Dashcam Hardwire w/o Fuse Box *ALMOST* as easy as Dongar

[tab10]

If anyone has a spare splitter harness laying around and you don't mind getting rid of, please let me know.

I would really like to hardwire the HK4 kit into the splitter and power from the mirror. I don't have the dash cam plug in our vehicle.

Cheers!

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[BoboForShort]

If anyone has a spare splitter harness laying around and you don't mind getting rid of, please let me know.

I would really like to hardwire the HK4 kit into the splitter and power from the mirror. I don't have the dash cam plug in our vehicle.

Cheers!

What year and trim? As far as I’m aware they should all have it. The tech refresh is going to allow Toyota to record using the external cameras, but until then they should all have the accessory plug.

 

[tab10]

What year and trim? As far as I’m aware they should all have it. The tech refresh is going to allow Toyota to record using the external cameras, but until then they should all have the accessory plug.

It’s actually for my wife’s 2020 Highlander Hybrid XLE. I don’t think it has the plug pre-wired.

 

[BoboForShort]

It’s actually for my wife’s 2020 Highlander Hybrid XLE. I don’t think it has the plug pre-wired.

I believe that should still have it. It may be in a slightly different location though. The plug is for the OEM dashcam. Not sure what year would be the cutoff for the Highlander.

 

[tab10]

I believe that should still have it. It may be in a slightly different location though. The plug is for the OEM dashcam. Not sure what year would be the cutoff for the Highlander.

I already took the overhead console apart and didn't see anything. ChatGPT doesn't think the 2020s come with an OEM dash plug. Looks like that may have started with the 2021 model.

 

[Timah43]

Im hoping those more learned than me can help me out with how to wire the HJ4 parking wires (red,yellow,black) to my 5 pin female connector (red,black,blue,green,yellow). My Taco is a 2025 Off Road... Im seriously hoping Im not asking a question whose answering is slapping me in the chicklets... ie red to red, yellow to yellow and black to black... It cant be that simple ))

 

[BoboForShort]

Im hoping those more learned than me can help me out with how to wire the HJ4 parking wires (red,yellow,black) to my 5 pin female connector (red,black,blue,green,yellow). My Taco is a 2025 Off Road... Im seriously hoping Im not asking a question whose answering is slapping me in the chicklets... ie red to red, yellow to yellow and black to black... It cant be that simple ))

In your case it’s going to be:
Adapter Red = Plug Yellow
Adapter Yellow = Plug Green
Adapter Black = Plug Black

 

[Timah43]

Thankyou very much...
When I posed the question to ChatGPT, I got the following..
Im not suggesting your mistaken at all, Im simply providing an AI interpretation...

You cannot safely wire this by color alone. The 5-pin dash-cam connector colors are not standardized, even within the same brand. Toyota’s pre-wire is standardized; dash cam pigtails are not. Anyone telling you “red to red, black to black” is gambling with your camera.
Now the useful, no-nonsense way to do it.
You have three functional wires: • Red = constant battery (BATT, 12V always hot)
• Yellow = accessory / ignition (ACC, hot only with key on)
• Black = ground
Your 5-pin female connector has: • Red
• Black
• Blue
• Green
• Yellow
On most dash cam hardwire looms (including many used in Toyotas), the typical functional mapping looks like this:
• Red (connector) → Constant 12V (Battery)
• Yellow (connector) → ACC / ignition
• Black (connector) → Ground
• Blue & Green → Data / trigger / reverse / parking signal (often unused for basic installs)
So the most common wiring is: • Vehicle Red (Battery) → Connector Red
• Vehicle Yellow (ACC) → Connector Yellow
• Vehicle Black (Ground) → Connector Black
• Connector Blue & Green → Not connected (cap them)
But—and this matters—“most common” is not “guaranteed.”
Here’s how to make it bulletproof instead of hopeful:
Use a multimeter on the original dash cam female connector you’re replacing.
With ignition OFF: • Find the pin that reads ~12.6V → that’s Battery
Turn ignition ON: • Find the pin that jumps to 12V → that’s ACC
Continuity to chassis → Ground
The remaining two pins are signal lines → ignore unless the camera manual says otherwise

 

[BoboForShort]

Thankyou very much...
When I posed the question to ChatGPT, I got the following..
Im not suggesting your mistaken at all, Im simply providing an AI interpretation...

You cannot safely wire this by color alone. The 5-pin dash-cam connector colors are not standardized, even within the same brand. Toyota’s pre-wire is standardized; dash cam pigtails are not. Anyone telling you “red to red, black to black” is gambling with your camera.
Now the useful, no-nonsense way to do it.
You have three functional wires: • Red = constant battery (BATT, 12V always hot)
• Yellow = accessory / ignition (ACC, hot only with key on)
• Black = ground
Your 5-pin female connector has: • Red
• Black
• Blue
• Green
• Yellow
On most dash cam hardwire looms (including many used in Toyotas), the typical functional mapping looks like this:
• Red (connector) → Constant 12V (Battery)
• Yellow (connector) → ACC / ignition
• Black (connector) → Ground
• Blue & Green → Data / trigger / reverse / parking signal (often unused for basic installs)
So the most common wiring is: • Vehicle Red (Battery) → Connector Red
• Vehicle Yellow (ACC) → Connector Yellow
• Vehicle Black (Ground) → Connector Black
• Connector Blue & Green → Not connected (cap them)
But—and this matters—“most common” is not “guaranteed.”
Here’s how to make it bulletproof instead of hopeful:
Use a multimeter on the original dash cam female connector you’re replacing.
With ignition OFF: • Find the pin that reads ~12.6V → that’s Battery
Turn ignition ON: • Find the pin that jumps to 12V → that’s ACC
Continuity to chassis → Ground
The remaining two pins are signal lines → ignore unless the camera manual says otherwise

The colors on the plug you have are arbitrary. That plug is used for many different functions so the wire colors are just so you can differentiate them, not to match any sort of standard.

You can reference the photo I took of which color from the adapter goes into which pin of the plug and compare that to your plug and cross reference the colors.

 

[Timah43]

Thankyou so very much for your help... Im obviously not an electrical guy and you dont know what u dont know...
Very much appreciated...

 

[toothpaste22]

Hi all,
Sorry to dig up an old thread, I just want to get some clarification about the female plug and its wiring.

I got pretty much the same dashcam A229 Plus with rear cam like the @BoboForShort has, and wanting to do the same set up.

Im planning to order just 1 plug from Toyota OEM, as pictured below, would it work just like the one from Aliexpress. That OP posted?
How do you put the wires into the female plug? Sorry, im kinda confused looking at the pictures on aliexpress and how it all works out.

other than that, once the wires go straight into female plug in the order listed, it’s simple, correct?

Thanks yall

 

[BoboForShort]

Hi all,
Sorry to dig up an old thread, I just want to get some clarification about the female plug and its wiring.

I got pretty much the same dashcam A229 Plus with rear cam like the @BoboForShort has, and wanting to do the same set up.

Im planning to order just 1 plug from Toyota OEM, as pictured below, would it work just like the one from Aliexpress. That OP posted?
How do you put the wires into the female plug? Sorry, im kinda confused looking at the pictures on aliexpress and how it all works out.

other than that, once the wires go straight into female plug in the order listed, it’s simple, correct?

Thanks yall

You’ll need more than that. I don’t recommend it.

The wire that comes with the wire harness for the dash cam is too thick to fit in the crimps for the plug.

So you’ll need smaller wire, and the pins for the plug, and the crimping tool for the pins. Then you’ll need something to connect the smaller wire to the wire harness for the dash cam. If you don’t know what tools you need you probably shouldn’t attempt it.

It’s much easier to get the plug pre-wired and crimp it to the wire harness or use a solder connection like I did. You could also use a Wago lever nut.

 

[toothpaste22]

awesome! Exactly what i needed to understand. Will buy prewired and go from there. Thanks @BoboForShort !

 

[Leucosia]

This might sound dumb, but I've always dreaded dealing with electrical work because I'm a dirty philistine, but If I snagged some 22-16awg butt connectors and used it with the hardwire kit and prewired female plug, i should be all set to go? can it be that easy? Cause I was on the cusp of giving up and just using a dongar on ignition only mode.

 

[BoboForShort]

This might sound dumb, but I've always dreaded dealing with electrical work because I'm a dirty philistine, but If I snagged some 22-16awg butt connectors and used it with the hardwire kit and prewired female plug, i should be all set to go? can it be that easy? Cause I was on the cusp of giving up and just using a dongar on ignition only mode.

Yep, that’s all you need. Just make sure you connect the right wires and you’re good to go.

The new Dongar is compatible with the VIOFO cameras now though. I might not have done this if it was available at the time.

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