Back up camera alternative April 24, 2021, 01:09:15 pm I'm just throwing this out there for those considering installing one as I did on our previous rig.Instead of routing cables and power lines like I did wouldn't a dash cam with a wifi video connection be a lot simpler to install?Just aim it out the the back window.
Re: Back up camera alternative Reply #1 – April 24, 2021, 09:55:47 pm It could be done, but there are a few things to consider.You'd need to provide 12 V power to the camera. And ideally, you'd like that power to be coming from an ignition-switched source, because if you run it from a house-battery-connected outlet, you'd have to remember to switch it off when finished with a drive and switch it back on when starting out. Otherwise you'd be drawing power from your house batteries.You'd need to be able to flip the image so the display on your connected device acted like a mirror. Without that, things get very confusing very fast. I once accidentally switched my trailer's rear-view camera to non-mirrored mode, and almost hit a tree while backing up because it looked as if was on the other side from where it actually was.You'd probably want to dedicate a tablet or phone (maybe an old one you're not using any more?) to serving as the camera's display. You'll need 12 V power for that, as well. And you'd need to launch and pair the app every time you drove.Finally, while I've used three or four dashcams over the years, I've never found the Wi-Fi connections to the proprietary software to be completely reliable.But dashcams are cheap nowadays, and if you have an old phone or small tablet in a drawer, it wouldn't cost much to try it out. At the very least, if somebody rear-ends you, you'll have it on video. :-) 2 Likes
Re: Back up camera alternative Reply #2 – May 03, 2021, 09:58:39 am This works really well— I’ve been using it on the LD since January 2020 and liked it so much I got a second one for my ‘04 Explorer which also didn’t have a built in backup camera. Super easy: “install†consists of attaching the license plate frame which has the camera and solar panel built into it. TYPE S 6.8" Widescreen Solar Powered HD Wireless Backup Camera 2.0More information: Amazon.com: TYPE S 6.8" Widescreen Solar Powered HD Wireless Backup Camera 2.0 This is the next (3rd) generation version, now on sale at Costco online: https://www.costco.com/type-s-6.8%22-widescreen-solar-powered-hd-wireless-backup-camera-2.0.product.100681295.html Daryl 5 Likes As an Amazon Associate Lazy Daze Owners' Group earns from qualifying purchases.
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Topic: Back up camera alternative (Read 246 times)
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