Customer Reviews

Audiovox Car ACA200W License Plate Camera System

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Bought this camera to see my hitch. Works Great! Easy to install, it mounts behind the license plate and the camera looks overtop of the plate. Even came with special screws and the tool to install them so it won't get stolen.
You hook up ground, power at the white back up light and it uses an RCA type video cable (included) to run the signal to the front of the vehicle. I used my head unit input but because it has a standard RCA video connection it works with just about any input.
There is a little blue loop on the connector, if you need to reverse the image you just clip this loop. Very cool. This thing has even been under water and had no problem at all.
Wired is the way to go, Wireless works but this is like having cable or a TV antenna.
It also has a one year warranty from Audiovox.

After reading numerous articles on fitting backup cameras to a Toyota Camry, I took a chance on this camera rather than the one recommended (at ~3 times the price!). I'm handy with a soldering iron, so thought I could modify as necessary.

In short this camera works great. I took some screens and have posted them as customer images with notes.
Although the camera is listed as requiring 12v, it works great on the 6v output from the Camry wiring harness. Before starting any work on the car I tested this with a 6V battery and plugged the camera output into a standard video-in socket on a TV.

I also had a mandate to not drill any holes or cut/break into any wires, in order to maintain the full warranty on the car.

I needed to buy three things, beside this camera, to do the installation. Firstly was 20' of 4-core cable to run from the camera to the dash, a female phono connection (I also didn't want to cut the wires on the backup camera), and a set of plastic trim removal tools (Actron CP5011 Panel, Trim and Molding Removal Set).
I pulled out the indash unit, plugged into it using pins from an old PC CDROM audio cable (CD-ROM Audio Cable, Mpc2 To Mpc2, 18in) and soldered these wires to the 4 core cable. This cable was then "fished" followed the existing wiring loom following the drivers side and through an existing grommet into the trunk lid. From there it was necessary to solder this 4 core cable to the camera +/- wires and the female phone (for video signal) and then pass the cable through the driver's side license plate lamp seal.

I decided to use the alternative mounting plate that came with the camera and mount this using shallow screws into my aluminum license plate holder - all told, zero wires cut & zero holes drilled into car. I was as happy as my wife is with the install. Definitely not as quick as a wireless camera, but you can't argue at the quality of the camera and the manner in which it integrates with the existing electronics.

There are lots of instructions on the internet on how to do this if you have a Camry [...] Note, the camera they recommend is an Eclipse one (Eclipse BEC106 Back-Eye Vehicle Rear-View Camera) which is just slightly smaller, though over a hundred dollars more!

Hope this helps, Mike

I purchased this about a week ago from amazon and I must say I bought it because the amazon reviews were good and the price was the best on amazon. I installed it this week and I love it. The wide angle lens lets you see almost from bumper to bumper on my car. Even at night the lights from my license plate lamps and rear backup lights illuminate the camera very well and is not an issue at night. You can adjust the camera so that you can see the tip of your bumper so you know just how close that car is getting to yours when backing up. I have not used it in the rain yet so im waiting to see how that is but otherwise I love it and recommend it. No need to buy a very expensive one because this one is just as good. I have seen the factory issued cameras with a new car and this one is just the same. I rate it 5 out of 5 and hope this can give you some direction. The reviews on this convinced me and I would buy again if i need one for another car. Enjoy....

Installation was a breeze. It's hard to believe someone would pay money for a wireless cam when this one is so easy to install. I ran the video line along existing cable runs and through existing grommets. Picking up the 12v was simple with the included splices. Great quality throughout the field of view.

After 1 month of use , the housing camera lens is full of water (Rain and car wash maybe the cause).

I have had this camera installed on my truck for approximately two weeks. Right out of the box, I discovered rust on the brand new license plate bracket - it appeared that the bracket was rusted before it was even painted. While I was not pleased to find this, I wanted to get my install underway. I sanded, primed, and painted the bracket and installed the camera the next day.

Installation is fairly straightforward, but it took some time on my vehicle. Don't get too excited about the "anti-theft" mounting hardware. It is only two license plate mounting screws that require a standard Allen wrench. The camera is held to the bracket by two standard Phillips head screws, so this camera can be quickly removed if anyone takes an interest in it. The most difficult part of my installation was snaking the video cable forward from the rear bumper, through a frame rail, and into the cab through an existing grommet. This process, while frustrating, had nothing to do with the camera, and the included video cable was just long enough for my installation (2006 Nissan Titan King Cab). Longer trucks might need to extend the included cable or purchase a longer cable - it is just a standard RCA connector on both ends. I was not encouraged by reviews of the wireless cameras, so this still seems to be the better choice.

Once installed, the picture is clear and responsive in all but pitch-black conditions. The camera does not have a "fish eye" effect, but the wide angle image makes it very difficult to determine if objects are directly in the path of the vehicle. You will see them though, so no worries about missing children, pets, or vehicles. The camera does struggle to produce a clear picture when only a portion of the image is bright - headlights and bright overhead lights in a parking garage have been the problem so far. The area surrounding the light source is washed out while the darker portions of the screen have little detail. Bright sunlight isn't an issue so far, at least when the lighting is consistent across the screen.

After two weeks on the truck, other pieces of installation hardware have begun to rust. The screws and washers used to hold the camera to the bracket and the bracket to the bumper are not fairing well with limited exposure to road salt. So far the camera is fairing better, but time will tell. While the picture is about what I would expect for $60, the hardware is extremely disappointing. This might be a good choice if you live in an arid climate, but I would probably make a trip to the hardware store to upgrade the screws and washers before installation. Based on the initial quality of this camera, I will not purchase another Audiovox product.

Just got back from a camping trip where I used this back up camera. Camera worked great and had no issues. Picture was clear. Only comment is would be nice if they included a monitor with the unit.

I purchased this camera ,of course, with an expectation that I would be able to see behind my automobile better. Not only did the camera allow me to see behind my automobile better, it allowed me to see things in the road that I would have never seen. When backing up in a parking lot, I can see the white lines dividing the individual spaces which makes it very easy to reverse into a parking space. It is also easier to back-up in the parking garage at work and actually know how close I am to the wall without having to give a rough estimate as to how close I am to the wall. It works great with my pioneer avhp4000DVD. Hope this review helps, and thanks amazon for having the best price.

Great camera but don't use with garmin gps and integration box. The camera is great but garmin integration box is usless.

Just put in a warranty ticket with Audiovox. After 4 months the lens has fogged up making the camera useless. I live in sunny Northern California (no snow or rain storms here) so durability is definitely is in question.

Update - adjusted to 3 stars from 1 - Audiovox sent a replacement within 1 week. Fast and no further hassle. Unit is on my car and hasn't fogged within the last 6 months.