This has been a fun project... installing a wired backup camera on our Grand Design Transcend 29TBS.
I've had a couple people ask why I'd bother with a wired camera when the trailer was prepped for a wireless Furrion camera... I've tried wireless already when we had our motorhome, and there's always some degree of latency. With the last one we had, the latency was so bad that I'd see a car coming up on the monitor at the same time it was passing my side view mirror...
Then there's the cost. The Furrion can run over $500, and I could get the components for wired kit for under $100.
The short version on installing:
1) Removed the plastic housing for the Furrion camera
2) Drilled a 1/2" hole thru the back wall of the trailer and into the attic
3) Snaked a 50' combination power/video extension cable thru the rafters.... By far the worst part...
4) Brought the cable down an interior wall between the bath and main bedroom, and eventually into the underbelly
5) snaked the remainder of the way thru the underbelly to the "A" frame at the front
6) Installed a 4x4 weatherproof electrical box over the hole on the rear, sealing the opening and screw holes with butyl tape
On the truck, I have a 12V power/video plug available at the hitch, which is then connected to a separate monitor in the cab. Given the similarities on the F-150 with the E-450 motorhome we used to own, it was a matter of snaking the wiring inside the cab from under the door sill, up the door post and behind the dashboard.
Happy to share questions on how to run the cable if anyone else is interested in trying this.
Removing the Furrion camera mount was simple -- four screws to remove the bracket, and then peeling off a rubber gasket that sat between the mount and the siding. Unfortunately it was placed below attic height, so I couldn't re-use the existing hole. This was also where I made my lone mistake of any regret -- when I drilled the new hole to enter the attic, I misjudged by about 3/8" and instead of entering the attic, half the opening was in the attic and half was in the rear bedroom where the ceiling panel meets the back wall...
I could have also tapped into 12V power for the camera here, but I specifically didn't want it drawing power unless it were hooked up to the truck. Since most of the extension cable options included a power+video that was compatible with the camera I'd purchased, it was a simple decision to keep the existing Furrion plug wiring intact in case we sell the coach and someone else would want the Furrion option. I also saved the mount and gasket for the same reason.
Inside the coach, I popped out the puck lights going down one side of the ceiling, plus one of the ceiling duct vents. That made it a lot easier to guide the fish tape I was using, starting back at the hole and working forward. I also removed the lower sleeve for the rear bedroom roof vent as well as the bathroom vent, which gave me multiple places to be able to guide the fish tape thru the rafters.
One thing that gave me difficulty was the fish tape going between a rafter and the ceiling panel, as opposed to thru the truss openings. Using an inspection camera helped to identify where that had happened, but if you have access to the fish tape thru the ceiling openings, it's pretty easy to feel the difference in friction when it's sandwiched as opposed to floating.
At the front of the coach, I chose to re-use a path from roof to basement that I'd used for the solar panel wiring. I'd routed that into the coach thru the bathroom roof vent and down an interior wall. To be able to remove the wall panel itself, I had to also take down the sliding door to the bedroom, which is ideally a two person job but can be done by one if you have a way to support the bottom of the door while removing the lag screws that attach the slide channel to the ceiling. Once that was fully removed, it was simply a matter of pulling the panel forward from the non-hallway edge. As the hallway edge is finished with a piece of wood trim, I left it attached. Fortunately, luan has a lot of give, and there was plenty of room to work with it partially pulled away on just the one edge.
Inside the wall, there's a 1x4 header which seemed to be lined up with a rafter, so it wasn't as simple as drilling thru the header alone, but also thru the rafter. You might be able to see the solar cable coming thru the hole for the vent pipe... While I considered that, there just wasn't enough clearance for the plugs to fit.
The bottom of the wall lines up with the power converter compartment, so I tapped a side exit, which then allowed easy access into the underbelly of the coach.
Once the wiring was in the belly, it was a very simple matter of using the fish tape again to pull the cable forward to where the enclosed belly ended and the A-Frame started. The last two feet along the frame are the only sections of exposed wire, and I used a few zip ties along the way to help keep it secured. Longer term, I may cover it with Eternabond to provide some UV protection.
Wiring complete, it was back to the camera mount... I used a 4x4 outdoor electrical box (spray painted black per The Queen's instructions), to hold the excess wire, with a good layer of butyl tape to seal up the hole into the attic, the previous hole and screw holes, as well as the new screw holes securing the electrical box. The camera mount itself is attached to the cover plate, not the coach. This gives me a little more flexibility in the future if I want to change out cameras or the mounting position. Replacing a $2 cover plate is a lot easier and safer than drilling new holes into the coach.
I've had a couple people ask why I'd bother with a wired camera when the trailer was prepped for a wireless Furrion camera... I've tried wireless already when we had our motorhome, and there's always some degree of latency. With the last one we had, the latency was so bad that I'd see a car coming up on the monitor at the same time it was passing my side view mirror...
Then there's the cost. The Furrion can run over $500, and I could get the components for wired kit for under $100.
The short version on installing:
1) Removed the plastic housing for the Furrion camera
2) Drilled a 1/2" hole thru the back wall of the trailer and into the attic
3) Snaked a 50' combination power/video extension cable thru the rafters.... By far the worst part...
4) Brought the cable down an interior wall between the bath and main bedroom, and eventually into the underbelly
5) snaked the remainder of the way thru the underbelly to the "A" frame at the front
6) Installed a 4x4 weatherproof electrical box over the hole on the rear, sealing the opening and screw holes with butyl tape
On the truck, I have a 12V power/video plug available at the hitch, which is then connected to a separate monitor in the cab. Given the similarities on the F-150 with the E-450 motorhome we used to own, it was a matter of snaking the wiring inside the cab from under the door sill, up the door post and behind the dashboard.
Happy to share questions on how to run the cable if anyone else is interested in trying this.
Removing the Furrion camera mount was simple -- four screws to remove the bracket, and then peeling off a rubber gasket that sat between the mount and the siding. Unfortunately it was placed below attic height, so I couldn't re-use the existing hole. This was also where I made my lone mistake of any regret -- when I drilled the new hole to enter the attic, I misjudged by about 3/8" and instead of entering the attic, half the opening was in the attic and half was in the rear bedroom where the ceiling panel meets the back wall...
I could have also tapped into 12V power for the camera here, but I specifically didn't want it drawing power unless it were hooked up to the truck. Since most of the extension cable options included a power+video that was compatible with the camera I'd purchased, it was a simple decision to keep the existing Furrion plug wiring intact in case we sell the coach and someone else would want the Furrion option. I also saved the mount and gasket for the same reason.
Inside the coach, I popped out the puck lights going down one side of the ceiling, plus one of the ceiling duct vents. That made it a lot easier to guide the fish tape I was using, starting back at the hole and working forward. I also removed the lower sleeve for the rear bedroom roof vent as well as the bathroom vent, which gave me multiple places to be able to guide the fish tape thru the rafters.
One thing that gave me difficulty was the fish tape going between a rafter and the ceiling panel, as opposed to thru the truss openings. Using an inspection camera helped to identify where that had happened, but if you have access to the fish tape thru the ceiling openings, it's pretty easy to feel the difference in friction when it's sandwiched as opposed to floating.
At the front of the coach, I chose to re-use a path from roof to basement that I'd used for the solar panel wiring. I'd routed that into the coach thru the bathroom roof vent and down an interior wall. To be able to remove the wall panel itself, I had to also take down the sliding door to the bedroom, which is ideally a two person job but can be done by one if you have a way to support the bottom of the door while removing the lag screws that attach the slide channel to the ceiling. Once that was fully removed, it was simply a matter of pulling the panel forward from the non-hallway edge. As the hallway edge is finished with a piece of wood trim, I left it attached. Fortunately, luan has a lot of give, and there was plenty of room to work with it partially pulled away on just the one edge.
Inside the wall, there's a 1x4 header which seemed to be lined up with a rafter, so it wasn't as simple as drilling thru the header alone, but also thru the rafter. You might be able to see the solar cable coming thru the hole for the vent pipe... While I considered that, there just wasn't enough clearance for the plugs to fit.
The bottom of the wall lines up with the power converter compartment, so I tapped a side exit, which then allowed easy access into the underbelly of the coach.
Once the wiring was in the belly, it was a very simple matter of using the fish tape again to pull the cable forward to where the enclosed belly ended and the A-Frame started. The last two feet along the frame are the only sections of exposed wire, and I used a few zip ties along the way to help keep it secured. Longer term, I may cover it with Eternabond to provide some UV protection.
Wiring complete, it was back to the camera mount... I used a 4x4 outdoor electrical box (spray painted black per The Queen's instructions), to hold the excess wire, with a good layer of butyl tape to seal up the hole into the attic, the previous hole and screw holes, as well as the new screw holes securing the electrical box. The camera mount itself is attached to the cover plate, not the coach. This gives me a little more flexibility in the future if I want to change out cameras or the mounting position. Replacing a $2 cover plate is a lot easier and safer than drilling new holes into the coach.
