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Free BYD dashcam & sentry mode

BladeWatch for BYD: dashcam & sentry mode

BladeWatch is a free, open-source dashcam and sentry mode app built for BYD cars with DiLink v3 — the Seal, Seal U, Dolphin, Atto 3, Han, Tang, and more. It records the 360° panoramic camera, runs 24/7 surveillance while parked, and keeps every recording on your own head unit. No cloud, no account, no subscription. This guide shows you how to install it over wireless ADB.

Only enable debugging on a vehicle and head unit you own or are authorized to manage. Wireless ADB can expose powerful device controls, so disable it once BladeWatch is installed.

What is BladeWatch?

BladeWatch turns your BYD's built-in panoramic camera into a full dashcam and Tesla-style sentry mode — without any cloud service or subscription. It installs directly onto the car's DiLink v3 head unit and runs in the background, recording while you drive and watching over the car while it's parked. Everything stays on the device; you own your footage.

Panoramic dashcam

Records the BYD 360° panoramic camera through a GPU pipeline (H.264/H.265), split into clips with a calendar library for browsing footage.

Sentry mode surveillance

24/7 monitoring with GPU motion detection, per-quadrant tracking, and an optional on-device AI object-recognition gate. Safe-location zones and schedules included.

Proximity recording

Uses BYD's parking radar sensors to start recording only when something approaches the parked car — with a pre-event buffer so you never miss the moment.

Vehicle control & 3D hero

Operate climate, windows, and seats, and view an interactive 3D model of your BYD with live battery, range, tyre pressure, and door state.

Trips & analytics

Trip history with route maps, telemetry, and driving insights, plus a real-time performance and diagnostics dashboard.

Remote web app

A full web UI served by the on-device daemon, reachable from any browser through your own tunnel. Token-protected, with web push alerts and 17 languages.

  • 100% local storage
  • No account
  • No cloud
  • Open source (MIT)
  • Free

BYD compatibility

BladeWatch is built for BYD vehicles running the DiLink v3 Android head unit (arm64-v8a, Android 10+) with the 360° panoramic camera system. It has been used on models including:

  • BYD Seal and Seal 5 DM-i
  • BYD Seal U
  • BYD Dolphin
  • BYD Atto 3
  • BYD Han and Tang

If your BYD has DiLink v3 and the panoramic camera, BladeWatch should work even if your exact model isn't listed above. The install steps below apply to any DiLink v3 head unit.

Enable wireless debug mode

Follow these steps from inside the car's infotainment system. Keep the phone hotspot active until the APK installation is complete.

  1. Establish connectivity. Connect your car's DiLink v3 head unit to your mobile phone's Wi-Fi hotspot.
  2. Access the engineer menu. Open the native Phone app in your car and dial *#91532547#.
  3. Retrieve identification. The screen will display an IMEI and Chinese text. Note down the IMEI.
  4. Generate the bypass code. On your mobile phone, visit ahmada3mar.github.io/BYD, paste your IMEI, and generate your unique bypass code.
  5. Authenticate. Enter the generated code into the car's dialer, then tap 进入 (Enter).
  6. Configure debugging. Scroll down to TestTools and select it. Enable Debug mode when USB connected, which is usually required as a prerequisite.
  7. Enable wireless ADB. Locate and enable Wireless adb debug switch. If a prompt appears asking whether to allow ADB debugging from your computer or device, select Always allow from this device.
  8. Identify the network address. Go to the car's WLAN settings, tap your connected hotspot name, and open the info icon. Write down the car's IP address, for example 192.168.x.x.

Connect to the head unit with wireless ADB

Make sure your computer is on the same Wi-Fi network as the car. Then run the wireless ADB connection command using the IP address shown in the car's WLAN settings.

adb connect <IP_ADDRESS>:5555

If the connection succeeds, check that the head unit appears in your device list:

adb devices

The device may appear as an IP address followed by :5555. If it says unauthorized, look for an authorization prompt on the head unit and allow the connection.

Install BladeWatch

Download the latest BladeWatch APK from the GitHub Releases page, then install it with ADB. BladeWatch ships as an arm64-v8a build for BYD DiLink v3 head units.

Download BladeWatch APK

Install ADB if needed

If your computer does not already have ADB, install Android Platform Tools first. After installation, confirm ADB is available:

adb version

Install the APK

Replace the APK path with the actual file you downloaded.

adb install /path/to/BladeWatch.apk

If you are updating an existing install, use:

adb install -r /path/to/BladeWatch.apk

First-run setup

BladeWatch runs background daemons to keep recording and surveillance alive on the head unit, so the first launch needs two extra steps.

  1. Authorize ADB on the screen. On first launch, accept the ADB authentication prompt that appears on the car's display.
  2. Keep autostart enabled. In Settings, make sure the Disable Autostart toggle is unchecked. This is critical for reliable background recording and sentry mode.
  3. Hard reboot the head unit. After the first install and run, press and hold the Volume Down button for about 5 seconds and wait for the system to fully restart. This finalizes the installation.

Optional: to view BladeWatch remotely from your phone or laptop, set up a free Zrok tunnel from inside the app (Daemons → Zrok). Remote viewing is direct through your own tunnel — never shared with a third party.

Frequently asked questions

Which BYD cars does BladeWatch work on?

BladeWatch is built for BYD vehicles with the DiLink v3 head unit and the panoramic camera system — including the Seal, Seal 5 DM-i, Seal U, Dolphin, Atto 3, Han, and Tang. If your BYD runs DiLink v3 (Android, arm64) and has the 360° panoramic camera, BladeWatch should work.

Is BladeWatch free?

Yes. BladeWatch is completely free and open source under the MIT License. There are no accounts, subscriptions, or in-app purchases.

Does BladeWatch upload my recordings to the cloud?

No. All recordings and data stay on your BYD head unit — there is no cloud upload and no account. Optional remote viewing is direct and peer-to-peer through a tunnel you control.

Is BladeWatch a dashcam, a sentry mode app, or both?

Both. BladeWatch records the BYD panoramic camera as a dashcam while you drive and runs 24/7 sentry-style surveillance with motion and proximity detection while the car is parked.

Troubleshooting

ADB cannot connect

  • Confirm the car and computer are on the same hotspot or Wi-Fi network.
  • Confirm Wireless adb debug switch is still enabled.
  • Check that the IP address has not changed after reconnecting to the hotspot.
  • Try running adb kill-server, then adb start-server, then reconnect.

Device is unauthorized

Watch the head unit for an ADB authorization prompt. Choose Always allow from this device, then run adb devices again.

APK install fails

  • Make sure the downloaded file is the BladeWatch APK from the Releases page.
  • Use adb install -r if BladeWatch is already installed.
  • Reconnect ADB and try again if the wireless session drops during install.

Recording or sentry mode stops in the background

  • Open Settings and confirm Disable Autostart is unchecked.
  • Hard reboot the head unit by holding Volume Down for 5 seconds after the first install.

After install

Once BladeWatch is installed and set up, disconnect ADB and disable wireless debugging in the engineer menu unless you need it again.

adb disconnect <IP_ADDRESS>:5555

Leaving wireless debugging enabled can make the head unit easier to access from other devices on the same network.