Causes
- The Omni only enables parking mode when it detects the dedicated parking surveillance hardwire kit — with the included 12V car charger (or any non-70mai power cable), the app shows "parking surveillance cable required" and the parking-mode toggle refuses to enable. The camera actively probes for the 70mai hardwire kit's identification signal; a generic 12V-to-USB adapter cannot provide it, so no amount of app fiddling will turn parking mode on without the kit.
- The hardwire kit is not on both constant 12V and switched (ACC) power — the kit needs a constant 12V feed (BATT) to keep the camera alive while parked and a switched feed (ACC) so the camera knows the ignition is off. If both wires are tied to constant power, or the ACC tap is on a circuit that stays live, the camera never detects the ignition-off transition and never enters parking mode — owners who got it working confirm the wiring "needs to be hooked up to constant power and also switched."
- The 4G hardwire kit conflicts with parking-mode detection — several owners using the 4G module kit report the app insists a parking surveillance cable is required even though they wired 12V, ACC, and ground exactly per the manual. The camera apparently does not recognize the 4G kit as a parking-surveillance kit, so parking mode stays locked even with a correct hardwire install.
- A poor ground or a fuse tap on a dead circuit — the kit's ground wire must make solid metal-to-metal contact, and the constant-power fuse tap must be in a slot that is live with the car off. A loose ground or a fuse tap in an ignition-only slot starves the kit of the standby feed, and the app reports the cable as absent.
- An app or firmware detection bug — owners who hardwired everything correctly — one even connected the camera directly to a spare car battery to rule out the vehicle — still could not activate parking mode, and 70mai support insisted the install was wrong. This points to a parking-mode detection bug in certain app/firmware builds rather than a user wiring error.
How to Fix
- Confirm you actually have the 70mai parking surveillance hardwire kit installed — parking mode on the Omni requires the dedicated 70mai hardwire kit (sold separately); the included 12V car charger or any generic USB power cable cannot enable it. If you are not using the 70mai kit, install it first — this single cause explains the majority of "parking surveillance cable required" messages.
- Verify all three wires with a multimeter — check that the constant (BATT) wire reads 12V with the car off, the ACC wire reads 12V only with the ignition on, and the ground wire has continuity to chassis metal. If either feed is missing, fix the tap before touching the app. This mirrors what owners with working parking mode confirmed: constant power plus switched power, both live.
- Re-tap the fuse box and check the ground — use a fuse tap in a slot that stays live when the car is off for the constant feed (interior light or door-lock circuits are typical), and a slot that is live only with the ignition for ACC. Make sure the tap is seated fully, the fuse ratings match the kit's requirements, and the add-a-circuit is oriented so power flows through the tap. Then clean the ground point down to bare metal and confirm no paint, rust, or plastic sits between the ring terminal and the chassis — a poor ground makes the kit undetectable even when power is correct.
- Test the kit directly on a spare battery — to rule out the vehicle entirely, connect the kit's BATT and ACC wires to the positive terminal of a spare 12V battery, GND to negative, and power the Omni from the kit. If parking mode still will not activate, the issue is the kit, the camera's detection logic, or the app — not your car's wiring. Owners who ran this exact test used the result as proof when dealing with 70mai support.
- Cycle the ignition and watch for the parking-mode prompt — with everything connected, start the car, let the Omni boot fully, then turn the ignition off. A correctly detected kit makes the camera announce or display "entering parking mode" as it switches over. If instead you get the "parking surveillance cable required" message, power-cycle the camera (unplug for 10 seconds) and re-test so the app re-detects the kit.
- Update the app and camera firmware — in the 70mai app, install any pending app update and any available camera firmware update (device settings → firmware update, over the camera's Wi-Fi). Firmware and app fixes have addressed parking-mode detection behavior on 70mai units; owners reported the parking-mode toggle becoming available after updates.
- If using the 4G hardwire kit, isolate the conflict — since owners report the 4G kit can leave parking mode locked with a "cable required" error, temporarily test with the standard 70mai parking surveillance kit if you have access to one. If parking mode works with the standard kit but not the 4G kit, the two accessories are conflicting — raise it with 70mai support.
- Contact 70mai support with your test results — if parking mode still will not activate with a correctly installed standard kit (and especially if the direct-battery test also failed), the kit or the camera's detection logic is faulty. Contact 70mai support, attach the direct-battery test details and a screenshot of the app error, and ask for a firmware fix or a replacement hardwire kit — owners who pushed with evidence got further than those who only described the symptom.