Dashboard dual camera installing, vehicle camera, car black box in Renault Megane and any other car, step by step, cigarette lighter on off switch regardless of the ignition,, radio code entering, reversing camera

Hi all

Welcome to 2017:)

I hope you had a great fun on New Year's party.
Today I will show you step by step how to install dual car camera, with reversing camera option.

Few things you should consider before buying camera.

There are few types of them,
- typical dashboard camera with suction mount, you just put it on the windscreen, plug in and that is it
- mirror camera, that is mounted on top of existing mirror
- both of the above with second camera on the rear
- double camera - 2 cameras fitted in 1 device with rotating heads - very expensive option.

I chose the mirror camera. It is fitted to the car and stays there all the time, it is not visible form outside (unless you know it is there), and has 170 degree angle, which is as far as I know the widest angle available now.
I don't have extras like gps tracking, high quality pictures etc.
It is HD, wide angle, mirror type (don't have to be removed every time I leave the car), and it is pretty cheap around 25-30euro. In addition it has motion sensor, so I am quite happy. It is my second one. First is fitted in Scenic.

IMPORTANT:
1. In this instruction you will take power from a wire powering the radio. So you have to keep in mind that by switching on the power in cigarette lighter your radio is powered so always switch it of before using an extra circuit. Do not use cigarette lighter to warm up cigarette lighter unless ignition is on.
Just in case I used security device - 2AMP fuse, which is weak enough to stop any strong power consumption on a extra circuit.
2. You will need to reset your radio, do you have radio code???

Let's get started.

Megane is 2004 so it is MK2

Central console has to be removed first. It is not so difficult, but take some care to avoid damaging the pins/hooks

 No special tool needed to remove radio

 Pin in on 1 side, slightly pull out and then do the same on the other one

 Bolts Torx screwdriver needed

 Just by the way I changed dash bulbs

 Because camera has battery between 300-500 mAh it can run for max 1 hr. What if you are going shopping, or to gym for few hours, or just left car in unknow area? That's why I put independent power source to cigarette lighter.

Every radio has independent power cable, we have to find it.

 To be 100%  sure we have "-" I connected wire to the minus on the battery...

 ... and found powered wire. I checked cable by cable

Smart clips helped a lot

So I have "plus". I took the "minus" from chassis. 

Having all of this I need to put wire into cigarette lighter. First remove the plastic console, carefully as the cigarette lighter cables are very short.

As before using meter or simply cables and a bulb you have to find which wire is the power one (ignition has to be on).

Switch with a led. Whenever led is on - cigarette lighter has power on

Drilled hole

This security fuse has to be somewhere between positive and negative connectors

Put everything back as it was before

Radio code has to be input using buttons on a radio as long as you will have your code on a display

 To enter it push the button on a driving wheel remote as on a pict

Time to fit camera

Takes a while, and you have to be patient ;). Wire should go either on the floor or under upholstery. This is my option. So you'll have to lift every piece of it and put the cable under it.

Wire is a bit to short to connect it to the light. This one is activating reversing camera once you engage the "R" gear in your car

Althoug camera the rear camera works fine if only positive wire is connected to the light, however the second wire is there for a reason, so I connected both of them, 1 to light, the 2nd to the chassis.

 Orange bulb is probably as old as my car, had to be replaced

 Finally

When reversing gear is engaged

So how does it work?

When you will get to your car switch the ignition camera starts automatically as it detected power from cigarette lighter, led is on on the switch.
When you stop your car, turn off the ignition, camera switches off, and the led is off too. If you switch the button on, led is on so is camera. If by mistake you will switch cigarette lighter on, the security fuse will blow and nothing else will happen.

questions suggestions comments - feel free

Thanks

Wojtek