matgw

I need to find a 12v supply from within the tailgate, so I can hard-wire a camera - does anyone have any wiring diagrams?

I'm thinking of maybe taking a positive supply from the rear-view camera, lock mechanism, or whatever else is under there! Ideally, it'll be a switched supply (ignition on), but it doesn't have to be.

Anyone got any clues?

doctorharrison

The 12volt battery (so it is "constant on", not "ignition on") is in the passenger side trunk sidewall. The panel is quite easily removed with a plastic trim pry tool. I am unaware of any fuse box in the rear of the car.

matgw

Thanks for the suggestion, but I'm well aware that the battery is in side panel, but what I don't want to do is run a cable from there - there is no way to get a cable to where I want to mount the camera. What I'm after is tapping into a supply already in the trunk lid. Guess it's multi-meter time !

doctorharrison

Gotcha... I have a double camera (2 channel Blackvue 900 2-CH) system. Though I wasn't there for the install, I understand they ran the rear camera cable (it is linked to and takes power from my front windshield camera) back thru various trim sections, up a rear pillar and crosses onto the trunk lid thru, for lack of a better name, the plastic flexi-tube, then inside the upper trim piece. A very clean install:


[trunk lid open]


I realize this does not answer your need for the switched power source, but is to show that it can be done.

One issue we discovered was if the camera was installed on the rear glass (as shown in the picture), it really interfered with AM reception. Once we discovered this, I moved the camera onto the trim piece. All good. Just a heads-up if you encounter a similar issue.

matgw

That's pretty much where I'm going to be mounting mine, but for the life of me, I can't get a cable from the roof lining into the rubber flex pipe (otherwise this would be really easy!). I really don't want to start taking the head liner out......

Kcossabo

Off topic a bit.... These cameras record to SD and/or Wifi to a smartphone?

Situation:
2019 A7, USA model
Have the Smart car / google earth package, but not the WiFi Hotspot option
Apple CarPlay works over wifi, but data over LTE, now

Can you WiFi attach to the camera, and use Apple Car Play WiFi?

Thank You

doctorharrison

I have a Blackvue 900 Series 2-Channel (ie front and rear cameras) so my experience may be different from others. It draws power for front and rear from an ignition-on source (I don't know where). It does not integrate with CarPlay.

Both cameras record to an internal mini-SD card in the front camera. If you have an on board hotspot (I do not as I allowed the spendy Audi Connect option to expire), the live video feed can be pushed to a smartphone or a computer (thus I haven't). The rear camera takes its power from and sends its recordings to the front camera so it does involve running a provided cable between front and rear. To view the clips, either download them from the SD card via a reader or use the front camera's WiFi-out to a smartphone's installed Blackvue app or to the computer.

Again, I wasn't present for the install, but the shop only charged out one hour of labor for the entire job, really super clean n tidy even for an obsessive such as myself.

Kcossabo

cool, WRT CarPlay, not looking to ‘integrate’ but want to be able to use CarPlay when the camera is on.