Most RedTiger dash cams come with a bright display that shows your live view while driving. On models like the F7N Elite, F7N Touch, and F8, the 2.4 to 3-inch screen is helpful during setup and when you want to review footage on the spot. But once the camera is installed and running, leaving that screen on all the time has a few downsides. At night, even a dim dashboard display can create a distracting glow that reflects off the windshield — especially if you have a clean windshield on a rainy or dark highway. The screen also draws a small but measurable amount of power. When you combine that with the camera recording, GPS, and parking mode sensors, every bit of power efficiency helps keep your car battery from draining if you leave the camera running overnight.
The exact button combination depends on your model, but the logic is the same across the lineup. On the F7N Touch, tap the screen to wake the menu, then swipe down from the top to reveal the quick settings panel. Look for the display icon — it looks like a small sun or a monitor. Tap it once to dim the screen, and tap it again to turn the display off entirely. The screen goes black, but the camera keeps recording normally. A single tap on the screen or any button press wakes it back up instantly.
On models with physical buttons like the F7N Elite, F7NP, and F8, press the Menu button (M) to open settings. Scroll to the Display or Screen Saver option using the Up/Down buttons. From here you can set the screen to turn off after a timeout — typically 30 seconds, 1 minute, or 5 minutes. Setting it to 30 seconds is the most practical choice: the screen lights up when you press a button or when the camera detects an event (like a hard brake or bump), then goes dark again after half a minute.
| Model | Screen Type | Auto-Off Timer | Best Setting |
|---|---|---|---|
| F7N Touch | 3-inch touchscreen | 30s / 1min / 5min | 30s (tap to wake) |
| F7N Elite | 2.4-inch non-touch | 30s / 1min / 5min | 30s |
| F7NP | 2.4-inch non-touch | 30s / 1min | 30s |
| F8 | 2.4-inch non-touch | 30s / 1min / 5min | 30s |
| ViewClear 70 | 3.19-inch touchscreen | 30s / 1min / Off | 30s |
| F9 | 3-inch touchscreen | 30s / 1min / 5min | 30s |
Yes, but the difference is small per trip. The LCD display on a typical dash cam draws about 200 to 300 milliamps at 5 volts — roughly 1 to 1.5 watts. That is about the same as a single LED interior light bulb. Over an hour of driving, the screen uses about 0.1 amp-hours of your battery. If you drive for two hours a day and leave the screen on, that is roughly 0.2 amp-hours — negligible when your car battery holds 50 to 70 amp-hours total. But the real impact is when you park.
If you use parking mode with a hardwire kit, the screen staying on defeats the purpose of conserving power. In parking mode, every extra millamp matters because the camera is running on battery reserve. With the screen off, a RedTiger camera in low bitrate parking mode can record for 24 to 48 hours. With the screen on, that drops to 12 to 18 hours. Turning off the screen in parking mode is one of the easiest ways to extend coverage without buying a bigger battery pack.
This is the reason most drivers turn off the display. A dash cam screen mounted behind the rearview mirror sits roughly in your peripheral vision. At night, even at minimum brightness, the light from the screen reflects off the side windows and creates a faint glow that competes with your night vision. On wet roads, the reflection multiplies. I have had passengers ask me to cover the dash cam with a cloth during a long night drive because the glow was bothering them. The better solution is to just turn the screen off in the settings — it takes five seconds and you never have to think about it again.
Some models like the F7N Touch and ViewClear 70 have an ambient light sensor that dims the screen automatically when it gets dark, but auto-dim is not the same as off. The screen still emits some light. For the best night driving experience, set the auto-off timer to 30 seconds and forget about it.
No. Turning the screen off does not stop recording or change the video quality. The camera continues recording 4K or 1080p footage to the SD card exactly as normal. The only thing that changes is the display. Some drivers worry that turning off the screen means the camera is off — it is not. The recording LED indicator (usually a small red or blue light on the lens housing) stays on to confirm the camera is actively recording. If you want to be extra sure, enable the beep confirmation in settings so the camera chirps once when it starts recording and once when it stops.
On touchscreen models, a single tap anywhere on the screen wakes it up. On button models, pressing any button wakes the screen. One useful trick: on the F7N Touch and ViewClear 70, you can swipe down from the top to open the quick menu without fully waking the camera to the live view. This is handy if you just want to check that the recording light is on without having the full display come back for a minute.
If you need to check the rear camera view while driving, keep the screen on for that trip and set it back to auto-off the next day. The setting stays in memory between drives, so you only need to configure it once.
For a reliable dash cam setup that fits your driving habits, check out the latest RedTiger dash cam models to find one with the display options that work best for your car.
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