Vantrue N4 Pro dash cam hardwire front and rear

My old Street Guardian SG9665GC V2 dash cam finally died. I really liked that form factor how it sits flush with the windshield and easily hides. I was considering something like the VIOFO A129 PRO, but after watching this video I decided to try the Vantrue N4 Pro with rear camera. Yes it can a cabin facing camera but where I placed it behind the rear view mirror it can't see much, and it can be disabled in the settings so it only records front + rear cameras.

Ultimate Dashcam Comparison 2023: License Plate Reading is HERE! – The Hook Up

A bit on the pricey side but after using the "coupon" on Amazon it was only $299. Non-affiliate link:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C3M7HPRT

Old camera. It kept falling off in hot days so I had to use a piece of plastic strip and some really strong 3M adhesive, and after that it did not move for 5+ years.


New camera, I still need to clean off some of the old adhesive left behind.


Also had to get a new hardwire kit as the old dash cam was still USB Mini B and the new one is USB C. Now future proof having ran USB C cable for power I hope.
Amazon.com: Vantrue 11.5ft Type C USB 12V 24V to 5V Dash Cam Hardwire Kit with Add a Circuit Fuses, Low Voltage Protection for N4, N4 Pro, N5,N2 Pro(2023),E1,E1 Lite,E2,E3,S1 Pro,S2-2CH, S2-3CH, N2S, N1 Pro(2023) : Electronics

Wiring the old dash cam, I just shoved the power wire into the brake light fuse which was constant 12V. It was always on and I had no issues with 12V battery drain since I drove the car daily. For longer trips I would make sure power the camera off. This also allowed me to still keep the cover in place.


For routing the new power and rear camera cable, I went the same route up against the headliner to the drivers side A Pillar, then tucked it behind the curtain airbag and down towards the parking brake where the interior fuse box is under the dash. The rear camera USB C cable I routed the same way but later so its not in these pics.



I tried doing it the proper way with fuse taps, but learned they are directional. Even though I used the correct Mini Low Profile fuse taps, the housing is still too big and may not fit in the correct orientation on the small inside fuse panel. As you can see I mangled some fuses trying to get them out to test different positions, but they all still work so I'll leave it for now. With a multimeter I found some empty fuse slots for both constant 12V and switched 12V. I don't remember which was which but you can figure out from the pictures.

And the Ground is going to just a random bolt out of the way from where your feet would go:


For the rear camera I thought about going along the headliner but with the airbags in the way I didn't want to mess with that, instead I routed it down along the door sills then up the C Pillar to get to the middle hatch area. Just had to remove 1 bolt to get the seat edge triangle piece out, but everything else was just pulling trim panels and snap clips along the floor.

Using the existing cable channel.


This is before I routed the cable nicely behind everything, just a pic for reference.



For the hatch area I didn't need to remove the entire panels but was luckily able to just remove a few clips towards the front (right behind the rear seat) and shove the cable back there. Sorry I don't have any pictures of this part as it was already getting dark, but here is a diagram example of where the cable (red) is routed.


Now for the last part of getting to the camera on the rear glass. I previously ran power wires through the hatch gromet for extra hatch lights and in that process scratched one of the white ground wires bare. Since it is already pretty cramped in the gromet and the bare wire I decided not to mess with it again for now, and so the USB C wire for the rear dash cam just hangs out like this.


Hatch wire I messed up previously, the new power wire for the hatch lights is in the black sleeve on the left. When I decide to fix it I can re-route the cables outside of the sleeve so they take up less space.


Also thread on the rear hatch lights for reference:
Rear luggage light connector? | PriusChat

It looks like rear hatch wire harnesses aren't that expensive on eBay so I may just replace the whole harness one day.
2010-2015 Toyota Prius Rear Trunk Wiring Harness OEM 82184-47240 | eBay


I definitely learned some things along the way, and hopefully this can help someone else with the pictures. I tried searching on here but wasn't able to find much before doing this.

 

New video by ChrisFix on YouTube going over how to install the same dashcam via the accessory power port (aka cigarette lighter).

He also shows very well how to run the cable from the front to the back for the rear camera. His is mounted to the lower rear glass and I might change mine to that position as well in the future.

The Prius starts about halfway through the video at 17:30