Wi-Fi Hot Spot for Car with 8+ Hours Battery

justanick on 19/12/2020 - 18:35

Hi All,

I’m looking at 4G wifi hot spot which would have at least 8hr battery performance. I need it to connect with a potential Blackvue Dashcam with which I can get any intruder alerts or live view. The data usage will not be much as long as it’s connected to the dashcam.
I do not want to spend a lot on this as it’s going to be used only when I’m parking in some dodgy street parking area overnight.

Could you please give me some options to look at ? I was looking at Telstra 4G hotspot and TP-Link

Electrical & Electronics

Comments

  • djkelly69 on 19/12/2020 - 18:42
    +2

    Wouldn't you need power direct from the battery for the dashcam? In which case extend it to power the modem as well?

    • avoidfullprice on 19/12/2020 - 18:45

      In which case, plug both into a battery bank. A ROMOSS 30000mAh bank might be suitable

      • justanick on 19/12/2020 - 18:51

        Dashcam will be powered by car battery fuse tap but I need a cheaper modem option. I don’t know if Blackvue can supply power to modem in that case another box on my windshield but hotspot I can keep the modem anywhere inside the car.

    • justanick on 19/12/2020 - 18:48

      Yes I’ll have the Dashcam directly connected with the fuse taps but it doesn’t have a built in SIM card slot so need a device to power up the hotspot device. I think Blackvue DR750 X model has a power port to power up the GPS unit. I do not want to buy their hotspot unit for $250.

      I found this
      4G LTE Advanced Mobile WiFi Internal 4G Modem SIM card slot 1.4 inch TFT screen displ. 2550mAH rechargeable battery micro SD card slot LTE-FDD/DC-HSPA/GSM 300Mbps 2.4GHz/5GHz selectable Dual Band WiFi https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B01EK8CVHW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_f…

      Or

      https://www.telstra.com.au/internet/mobile-broadband/prepaid…

      Not sure if this will work for any SIM card it has 8hrs battery performance

  • spackbace on 19/12/2020 - 19:23
    +2

    Can't you just get cams that start recording when the car is hit?

  • gelangielol on 19/12/2020 - 20:06
    +2

    Food for thought: I would recommend purchasing the Blackvue B-124x external battery, which powers your blackvue dashcam when the cars turned off. There's also an additional USB port for a USB powered modem.

    I've currently got this set up for my BV DR900s-2CH and it's really handy since the car battery won't constantly go through a battery drainage cycle since it's powered using the large power bank when in park mode. My dashcams able to run on the park mode for about 15hrs. With just the power magic pro, the camera would only last about 3-4hrs before shutting down (to prevent extra car batt drainage).

    • justanick on 19/12/2020 - 22:11

      I was looking into that option but that battery itself is $430 or more. I am using Viofo Duo and I easily get 8hour + recording. I think the DR900s consumes a lot of power specially cause of the high video resolution.
      I spent a lot already on a bad cheap Chinease made Viofo product and again investing in Blackvue DR750x $800 with installation. This is the reason why I am trying to source a hotspot device

  • revheadgl on 19/12/2020 - 22:22
    +2

    Cheap mobile phone?

  • ryan1jz on 19/12/2020 - 22:57
    +1

    I'm thinking of getting this with one of those 365 day, data only sim deals. My car headunit has wifi for maps and apps like waze and spotify, but I normally have to plug my phone into the unit for android auto. With this wifi modem I can still get the same functionality without having to plug the phone in.

    https://www.pcbyte.com.au/store/product/tp-link-tl-m7350-4g-…

    • justanick on 19/12/2020 - 23:06

      Now this is a great post. Thank you so much !!
      I am going to call them tomorrow and get it from them as my previous link above (few posts above) has Amazon link which is $119 and comes early next week.

      I am also planning to get Carplay Head unit which would require Data and I already have the Catch 365 data plan for a year which I can use both on my Head unit as well as the Blackbue 750x Dashcam.

      This seems already unlocked to all carriers here in Australia and has 8 hours of usage. I plan to keep it hooked up with my 12V Car cigarette charger so that it's always on when I am driving and when I am not driving it uses the 8 hr battery enough for me !

      The Link you gave me they are closed tomorrow (Sunday).
      I am getting this one from Good Guys it has 15 hours of battery life and $152 from Good Guys commercial discount

      https://www.thegoodguys.com.au/tp-link-300-mbps-lte-advanced…

  • pao2x on 20/12/2020 - 00:15

    Cheap phone modem on a powerbank?

    • justanick on 20/12/2020 - 00:53

      you could say this but can you find us a phone what would do what this product is doing and meets our requirements ?

      • pao2x on 20/12/2020 - 14:59
        +1

        Telstra phone on ozb $39. Aldi 1yr sim $80-$100 20000maH batt pack $30.

        • justanick on 20/12/2020 - 15:08

          Could you give me the Telstra phone link ?
          I already have catch connect SIM one year validity bought it 2 months back.

          • pao2x on 20/12/2020 - 15:58
            +1

            @justanick: Catch connect wont work with Telstra locked phone. https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/592098

            You want an optus locked phone https://www.bigw.com.au/product/optus-x-start-2-grey/p/89788…

            • justanick on 20/12/2020 - 16:14

              @pao2x: Thanks a lot mate. I have a spare iPhone 6 which I used for tethering bad result. Gets tethering drops after inactivity for few mins. Gets heated up and battery drains in few hours once a device is connected.
              In my situation if I could only find out if the TP-Link wifi 7450 dongle works with catch connect Voice + Data SIM would do the magic.
              I still can’t believe no one tried putting a regular SIM to a hotspot before. I had one from Telstra unlocked years back but now I can’t it anywhere

  • pharkurnell on 20/12/2020 - 01:02

    Why doesnt your Dash Cam record incidents?

    You expecting someone to come trash your car?
    Then you run down Chuck Norris style? They be long gone before you get there…

    • justanick on 20/12/2020 - 01:20

      I think was not able to make my thread clear but here it goes ..
      Yes the Dashcam which I am looking at Blackvue DR 750X does buffered parking mode which means yes it takes video recording. The Dashcam which is stuck on my windshield now is Viofo Duo which is piece of garbage. It doesn't work as desbribed and the rear camera stopped working today.
      The reason why I want wifi hotspot is for getting a cloud notification if let's say I have parked my car in some street and I get a notification alert for any suspicious activity which will notify me to go check the car if I find any damage then I would know I need to go through the Dashcam video which is stored in the micro SD card.
      I can track my car if someone else is driving the car. I can live view my neighbours through my camera (kidding - more to do with just to check how things are in that street. Example: I was in Ikea parking once and suddenly there was a bike incident with 100s of people and cops chasing ).
      Lastly I will be installed Carplay 1st week of Jan and I would like to take advantage of not hooking my phone up with the internet all the time.

      • Richardc on 20/12/2020 - 02:05
        +1

        Why not spend a bit more for the dr750lte with built in sim slot?

        • justanick on 20/12/2020 - 03:23

          How much is the DR750LTE compared to the DR750X ? I was checking LTE and it might not be available in Australia at the moment.
          Also if my SIM is stuck inside the Dashcam I can't use it for other purposes within the car like I would just pick up the hotspot device for Carplay etc.

          Now the thing is how do I find out if the TPLINK wifi hotspot takes voice and data SIM

          • Richardc on 20/12/2020 - 04:47

            @justanick: Dashcam Australia currently have it for 679.

            • justanick on 20/12/2020 - 05:15

              @Richardc: thanks Richard .. I found another info which I wrote below. This LTE device only has two LTE bands B3 and B5 it's not going to cover most cities and suburbs

        • justanick on 20/12/2020 - 04:47

          Someone else to add here the DR750LTE version only has B3 and B5 bands not the rest of the other 6 or 7 LTE bands like B1..B2.. each has it's own frequency spectrum like B3 = 1800Mhz.

          Where as if I get the hot spot DR750X version then it only cares about the hotspot. The TP-LINK hotspot covers all LTE spectrums

  • justanick on 20/12/2020 - 01:24

    Btw, do you know if this device only takes Data SIM or the Regular Voice plus Data SIM ? I have the catch connect SIM with unlimited voice and some 50GB or something Data.

  • Philipp on 20/12/2020 - 10:11

    you could use one of these and connect it to a USB outlet:

    Telstra 4GX USB Modem

    https://www.telstra.com.au/internet/mobile-broadband/prepaid…

    or the Optus or Vodafone version…

    • justanick on 20/12/2020 - 14:15

      I was looking into those options but I hear it’s locked with Carrier am I right ? Online searches show I have to shell out $80 or a bit less to get Telstra to open the carrier.
      I’m using catch connect

  • OzHunterNSW on 20/12/2020 - 10:21
    -1

    Your own phone…. yes… your own phone… wow… the marvels of technology have provided your smart phone with the capability in creating a "hot spot" in which you can connect many peripheral items to the wondrous internet.

    Why… I'm using one now!

    • justanick on 20/12/2020 - 14:17

      I did this few problems:
      I cannot always keep my phone inside the car
      The tethering connection always drops off after inactivity and manually I have to connect devices.
      It overheats the phone under Australian summer conditions

      • Thinkscape on 20/12/2020 - 20:35
        +1

        The overheating problem might be something to consider for all devices suggested in this thread.

        I'd be cautious with (big) powerbanks because of fire hazard, and even those hotspot devices - they do get hot on their own, and I doubt they will be resilient to our summer conditions. Consider how and where you install them.

  • justanick on 20/12/2020 - 14:23

    No one ever tried putting a voice data bundle SIM to one of these dongles and see if it works ?

    • moonwalk on 20/12/2020 - 17:10
      +1

      not sure if i read your question correctly. but my experience with voice and data SIMs: many carriers allow to use it on wifi modem. Some carriers warn you not to use their voice & data SIMs on wifi modem dongle for tethering and they will disconnect you if you do so. Or some SIMS just simply not working (the data) when you tried tethering on wifi modem (although it works for tethering via mobile phone) . Lasyt year i had the catch & connect prepaid data & voice sim and i always put it inside wifi modem and it worked.

      • justanick on 20/12/2020 - 19:03

        Thank you so much that’s exactly what I’m after use it in a wifi dongle. I have catch connect voice data bundle and would like to use it in TP-Link wifi 4G dongle. It’s unlocked for all carriers to use.
        Could you please let me know which wifi modem you used catch connect SIM ?

        By the sounds of it I should be okay to get TP-Link wifi dongle

        • justanick on 20/12/2020 - 22:48

          Hoping to get a reply from you soon mate

          • moonwalk on 21/12/2020 - 18:10

            @justanick: i use Huawei E5573s, it is only 4 hours battery life though.

            I believe carriers can recognise whether your SIMcard is run on mobile phone or others (wifi modem)

            • justanick on 21/12/2020 - 21:10

              @moonwalk: thanks a lot mate. If your Catch Connect SIM work on that modem it's going to work on TP-LINK modem. I called TP-LINK Australia and they confirmed their modem works on regular SIM card which has Voice and Data it doesn't have to be Data SIM only.
              Catch Connect does not state they locked this function and I know most people use this cheap SIM card for Data on the GO.

              Thanks a lot for confirming this. I just bought the last piece of TP-LINK model and picking this up on Wednesday

              • moonwalk on 21/12/2020 - 22:50
                +1

                @justanick: Apparently I also used catch connect in June this year. Forgotten…as i keep changing carrier (monthly), to run my CCTV and home automation on the cheap =) i never have landline/ADSL/NBN =).
                wifi dongle left at home, and mobile phone with data on the go.

                • justanick on 21/12/2020 - 23:31

                  @moonwalk: Now that’s smart. Inbox me mate for all the SIM cards with long data expiry you use. Catch connect recharge for another year will be double of what I paid initially.

                  It says one customer per SIM so can’t use catch connect anymore.

                  Going back to the TP-Link modem and catch connect I’m hopeful now it’s going to work. I’m sure others like me would find our posts useful.

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join