Any ideas on rear observation camera system?

[Ericka]

:huh: :huh: :huh:

 Hello guys and gals,

 We actually really need an backup camera on our RV right?do you have any ideas on it,which brand do you use?its pros and cons?

 Need your share.

 

[Doubleone]

I replaced an aging B/W system with a color monitor and 3 cameras on my Class C.  Two on the back, one is high looking down at the bumper and the other is just below the rear window looking straight back (rear view while driving).  I also put one on the right rear side to help when backing since i cant see much in the right door mirror.  

I put some links down below to the parts I used.  They make a single or double camera monitor, if you don't want a quad capable.  These cameras have worked good for about 3 years now.  They have a mirror function that can do both straight view or reverse the image. I used the mirror function and my monitor is my rear view mirror while driving, with the same view as if a real mirror.  I ended up running separate 12v power to each camera because the integrated power wires were too small for the long run.  The cameras connect to the monitor with an RCA style connector. I mounted the cameras in the ABS project box screwed to the wall, and drilled a small hole for the wires to pass through the wall.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B019U4ZZMY/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00P914W7C/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B019TT6E2U/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002BBQMS/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Beetle]

Hi there! I have a travel trailer.  

I did a search on horse trailer cameras. I don't own any horses but figured that community would have an interest in protecting their investment. I also found some cool gadgets that market to horse trailer owners, like fans.

My camera system is scheduled to arrive this week.

 

[Bobflhtc]

I tried a camera from AutoZone but it didn't last a year. I replaced it with a camera from Etrailer.com for $110 that's hard wired between the monitor and the camera and it's been working for several years.

 

[Doubleone]

I'd avoid wireless cameras because they have all sorts of glitches, that's why I went with hardwired. Wired is very straight forward to install, easier than a car stereo. Hardest part was pulling the wires out the cab and to the back of the coach. Lots of zipties and cable sleeve. Plus, when you build your own system, the parts are fairly universal and you can replace individual components.

 

[Almost There]

 We actually really need an backup camera on our RV right?

Well, no you don't really NEED a back up camera on your RV.

RVs  have been around since 1910, back up cameras were only introduced to the north american auto market in the early 2000s. That means that for 90 years people backed up their RVs without them.

That's not to say that you don't want one but learning to back up your RV without the technology is not a bad thing.

Things that the back up camera will not do for you include things like looking up for overhead obstacles like tree branches. The confidence that seems to come with a back up camera only works until you scrape something down the side of your RV because you were looking at the camera instead of looking at the whole picture.

Yes, I drove a 35 foot Class A with a 10 foot cargo trailer on behind it. No I have never had a back up camera except for 3 weeks when the rental SUV came equipped with one. I didn't use it then either.

 

[AJ452]

I've also heard of problems with wireless cameras.  I ended up with https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078YNW5R5/.  The main unit with front facing camera straps onto the existing rear view mirror and then it has a wired rear camera that goes to the back.  It records both the front and rear views like a dashcam if desired.

Pros:
Supposed to have lane departure warning but I haven't tried it.
As a mirror it's nice and big and shows a wider view than my factory one.
The camera images are nice and bright, much more so than an old dash cam I had.
Supposed to lower the rear view when you put the vehicle in reverse but I haven't tried that feature yet.
The front camera has a silver ring around it that could possibly draw attention to it.  Possible theft deterrent?
It comes with a GPS receiver so you can see your speed and a moving map of the location when reviewing video with their included software.
Very easy mounting, the front unit just straps to your mirror.  I was able to just stick the rear camera to a magnet stuck to the inside of a rear window.  It's held so far!


Cons:
Pricey.
The cameras have quite wide angles so "objects are closer than they appear".
The front camera has a silver ring around it that could possibly draw attention to it.  Possible theft attractant?
The rear camera does not use a standard video connection so substituting a different camera could pose a challenge.
It can be a little discombobulating because the mirrored view is there along with the rear camera view at the same time.  You have to adjust where your eyes are focusing to switch between the two views and sometimes it throws you off.  (Although you can shut off the camera view so it's just a mirror if desired; recording is unaffected)

I've had the unit several months now and yes, I would buy it again.

 

[highdesertranger]

I also believe one should learn how to drive without a backup camera. but I can also see how it would be useful, but please learn to drive first. highdesertranger

 

[Beetle]

I found the camera useful as a security monitor when I'm in my trailer.

 

[Gr8ful]

I can drive, or fly most anything on tracks, tires or with wing so I know how to back up & the ambo has a beeper when in reverse. Now that that's settled I bought a wireless one that is solar powered sits or velcros to the dash & has a cell phone charging oint for $29.95 on Ebay. Too me I can see my trailer if it's on & I was in the lumber business & the shop foreman made a delivery & afterward stopped at home for lunch on the way back & when he left ran over his grandson with 22.5" duals who was playing behing the truck so $30 is cheap insurance to me. Yes were all supposed to do a walk around before starting or moving a vehicle bur we all don't always do what we should.

 

[MrNoodly]

The tricky thing for me with my back-up camera is the mental gymnastics of taking what I see in the monitor and translating it into the movements I need to make. I can switch between actual view and mirror view but my old fart brain struggles with both. But I'm adapting, just like I adapted to using the mirrors when I first learned to drive (oh so many decades ago).

 

[Gr8ful]

Practice is all you need!

 

[Doubleone]

^^ Hey MrNoodly, I'm totally with you...it is tricky when you're trying to back with a straight view; everything is backwards from what we are used to seeing with a rear view mirror.  The camera I replaced was a straight view, as if you had your face pressed up against the rear window looking out.  I couldn't deal with it.  It was stressful to simply back up because it hurt my brain thinking about which way to steer... and I'm a driving instructor... Lol!  If you get a camera with a mirror function, the view is the same as a normal rear view mirror.  To me... that's totally intuitive and I think one of the best upgrades I've done to my rig.  The cameras I used have a small wire that you leave for normal view or clip to mirror view, so you can choose whatever works for you.  A second wire (leave or clip) has the superimposed backup grid lines or turns them off.