Rear view camera

Just had an experience with a wireless rear-view/backup camera and 7 inch monitor that I got off of EBay. Hard wired the monitor into my dash 12 volts and the camera into the running lights. So to have the camera working I have to have the running lights on. No problem there as I normally run with the lights on anyway.I got the wireless system from China pretty quick and all was well. Tested it on my bench with known reliable 12 volts and it worked great. Picture was clear and it had many of the features are more expensive system had like a range finder to tell you how close you were to something when backing etc. All in all I paid less than $80.00 including shipping form China. After testing for a couple of days I put it into the motorhome and it ran as it should for ONE day. The second day I went to the motorhome to show the wife my handiwork and it would not make contact. Got message no signal on the monitor. Got on the ladder, took the camera down and moved it right next to the monitor and still no signal Now is it the camera or the monitor receiver that is out? I have no idea. I put both on a known 12 volt supply and nothing happened but the monitor was alive and seemed to respond to the menus it has via buttons on the monitor. By the way there is a wire you can wire into the backup contacts on your rig so you can have it come on automatically when you backup but I just wired it so that it comes on anytime I push the power on button on the monitor. That is a supported option they provide. Anyway I contacted the Ebay seller and they responded in a day and told me that they would gladly replace the camera but I would have to send it to China at my expense and gave me a restocking number. They also gave me the option to buy a new camera and a reduced price of $20.00. I took that option and am currently waiting for it to come again from China. Knowing these kind of things when dealing with off shore companies I was not surprised. But if I had gotten it form a US company the replacement would probably been a lot easier and quicker. Like I said before, on the bench it did everything I wanted the system to do, and I will have to see what the end results of this gamble will be. But I was willing to take the chance at the great cost difference between this one and others I have seen. I have a perfectly good wife to back me up anyway so if it does not work, no big deal to me as it was kind of an experiment anyway.

All the 'rear view' cameras will work when 12 volts is applied.

Most instructions that come with a camera say to wire it to the back up light, and get +12 from there, meaning that it will only activate while in reverse. However you could run a small wire from the front of the RV to the back, and turn that on anytime you want the camera active. Put the switch by the drivers seat.

I have a wired camera in my 23' long shuttle van. I had to extend the wires a couple of extra feet. The camera runs on power from the back up mirror, and does not require an external power source. My mirror fits onto the factory installed back up mirror, and plugs into a cigarette lighter. I have one that only runs when the engine is on, and it comes on when I start it, shuts off when I leave the van. It also has a 32 GB storage card, and a forward looking camera. I think that it records both cameras - in case of a accident, I would have something to prove I was driving somewhat good just before it happened!

They also sell dash mounted rear view cameras - if you do not have a back up mirror, or want something on the dash, not the windshield.

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/New-1pcs-car-camara-Large-4-3-inch-16-9-SD-480-272-screen-resolution-CAR/1975185577.html

Good luck,

Fred.

google RVrearviewcamera and check out their video on 'real life scenario #1'.

We evaluated all of the major makes but wanted to avoid a wired systen and drilling into the skin. It establishes a digital, wireless, hot spot with a 12V router, camera and uses ones smartphone as the monitor. good luck.

sorry for the double post. posted the first and it wasn't listed right away (thinking GS doesn't like websites listed) until the follow up one was written without the formal website.

good product with reliable wireless range. again we have a small collapsible TT and the router is just inside of the tailgate and the camera mounted on the AC shroud (only wired power to camera is via the tongue battery pigtail and only power to the router is via a cigarette lighter receptacle) is 20' from the router. The signal is indeed digital-wireless.

We looked at all of the models but settled and installed one of these systems from www.rvrearviewcamera.com
Be sure and check out the video on their website (heading 'real life video' or something like that).
The kit establishes a digital, wireless hot spot with ~60' range with camera and router and router to your smartphone as the monitor.
Easy to install (software included) and the only brief (1-2 sec) loss of picture interference is when completely stopped at a intersection with traffic light-police installed "traffic" camera.
Otherwise, no issues in town or with other vehicles with their own camera system. Good luck with your selection.

I got the voyager from jensen works good, is not wireless as reviews stated they were not reliable. Mine is wired to be on all the time not just in reverse