Reversing Camera

[GEOFF.PAULINE]

Hi.
I want to fit a reversing camera to my Nissan navara .
Been to the shops , Super cheap etc , but not much range or info.
So I'm after any info available.

wireless or cable ?
windscreen mount or stick on dash ? , Don't want a mirror type.
camera angle view 90 or 180 degress ?
wire in or plug into cigarette lighter socket ?

any good suppliers / installers ?

Thanks in advance for any help.

Geoff .

[robcaz]

Hi Geoff,

We have a cheap ebay rearview camera on the back of the camper which is hooked up to the Hema HN5i Navigator via a switch so it can be turned on at anytime to see behind. I can't see those smaller cars when they come up behind. The camera is well shaded & I have not had any issues with glare. It gives a good view of something behind us, but nowhere as good as a rearview mirror. It comes in handy when backing the trailer too.

The Hema Navigator is suctioned to the roof of the JK Jeep above the review mirror, out of the way & no glare. The windscreen is very narrow as it is & something stuck on their would cut too much view. The Hema is not much good to be used as a parking aid as it needs to power up if it is off.

I ran a wire to power the camera from the switch on the dash through the twelve pin trailer plug to the camera on the back of the camper.

I have been looking at a camera for the back of the Jeep too as the view out the back window is very restricted. I was thinking of double side taping a seven inch screen on the back of the sunvisor as there is plenty of room above it. There are some thin seven inch screens on ebay that come with two cameras. One placed looking down over the hitch would be ideal too. Are they called marriage savers. One thing that has stopped me buying off ebay is the fact you don't know what sort of quality the screen might be.

[johnkx99]

Hi,
I'm not an expert, just my personal experiences from researching / buying one when I bought a caravan recently that had a reversing camera already fitted & the previous owner kept the monitor and car cabling .. & I had to then research which brand to get and then buy & fit the bits myself ..

Observations :

* there are no industry standards for the cameras , monitors or the cabling pin outs ; because of this I'd suggest you buy all the bits in 1 go to minimise any hassles trying to integrate parts from different vendors.
* Usual story - research the vendor of the product you're buying and try and see it working in multiple types of environments eg day time & low light, night time , etc
* if you're only buying a car reversing camera, having a robust caravan / trailer connection shouldn't be an issue. It was for me as the caravan had an existing (male) plug connection on the A frame that used a non conventional 4 pin plug type.
* I mounted my car reversing camera on the top edge of the number plate and ran the cabling under the no. plate, through the tailgate to the bottom edge and then across the air gap and then under the carpet. I mounted the connection hardware in a storage area in the rear of the car. Makes it easy to access if I need and isn't in the way when I've got stuff in the car. I also put yellow duct tape on the black camera body to make it less obvious it was there, against the yellow background on the number plate. The cameras are only small but they're expensive.
* The reversing camera is great for backing up and lining up the car on the tow ball but isn't accurate to exactly line up the tow ball and hitch. Due to the angle the camera is mounted at, what's displayed isn't 100% precise but it's a great start .
* I chose to power it directly from the 12v power connection in the rear of the car ( std fitting in the car ). It could have been wired up to the reversing power so it would only come on when reverse is selected or just another 12v power source in the car.
* I've mounted the monitor using a glass suction mount on the windscreen. I've also got a gps monitor on the dash too, using a bean bag mount. This works out quite well and both monitors fit on the dash. This makes it flexible to only install the reversing monitor when I need it but the monitor connection cable is there all the time.
Vendor comments : I wound up buying a Polaris (Sydney , NSW) kit for the car reversing camera and & monitor & wiring as this turned out to be the brand of camera & cabling installed on the caravan. Polaris run a 4 wire cable on the caravan to the car. Most other vendors ( that I came across ) run a 3 wire cable, so working out how to convert became an issue.
'Safety Dave' Melbourne - I bought a complete kit from him at the Sydney Caravan & Camping show on the understanding that if I couldn't get it to work with the existing camera I could return it for a full refund. I wasn't able to get it to work & brought it back. No fuss or drama for the refund. His advice and service was useful & accurate.

Hope this is of use ..

John

[fredsdad]

I bought one of ebay it is a cable one with 7" screen plus2 cameras for back of the car and the trailer. $79 works well. They now have the same one in wireless.same price.

[GEOFF.PAULINE]

Pleased to here that Fredsdad.

Before I read your post I ordered the same , but with the 4 pin cable for about $150.00.

Good news is that they seem to all supply the same monitor , so if it's working good for you I should end up also being happy

Cheers Geoff.

[noisyneddy]

Has anybody had any experience with wireless cameras? I'm skeptical about wireless, but it just sounds easier than having to route wiring through everything.

I also want to run reversing camera through a Hema HN6.

Cheers Peter.

[robcaz]

Hi Peter,

The power is usually sourced at the vehicles reverse light to turn a camera on, while the image transfer is done via the wireless.

If you install a wireless camera at the back of your camper you will need to run power wires from the camera to a switch near you so the camera can be turned on at anytime. Again the image transfer is done via the wireless.

I hooked up an all wired rearview camera on the back of our camper to the Hema HN5i Navigator via a switch so I can check behind at anytime.

The A pillar cover in the Jeep JK Wrangler was a great place to put a few switches within reach of the drivers seat. C is for camera


The Hema Navigator sits in a good position above the rearview mirror suctioned to the plastic roof

[noisyneddy]

Thanks Rob,

So that means that if I run a camera on the back of the trailer I still need to have wring running all the way back through to the cab anyway.

I like your setup, that's something like what I was hoping to achieve.

[robcaz]

Hi Peter,

Yes I ran a two core cable for the camera power on the rear of the trailer back to the vehicles battery via a switch in the cab, then another twin core cable for the camera image to the Hema.

[brians]

Has anybody had any experience with wireless cameras? I'm skeptical about wireless, but it just sounds easier than having to route wiring through everything.

I also want to run reversing camera through a Hema HN6.

Cheers Peter.

Yes done lots of testing on wireless cameras. Haven't found one that we would recommend. Go the cable type for a reliable result.