the method shown above work without a car so long as you had the battery and adapter and the device? like could you in theory do this on a side walk? just basically make it portable to move the internet connection inside when weather is too bad out in the car
On initial promotion, I put t-mobile's sync up and drive adapters in all 4 of our family cars. At the time there were no cables like you use. That's an excellent idea. My mechanic would not work on my cars with those adapters because of risk. He said it's direct access to the car computers buss, which puts the owner's life at the hands of the adapter maker. It was scary stuff.
Looks like the USB connector for your adapter just converts USB back into 12v. You can verify this with a multimeter on the output of the USB adapter. If that's the case, you're probably better off rewiring it so that the OBD2 adapter just runs straight off of 12v. You'll get more runtime without the efficiency loss of going from 12v -> 5v -> 12v.
I am not a gear head at all! And that is the reason I watch your videos... They amaze me. Might slowly turn around!... The present battle between a V1G2 and JBV1 is enough... [and yes, I am getting a lot of help from your videos and RRForum]
Thanks for this! I've wanted to get that adapter but didn't want T-Mobile knowing all the info from my car computer but with that connector I can avoid that
That's a great point as well! Yeah there's some features (like tracking stuff that you may not want) that integrate with their app and some of the features will break when you go this route, but in some ways that's worth it, haha.
Useful info, it's probably worth mentioning, that the OBDII devices unless they have "smart" functionality to read car data, they won't even use (some literally won't have the physical connection) to the data bus in order to represent any real hacking danger. Moreover, OBDII port has constant 12V power, so not quite sure as to why this wouldn't work while the car is off, likely if not possible to enable as functionality, simple mod would solve the issue.
The Harmon spark that I used in my car would disconnect after 10 minutes of the car not running.. I was very happy with that service and they just discontinued it as of April 1st.
very great info with no crap! right on my friend i wish everyone did videos like this . very informational , extremely useful , you are a professional !
Great video, the iPhone also allows for "family sharing" and when this is enabled, and your wife and daughter are registered as "family", then you don't have to manually enable it. In fact, family members can connect to your hotspot, even when your hotspot is turned "off". For me, this saves me the $20 a month of activating my in car wifi hotspot, since my phone works well without me even having to mess with it.
Hi, I have been following your expert advise which is very informative at that and I thank you. I have bought BV cameras and installed them mi self. Here is my question: How are you connecting your BV battery without the possibility of draining the car’s core battery? In the past I did buy the battery saver system you recommended and installed it in my former Ford F-250 King ranch and it worked well for a time, but for some reason the Ford Computer shot down my radio and the front and side view cameras.
I use the Netgear Unite hotspot powered off of a BlackVue battery pack. ATT $25/mo for 3gb. Hotspot is always on even when parked. I also use Cellink Neo for Parking mode on my Dr900s BlackVue dashcam.
Why not simply use a portable hotspot with a battery on board? Some of them last for 8 hours and all of them can be connected to a source in a car with USB cable! In Europe we also have SIM cards with ‚pay as you go’ plans - you pay 2.5 USD per 10 GB. Next 10 GB kicks in and additional 2.5 is changed... no monthly fee!
@Cuddly Cat well - I get confused all the time when it’s supposed to be a dot and when a comma ;) - a price for being multilingual- a bigger problem is with switching phone’s keyboard between languages when typing :)
I had the T-Mobile SyncUP in my car for 4 yrs and I never had a problems. In fact all fir Honda’s I own has it. The only complain I have now is they’re charging me $27/ month. The units I got all of them for free and just paid $4/month for the 2Gb data. You can see the car in the app even if the car engine is off.
AT&T Harman Spark is the best one to get. It turns off when you turn off your vehicle and it connects automatically when you turn it back on. I use it for my Redline 360c and it’s only 15$ a month
Yeah that doesn't work for me cause i need to access things in my car when i am not there. Plus if my whole family connects to my phones wifi it often ends up getting hot, which is awful for the battery.
Not exactly free... If I travel for a a few hours with my two kids and wife using my wifi as a hotspot, my data will drain like a jug of water upside down on a sink
I really enjoyed this. Though I didn't pull info from the wifi info, the dash camera insight was super clever. I would recommend you re-title this video. Something like, ways to keep your mechanic accountable come to mind. Super love how fast you talk, really cuts down on wasted video time. I subscribed to you and clicked the bell to notify me of future videos simply on this characteristic alone. Namaste, my friend.
I have the Thinkware U3000 and the Powercell 8 (hardwired; the u3000 is connected directly to my powercell 8). I got the SyncUp drive, connected it to OBD dongle (which is connected to my powercell) and activated the hotspot. The hotspot does not stay on for long (I know it doesnt since i cannot remote view "live" the camera via the thinkware connected app). How do i fix this issue? What's going on here?
Hi Watched all your videos just wanted to ask how do ypu connect thinlware dashcam to wifi dongle or do i need a spare mobile to keep it connected to wifi
I bought the blackvue with the built in LTE a month ago and the wifi hot spot has been awful. Very slow. I wish I could replace it with a wifi model dashcam and get the setup you have with the syncup from T-Mobile.
I just order the setup, went with TMobile as you did and ordered a new BlackVue DR900 with OB2 connector you got. I did pass on the battery pack for the moment. I want to see if it affects my battery. I drive a 4X4 F150 so I think my battery should be ok and just need to make sure everything stay on 24/7. Thanks and will report back on how everything goes
Cheap option: Wyze cam ($25) works the same, though I wouldn't recommend it as a replacement for a dashcam due to its encoding optmized for still scenes. Add a power bank with pass-through power to allow the bank to recharge when the car is running and charging the battery. I use a dedicated hotspot with a Mint Sim $15/month 3GB plan, also connected to the same power bank. The draw off the Wyze cam on sentry mode (only record movement or sound) is about 200ma each and the hotspot itself about the same or less so in sunny places, a solar-powered battery pack could be used without requiring a car battery connection.
The only issue I have found is to find a logic-based solution to turn off the Wyze cam while the vehicle is in motion and I don't need the "parking mode" to run, otherwise it will keep generating 12s cloud uploads every 5 minutes (Wyze's cool down period between triggered captures).
Interesting. I have a 2017 Hyundai Tucson and I noticed it often says in the setting something about a Wi-Fi hotspot but I’ve never been able to figure out exactly what it is or how it works. Now granted I haven’t put that much effort into it. I just came across your channel by accident. It was in my feed. But I’d really like to know if there’s really such a thing as a radar jammer and then also I’m gonna watch your video about the dash cam 360. A dash cam is definitely something I want my car but I’m not sure if I’m gonna keep this car or not I really like it. I like everything about it except the transmission it’s one of those CV tees and it drives me crazy. It’s so jerky. And I think they use it Because it gets better gas mileage but it drives me nuts. As far as the Hyundai brand I love it five year 50,000 mile bumper-to-bumper warranty. There’s no other car that has that to my knowledge these days not even Toyota or Nissan. Thanks again.
Is two gbs sufficient for a month of viewing the dash cam away from the car? I have a similar model, considering a wireless hotspot to be able to see it when I'm not around!
Of course that depends on your dashcam, how much data it uses, how many cloud features you use, how often you use it, etc. 2GB is usually good for light usage and maybe 10’ish? uploads per month. For regular usage you’ll likely need more data.
So many questions... so 1) is there a fuse box in the trunk/rear of your vehicle? I'm assuming you don't connect the dashcam battery directly to your car battery. Seems the point is to only recharge when driving (connected on accessory lead, not charging when car is off). 2) with the dashcam battery stored in the back/rear of the vehicle (looks like spare wheel well), does this mean you run power from this area up through the header and to the camera to power it? Is there any special wire or lead you recommend? Standard AWG 16 or something more specific to the dashcam? 3) If there are no fuses toward the back/rear of vehicle, are there any ideas for installing this way -- locating the dashcam battery in the back/rear of the vehicle? Would a lead run from fuse box at the front to the rear, and then the lead from rear (connected to dashcam battery) back to front for powering the dashcam? Seems many of the install guides mention placing the dashcam battery under the front seat though that doesn't seem ideal to me. I can see that being an easy way to do it though I can imagine some issues with it being under the front seat. Thanks...
@VortexRadar, i followed all the steps you mentioned to hookup the wifi. I'm having a problem. Not sure if its because I have the thinkware ivolt. I have the battery, the syncup drive, the $49 ODB cord, the USB splitter. I connected battery to USB splitter. Then I connected syncup drive to ODB cord and plugged the USB side into the splitter. Will the SyncUp Drive be powered through the USB splitter? It didn't look like that was working and there is no USB port on the Thinkware IVolt battery. So I'm wondering if this is thr way you connected yours or do I need to find another method?
Right if you don’t have a USB port built into your battery, you’ll need to choose a set of adapters to get power to your OBD device like cig. lighter to USB to OBD.
Thank you.. i ended up buying the powercell 8 which has a USB port & a port for camera. Finding an adapter was a little overwhelming for me, not so tech savvy.
your video was so easy to understand thnk you sooooo much 99% of the other videos i watched from other ppl was very confusing thank u from tennessee USA
hehe yes you're right, it is. There's easier setups available too, depending on your needs. Hopefully the other options were explained pretty clearly as well throughout the video.
Hi Vortex, I just found your channel and and very impressed with all your reviews. Do you know if I can connect a Thinkware U1000 to the mobile hot spot exactly like you have done with the Blackvue DR900S so that I can "monitor" the camera while it is parked?
I did the same set up as you did. Have you noticed though that the WiFi tends to randomly turn off? It happens often with mine. Then once I touch it, pick it up, give it a shake, then the WiFi turns back on. Wondering if you get the same thing happening?
Connect the USB/odb2 cable to the ODB2 t-mobile device and then connect the other end of the USB/ods2 cable to a USB port in the laptop when you want to connect the laptop to the network
This my first time watching a video of such, thought you did a great job. I have Visible ( Baby Verizon ) Unlimited Data which I was gonna use but the signal isn't strong enough , I mean I'm on my laptop in the whip rn watching this video off the hotspot, but I'm trying to imagine the best speed and reliability.
From my research and from expert mechanics, I would never trust to use the OBD2 port for these kind of devices. The reason is, it might ruin your car like make your car not running correctly or something worse. The OBD2 port is use and design for diagnostic purpose only for your car and not design for this kind of devices. I like the way your setup, it is more safer and wifi still available even after vehicle is turned off. Thanks.
Since you are running the escort Max 3 I’m surprised you just didn’t go with the escort M2 dash cam. Maybe it wasn’t available at the time of making this vid. Anyway, M2 has built in gps and it’s own WiFi which in turn gives it park mode. I’m able to monitor my car while it’s parked with the M2 plugged into external battery pack since it has a built in USB port also. I’m thinking of getting a second M2 to get backward facing video (towards the driver).
Oh I haven’t run the Max3 in ages. I’ve got an M2 which I still need to test and review. The M2’s parking mode is pretty basic, but I’m glad they’ve added it regardless.
Like the video. I'm currently looking for gps trackers and found your video. But since your description said no longer recommended this Sync drive, what do you recommend?
Great video. You mentioned other ways people connect 4g hotspots. I have a Tesla model 3, do you know of a specific usb stick that works well as an access point. Not a fan of odb2.
@@VortexRadar Hi Vortex, I was looking for some gps info & came across this video, sooo this is an unrelated question, but you may know the answer. I dont know if this can be done, but can I power my laptop in my truck and and purchase a GPS USB connected antenna and be able to run a live version of google maps w/o any kind of wifi or hotspot connection? Just getting the coordinates thru my USB port and the GPS antenna? thks.
I bought the recent drive unit based on this review. I think it powers down when communication to vehicle goes dormant. Wakes with car on or car vibration. Since I want this to run wifi when car is parked and off I looked at specilty adapter in this video. Looks like the peralta products adapter mentioned in this video only allows unlimited wifi when parked on older version of drive and not newer version SD7000T. There is note on thisperalta products page that the v2 of adapter simulates vehicle and can avoid shutdown for 30 minutes....So this method wont work I dont believe.
Why would you need to keep the 360C continuously connected to wifi?? They rarely update the database nor the firmware. It probably only needs to be connected to wifi about once every few months , if that. The wifi tethering off the iPhone is quite good, but you're a correct, it has to be reconnected each time you want to use it. Sort of a PITA.
Vortex Radar Big A, how so??? The memory stores the database anyway. The Defender database does not change that often. Waze is better for current or recent LEO locations since there's so few actually RD users anyway.
Real-time alerts, not defender database. You’re familiar with Escort Live, right? Waze is great too, but it’s all about layers of protection which is why many run both. WiFi also gives you speed limit info which Bluetooth doesn’t.
Verizon does have a wireless device similar to T-Mobile is called h u m From Verizon and it's has Wi-Fi once you shut the car off or you can set up a time limit on the Verizon hum device so that it'll cut off when you wanted to cut off
With all of the installs you do, have you come up with any easy quick change plug system and where do you hide all this gear from prying eyes (in the car)?
I have some extra power plugs and MirrorTaps up by the RVM. I thought about installing some extra cig. lighter plugs again this time, but ultimately just grab a cig. lighter splitter and stuff it next to the passenger seat when I need extra power ports. In the back I have some extra expansion ports and a free cig. lighter plug that makes it easier to wire in new electronics. I've also got some spare cables run from back to front so I can tap in future products like the new Radenso Theia which'll use a USB C port instead of RJ-11.
@Vortex Radar, I assume you are recording 24/7 365 days a year. In a 31 day month how much data are you using? I have my Thinkware U1000 and want to have it recording 27/7 365 days per year. I need to know what data package I should get. Everyone says different and you are the one that is doing it. What kind of data should I expect to use? I will be using a OBD2 adapter. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Yeah this video is really meant to go over several ways to do it on a higher level, not really a step-by-step “buy this, plug it in like this, configure it like this, etc.” I can understand where you’re coming from though.
My issue is having to power up the hotspot manually every time I get in the car! Did you ever find out if the nighthawk self powers whenever you turn the car on …or have you found a more simple solution to permanent power for the hotspots with built-in batteries?
I have a solution for permanent powering a 4g modem from a secondary battery in a car. It costs less than $10 to implement it you can use a soldering iron.
Broadcast wifi from Android phone (Nexus 1,4,5,6; Lgv40) since 2010. Back in 2010 tmo was the only carrier to not segregate tethered data. (Then 1-2 years later) they also created segregated tethering with limits for plans. Now they have various different unlimited(limited) data plans that include tethering. If you were able to get the now discontinued one + international add on however includes unlimited 4g hotspot. The others get limited to 2/3g and or throttled/deprioritized after the ~50g(total mobile+hotspot data) shadow cap or the plans hotspot cap.
Hi, thank you for this video. I am trying to do the same setup as you mentioned, but I am having a problem. Thr question is how are you getting power to the wifi. Is the USB staying connected to the cigarette lighter?
Also, I have the thinkware ivolt. Does your battery have a USB port? Also, is your cigarette lighter always providing power or does it shut off with the key?
If you are using an external battery to provide constant always on power, the Verizon hotspots would probably not require being manually powered on (unless they run out of battery)
That’s true. Generally batteries provide about a day of power. Adding a WiFi hotspot would give you less runtime. So it should work overnight, but not necessarily over the weekend.
Hi VR, What about placing a sticky plastic bumper pad (normally for use under table top glass sheet) on each corner of the middle dashcam battery? This will create an air gap between the three batteries to minimise the (unknown) loss to battery life due to heat not being disappated on four of the six battery sides?
I use an extra phone plugged in to my always hot USB $10/month as a 2nd line .. unlimited data.. I have the phone set to never turn my hotspot off.. and it has a built in trickle charge type feature so it won't drain the battery or die... works flawlessly :)
Ariel, is it possible to directly plug in the USB OBD-2 adapter into one of the USB slots in your expansion battery pack and also connect a dashcam (e.g., Thinkware U3000)?
Hi Vortex, Hi, I own a device called the T-Mobil "SyncUP DRIVE ". It plugs into the car's ODB-II port and provides several feature. One of the features is the "In-Car Wi-Fi Hotspot" for up to 5 devices. I want to take advantage of having the DR750X-1CH Communicate with the "SyncUP DRIVE" device, to make available live footage of what's going on around my car at any time. I don't necessarily want to use the BlackVue paid Cloud service. So my question is can I use my own T-Mobile WiFi Hotspot setup, using the DR750X-1CH and configure a "Cloud" feature coming from the T-Mobil "SyncUP Drive" device? Again, I want to take advantage Of T-Mobil WiFi Hotspot without paying for additional Cloud service fees. Thanks, Tony.
Sure that’ll work, but only for driving mode. You’ll need another solution for internet while parked. Blackvue has a free cloud option available regardless of how you connect to the internet.
@@VortexRadar would you know if the Blackvue dr750x works with Onstar's hotspot internet service? I'm thinking it should Its built into my car. I know they have different plans. Hope these two can talk to each other
So how do you connect it to the hotspot. I have a different set up for energy while parked, I purchased a deep cycle lithium ion battery, and it’s working powering two blackvues 900s & 750s , since connected overnight it used up about 50% of the battery, (battery has a Bluetooth connectivity app) because the amps that draws from it is not that much. So it could last about 36hrs on a single charge. What I did noticed is that I need a charger to make it charge quicker, it took me about 3 hrs to get the battery back to 100%, so my idea is, add another one of them, and I won’t have to worry much if the car is off for a few days, like the pandemic has caused us to not drive much. Cool thing is that it’s not that expensive much cheaper that the option that comes from blackvue itself.
I loved this video and I want it in India. Looks like this for T-mobile carrier only and not unlocked for any other carrier. Do you know any other devices that works for any carrier? Please share me.
I’m sure there’s many similar devices all around the world. This video just shares some ideas. You’ll need to do some research for what works in India.
Any options to have wifi in the car with the T-Mobile sync up drive? I just bought it and learned it will turn off wifi when it is off. I have a ThinkWare U1000 and not a Blackvue.
Great video! Well put together! I'm taking a page out of your book sir and im using the exact same set up. Unfortunately, whenever I try to use the bkackvue app for live view, its not highlighted blue so I can use the live view. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Maybe its the wifi turning off and on? Idk. Any suggestions 🤔? It has all the right connections and its getting power. My sync up keeps saying device is unplugged...
what is a ODB2 device? (or whatever it's called) also not seeing any "How to Install WiFi in your Vehicle" so not got a great title.. vid is just some guy chatting about what he's done with no actual "Install"
![Best Portable Wi-Fi Hotspots 2024 [don’t buy one before watching this]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/v8owNIPQhFA/mqdefault.jpg)
![Best Portable Wi-Fi Hotspots 2024 [don’t buy one before watching this]](/img/tr.png)
I wish providers let you use all of your data via hotspot instead of charging extra. I don't get what difference it makes for them whether you use all your data directly or through hotspot.
Just turn hotspot on and use the data, isn’t that how it works?
That’s how it is for me in Australia at least. We only get one data allotment and that’s it, and if you hotspot it very well can suck back all your data. I know it was different in your country (assuming USA)
I just wanted to let you know that your video on getting WI-FI in a vehicle. I was having a problem . I recently had retractable steps on my truck and they also use OBD to make them work. And the my steps started lowering and retracting driving. So after going back to the company that installed them and found out that they installed a spitter to they could install the OBD and my OBD for my T-Mobile wi-fi. So they temporarily disabled my T-Mobile OBD and that seemed to solve the problem..... So I went to the internet and search for how to get WI-FI back in my truck. And the first video I went was this video on how to get WI-FI. As it turned out your video helped solve my dilemma by getting the USB adapter to OBD and now it works great. I subscribed to start watching your video's. Thank's for the great post.
One thing nobody seems to mention in any of these setup help videos, is temperature. If you plan on full time employment of your car's WiFi access (IOW connected 24/7), you need to consider temperature!
Many choices, such as the OBD2 connection, dedicated WiFi hotspot via cell phone or a stick, BUT they all need to be wired to a DC charging asset, AND most if not all of the devices you can consider are affected by a temperature controlled charging. The charge current will drop to zero if the device senses higher or lower temperatures than what its design perimeters allow for.
Just leave your cell phone in your car plugged into a 12V DC socket overnight in the cold, and in the morning you will find a message that the phone's battery was too cold to continue charging.
Keeping the car battery charged is easy with a small solar voltaic panel, but the temperature inside the car is the biggest pain in the ass......
would the method shown above work without a car so long as you had the battery and adapter and the device? like could you in theory do this on a side walk? just basically make it portable to move the internet connection inside when weather is too bad out in the car
On initial promotion, I put t-mobile's sync up and drive adapters in all 4 of our family cars. At the time there were no cables like you use. That's an excellent idea. My mechanic would not work on my cars with those adapters because of risk. He said it's direct access to the car computers buss, which puts the owner's life at the hands of the adapter maker. It was scary stuff.
I started watching this during my 1st cup of coffee - had to rewind and make a 2nd cup to keep up 😏
Excellent video my friend, thank you 👍
Looks like the USB connector for your adapter just converts USB back into 12v. You can verify this with a multimeter on the output of the USB adapter. If that's the case, you're probably better off rewiring it so that the OBD2 adapter just runs straight off of 12v. You'll get more runtime without the efficiency loss of going from 12v -> 5v -> 12v.
I am not a gear head at all! And that is the reason I watch your videos... They amaze me. Might slowly turn around!... The present battle between a V1G2 and JBV1 is enough... [and yes, I am getting a lot of help from your videos and RRForum]
Thanks for this! I've wanted to get that adapter but didn't want T-Mobile knowing all the info from my car computer but with that connector I can avoid that
That's a great point as well! Yeah there's some features (like tracking stuff that you may not want) that integrate with their app and some of the features will break when you go this route, but in some ways that's worth it, haha.
Interesting. I will definitely check this out as well. Thanks
Would love an updated video with new technologies recommendations or how the TMobil connection is working currently? .
Useful info, it's probably worth mentioning, that the OBDII devices unless they have "smart" functionality to read car data, they won't even use (some literally won't have the physical connection) to the data bus in order to represent any real hacking danger. Moreover, OBDII port has constant 12V power, so not quite sure as to why this wouldn't work while the car is off, likely if not possible to enable as functionality, simple mod would solve the issue.
Was about to comment that
The Harmon spark that I used in my car would disconnect after 10 minutes of the car not running.. I was very happy with that service and they just discontinued it as of April 1st.
very great info with no crap! right on my friend i wish everyone did videos like this . very informational , extremely useful , you are a professional !
Great video, the iPhone also allows for "family sharing" and when this is enabled, and your wife and daughter are registered as "family", then you don't have to manually enable it. In fact, family members can connect to your hotspot, even when your hotspot is turned "off". For me, this saves me the $20 a month of activating my in car wifi hotspot, since my phone works well without me even having to mess with it.
Good video, just buy a hot spot and that's it, and forget about buying a lot of extra parts.
Lol😂
The possible security reasons were listed and I think people want their cars
Hotspot is too expensive 😅😅
I’d rather just have a device living in the car kore than having to keep bringing an extra phone or forgetting it
Hi, I have been following your expert advise which is very informative at
that and I thank you. I have bought BV cameras and installed them mi self.
Here is my question:
How are you connecting your BV battery without the possibility of draining the car’s core battery?
In the past I did buy the battery saver system you recommended and installed it in my former Ford F-250 King ranch and it worked well for
a time, but for some reason the Ford
Computer shot down my radio and the front and side view cameras.
Thank you for that idea and way to have wifi in your car. Now I can set things in my car for my future kids to do while I'm driving on a trip
I’ve been touting these benefits for years now. I think I may have even planted the seed for you a while back ;)
What do you want …a cookie?
Dude, you are the biggest car nerd ! purveyor of polytechnic paraphernalia....love your channel...
😂 isn’t he awesome 🤩
Of course he loves his channel.
This was a pretty informative video, thank you!
Great informative video. Can you further explain the auxiliary battery setup you have in the car? Maybe post links to the setup? Thx!!
Brilliant, thank you for getting this info out.
I figured if anyone can help me it’s you watch your videos all the time very well done and informative.
you could buy a cradlepoint or a digi. the cradlepoint is often used in retail locations for redundancy. but i have one in my truck for internet.
Verizon has the Hum which does live vehicle tracking, speed alerts, wifi, roadside assistance
I use the Netgear Unite hotspot powered off of a BlackVue battery pack. ATT $25/mo for 3gb. Hotspot is always on even when parked. I also use Cellink Neo for Parking mode on my Dr900s BlackVue dashcam.
Which exact model number of Netgear Unite are you using? I'm planning on building a similar setup as yours. Thanks.
Why not simply use a portable hotspot with a battery on board? Some of them last for 8 hours and all of them can be connected to a source in a car with USB cable!
In Europe we also have SIM cards with ‚pay as you go’ plans - you pay 2.5 USD per 10 GB. Next 10 GB kicks in and additional 2.5 is changed... no monthly fee!
@Cuddly Cat well - I get confused all the time when it’s supposed to be a dot and when a comma ;) - a price for being multilingual- a bigger problem is with switching phone’s keyboard between languages when typing :)
i feel like you could explain anything to me...can you upload a video explaining something god-awful boring to prove me right? i love your enthusiasm
lol
You have to be the geekiest geek ever.😎 thanks for all the information.
lol
Excellent video - especially I can check where my car is!
I had the T-Mobile SyncUP in my car for 4 yrs and I never had a problems. In fact all fir Honda’s I own has it. The only complain I have now is they’re charging me $27/ month. The units I got all of them for free and just paid $4/month for the 2Gb data. You can see the car in the app even if the car engine is off.
This TH-cam video has done more for me in 8 minutes than I've seen seen police do for black citizens in over 100 years
I deliver for Favor, so I need constant internet connection. Your video is pretty helpful.
AT&T Harman Spark is the best one to get. It turns off when you turn off your vehicle and it connects automatically when you turn it back on. I use it for my Redline 360c and it’s only 15$ a month
I have Verizon Unlimited and teether it to my phone. My Cadillac CTS had 4G wireless but why pay $15 a month when I have it for free through my phone.
my phone could not and not handle it for my needs
Yeah that doesn't work for me cause i need to access things in my car when i am not there. Plus if my whole family connects to my phones wifi it often ends up getting hot, which is awful for the battery.
Not exactly free... If I travel for a a few hours with my two kids and wife using my wifi as a hotspot, my data will drain like a jug of water upside down on a sink
I really enjoyed this. Though I didn't pull info from the wifi info, the dash camera insight was super clever. I would recommend you re-title this video. Something like, ways to keep your mechanic accountable come to mind. Super love how fast you talk, really cuts down on wasted video time. I subscribed to you and clicked the bell to notify me of future videos simply on this characteristic alone. Namaste, my friend.
Thank you for the kind words Christi and welcome aboard! Namaste. 🙏
I got set up my automatic connection via hot spot for my Radar detector as well iPad pro on magnetic mounts in my car
Do a video about all the stash of wires, devices etc, you have used, stopped using.
I have the Thinkware U3000 and the Powercell 8 (hardwired; the u3000 is connected directly to my powercell 8). I got the SyncUp drive, connected it to OBD dongle (which is connected to my powercell) and activated the hotspot. The hotspot does not stay on for long (I know it doesnt since i cannot remote view "live" the camera via the thinkware connected app). How do i fix this issue? What's going on here?
You're such a gear head I love it I can relate.
lol
Dude !! You got more batteries and cables running in that car then Radio Shack !!
Life of a tester/reviewer, lol
this is very interesting and for what i do on my channel this would be very beneficial so thank you for posting this vid
Hi
Watched all your videos just wanted to ask how do ypu connect thinlware dashcam to wifi dongle or do i need a spare mobile to keep it connected to wifi
I bought the blackvue with the built in LTE a month ago and the wifi hot spot has been awful. Very slow. I wish I could replace it with a wifi model dashcam and get the setup you have with the syncup from T-Mobile.
Phenomenal video, a little more technical explanation of your setup would be cool though. Have a great day and thanks!
I o
Oheppppo
I just order the setup, went with TMobile as you did and ordered a new BlackVue DR900 with OB2 connector you got. I did pass on the battery pack for the moment. I want to see if it affects my battery. I drive a 4X4 F150 so I think my battery should be ok and just need to make sure everything stay on 24/7. Thanks and will report back on how everything goes
How bad?
Cheap option: Wyze cam ($25) works the same, though I wouldn't recommend it as a replacement for a dashcam due to its encoding optmized for still scenes. Add a power bank with pass-through power to allow the bank to recharge when the car is running and charging the battery. I use a dedicated hotspot with a Mint Sim $15/month 3GB plan, also connected to the same power bank.
The draw off the Wyze cam on sentry mode (only record movement or sound) is about 200ma each and the hotspot itself about the same or less so in sunny places, a solar-powered battery pack could be used without requiring a car battery connection.
The only issue I have found is to find a logic-based solution to turn off the Wyze cam while the vehicle is in motion and I don't need the "parking mode" to run, otherwise it will keep generating 12s cloud uploads every 5 minutes (Wyze's cool down period between triggered captures).
Interesting. I have a 2017 Hyundai Tucson and I noticed it often says in the setting something about a Wi-Fi hotspot but I’ve never been able to figure out exactly what it is or how it works. Now granted I haven’t put that much effort into it. I just came across your channel by accident. It was in my feed. But I’d really like to know if there’s really such a thing as a radar jammer and then also I’m gonna watch your video about the dash cam 360. A dash cam is definitely something I want my car but I’m not sure if I’m gonna keep this car or not I really like it. I like everything about it except the transmission it’s one of those CV tees and it drives me crazy. It’s so jerky. And I think they use it Because it gets better gas mileage but it drives me nuts. As far as the Hyundai brand I love it five year 50,000 mile bumper-to-bumper warranty. There’s no other car that has that to my knowledge these days not even Toyota or Nissan. Thanks again.
Is there any other way of putting wifi in your vehicle? I want to use cloud feature.
Thank you
WiFi in a car so convenient and essential
This is a great video lots of info 👍🏻
Love to see actual install.
Like this? th-cam.com/video/IVUVmDXU6FU/w-d-xo.html
Is two gbs sufficient for a month of viewing the dash cam away from the car? I have a similar model, considering a wireless hotspot to be able to see it when I'm not around!
Of course that depends on your dashcam, how much data it uses, how many cloud features you use, how often you use it, etc.
2GB is usually good for light usage and maybe 10’ish? uploads per month. For regular usage you’ll likely need more data.
So many questions... so 1) is there a fuse box in the trunk/rear of your vehicle? I'm assuming you don't connect the dashcam battery directly to your car battery. Seems the point is to only recharge when driving (connected on accessory lead, not charging when car is off). 2) with the dashcam battery stored in the back/rear of the vehicle (looks like spare wheel well), does this mean you run power from this area up through the header and to the camera to power it? Is there any special wire or lead you recommend? Standard AWG 16 or something more specific to the dashcam? 3) If there are no fuses toward the back/rear of vehicle, are there any ideas for installing this way -- locating the dashcam battery in the back/rear of the vehicle? Would a lead run from fuse box at the front to the rear, and then the lead from rear (connected to dashcam battery) back to front for powering the dashcam? Seems many of the install guides mention placing the dashcam battery under the front seat though that doesn't seem ideal to me. I can see that being an easy way to do it though I can imagine some issues with it being under the front seat. Thanks...
I'm referring to this point in the video: th-cam.com/video/BNVFvs4Vx7U/w-d-xo.html
Just like any other traditional WiFi network can you password protect your WiFi network? Great content by the way. Thank you.
You bet
@VortexRadar, i followed all the steps you mentioned to hookup the wifi. I'm having a problem. Not sure if its because I have the thinkware ivolt. I have the battery, the syncup drive, the $49 ODB cord, the USB splitter. I connected battery to USB splitter. Then I connected syncup drive to ODB cord and plugged the USB side into the splitter. Will the SyncUp Drive be powered through the USB splitter? It didn't look like that was working and there is no USB port on the Thinkware IVolt battery. So I'm wondering if this is thr way you connected yours or do I need to find another method?
Right if you don’t have a USB port built into your battery, you’ll need to choose a set of adapters to get power to your OBD device like cig. lighter to USB to OBD.
Thank you.. i ended up buying the powercell 8 which has a USB port & a port for camera. Finding an adapter was a little overwhelming for me, not so tech savvy.
your video was so easy to understand thnk you sooooo much 99% of the other videos i watched from other ppl was very confusing thank u from tennessee USA
you*
Can I connect to wifi when the vehicle isn't running? Will it draw lots power and drain my car battery?
Wish this video was updated for 2024 offerings’ 🤷♂️
Feel like this is more complicated way to get wifi. But thanks 😊 for the video. Informative and fun to watch your explanation.
hehe yes you're right, it is. There's easier setups available too, depending on your needs. Hopefully the other options were explained pretty clearly as well throughout the video.
Hi Vortex, I just found your channel and and very impressed with all your reviews. Do you know if I can connect a Thinkware U1000 to the mobile hot spot exactly like you have done with the Blackvue DR900S so that I can "monitor" the camera while it is parked?
I did the same set up as you did.
Have you noticed though that the WiFi tends to randomly turn off? It happens often with mine. Then once I touch it, pick it up, give it a shake, then the WiFi turns back on. Wondering if you get the same thing happening?
Connect the USB/odb2 cable to the ODB2 t-mobile device and then connect the other end of the USB/ods2 cable to a USB port in the laptop when you want to connect the laptop to the network
I do appreciate your explanation details, therefore I am looking for unlimited Wifi! Not from those Companies.
This my first time watching a video of such, thought you did a great job. I have Visible ( Baby Verizon ) Unlimited Data which I was gonna use but the signal isn't strong enough , I mean I'm on my laptop in the whip rn watching this video off the hotspot, but I'm trying to imagine the best speed and reliability.
That's dope great info 👌
From my research and from expert mechanics, I would never trust to use the OBD2 port for these kind of devices. The reason is, it might ruin your car like make your car not running correctly or something worse. The OBD2 port is use and design for diagnostic purpose only for your car and not design for this kind of devices. I like the way your setup, it is more safer and wifi still available even after vehicle is turned off. Thanks.
Since you are running the escort Max 3 I’m surprised you just didn’t go with the escort M2 dash cam. Maybe it wasn’t available at the time of making this vid. Anyway, M2 has built in gps and it’s own WiFi which in turn gives it park mode. I’m able to monitor my car while it’s parked with the M2 plugged into external battery pack since it has a built in USB port also. I’m thinking of getting a second M2 to get backward facing video (towards the driver).
Oh I haven’t run the Max3 in ages. I’ve got an M2 which I still need to test and review. The M2’s parking mode is pretty basic, but I’m glad they’ve added it regardless.
Where do I purchase the battery packs that you have in the rear of your car and are they hooked up to your car battery or NO? Thanks
Is this still the setup you use? I tried to look for an updated vid but man, you post a lot of vids. 😮💨
Unfortunately the setup has since died on me.
th-cam.com/users/shorts7KDFETYrIM4?feature=share So now I’m using a Blackvue setup for the cloud.
Like the video. I'm currently looking for gps trackers and found your video. But since your description said no longer recommended this Sync drive, what do you recommend?
I shared some alternatives in the video description
Putting WiFi in my Tahoe so I can play 2k on my lunch break 😂
Great video. You mentioned other ways people connect 4g hotspots. I have a Tesla model 3, do you know of a specific usb stick that works well as an access point. Not a fan of odb2.
How long does it last when connected on the cell link neo? Thanks for the tips
Depending on settings and if you’re running one camera or two, it’s about 16-24 hours.
@@VortexRadar Hi Vortex, I was looking for some gps info & came across this video, sooo this is an unrelated question, but you may know the answer. I dont know if this can be done, but can I power my laptop in my truck and and purchase a GPS USB connected antenna and be able to run a live version of google maps w/o any kind of wifi or hotspot connection? Just getting the coordinates thru my USB port and the GPS antenna? thks.
I bought the recent drive unit based on this review. I think it powers down when communication to vehicle goes dormant. Wakes with car on or car vibration. Since I want this to run wifi when car is parked and off I looked at specilty adapter in this video. Looks like the peralta products adapter mentioned in this video only allows unlimited wifi when parked on older version of drive and not newer version SD7000T. There is note on thisperalta products page that the v2 of adapter simulates vehicle and can avoid shutdown for 30 minutes....So this method wont work I dont believe.
Did you find a solution so it wont time out, looking at this, I like the 10$ data plan
Why would you need to keep the 360C continuously connected to wifi?? They rarely update the database nor the firmware. It probably only needs to be connected to wifi about once every few months , if that.
The wifi tethering off the iPhone is quite good, but you're a correct, it has to be reconnected each time you want to use it. Sort of a PITA.
For the Escort Live alerts in the cloud. They work better over wifi than through the phone.
Vortex Radar Big A, how so??? The memory stores the database anyway. The Defender database does not change that often. Waze is better for current or recent LEO locations since there's so few actually RD users anyway.
Real-time alerts, not defender database. You’re familiar with Escort Live, right? Waze is great too, but it’s all about layers of protection which is why many run both. WiFi also gives you speed limit info which Bluetooth doesn’t.
Very intelligent review. 👍
Do you have a video on how you set up your batteries for the dashcams and wifi
Verizon does have a wireless device similar to T-Mobile is called h u m From Verizon and it's has Wi-Fi once you shut the car off or you can set up a time limit on the Verizon hum device so that it'll cut off when you wanted to cut off
With all of the installs you do, have you come up with any easy quick change plug system and where do you hide all this gear from prying eyes (in the car)?
I have some extra power plugs and MirrorTaps up by the RVM. I thought about installing some extra cig. lighter plugs again this time, but ultimately just grab a cig. lighter splitter and stuff it next to the passenger seat when I need extra power ports. In the back I have some extra expansion ports and a free cig. lighter plug that makes it easier to wire in new electronics. I've also got some spare cables run from back to front so I can tap in future products like the new Radenso Theia which'll use a USB C port instead of RJ-11.
@Vortex Radar, I assume you are recording 24/7 365 days a year. In a 31 day month how much data are you using? I have my Thinkware U1000 and want to have it recording 27/7 365 days per year. I need to know what data package I should get. Everyone says different and you are the one that is doing it. What kind of data should I expect to use? I will be using a OBD2 adapter. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Great video. Great info. You never really did show how to do whatever the install was.
Yeah this video is really meant to go over several ways to do it on a higher level, not really a step-by-step “buy this, plug it in like this, configure it like this, etc.” I can understand where you’re coming from though.
My issue is having to power up the hotspot manually every time I get in the car! Did you ever find out if the nighthawk self powers whenever you turn the car on …or have you found a more simple solution to permanent power for the hotspots with built-in batteries?
I have a solution for permanent powering a 4g modem from a secondary battery in a car. It costs less than $10 to implement it you can use a soldering iron.
You might be able to use IFTTT to turn on WiFi when it detects the cars radio.
Broadcast wifi from Android phone (Nexus 1,4,5,6; Lgv40) since 2010. Back in 2010 tmo was the only carrier to not segregate tethered data. (Then 1-2 years later) they also created segregated tethering with limits for plans. Now they have various different unlimited(limited) data plans that include tethering. If you were able to get the now discontinued one + international add on however includes unlimited 4g hotspot. The others get limited to 2/3g and or throttled/deprioritized after the ~50g(total mobile+hotspot data) shadow cap or the plans hotspot cap.
What is the reason for segregating?
Hi, thank you for this video. I am trying to do the same setup as you mentioned, but I am having a problem. Thr question is how are you getting power to the wifi. Is the USB staying connected to the cigarette lighter?
Also, I have the thinkware ivolt. Does your battery have a USB port? Also, is your cigarette lighter always providing power or does it shut off with the key?
If you are using an external battery to provide constant always on power, the Verizon hotspots would probably not require being manually powered on (unless they run out of battery)
That’s true. Generally batteries provide about a day of power. Adding a WiFi hotspot would give you less runtime. So it should work overnight, but not necessarily over the weekend.
Vortex Radar Do you have the batteries connected to the car’s power so that they will recharge when you start the engine?
Hi VR,
What about placing a sticky plastic bumper pad (normally for use under table top glass sheet) on each corner of the middle dashcam battery? This will create an air gap between the three batteries to minimise the (unknown) loss to battery life due to heat not being disappated on four of the six battery sides?
I use an extra phone plugged in to my always hot USB $10/month as a 2nd line .. unlimited data..
I have the phone set to never turn my hotspot off.. and it has a built in trickle charge type feature so it won't drain the battery or die... works flawlessly :)
haha that works!
Unlimited hot spot for $10! Sweet. What provider?
@@maromaro503 following........cause......$10 unlimited........come on........
Wi-Fi network cameras - get a mini PTZ camera system - great for car security monitoring!! 👍👍👍👍📽🎥📽🎥
lol
Ariel, is it possible to directly plug in the USB OBD-2 adapter into one of the USB slots in your expansion battery pack and also connect a dashcam (e.g., Thinkware U3000)?
Easier approach would be just to hardwire it directly to the battery without having to do anything with OBD II.
The T-Mobile sync up drive. When connected to battery pack via usb. Does it monitor battery health in the sync up drive mobile app ?
Hi Vortex, Hi, I own a device called the T-Mobil "SyncUP DRIVE ". It plugs into the car's ODB-II port and provides several feature. One of the features is the "In-Car Wi-Fi Hotspot" for up to 5 devices. I want to take advantage of having the DR750X-1CH Communicate with the "SyncUP DRIVE" device, to make available live footage of what's going on around my car at any time. I don't necessarily want to use the BlackVue paid Cloud service. So my question is can I use my own T-Mobile WiFi Hotspot setup, using the DR750X-1CH and configure a "Cloud" feature coming from the T-Mobil "SyncUP Drive" device? Again, I want to take advantage Of T-Mobil WiFi Hotspot without paying for additional Cloud service fees. Thanks, Tony.
Sure that’ll work, but only for driving mode. You’ll need another solution for internet while parked. Blackvue has a free cloud option available regardless of how you connect to the internet.
@@VortexRadar would you know if the Blackvue dr750x works with Onstar's hotspot internet service? I'm thinking it should Its built into my car. I know they have different plans. Hope these two can talk to each other
So how do you connect it to the hotspot. I have a different set up for energy while parked, I purchased a deep cycle lithium ion battery, and it’s working powering two blackvues 900s & 750s , since connected overnight it used up about 50% of the battery, (battery has a Bluetooth connectivity app) because the amps that draws from it is not that much. So it could last about 36hrs on a single charge. What I did noticed is that I need a charger to make it charge quicker, it took me about 3 hrs to get the battery back to 100%, so my idea is, add another one of them, and I won’t have to worry much if the car is off for a few days, like the pandemic has caused us to not drive much. Cool thing is that it’s not that expensive much cheaper that the option that comes from blackvue itself.
I loved this video and I want it in India. Looks like this for T-mobile carrier only and not unlocked for any other carrier. Do you know any other devices that works for any carrier? Please share me.
I’m sure there’s many similar devices all around the world. This video just shares some ideas. You’ll need to do some research for what works in India.
Either need to lessen down on the addys, actually get yourself on some or turn the heater on😁 good vid though
that rear end sounded like it hit you pretty hard
How do you keep your T-Mobile hotspot from going to sleep? I have tried the same set up you have and I can’t get the hotspot to stay on.
Any options to have wifi in the car with the T-Mobile sync up drive? I just bought it and learned it will turn off wifi when it is off.
I have a ThinkWare U1000 and not a Blackvue.
Great video! Well put together! I'm taking a page out of your book sir and im using the exact same set up. Unfortunately, whenever I try to use the bkackvue app for live view, its not highlighted blue so I can use the live view. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Maybe its the wifi turning off and on? Idk. Any suggestions 🤔? It has all the right connections and its getting power. My sync up keeps saying device is unplugged...
Check out the reviews on the devices he is talking about @3:10
what is a ODB2 device? (or whatever it's called) also not seeing any "How to Install WiFi in your Vehicle" so not got a great title.. vid is just some guy chatting about what he's done with no actual "Install"
I'm looking for a 4G USB hotspot dongle with 5GHz WiFi band, do they exist?