Dash Cam on 24/7, or only when driving?

[Rupert49]

I've just had a dash cam fitted to my car, a Nextbase 622GW + Rear view camera. The RS Connect engineer who installed it, set it up so that it only records when the ignition is on and the car is being driven. He did say that if I subsequently changed my mind and wanted to have it 'on' all the time (e.g. as a safeguard in car parks, or on my driveway), I have only to give them a call and he can come round to re-set it. When I spoke to him about having it on all the time, he gave me the impression that it could potentially drain my battery, especially if I didn't drive the car for several days.

I do wonder how much drain there would actually be on a healthy car battery, by having the dash cam set to record 24/7. Having the little red light blinking away could deter a potential intruder. Also, if someone backed into the car in a car park, the system kicks in when it detects the sharp movement of the vehicle, but you wouldn't be able to review the seconds leading up to the knock.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this point, please?

 

[DJAlix]

The hardwire kit has a voltage cut off monitor built in, so when the vehicles battery drops down to 12.x volts the camera will shut down. Battery drain depends on how much recording the camera does. If the camera only records 24/7 then recording time is not going to be very long and the battery will drain down to 12.x volts fast. If the camera has motion detection etc then it will only drain fast if parked in a busy area.

 

[Rupert49]

Cheers DJAlix, I think I see where you're coming from. I suppose if the car is bumped in a car park, there should be a recording of the offending vehicle as it pulls away, since there is a motion sensor designed to activate the camera under those circumstances, even when the ignition is off and I'm not there.