Reversing camera question - is wireless that bad?

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lchiu7

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Topic # 198881 26-Jul-2016 20:47

I have seen many previous posts on this but nothing definite in terms of an after-market solution that works well.

I spoke to an automotive electrician company and they have quoted me about $180 for the parts (3" screen and camera) and 3 hours labour for installation. That is going to take the price up to $450ish.

I know I don't want to go wireless because of the less than stable connection it provides but given the cost quoted I might go that way. I don't always need the camera, the car also has rear sensors, but on some occasions it might be useful.

Just wondering what experience folks have had with wireless reversing cameras and are they happy with them.

I was looking at something like this

http://goo.gl/mJNFHJ

I presume I could power the screen from a tap off the current power to the front after market car stereo and the camera from the reversing light so it comes on when I go into reverse?

System One: Popcorn Hour A200, PS3 SuperSlim, NPVR and Plex Server running on Gigabyte Brix (Windows 10 Pro), Sony BDP-S390 BD player, Pioneer AVR, Raspberry Pi running Kodi and Plex, Panasonic 60" 3D plasma, Google Chromecast

System Two: Popcorn Hour A200 , Oppo BDP-80 BluRay Player with hardware mode to be region free, Vivitek HD1080P 1080P DLP projector with 100" screen. Harman Kardon HK AVR 254 7.1 receiver, Samsung 4K player, Google Chromecast

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Reply # 1599250 26-Jul-2016 21:05

I tested the Garmin BC30 Wireless Backup Camera last month, and thought it was okay. Like the picture quality wasn't amazingly stunning, but there wasn't any lag and everything moved in full speed when reversing. However the price here may be a bit of an issue, as the camera alone costs like $200NZD. However, I just wanted to mention it if you were wondering about if Wireless was okay or not.

Sony

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lchiu7

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Reply # 1599281 26-Jul-2016 21:56

Thanks. I might give it a shot but have it professional installed. Without wiring from rear to front it can't be too expensive.

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sonyxperiageek

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Reply # 1599284 26-Jul-2016 22:03

To be honest, the hardest part of it was probably splicing the wires. If you have the correct tools for it (I just used scissors) it should be easy. But I guess if you're not comfortable with it yourself, yes a professional installer may be a better option.

What car are you installing it on?

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richms

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Reply # 1599293 26-Jul-2016 22:09

They're not too bad actualy. They are analog, so no lag like with the wifi wireless ones that use your phone, and seem to be at the edge of the 2.4GHz band so not really effected too much by wifi. Bluetooth does flick some small lines over it sometimes I fine, but nothing major.

I would suggest spend a little more and get the one where the reciever is fitted inside the LCD, so there is less mess. The one I got also gives a choice of the 4 frequancies beside the 2.4Ghz band - so it will not recieve the normal 2.4GHz video senders, just the wireless camera transmitters. I was going to use a different channel one for the back of the trailer when I ordered this one - http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Wireless-4-3-inch-TFT-LCD-Color-Mirror-Parking-Car-Monitor-2-4GHz-Wireless-Transmitter-16/1805194399.html

but the buttons are on the back where they become inaccessable when it is clipped onto your mirror, the reflective coating makes it hard to see if there is light in the car without shading it, and if you do connect the transmitter to the reverse circuit, the display goes blue and shows "NO SIGNAL" for about 10-15 seconds after the transmitter is shut off.

I got lazy and just put it on the tail/number plate light circuit since that was on the boot lid already, whereas the reverse light was beside the lid, so would have had to run a cable thru the little duct that takes power to the stop like and number plate lights, which was excessive effort for me. I just flick the park lights on when I want the camera to run, and plug the screen in when reversing up to a wall or the trailer or something that I need to get really close to without parking by braile.

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linw

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Reply # 1599349 27-Jul-2016 08:23

With regard to cabling, the degree of difficulty depends on whether your car is a hatch or sedan. If a sedan, you might find it is easier than you think. The reversing power is right there as well.

Mine is a hatch but I got it cabled up with a bit of thinking and effort!

Camera $US10 wired to a $220 2DIN radio, audio,GPS unit. A $10 camera was a tiny gamble but I am agreeably surprised with its image, even at night (no infrared LEDs).

Forgot to mention. My first go at a reversing camera was with a wireless one but I pulled it out because of interference and poor image.

lchiu7

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Reply # 1599431 27-Jul-2016 11:35

To answer a few posts.

The car is a sedan 1994 BMW 5 series.

I would prefer wired but while I have soldering skills I'm not convinced of my ability run wires from the back of the car to the front tidily.

I don't have an issue installing the camera and feel confident I could tap into the brake lights for power. For the monitor the issue would be where to mount it and a tidy way to power it. I guess I could try to pull out the after market head unit and splice into that power since the monitor won't draw much power

One issue is there are so many cameras and monitors on AliExpress that one doesn't know which work well and which to avoid.

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richms

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Reply # 1599435 27-Jul-2016 11:39

For the cameras, there are some horrid ones that are not even making an attempt at being waterproof. I got an eyeball like one so I could aim it up/down to get a decent shot of the towbar. I actually mounted it under the top of the license plate area in the middle.

The ones that replace the numberplate lights will be off to one side of the middle, so no good for alligning a trailer, and I have seen ones that claim to fit a car which in no way would fit that car.

Richard rich.ms

lchiu7

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Reply # 1599442 27-Jul-2016 11:50

@linw out of interest what camera did you get?

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linw

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Reply # 1599449 27-Jul-2016 12:00

lchiu7: @linw out of interest what camera did you get?

I checked it out a short while ago and it is not stocked anymore. Sorry.

With respect to running wires, my car has plastic covers on the outside of the passenger space where you get into the seats. I just shoved the cable under these covers. Probably all cars have something like this.

Dingbatt

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Reply # 1599476 27-Jul-2016 13:02

After trying a wifi to Android phone system, I gave up and decided to go wired. In my circumstance, I already have my phone in a mount, so rather than add a display whose only function was as a reversing monitor I used a camera connected to a USB capture device which was connected to my phone via an OTG cable.
My car is a sedan so I just ran the av cable behind the boot lining, under the rear seat, along and underneath the door sill lining and into the dash. The whole evolution took about 3 hours and the parts (excluding the phone) cost about $50 (via ebay).
What took the most time was designing and printing a phone mount that incorporated a wireless charger and positions the OTG plug so it connects when I slide the phone into the mount.

What I have learned from the exercise, is that running the av cable from the rear of my car (a Maxima) was relatively easy and YouTube was definitely my friend when it came to getting some clues on how to go about it. Plastic trim removal tools are handy but not essential. As with home theatre stuff, I will always prefer wired to wireless of I can achieve it.
While i was at it, I dragged a 5 core cable through as well and left a couple of coils for the future.

I know this doesn't answer your OP question specifically, as the initial setup was wifi not wireless, but my main point is that running the av cable can be relatively simple if you are patient and prepared.

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linw

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Reply # 1599491 27-Jul-2016 13:28

I'd also endorse the use of YT for checking how to do these things. It's amazing how you can find exactly how to do this stuff with your own model car.

SQLGeek

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Reply # 1599515 27-Jul-2016 14:15

This is a nice looking product soon to be released in the US. It uses your smartphone as screen which makes a lot of sense.

https://pearlauto.com/

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Reply # 1599530 27-Jul-2016 14:57

SQLGeek:
This is a nice looking product soon to be released in the US. It uses your smartphone as screen which makes a lot of sense.

https://pearlauto.com/

$US500 and you supply the phone!

Areas of Geek interest: Home Theatre, HTPC, Android Tablets & Phones, iProducts.

MikeAqua

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Reply # 1599622 27-Jul-2016 16:33

For splicing into wires I have had good success with solder-splice joiners.

They are made from adhesive heat shrink and have a band of solder in the middle. The solder melts during heat shrinking, tinning the exposed end of the wires.

To splice into an existing lead I cut the existing wire and strip both ends.

Then I use the joiner to join them back together adding the new wire to one end of the joiner.

Between the internal solder join and the adhesive heat shrink they are reliable connections.

Mike

lchiu7

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Reply # 1599684 27-Jul-2016 19:43

Dingbatt: After trying a wifi to Android phone system, I gave up and decided to go wired. In my circumstance, I already have my phone in a mount, so rather than add a display whose only function was as a reversing monitor I used a camera connected to a USB capture device which was connected to my phone via an OTG cable.
My car is a sedan so I just ran the av cable behind the boot lining, under the rear seat, along and underneath the door sill lining and into the dash. The whole evolution took about 3 hours and the parts (excluding the phone) cost about $50 (via ebay).
What took the most time was designing and printing a phone mount that incorporated a wireless charger and positions the OTG plug so it connects when I slide the phone into the mount.

What I have learned from the exercise, is that running the av cable from the rear of my car (a Maxima) was relatively easy and YouTube was definitely my friend when it came to getting some clues on how to go about it. Plastic trim removal tools are handy but not essential. As with home theatre stuff, I will always prefer wired to wireless of I can achieve it.
While i was at it, I dragged a 5 core cable through as well and left a couple of coils for the future.

I know this doesn't answer your OP question specifically, as the initial setup was wifi not wireless, but my main point is that running the av cable can be relatively simple if you are patient and prepared.

I'll try out YT. The car electrician I spoke to said (and of course take this will a grain of salt) that with the older and more robust cars (like my E34 BMW) removing trim wasn't such an easy task but I have never looked at the feasibility of it myself.

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