I'm considering a Blackvue dashcam, which can utilise a cable that uses the OBD port as a power supply and has an integrated switch to activate/deactivate parking mode.

 

Most guides show the rear camera cable being routed along the left side of the car, as that's the side the fuse box is on.  Is there any reason I shouldn't be able to route along the right side, such as increased DAB interference?

I’ve got similar. I still ran the rear camera cable down the left side, up the left A-pillar and along the headlining. The power lead goes across the headlining on the drivers side, down the A-pillar and to the OBD2 port. The power adapter was one from Halfords (not their brand though). 
 

One thing I would say though is, I find that the BlackVue camera cycles off and on when the voltage drops and rises, usually after a while on the motorway. I’ve not decided if that is a function of the camera (I vaguely remember it having some set up about battery levels before putting in the car) or if it is the power unit that plugs into the OBD2 port, preventing you flattening the car battery. I think this happens when the charging system shuts down as part of the “eco” charging, so the battery voltage drops. As soon as there is some electrical load (like seat heater on one light) then it comes back on. I keep meaning to investigate further but haven’t been too bothered 🤪

35 minutes ago, Ivan8192 said:

One thing I would say though is, I find that the BlackVue camera cycles off and on when the voltage drops and rises, usually after a while on the motorway. I’ve not decided if that is a function of the camera (I vaguely remember it having some set up about battery levels before putting in the car) or if it is the power unit that plugs into the OBD2 port, preventing you flattening the car battery. I think this happens when the charging system shuts down as part of the “eco” charging, so the battery voltage drops. As soon as there is some electrical load (like seat heater on one light) then it comes back on. I keep meaning to investigate further but haven’t been too bothered 🤪

That's a concern, as mine's an iV, so not sure how that affects things. 

Most people just run the power lead down to a piggyback fuse holder on an ignition-switched fuse position. Just see how it goes. If it isn't satisfactory, do that. 

Exactly my plan. 🙂
 

Ta very much. 

I have an iV with front and rear Blackvue cameras. I had Blackvue cameras in my Yeti and Citigo and this camera system came out of the Citigo (DR750S-2CH). I don't have the battery/park monitor. 

 

Initially, I had a cunning plan to run the rear camera cable through the headlining but decided that wasn't going to be much easier than running low down. In the end, the front and rear camera cables ran down the A-pillar to a piggyback fuse in the main fusebox. Lead to the rear camera then went down the nearside of the car and slipped under the plastic door sill cover all the way back. Then up behind the trim by the rear seat and into the C-pillar cover. Using a long cable-tie as a puller, the cable eventually went through the left wiring 'grommet' up into the tailgate and thence to the camera. The camera is mounted on the right hand side of the high level brake light and works perfectly - and can't be seen in the rear view mirror.

 

I've not had any problems with the cameras working or the cameras causing any issues with the rest of the car.   

That’s the very camera I’ve gone for. How is parking mode activated/deactivated if you have a permanent live connected.  Or do you?

Mine is switched through the ‘ignition’ so there’s no ability to activate the camera when the car is parked. 
 

I did have the additional Blackvue parking monitor box on my Yeti installation but didn’t always use it as I was always concerned it might forget to monitor the battery voltage and flatten it!

 

It’s all down to the perceived risk, I suppose. The Superb lives indoors at home and in a pretty secure car park at work, so not too many worries there. I’m sometimes away for a few days at a time but again normally park in a secure car park. At supermarkets I either park at the far side away from everyone or filch a bit of free charging and those bays are bigger. 
 

The Blackvue may not be the cheapest but it works very well. 

13 hours ago, GarySN said:

That's a concern, as mine's an iV, so not sure how that affects things. 

The IV doesn't have an alternator so you shouldn't have this issue, when the ignition is turned on, the 12v battery is powered / topped up constantly by a transformer connected to the HV battery.

The only thing to remember is that the IV has a much smaller 12v battery as a result, so any always-on camera needs to have a low battery protection mode, otherwise it may drain the 12v battery overnight

15 hours ago, Patent said:

The IV doesn't have an alternator so you shouldn't have this issue, when the ignition is turned on, the 12v battery is powered / topped up constantly by a transformer connected to the HV battery.

The only thing to remember is that the IV has a much smaller 12v battery as a result, so any always-on camera needs to have a low battery protection mode, otherwise it may drain the 12v battery overnight

Thanks for the reassuring info. The camera does have such a mode, so shouldn’t be an issue.