Manual rearview mirror: Is power available in windshield header for radar detector/dashcam?

[Raven65]

I have a Sport S with the standard manual mirror (not electric auto-dim), but the visors have lighted mirrors and there is a passenger airbag warning light in the header above the rearview mirror - so there is obviously power up there. I would like to run power to a dashcam mounted up high in the middle of the windshield, but everything I've found so far on here suggests routing it from somewhere behind the passenger airbag in the dash - or from the OBD2 port - neither of which I'm crazy about. Is anyone tapping into power in the windshield header? Thanks

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[ShadowsPapa]

There's a wire under the right side cowl area that I believe is for the glass defogger for those Jeeps with the Advance safety group. I wonder...........
Airbag warning light doesn't mean there's power there - only means there may be power there when that light is on, depending on how it's operated. It may be live and grounded to light it, or may be dead and power applied to light it.
The vanity mirrors will have extremely low draw LEDs in them, so can't say there's a lot of power there for dash cam. That you'd have to see what your unit needs vs. the wiring there.
It's extremely easy to get power from the OBD port - several of us could send you adapters that simply plug in with power and ground leads coming off so it would be plug and play and no "hacking".
We got them free when the dealers installed GPS trackers in our Jeeps LOL.
I've got two on the shelf and I bet if I dug under the dash of our JLU, there's one there, as well.

 

[Free2roam]

I tapped into the fuse box. Cigarette lighter fuse for switched power and USB ports for power all the time. Used a piggy back fuse splitter. Worked fantastic. It was used for my rearview mirror camera. Ran it up the pillar and across behind the windshield above and tucked into the fascia. Dropped it out the front right next to the mirror

 

[Free2roam]

https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/forum/threads/powering-a-dashcam.69298/

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I tapped into the fuse box. Cigarette lighter fuse for switched power and USB ports for power all the time. Used a piggy back fuse splitter. Worked fantastic. It was used for my rearview mirror camera. Ran it up the pillar and across behind the windshield above and tucked into the fascia. Dropped it out the front right next to the mirror

You can also use that 12v outlet extension that comes with a feed pigtail. It would be ign switched, but it's what I used to power the controller for my snow plow since I wanted it off with ign off.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B087KP7QJH

It has a fused power, and a ground lead in a handy connector.

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