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Porsche 997: How to Hardwire Radar Detector

Hard-wiring your radar detector is one way to give you easy control of the detector without having to deal with wires. Continue reading to learn how to do that on you Porsche 997.

By Jared Hammond - May 7, 2015
Contributors: 1080iAddict, crw

This article applies to the Porsche 997 (2005-2012).

A radar detector tells you when your car is being monitored by radar. There are two kinds of radar detectors: there is the single high-mounted detector, or the remote detector with sensors hidden in the front and back of the car. This article will show you how to hard-wire a high-mounted detector since they have the best range, but you can use the same principles to install a remote detector.

Materials Needed

  • Radar detector
  • Modular phone cable (4 conductor) and plug
  • Grounding wire
  • Inline fuse
  • Soldering iron and solder
  • A sheet cloth
  • Electrical tape

Disconnect the battery whenever you're working with your car's wiring.

Step 1 – Cut the modular cable

Cut a six-inch length of modular cable, and then strip away one end of the cabling. Find the two middle wires; they are usually red (ground) and green (power). Cut away all the wires except for the middle two. Strip off the ends of the middle two wires.

Figure 1. Cut the modular cable.

Step 2 – Cut the fuse wire

Cut the fuse wire about three inches from the fuse on each end. Cut the same length for the grounding wire. Strip both ends of each wire.

Figure 2. Cut the fuse wire.

Step 3 – Remove the dome light

Remove the dome light by pulling it from the sides of the trim. Disconnect the cables going to the dome light, and set it aside. There should be a small opening in the back of the dome light housing that you can pull the modular cable through.

Figure 3. Pull modular cable into dome light housing.

Step 4 – Solder wires together

Drape a sheet underneath the wires to catch any drips of soldering. Solder one end of your fuse wire to the power wire on your modular cable. Then, solder together the ground wires. Let the solder cool, and then wrap the connections in electrical tape.

Figure 4. Solder the wires.

Step 5 – Connect wires to dome light wire harness

Find the 10-pin wiring harness of the dome light, and identify the black/orange wire, as well as the brown wire. Strip off the insulation on these wires without cutting the wires themselves. Solder the fuse wire to the black/orange wire. Then, solder the ground wire to the brown wire. When the soldering is cool, wrap the connections in electrical tape.

Figure 5. Connect wires to the dome light wire harness.

Pro Tip

If you're planning on using a remote radar detector, you'll need to route the wires from the sensors through the car, and into the control unit. Then, connect the control unit to a power source.

Step 6 – Mount the radar detector

Push the wires back into the dome light housing. Reconnect the dome light to its harness, and insert it back into the housing. Mount your radar detector near the dome light, and plug in the modular cable. Reconnect the battery, and put your key in the ignition. If everything was handled correctly, your radar detector should turn on. If not you may have connected the wires wrong.

Figure 6. Mount radar detector.

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