Dashcam Install experience

just curious if you got this done and how much they charged you (if anything) to get the install. and how it's all going with the dash cam. thanks!

 

The dash cam works great. I installed a larger memory card so now it retains about a weeks worth of video before it starts to over write the older clips. My dealer charged $200 to install the dash cam.

 

I'd suggest to anyone else to not pay the dealer to do the install. I was amazed how simple it is to install and takes about 20 minutes tops (without app set up). I think $200 is a bit over the top. Then again, if you're not comfortable doing these types of things, the $200 can absolutely be worth it for some folks!

 

That's good to hear. I read (or thought I did..) that it can take up to a 128gb card. Is that what you got? Did you have to format it with the home PC and then install it? I wasn't sure if the camera would only take FAT32 or if it would have joined the modern era and takes ExFAT as well.

 

It's a bit pricy for an install, yeah. I agree. I probably could have done it myself but the install videos I saw on YouTube showed some extra tools being used that I didn't have and didn't really feel like ordering from Amazon. I have huge hands and getting them into the smaller spaces looked like it was going to be a hassle. lol. The dealer did it for about $200.

 

You can format the memory card while it is installed in the dash cam using the dash cam app.

 

With all the cameras already on these trucks, you’d think that there would be be a hack to add a hard drive and utilize them for dash cam purposes. Any chance of that? Not sure if it was ever done for other Toyotas.

 

makes total sense, curious to see if anyone knows the actual reasoning why they don't stitch them into a recording cam

 

So my truck came with the integrated dash cam already installed. I was just cleaning the inside of my windshield and came across something interesting... The cam is installed on the drivers side but next to the rearview mirror on the passenger side there is a blank smooth gray spot and on the edge of the headliner there is a notch for a cable. I am thinking this should have been installed on that side but what do I know. lol Just curious if anyone has on that side since it looks like the truck was setup for that but instructions show to install on the drivers side.

 

Sure, you could probably move it over there, but when you see activity and need to hit the button to save the recording, it's that much further to reach.

 

Ahhh.... so true. Duh on my part. lol Because that makes sense. I wonder if they manufactured it to be on the passenger side and then thought about and said the same thing.

 

Have 22 1794 Edition crewmax. Had it into the dealer for a recall this week so had them install the integrated dashcam. According to them this has been the first one they installed so no help from them at all. Questions I have are more for people that have this working. My phone is a Galaxy Z Fold 4 but I have also tried setting up with an Apple Iphone 13 PRO with pretty similar results. I did watch a setup video prior so I had Bluetooth turned off on the phone. Initial problem was with Android Auto running on the phone I could not connect WiFi to the dashcam at all. Went into the Android Auto App on phone and unchecked it from running Wirelessly. So was able to connect to the Integrated Dashcam Wifi once Android Auto was out of the way. Did a 5 minute drive to the store. When I start the truck back up the Dashcam will not auto reconnect. Seems I have to manually connect each time I shut down and start up the truck again. The Integrated Dashcam is checked to reconnect each time, just not doing so. Now the trouble shooting steps has a vague mention that you should not have any other WiFi connections running. No where does it say that you cannot run this with Android Auto or Apple Carplay. Unless I am missing a setting here it seems that I cannot have Android Auto running at the same time as the Integrated Dashcam. Is this correct, do I have to choose one or the other? Also one thing about the truck I found is that the entire setup seems to want to run wirelessly. I though I could run Android Auto old school by plugging my phone into a USB port in the center console and still run the Dashcam. What happened is the truck did not recognize my phone at all. The phone was charging but was not recognized by the entertainment system at all while plugged in. When I tried to add it as a new phone the system could not find any phone while plugged in. Running around locally I do not have to have Android Auto running but long trips I always use either Android Auto or Apple CarPlay, seems kind of pointless that I cannot have the dashcam and Android Auto running at the same time. But if I am missing a setting please point me in the right direction

 

Hey all, a bit late to the party here, but had some questions. I'm relatively un-handy, so please bear with me, and talk to me as if I were a child.

I have a 2022 SR5 I just bought. It just has the old-school rearview mirror with no power.

Just to make sure I understand everything right, I have a Rove R2 dash cam I want to install. Even though it isn't the Toyota dashcam for the Tundra, I'm assuming this model should work fine more or less, right?

• Do I need to disconnect the car battery before doing this? Someone else posted that they didn't do that step, but it worked out fine. Is it fine?
• Do I have to remove the visor clip? Multiple people saying it's not required, but I'm curious why it would have that step listed. Does it hold the headliner in place or something, so it is harder to thread wires up into the roof cavity maybe? If it's really not required, I'd prefer not to risk breaking something and just skip that step...
• Any tips in general to remove the map light console thing? Multiple people saying it was not easy to remove, and I don't really have removal tools. Am I gonna break something if I just try to remove it without using specialized tools that I'd probably never use again? Just using some random pry tool or lever I might have sitting around?
• After I have removed the map light console and accessed the roof cavity, just to make sure, I need to buy THIS PART correct? Since I'm not getting the Toyota dashcam? Will this little dongle / adapter clip in easily? Also I assume one side of the dongle plugs into the existing 5-pin connector in the cavity, but is the other side just a normal USB? Picture appears to be 2 USB (female) connectors, is that correct?
• After connection, will this power supply cut off when the car is not running? I do not want it to run and drain battery. What about when auto start/stop is engaged?
• Eventually I might want to maybe install a homelink mirror. Can I just plug that into the existing 2nd USB connection that it appears the dongle has?

Also, on an unrelated topic, what is the little tray on the dash, behind the multimedia screen, with the cig lighter power supply thing, supposed to be used for? Since it's nearly completely hidden from view by the big multimedia screen, and anything sitting there's going to be melted in the summer, I'm not really sure how to utilize that space, other than buying a $200 ICS Fab mounting thing which looks really cool, but is more money than I need to spend since I have nothing I need to mount.

 

I have installed the same adapter from Dongar for my aftermarket dash cam. Here are my responses to your questions.

• You do not really need to disconnect the battery since you are just plugging in an adapter vs splicing wires or something like that. But disconnecting the battery will help ensure you don't short something out if a wire or lead makes contact with a metal body part. You only need to disconnect the negative on the battery and you're good to go. Just make sure your negative isn't able to makes its way back to the battery post when you're not paying attention.
• You will need to remove the visor clip only if you are routing the wire up through the headliner where they route the wire for the integrated cam. I routed my wire up through the mirror opening so I did not need to remove my visor clip. It's just removed to give you room to get your hand up in there.
• The roof console (with map light) is very easy to remove. Do not attempt to take it apart! It comes down as a complete unit. The front side (closest to windshield) pulls straight down. Put some type of pry tool on the front between the cloth headliner and the console. Just need something that won't scratch your headliner. Once the front side of the console is free, shift the entire console forward (towards windshield) to release the back. You don't need to unhook any of the electrical connections in there, just let the console hang down to the side while you work.
• Yes, that is the correct part. One end plugs into the 5-pin connector already up in your roof. It splits it out into 2 different outputs: a USB female connector for your camera and a 5-pin female connector so that you still have a 5-pin connector if you decide to add a toyota component here later. Make sure you use double-sided tape or zip ties to make sure these new connectors are not bouncing around in your roof after you're done. No sense in adding more rattles.
• Out of the box, this connector powers your camera only when the truck is on. The adapter can be modified to stay on all the time, but sounds like it is already set up the way you want it. It's on whenever your truck is an ACC mode. It has nothing to do with whether your engine is running at the time. Camera will still be on during auto-start-stop cycles. If your gauges/stereo are on, your camera will be also.
• You could add a USB splitter to add a homelink mirror, but not sure what the amp rating is on this power line. Possible that you could plug in too many options and it kicks your fuse for it.

And to fulfill the part where you asked me to talk to you like a child, I'll just say this: You got this champ!

 

Thanks for the encouragement, but unfortunately I hit a snag.

I can't get the roof console thinger down! The Rove camera came w/ a small pry tool like plastic thing, which I've been using, and I've also just been pulling at it with my bare hands. I've mostly been trying to pry it open from the front lip (closest to the windshield), but I've tried all angles.

I've pulled and pried so hard at it that the sunglass holder thing almost popped out somehow, even though I wasn't pulling on that part, just the lip of the console next to it.

I'm afraid if I pull any harder, I'll break something off! How is the console held in place, does it have locking "tabs" along the edges next to the headliner, which I can try to target and push in? Does it have something up top attached to the roof? Is it held by adhesive or something? What can I do better here? Or do I just pull even harder and not worry about breaking anything?

 

For starters, just to be clear, are you talking about a 2022 Tundra? As this thread is for the gen 3 2022 Tundra.
If so, please review this youtube video: https://youtu.be/4aNg31P9IH0

 

Yes, talking about a '22 Tundra SR5. I saw this video, but the issue is he doesn't really show HOW he pulled it down, just that he did, using a lot of force. I guess I'll try again and just yank really hard, but I'm using way more force than I feel like is safe! Feel like I'm gonna bend/break some plastic... Wish me luck.

 

No tools need … I just yanked down from the front of the overhead console and it pops right out towards the back and down.. there is a little trim surround that you have to get your fingers past before you yank…but it is easy. I did not remove the sun visor clip either…. Push the plug up sideways to make it easier to get through the headliner. Install took about 15 minutes… I eyeballed the mount bracket after playing with the final resting position of the cam.

 

Well just in case I did buy a mini pry tool from Amazon for like $5, so I'm gonna try using that over the weekend. I appreciate the help and advice, everyone.

 

I used the pry tools I bought, and still couldn't get the console off. In fact I broke the plastic tool trying to lever it open. I got enough purchase though to grip the console with both hands, so I tried to just force it down, but even then I couldn't get it to budge. I was damn near doing a pullup and it wouldn't come off. So I don't really know what's going on there.

Anyways I gave up trying to hook it up under the console with the dongle thinger, so I just pushed the cord along the headliner and down the A pillar and plugged it into the lighter outlet on the dash. Looks okay I guess.

Also put my Offroam phone mount on.

 

I have the factory installed Integrated Dashcam too. I had a difficult time using the ToyotaDashCam app on iOS.

I don't understand, are you wanting to connect your phone to the dashcam every time? As far as I can tell, this dashcam is not designed to always be connected to Wi-Fi. It's only meant to use Wi-Fi as needed to transfer video files over. I had a hell of a time getting my dash cam to connect. I had to reset the Wi-Fi password on the camera itself, which is a secret button combo not in the manual. You press and hold the microphone and Action button for 10 seconds, then reconnect using the default password of 1234567890. You have to reconnect manually by pressing the Wi-Fi button for 2 seconds, opening your phone's Wi-Fi settings, joining the dashcam network, then opening the ToyotaDashCam app, and transfer what you need. Don't expect the connection to last. It disconnects every few minutes, so that makes it hard to transfer video clips over. I had to re-connect twice to complete a transfer. Fortunately, the file transfer did not start over, but it just resumes where it left off.

The video quality is quite good. The timestamps and GPS coordinates appear to be correct, so it is a very low effort camera that requires no setup, that records reliably. You do have to press the microphone button and be sure it is illuminated in amber, or it won't record audio. And even if you give up on trying to use the crappy mobile app to connect to it, you can always pull the card out and transfer video to a computer manually if needed.

 

I've been wrestling with the Toyota dashcam app on Android, to connect to the dashcam..? Sounds like it's almost easier, just to pull the microsd card, and plug it into your laptop... and downloading the videos? Have to try that.

 

How do you modify the adaptor to stay on all the time?

 

Not sure about the Limited or lower but on the Plat that is where the rain sensor for the wipers is installed.

 

Glad my video was able to help you out in some way. I should have shown how I aligned the template and also when I pulled down the center console. It was just me recording lol. A couple things I learned if you ever need to remove or re-install again. You do not need to unplug the battery or unplug the center console (pull it down and move it to your right out of your way). Hope you're enjoying the camera. I got rid of my white truck and opted for a lunar rock crew max. I'm glad that I can get a dongle that connects to the overhead harness. Now I'm just shopping for an alternative camera.

 

Aren't there like 4 screws holding the upper roof console in? That's the way my 2015 roof console works. 2 accessed in the sunglasses compartment and two under the business card clip?

 

i did pretty much the same thing you did, but i went up the passenger a pillar instead. taking my post from the "dash cam" thread ...

https://www.tundras.com/threads/dash-cams.103725/page-4#post-3160660

 

just wanted to add to this thread and will add to the dashcam thread.

for those wanting to power a dash cam, here are adapters to add a usb connector that inlines to the connector to the dimming mirror

https://dongar.tech/collections/adapters

 

No, the rearward part has 2 plastic hooks, and the front has 2 plastic clips. That’s it. Tug and hope you don’t break the plastic.

Having just done this and obsessing about alignment (paper template sucked), it’s a little crooked but still captures what needs to be. Would recommend getting an adapter and installing your own aftermarket dashcam. All this money and effort for an “OEM” integration but lacks in value.

 

I bought a Lexus integrated for my wifes RX.....dealer installed.....2 weeks later I tore it out and demanded my money back. Camera was probably fine...app to see anything was actual shit, so on a road trip a person has to pack a laptop. Garbage .

Why I wont buy a Toyota one because they are the same thing