Dashcams Rav4 Prime XSE

I find myself looking at installing a dash cam into our 2023 Toyota RAV4 prime with the premium package. The ever popular choice amongst owners is the Fitcamx however I personally chose to install the Viofo A229 and I will explain why.

Parking Mode

This is a feature that uses sensors to detect and film while the vehicle is powered off. In order for this feature to work on a dash cam the camera must be hard wired to a constant on power supply. If the camera is not hard wired into a constant on power supply then the camera will only power on when the vehicle powers on for driving.

Power Tapping

The installation of a dash cam requires running wire to a power source either a 12v power outlet, a fuse box, or using a Y adapter to tap into the mirror power. A lot of people who have never had to do this installation process before may be looking for the path of least resistance and this is where mirror tapping comes into play. However these mirror Y adapters, even the Toyota OEM harness PT949-48210 will not work with the digital rear view camera connectors.

If Electrical power is run to the mirror on the vehicle then there is a good chance that there could be an ACC and constant on power sources and a ground wire will still be needed. However tapping into this power source without an inline auto battery monitor and shut off could lead to the potential of draining the primes 12v battery. There is not enough room under the roof console fascia to install a low voltage protector auto shut off.

Fitcamx Type A $229.00 + Hardwire Kit

The fitcamx CPU processor chip is the same for the 2k and 4k dash cams which is the Novatek 96670 and is what Viofo uses in their budget price dashcams.

A common held misconception amongst many fitcamx owners is that the fitcamx has an easy plug and play adapter so power does not have to be run to a fuse panel. When in reality this is only part true.

FACT: The fitcamx parking recording sensors and features will not work unless the camera is hardwired directly to a constant on power source of which the review mirror is not. So if installing with the intention of utilizing the full camera parking mode features then that Y mirror power adapter is useless and can not be used. The fitcam instruction guide indicates that in order to use these features that the power will need to be wired to the fuse box via a different power cord for an additional purchase of $25-$40 depending on vehicle.

From what I can deduce neither of the two fitcamx hardwire kits are self monitoring capable. What this means is that the system can drain a vehicle battery completely empty.

Fitcam User Manual

Hardwire kit Fuse box Cable Kit $25.00

Toyota Fuse Box Kit $40.00

12 month warranty

2k front camera and 1080P rear camera

To recap the fitcamx costs $229 USD (sale price $198.00+10% off prime day sale =$178.00), requires the purchase of an additional power adapter to hardwire to the fuse box to use parking mode, uses older tech, does not have hardwired low battery cut off detector.

Viofo A229 + Hardwire Kit

On Amazon Prime sale the A229 could be purchased for $179.00 and the hardwire kit $14.99. normal price is $229.00 and $19.99.

The Viofo A229 comes with a standard 12v plug adapter making it out of the box plug and play ready. The Viofo dash cameras also require being hard wired to a fuse box in order to fully utilize the parking mode recording features.

I believe that Viofo did not bother wasting time and money adding a mirror Y power adapter because more people are going to want to hard wire the camera to utilize the full parking mode recording features. However an additional hardwire kit with self power battery monitor and auto shut off is available for $17.99.

Dongar Dashcam Power Adapter (10-pin Type B.) is a Y power adapter that can be purchased separately to use with the Toyota 2023 RAV4 prime mirror power.

Viofo uses NO battery, use capacitor, 5V 1A. Newer CPU processing chips;

5ghz WiFi

2k front and 2k rear camera.

12 – 18 month warranty.

I purchased a Viofo A119 in 2017 and it stopped working for a number of years. Recently I reached out to Viofo hoping to ship it to them for repair. Much to my surprise they offered me troubleshooting help without asking for a purchase date or receipt and it is back up and running. Now this might seem like a small detail but it is a big deal considering how most manufacturers are moving to subscription based services including product support phone calls. this alone was the icing on the cake that helped me confidently choose to purchase another Viofo dash camera system.

Installation

I began by finding my ACC and Constant power fuses. what is not seen in the below picture is my grounding wire clipped to my ground source!

I ended up ditching the fuse taps because they were too large to keep in place and fit the fuse door back on. So I installed the wires on the fuse leg + and notched out the fuse cover with a dremel.

The TIS service install instructions are helpful for getting off and reinstalling the plastic trim cowl around the mirror. TIP: the middle cover that pops off needs to be completely removed before reinstalling the larger cover back into place.

TIP: The door weather strip does NOT need to be removed.

TIP: Only the top portion of the A pillar needs to be loosened. Have long curved nose pliers on hand for reinstalling the top of the A-pillar.

The static cling can be cut down to fit between the rear window heating elements.

TIPs

• Never place adhesive camera mounts over the defrost heating elements.

• place the camera in an area that the windshield wiper keeps the view clean and clear.
• The static cling protector will in fact work on tinted windows.