BlackboxMyCar | Dash Cam Installation: 2019 Kia Sorento x Thinkware U1000 2-CH + BlackboxMyCar PowerCell 8 Battery + U1000 Radar

This installation photo blog will show how we installed a Thinkware U1000 4K UHD 2-Channel dash cam into a 2019 Kia Sorento, along with the Thinkware Radar module and the BlackboxMyCar PowerCell 8 battery pack. If you're considering installing a dash cam, we recommend the BlackboxMyCar Essential Install Kit. The BlackboxMyCar Essential Install Kit comes with a circuit tester, trim remover tool, and other handy tools to make the hardwiring and installation process more manageable.

You don't need a dash cam battery pack for parking mode recording. You can also hardwire the dash cam directly to the fuse panel or use the car's OBD port with an OBD power cable. However, using a battery pack is better for the overall health of your car battery as it eliminates any wear and tear caused by the continuous charging and discharging of the dash cam.

We installed the Thinkware U1000 2-Channel dash cam, Thinkware U1000 Radar module and the BlackboxMyCar PowerCell 8 battery pack into this 2019 Kia Sorento.

For this installation, we placed the U1000 front camera behind the rearview mirror and the radar module beside it.

Before installing a dash cam in any car, check how far the wiper goes because if you mount the front facing camera above the wiper's reach, it will not have a clear vision. You want to make sure you are mounting the dash cam in a spot so you can always get a clear windscreen in front of it. This also applies to the rear dash cam if wipers are on your back windshield.

For this vehicle, we chose to mount the 4K UHD front camera behind the rearview mirror and the radar module beside it.

Next, clean the windshield from the inside of the car to ensure the camera sticks properly and to clean off any marks or smears that might affect the video quality of your footage. Once that's done, you can connect the power cable, the radar module cable, and the rear camera connecting cable.

The BlackboxMyCar PowerCell8 Dash Cam Battery Pack is slim and compact enough to be stowed under the driver or passenger seat or in the glove compartment.

The BlackboxMyCar PowerCell 8 dash cam battery pack measures 151mm x 204.8mm x 32.6mm (5.94in x 8.06in x 1.28in), making it easy to hide under the driver or passenger seat or in the glove compartment.

For this installation, we stored the battery pack underneath the driver's side seat, as it is the closet spot to the inner fuse panel under the instrument panel on the driver's side. Use the included velcro strips to help prevent the battery pack from sliding around under the seat.

While we are not hardwiring the U1000 to the car's fuse panel, we are hardwiring the battery pack to unlock the battery's fast charging feature. The BlackboxMyCar PowerCell 8 hardwiring kit is a 2-wire cable, one for ACC (accessory) and ground. You need to look for an empty fuse slot or one you can piggyback off using the add-a-fuse kit included in the Essential Install Kit. Use the circuit tester in the Essential Install Kit to help you find a suitable accessory switched fuse that is at least 10A. Always refer to the Fuses section in the vehicle's owner's manual to avoid fuse slots that could pertain to certain safety features within your car.

Once hardwired, the BlackboxMyCar PowerCell 8 battery pack will recharge itself when you turn on the ignition, and when you power down the car, the dash cam will be able to draw power from the battery pack to run parking mode.

Because the battery pack is stowed underneath the driver's seat, we need to guide the power cable along the headliner, down the A-pillar, and across the floor to the battery pack. Use the included prying tool to gently pull back headliner trim to tuck in the cables.  

Take your time when popping open the A-pillar - it's pretty straightforward, but because some Kias' A-pillar trim does not come out as much as other vehicles, this will take longer and require more patience.

Use the trim removal tool to gently pull back the weather strip, trim and panel covers to tuck in the cables.

Continue routing the power cable along the weather strip down the door and then route the cable across the floor to the battery pack underneath the driver's seat. Plug the power cable into the Output slot.

Plug the rear camera connecting cable into the front unit, run the cable along the headliner, and straight down the length of the car to the A, B and C pillars. Again, don't just run the cable under the rubber seal because it will create a little gap that might prevent the door from sealing properly - you will get wind noise, or worse, water can seep into the car. Take your time to guide the cable under the trim - remove the B pillar covers and use the pry tool to carefully tuck the cable underneath the panel covers.

Unlike in most sedans, mounting the rear camera in a vehicle with a rear liftgate does require a few extra steps, and the best way to run the cable is to go through the hoses between the chassis and liftgate. If there is any trim on the liftgate, it's best to remove them to hide the rear camera cable under it.

Typically, there are 1 or 2 hoses that connect to the liftgate, and it's best to give them a squeeze to check which one has more wiggle room before attempting to run the wire.

Tips and tricks? You can use a long zip tie, a coat hanger, or any variation of a long wire to guide the front-to-rear cable through the headliner and the rear hatch grommet before connecting to the rear camera.

Plug the connecting cable into the 2K UHD rear camera and power your car to turn on the U1000. You will hear a Thinkware greeting prompt. Suppose you haven't done so, download and install the Thinkware Cloud app on your smartphone. Once your U1000 is powered on, press the WiFi button on the front unit to switch it to Wi-Fi mode and then connect to the dash cam using the Thinkware Cloud app on your smartphone.

Use the Live View feature to check the viewing angle of the front and rear cameras and adjust if needed.

Dash cam installation: 2019 Kia Sorento x Thinkware U1000 4K UHD 2-Channel dash cam + Thinkware Radar + BlackboxMyCar PowerCell 8 battery

And there you have it, a Thinkware U1000 2-Channel dashcam installed in a 2019 Kia Sorento. The installation took no more than 2 hours, including routing the cables, testing the battery pack power source, and checking the front and back cameras using the mobile app viewer.

From the outside, looking in from the front of the vehicle, the U1000 front-facing camera and radar module blend in well with the car.

The U1000 rear camera is also very compact and discreet, small enough not to interfere with your visibility out the rear of the Kia. And from the outside, looking in, it's virtually invisible.

Parking surveillance is one of Thinkware's strengths, and the U1000 4K dash cam is no exception. Like other Thinkware cameras, the U1000 is a high-quality dash cam that comes with built-in low voltage protection to continuously monitor the health of your car battery. It will shut down if it detects any issues, so your car battery will not be damaged. In other words, it is safe to hardwire the U1000 directly to the car's fuse box to unlock parking mode features. However, by relying on your car battery as the sole power source for the dash cam, you are subjecting the car battery to wear and tear caused by the additional key-off power draw from the dash cam. Over time, it will affect the battery's performance. The better solution is to use a dedicated battery pack, like the BlackboxMyCar PowerCell 8 or the Thinkware iVolt.

Regarding parking features, the U1000 gives you the standard motion detection and time-lapse recording. Both are equipped with collision detection and buffered recording in 4K Ultra HD. There is also the Energy Saving Mode 2.0 which, when paired with the Thinkware Radar module and BlackboxMyCar PowerCell 8 dashcam battery pack, extends parking mode coverage to up to 10 days.

Planning on installing a dash cam in your car? Check out our Step-by-Step Dash Cam Installation Guide  and our selection of handy installation accessories. And if you ever need a hand during the installation process, just call us; our dash cam specialists are available to help!

Looking to have your dash cam professionally installed, we do offer installation services at our Richmond BC location.

Please see some of our other dash cam installations in the BlackboxMyCar Dash Cam Installation Gallery.