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Rear view camera/Back up camera
Any recommendations for a rear view camera? In looking at the adds I see a lot about back up cameras and because I wanted to replace the rear view mirror with a camera, I am interested in recommendations. A concern about using a back up camera is the length of time the unit would be on vs a rear view camera, and  would there be a problem?

Thanks for your input.

Ian & Jean
27MB "Silver Fox"
Seattle area.
2015 MB

Re: Rear view camera/Back up camera
Reply #1
Ian,

Your rig is a 2015, correct? Did it not have the back up camera installed?

Our ‘15 had the wired backup camera installed during our build. It came with a Voyager camera and a monitor that was mounted next to the rear view mirror.

Amazon has Voyager wireless back up camera set ups as well as the Voyager CMOS cameras alone. I’ve been satisfied with our Voyager system (the monitor did die some years ago and was easily replaced).

Note: Our monitor has an on off switch. It comes on when reverse is engaged and turns off automatically when in drive. It can be turned on while driving if you’d like. Nice in heavy traffic or keeping an eye on a toad or bikes.

I’ve heard varying degrees of satisfaction with wireless systems. I’m wondering if new generation sets have an inboard repeater like some TPMS systems have.

I’ve included a pic of ours. I did wrap the monitor with a padded steering wheel cover to protect my DW’s head. Ouch!

Kent
2015 27' RB "MissB.Haven"

Re: Rear view camera/Back up camera
Reply #2
Hi Kent, We have the same set up. Over the last few years it has developed some heavy black lines across the screen, hence the need to do a project. I suspect the technology has improved significantly over the last years and if we were doing a replacement, wanted to upgrade. We have a big trip coming up this fall so wanted to get stated. Good hearing from you! ....... Ian
 
2015 MB

Re: Rear view camera/Back up camera
Reply #3
Hi Ian,

My old monitor developed ghosts over the whole screen. Like a black and white negative instead of a color picture.

I simply replaced the monitor with the same model (I don’t think that one is available anymore). Voyager may have a website or 1-800 number you can check for replacement monitors.

Mine was a simple matter of swapping out the two monitors. Took minutes.

Good luck.

Kent
2015 27' RB "MissB.Haven"

Re: Rear view camera/Back up camera
Reply #4

Ian,

Here is the Amazon link to the Voyager monitor I purchased back in 2018.

Amazon.com: Voyager AOM562A Observation 5.6" Rear View LCD Monitor with 2...

Can be handy to reference if you contact Voyager.

Here is a link for a Voyager monitor that says it is compatible with their camera. I am not sure if it is wired or not. Although it says it comes with a wiring cable. Mine did too but I did not need to use it.

Amazon.com: Voyager VOM718 7" LCD Color Backup Rear View Vehicle Observation...



Kent

As an Amazon Associate Lazy Daze Owners' Group earns from qualifying purchases.
2015 27' RB "MissB.Haven"

Re: Rear view camera/Back up camera
Reply #5

I've had Voyager camera/monitor systems--both wired and wireless--on several rigs over the years. I certainly agree that any rear-view camera is better than none. I emphasize rear-view--meaning on all the time--rather than backup--on only when in reverse gear--because with the lengths of our rigs, no possible outside rear-view mirrors can give a good view of what's directly behind even when driving down the highway, and that's doubly true when backing up into a campsite. A rear-view camera does a great job of substituting for a rear-view mirror--in fact, it's better!

However, if starting from scratch, I would not buy a Voyager camera system today. Why? Because they have very low resolution--typically 480 W x 272 pixels. Come on, my Apple Watch has better resolution than that! Yes, you can see what's behind you, but it's a coarse and grainy image. As far as I can tell, both Voyager's wired and wireless cameras have this low picture quality.

As an alternative, consider a modern system such as the Wolfbox G840S. The advantages:

* A minimum resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 pixels, displayed on a tack-sharp touchscreen display that clips over your inside rear-view mirror.
* It has two cameras--one built into the mirror/display and one wired to the rear camera.
* It's a dashcam, so everything it sees on both cameras is recorded at high resolution and frame rate. Whether somebody cuts in front of you or tailgates behind you, it's being captured in sharp video.
* The touchscreen makes it easy to change settings. There's no awkward digging through menus using two or three pushbuttons, as with the Voyager displays.
* The cost is a hundred bucks and change--much less than the Voyager outfits.

The main drawback is that the rear camera has to be wired to the display. I haven't seen any wireless systems with decent (better than 640 x 480) resolution, so that's a price I'm willing to pay. The difference in sharpness and detail between the Wolfbox display and a Voyager display must be seen to be believed--it's like night and day.

That said, the Wolfbox display is less bright, due to its partial mirror coating. That's a drawback, but not a big deal in most circumstances.

Several of our members have this system, and I've been using an identical Vantop camera system on my truck + trailer rig for more than a year. I can't imagine being without it. You can read more about the pluses and minuses of the Wolfbox camera systems in these two threads:

Rear View Mirror Camera & Dash Cam

Wolfbox Camera

Two tips when installing a rear camera:

1. Don't try to cut corners by mounting it inside the rear window. That never works well, because the window's tint dims the image; reflections in the window glass will degrade the image quality; and you can't get a good downward angle that will let you see where your bumper is in relation to what's behind you.

2. Preferably don't mount the camera on the license plate holder, even if the outfit you buy includes a bracket for that purpose. You'll be able to see the vehicle immediately behind you, but no further than that; and when backing up, you won't have a view of the bumper and the objects behind you. Oh, you'll see them, but these cameras with their very wide angle lenses make everything look further away than it is, so it's hard to judge distances when looking straight back.

Instead, mount the camera where most RV makers put them: outside, above the rear window and angled down just enough to put the rear bumper at the bottom of its view. That way you'll have a good view of traffic behind you; and when backing up, you'll see both the bumper and that fencepost behind you, and be able to judge just how far apart they are. :-)

As an Amazon Associate Lazy Daze Owners' Group earns from qualifying purchases.
Andy Baird
2021 Ford Ranger towing 2019 Airstream 19CB
Previously: 1985 LD Twin/King "Gertie"; 2003 LD Midbath "Skylark"

Re: Rear view camera/Back up camera
Reply #6
WOW!  Whaat a batch of useful information! I think that I would only use the rear camera. We have a friend in BC Canada who has both front and rear cameras in case he has a collision, etc, he would have some record of the circumstances. I read a recommendation that the rear camera should be mounted above the rear window so you get distance information. Is the rear camera well weatherproofed?  With what i have read I am impressed. In installing the cable it seems that the only tricky part would be the under the shower area.

Thanks for the info, will keep you posted!

Ian & Jean
2015 MB "Silver Fox"
2015 MB

Re: Rear view camera/Back up camera
Reply #7
"We have a friend in BC Canada who has both front and rear cameras in case he has a collision, etc, he would have some record of the circumstances."

You absolutely want a recording front camera ("dashcam"), as well as the rear one. It's protection against legal and insurance claims. And with the Wolfbox type mirror/dashcam, the front camera is built into the mirror/display, so there's no extra wiring or clutter.

Here's a common insurance fraud technique: the perpetrator buys a cheap used car, drives it until he sees an expensive-looking vehicle such as your motorhome, then gets in front of you and jams on the brakes. He then claims that he was driving along minding his business when you came speeding from behind and rear-ended him. He also claims that he has crippling whiplash from the accident, and files a major lawsuit. His car is totaled, and he gets a big insurance payout for the claimed injury.

In court, it's your word against his. But with a dashcam, it's your word plus your dashcam footage showing your speed (a dashcam with GPS records that as part of the video), and the jerk in front jamming on his brakes for no reason. Case closed.

"Is the rear camera well weatherproofed?"

I haven't seen one of the modern ones fail in many years. (I have seen a couple of the Voyager cameras fail.) Be sure to leave a "drip loop" in the wire just before it enters the camera. That'll prevent water from seeping in through the camera's rear seal.

"In installing the cable it seems that the only tricky part would be the under the shower area."

Yes, if you run the cable inside starting in the rear. My preference is to run it across the roof and then bring it inside through the refrigerator vent. Either way will work, but if you use the fridge vent, you'll bypass the shower... and you won't have to make any holes in the roof to bring the cable inside.
Andy Baird
2021 Ford Ranger towing 2019 Airstream 19CB
Previously: 1985 LD Twin/King "Gertie"; 2003 LD Midbath "Skylark"

Re: Rear view camera/Back up camera
Reply #8
Another route for your wire from the rear view mirror to the rear camera location:
* Across top of windshield;
* Down A-Column;
* Across door step;
* Behind frig;
* Under kitchen counters;
* Through bathroom;
* Under shower;
* Up wall to TV area;
* Through cabinets to rear camera.
jor
09 27' MB
10  Suby Forester

Re: Rear view camera/Back up camera
Reply #9
Hi, I have the factory Voyager system on my 2015 MB, however There was no manual in the supplied information packet for the unit. Can anyone provide me with a hook-up wiring diagram? In hooking up a new unit I would much rather use existing wiring rather than install new unless there is a mitigating reason.
Thanks!!
Ian, 2015 MB "Silver Fox"
2015 MB

 
Re: Rear view camera/Back up camera
Reply #10
Quote
Can anyone provide me with a hook-up wiring diagram?

I had the same thing in mind when I went from the Voyager to a rear view mirror deal. I was unable to find any adapter. I called RVCams from whom I have bought several Voyager systems over the years and they said no way. So I ended up running new wires. If you find a solution to use the factory wiring, you will be very popular here on the forum!
(RVCams)
jor
09 27' MB
10  Suby Forester

Re: Rear view camera/Back up camera
Reply #11
I had the same thing in mind when I went from the Voyager to a rear view mirror deal. I was unable to find any adapter. I called RVCams from whom I have bought several Voyager systems over the years and they said no way. So I ended up running new wires. If you find a solution to use the factory wiring, you will be very popular here on the forum!

If the old wire contains enough wires, the ends can be cut and new plugs grafted on…if your skill set includes soldering small-diameter wires.
In our LD’s case, running a new cable was simpler.

Larry
Larry
2003 23.5' Front Lounge, since new.  Previously 1983 22' Front Lounge.
Tow vehicles  2020 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, 2001 Jeep Cherokee
Photo Collection: Lazy Daze

Re: Rear view camera/Back up camera
Reply #12
"If the old wire contains enough wires, the ends can be cut and new plugs grafted on"

Yes, if I had an existing wired rear-view camera that would be my first choice. All you need is four wires. Take the cable that came with your rear-view mirror camera, cut it in half and shorten the halves to a couple of feet, and splice them to your existing wire harness.

You can solder or crimp. If crimping, strip back the wires of the new cables about an inch and then fold the bare ends back three times to get enough bulk for a reliable crimp.
Andy Baird
2021 Ford Ranger towing 2019 Airstream 19CB
Previously: 1985 LD Twin/King "Gertie"; 2003 LD Midbath "Skylark"

Re: Rear view camera/Back up camera
Reply #13
Hi, That is exactly my first choice and I wanted to get as much information as possible and practical. I don^t believe in the old adage "Turn it on and tune for maximum smoke".  Still have my kit from college days 70 years ago, from when hi-fi wasn't very hi.
Thanks for the info, will keep you posted!
Ian, 2015 MB "Silver Fox"
2015 MB

Re: Rear view camera/Back up camera
Reply #14
So I have to throw a 'monkey wrench' in here.  My inverter had a remote panel and I wanted to mount the panel farther away than the supplied wire length would allow. I figured I would just extend the 10 wires....  They were very finely stranded, maybe 40AWG each strand, (about 26 AWG total for each wire) and aluminum!  The connector was too large to fit through a tight remote bind in the only place I could run the cable.  The new extension cable was copper. With Noalox applied, I wrapped the aluminum wire strands, about an inch worth, around the copper; taped it and heat shrank some tubing over it all.  It is hidden inside a wall I can access, if I need to repair it.
    Here's hoping those Wolfbox cables are copper.  Mine came with a short cable, use that to experiment on. I bought a 33', and then a 50' just in case.  I'm hoping the 33' will do it.  Time consuming to run a new cable, so this upgrade over the factory supplied 240x60 4" b/w camera is in the queue.   RonB
RonB (Bostick) living in San Diego
Original owner of "Bluebelle" a '99 TKB

Re: Rear view camera/Back up camera
Reply #15
Hi Ian,

Here are pics of my Voyager camera. Pretty sparse. Hope it helps.

Kent
2015 27' RB "MissB.Haven"

Re: Rear view camera/Back up camera
Reply #16
Thanks Kent! Your transmission gave me 2 valuable pieces of information, the number of conductors and configuration of the plug. Thanks!
Ian, 2015 MB "Silver Fox"
2015 MB