If you’re going to run your dashboard camera in parking mode, you will need a power supply when the car’s engine is off.
The simplest option is a hard-wiring kit that has some sort of low-voltage cutoff, so the car’s battery won’t accidentally get drained by your dash cam. A hard-wiring kit is a perfectly good, and inexpensive, solution.
For a more high-end setup, and to protect your engine’s battery further, you may wish to completely separate your dash cam’s power circuit from the car’s battery. This can be achieved by installing a battery pack.
Contents
BlackVue B-112
BlackVue B-124E
Cellink Neo
PowerCell 8
BlackVue B-124X
BEST VALUE: Thinkware iVolt Mini (BAB-50)
EDITOR’S CHOICE: BlackVue B-130X
Thinkware iVolt Xtra (BAB-95)
All battery packs are compatible with each other: You can run any brand of dash cam with any battery.
Battery packs that support Bluetooth come with an app that lets you monitor the battery’s charge.
NOTE: Take the “parking mode duration” advertised by manufacturers with a huge grain of salt. Battery duration varies greatly depending on the model of dash cam you have. If you know your camera’s power consumption in mA, you can calculate exactly how long the battery will last: Just divide its capacity by the power that will be consumed.
BlackVue B-112
Price: $150 — see Amazon US / CA (affiliate links)
Capacity: 3000 mAh / 38.4 Wh
Size: 6.8 x 5.3 x 3.7 inches
The B-112 was the first dash cam battery pack, to be released by none other than BlackVue, who were once again ahead of the curve.
Nowadays, the B-112 looks rather clunky. Not only is it one of the largest battery pack available, but it also has the lowest capacity. Its low price is a plus though.
Pros:
- Low price
Cons:
- Low capacity
- Large size
- No Bluetooth
Extra Capacity: BlackVue B-124E
Price: $270 — see Amazon US (affiliate links)
Extra capacity: 6600mAh / 84.5 Wh
The B-124E (shown below in the photograph) is an expansion pack. It won’t work on its own, but hook it up to any of the other battery packs presented here, and it will extend their capacity by 6600 mAh.
According to the manufacturer, that’s over 56 hours, but this obviously depends on your dash cam’s energy consumption. So it may be a lot less, especially if you’re running a high-end dual channel camera.
The B-124E will work on top of the BlackVue B-112 or B-124X, but it has been reported to also work with the PowerCell 8.
You can connect as many of these as you want in series, by using the connector on the right.
Pros:
- Extends battery capacity by 6600 mAh
- Connect multiple expansions in series to extend battery life even further
Cons:
- Not designed for use on its own
Cellink Neo
Price: n/a (no longer available)
Capacity: 6000 mAh / 76.8 Wh
Time to charge: 45 minutes (hard-wired)
The Cellink Neo is one of the older dash cam battery packs. According to the manufacturer, it will allow up to 45 hours of parking mode operation.
Caution — a relatively large number of users have complained that this battery will degrade / lose capacity, or outright stop working, after a number of months.
Pros:
- Supports Bluetooth
Cons:
- Low durability / reliability
PowerCell 8
Price: $400 — see Amazon US / CA (affiliate links)
Capacity: 7500 mAh / 96Wh
Size: 205mm x 151 x 33m / 8.06 x 5.94 x 1.28 inches
Time to charge: 50 min when hard-wired, 80 min when powered by cigarette lighter
Operating Temperature: -10°C – 70°C (14°F – 158°F)
The PowerCell 8 was developed by Cellink, in cooperation with the American company BlackboxMyCar. It was released in late 2021 and has a higher capacity than most other battery packs. According to the manufacturer, it will allow for up to 48 hours of parking mode operation.
Unfortunately, this battery pack seems to be less reliable than other models.
Pros:
- High capacity
- 5V USB 3.0 power outlet lets you charge a phone or run a Wi-Fi hot spot in your car
- Supports Bluetooth
Cons:
- High Price
- Questionable reliability
BlackVue B-124X
Price: Around $330 — see Amazon US / CA / UK (affiliate links)
Capacity: 6000mAh / 76.8Wh
Size: 171mm x 157mm x 39.5mm / 6.73 x 6.18 x 1.56 inches
Time to charge: 40 minutes hard-wired, 80 minutes connected to cigarette lighter socket
The B-124X is the a very reliable battery pack. It gives you up to 20 hours of parking mode run-time for a dual channel dash cam (according to the manufacturer).
This battery pack comes with an overheat protection. If the temperature exceeds 80°C (176°F), the battery will shut down.
Pros:
- Excellent reliability
- Supports Bluetooth
- High temperature cut-off: approx. 80°C (176°F)
- 5V USB port can power a Wi-Fi hot spot
- Can connect to expansion pack (B-124E)
Cons:
- High price
BEST VALUE: Thinkware iVolt Mini (BAB-50)
Price: Around $210 — see Amazon US / CA (affiliate links)
Capacity: 4500 mAh / 57.6 Wh
Size: 165 x 131 x 37 mm / 6.51 x 5.17 x 1.45 inches
Time to charge: 45 minutes
The iVolt Mini is Thinkware’s first own battery pack. It is also known by the product number BAB-50.
According to the manufacturer, this battery pack allows for 16 to 20 hours of parking mode operation: 20 hours for a single channel camera, and 16 hours for a dual channel device.
Pros:
- Good value for money
- Small size
Cons:
- No Bluetooth
EDITOR’S CHOICE: BlackVue B-130X
Price: Around $360 — see Amazon US / CA / UK (affiliate links)
Capacity: 7500mAh / 96Wh
Size: 206mm x 153mm x 33.5mm / 8.11 x 6.01 x 1.32 inches
Time to charge: 50 minutes hard-wired, 90 minutes connected to cigarette lighter socket
Voltages: 12.8V or 24V
Early in 2023, BlackVue launched the B-130X. So this is not only the newest battery pack for dash cams, it is also one of the largest, and with one of the highest capacities. Just like the PowerCell 8, it can hold 7500mAh (96Wh).
Being a BlackVue product, the B-130X is, however, much more reliable than the PowerCell 8.
It is based on a LiFePO4 battery. These are designed to withstand more extreme temperatures and more charging cycles than the Li-ion or LiPo batteries that you commonly find in power banks for mobile phones.
The manufacturer states that the B-130X allows for 30 hours of parking mode run time with a BlackVue DR900X-1CH Plus (single channel) dash cam.
With a dual-channel dash cam like the DR900X-2CH Plus, it will still allow for a respectable 19 hours.
Like the B-124X, the B-130X also has an overheat protection. The battery will shut down if its temperature exceeds 80°C (176°F).
If you have the free BlackVue app on your phone, you can connect it to the B-130X to check its load percentage, charging voltage, and how much time remains to fully charge the device.
Pros:
- Excellent reliability
- High capacity
- Supports Bluetooth (to connect to app)
- High temperature cut-off: approx. 80°C (176°F)
- 5V USB 3.0 power outlet
Cons:
- Large size
- Expansion pack (B-124E) no longer supported
UPDATE: Thinkware iVolt Xtra (BAB-95)
Price: Around $370 — see Amazon US / CA (affiliate links)
Capacity: 7500mAh / 96Wh
Size: 215mm x 155mm x 35mm / 8.46 x 6.10 x 1.38 inches
Time to charge: 100 minutes standard, 55 minutes fast-charging
Voltage: 12.8V
In summer 2023, Thinkware also released a high-capacity 7500mAh battery pack for their cameras. (The truth is, battery packs are interchangeable, so you could in theory have a Thinkware dash cam and a BlackVue battery, or vice versa. However, for reasons of consistency, most users will probably want to stick with one brand.)
Thinkware say that a 2-channel dash cam will run 27 hours on a full charge in Motion Detection Parking Mode, and up to 40 days in Thinkware’s Radar Assisted Parking Mode. This is a parking mode unique to the Thinkware U1000 and U3000 models, which are the only dash cams that support radar.
The iVolt Xtra is based on LiFePO4 technology. It supports Bluetooth, and in the corresponding iVolt app, you can check the battery’s details such as charging status, temperature, and number of impacts detected in parking mode.
As a protection against overheating, the device will stop charging if the battery’s temperature approaches or exceeds 80°C / 176°F.
Being a very new product, not much can be said yet about the reliability of this battery. Nevertheless, Thinkware as a brand are generally known to be fairly reliable.
Pros:
- High capacity
- Supports Bluetooth
- Up to 40 days battery life when powering a Thinkware dash cam in Radar-Assisted Parking Mode
- High temperature cut-off: approx. 80°C (176°F)
- 5V USB 3.0 power outlet
Cons:
- Slightly larger than BlackVue B-130X
- High price
