Dashcam: power from 5Volts?

Can I run a dashcam from a 5V USB supply?

 

Its a simple question...

...but I struggled to get a simple answer.

Our new car has a very impressive camera system. But, rather disappointingly, it does not allow you to save & export video.

 

So, having got used to having a dashcam, off we went to our local Halfords to checkout their range.

Our MG S5 ev has a handy USB A socket mounted on the central rear-view mirror pod. The guys at Halfords were very knowledgeable and experienced in fitted dashcams in customer cars; if fact they showed me one they had just fitted in a Skoda. It was very nicely done with the cable buried in the roof lining and side pillars, and wired into the fuse box. But when I asked about 5Volt dashcams, connected into a USB socket, they didn't seem to understand my question.

When I asked the dealer if having a dashcam fitted this way would affect my warranty, she didn't answer the question directly, but just said I should connect it to the USB socket.

I should imagine all dashcams operate on 5 Volts; most via a 'cigar lighter' type adapter which drops the voltage from 12V > 5V, and some via a wiring converter kit.

A quick search of the internet didn't really answer my question, even using AI.

So I selected a popular model and emailed iZeeker in the States. Even they seemed a bit windy about connecting to a USB socket and suggested I use the supplied converter. I followed up with more emails asking why a dashcam, already fitted with a USB A plug, should not be used plugged into a USB socket, and why it might prove 'unreliable' if I tried to use it like that.

Maybe I wasn't talking to someone sufficiently technical, but I'm guessing they are worried that using some 'random' USB socket, plus a USB cable of unknown quality and of unknown length, may not provide sufficient power to keep the camera rolling.

They did suggest 1.5A was required. This seems rather high for a camera, but the USB socket on my car is rated at 2Amps.

The next problem I considered was what this dashcam would look like on the windscreen of my nice, new, tidy looking car.

If I plugged a straight USB cable into the screen socket, it was going to look bloody awful. That's because the cable would have come straight out across the passengers side of the windscreen and curved back to where the camera was mounted.

So I found a cable on-line with right-angled connectors and carefully checked the orientation, both of the car's USB A socket & the lead.

All looked good, so I took a chance and ordered an iZeeker 4k Dashcam, and a 3Amp, 0.5m, right-angled USB A to right-angled USB C cable.

Dash-cam, mount & cable

I attached the dashcam to the drivers side, close to the rear-view mirror...

 

...and the cable is not too noticeable...

...and indeed it works! And has been working without problem for a week or two.

So the answer to my initial question is ...yes!