What Is Smart Parking?
Smart Parking helps protect your vehicle while it is parked by recording when an impact is detected. Your Dash Cam saves a 30‑second Protected file, then records a further 5 minutes of normal footage if there are no more impacts.
What Does Smart Parking Do?
Smart Parking monitors your parked vehicle for impacts. When an impact is detected, your Dash Cam:
Saves a 30-second Protected file that cannot be overwritten easily.
Records up to 5 minutes of additional unprotected footage if no further impacts occur.
This gives you clear footage of what happened before, during, and after the event.
How Do I Turn On Smart Parking?
From the Dash Cam homepage, select More at the bottom of the screen.
Select Setup Settings.
Tap Smart Parking.
Select On.
Warning: Only turn on Smart Parking if your Dash Cam has a permanent power supply (live even when the ignition is off).
How do I power my Dash Cam for Smart Parking?
Smart Parking only works if your Dash Cam has power while the car is parked. Use a Nextbase Hardwire Kit connected to a permanently live fuse or Nextbase OBD cable. These provide constant power from your vehicle even when the engine is off.
Will Smart Parking drain my battery?
The Nextbase Hardwire Kit protects your battery by cutting power to the Dash Cam if voltage falls to about 11.6V. Modern vehicles draw some power even when parked, whether a Dash Cam is installed or not.
If you plan to leave your vehicle parked for more than a week with the Dash Cam permanently powered, unplug the Dash Cam.
Extra tips
Test Smart Parking in a safe area by tapping the Dash Cam gently when parked to confirm it records Protected files.
Check your Hardwire Kit installation if Smart Parking behaves unexpectedly.
Drive regularly to keep your battery charged, especially in cold weather.
Troubleshooting
Smart Parking is on but nothing records when parked
Check the Dash Cam is powered from a permanent live supply (not an ignition‑only socket).
Make sure Smart Parking is set to On in the setup settings.
Car struggles to start after being parked
Confirm your Hardwire Kit is installed correctly.
Make sure that the camera powers down, 5 minutes after you have left the vehicle.
Consider unplugging the Dash Cam for very long parking periods.