When searching for a dash camera, people often want a camera that can record when the ignition is off. The majority of the cameras we offer have the ability to enable parking mode once they have been hard-wired into a vehicle. To save space on the SD card, the majority of dash cameras will only save footage in parking mode after motion or an impact has been detected.

After the ignition is turned off your camera will automatically go into parking mode, it will then stay in this mode until the vehicles voltage drops to a pre selected level or the vehicles ignition is turned on. We typically find that a camera will record for 2-4 hours after the ignition is turned off. However, this can be extended with the use of additional battery packs.

How can I use parking mode?

The first thing to check is that you have a camera that is capable of parking mode, brands like BlackVue, Lukas and Thinkware will all go into parking mode automatically when hard-wired. To be able to hard-wire the camera you will need the correct cable, Lukas and Thinkware cameras come with this hard-wire lead as standard in the box, however, BlackVue cameras need an additional piece of equipment called the power magic pro to be able to hard-wire the camera and enable parking mode.

Other cameras such as the Nextbase range have internal batteries. The battery is charged when the vehicles ignition is on. Once the ignition is turned off, the camera will be powered by it’s own battery. Depending on the model of camera, you may have to manually enable parking mode before you leave the vehicle.

Extending the duration of parking mode

For those who want their camera to record over night, an additional battery pack is available. By purchasing a battery pack, you can significantly increase your parked recording time. When the vehicle is on the battery pack is charged, for a full charge you need to drive for approximately 1.5 hours. The most common battery pack is the Cellink B, which was designed specifically for use with dash cameras and will give you around 15 hours of parking mode with a front and rear system or 30 with a front only camera.