Customer Reviews

Pyle PLCM36 3.5-Inch Slim TFT LCD Universal Mount Monitor with License Plate Mount Rear-view Night Vision Backup Camera

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(34)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(21)

 

 

This Pyle PLCM36 3.5" TFT LCD Backup Camera and Monitor is my first backup camera system purchase. Vision behind my Dodge Sprinter HighTop van is poor because of my wheelchair lift. I have a friend who had an after market backup system in her Toyota Tacoma for $500+. The display (monitor) in her Toyota is in the center of the mirror. Her Toyota uuit is no doubt "better quality" although she could find or produce any specs for her camera or mirror monitor. Seeing her system sent me on a search for my own backup system.

I think this unit, camera and monitor, are as good as her Toyota install setup.

The PLCM36 system is wired to be activated and display what the camera sees when you put your vehicle in reverse. The camera is wired to connect to the hot 12v wire connecting to your backup lights. I opted to wire the camera and monitor through the fuse block and have both come on and stay on as long as the key is inserted into the ignition. It functions as a backup monitor and a rear view display while you drive. Default installation of the camera bracket is on the license tag. I mounted mine behind the rear bumper of the van with the camera peeking through a 3/4" hole in the bumper. A thief can destroy the camera but not steal it without calling attention to him/herself. It makes for a very clean, almost invisible installation.

The camera bracket is plastic. I thought it would be metal but it's not. I had to shim mine up as the plastic is too brittle to bend forward to far. Don't consider bending it unless you heat it.

I had it wired as "always on" because my wheelchair lift is in the rear of my van. It blocks 85 to 90% of the rear windows. With the PYLE backup system one can see directly behind and with the fisheye effect of the camera lense to the left and right of the van approximately 20 degrees.

My monitor is mounted on the dash above and right of the steering wheel next to a hump in the dash above the instrument panel. The display isn't quite as obvious in my situation as maybe in others. Currently it is attached with the double sided sticky pad included. I have intentions of changing this to a velcro attachment. Power and Video to the monitor connect via RCA phono plugs. It will be easy enought to remove and unhook to be locked in the glove box or taken out.

The monitor has a second Video input for DVD players, GPS systems (if a second Video out is included), etc.

Knowing what I know now I would have purchased a larger monitor - a 5" or 7".

There is no stretching or squaty distortion to the display. I'm perfectly satisfied with my PLCN36 and highly recommend it.

Just installed this camera system sucessfully. Even though the install is somewhat simple it really doesn't come with instructions.

The instructions are non-existent so you need to know a little bit before you start. In order to install it in my '03 Ford Taurus I had to do the following....
1) drill out a hole behind the license plate for the camera cord to go (there was an existing hole, but I needed a drill and dremel to make it bigger).
2) remove a lot of the paneling inside the trunk (pretty easy if you buy one of those tools to pop off the plastic rivets that holds the molding in place) you can get this tool at any car parts place for about $8
3) find the wire going to the reverse light (black with pink stripe in my car's case) and a ground wire (black)....don't forget to disconnect the battery first
4) splice the camera wire onto the reverse light wire and ground wire
5) put everything back
6) run the camera wire up to the front of the car.
At this point you think you are done until you realize you need to do some sort of similar splice in order to get power to the camera. Fortunately, instead of messing with this I went to Radio Shack (now known as The Shack) and bought a 12V / 2A plug that you put in a car outlet that had a power cord that fit into the camera.

Whoah, it worked. Although when we first plugged it in we had color....although since then it seems to be more black and white. I think in either low light conditions or very bright conditions, the image appears basically in black and white. Either way, the clarity is pretty good.

Newer models of backup cameras have wireless capability so you don't have to run the cord from the trunk to the center console.

The camera quality is decent, it definitely serves the purpose of a backup camera. It does work well in low light conditions

Went to install the plcm36 on Saturday and got it all installed, but it didn't work. Had an extra power cable that is not shown in your installation guide anywhere. Come to find out from [...] that the monitor needs 12v power (not shown in your instructions) just like the camera. Had to go get a 12v adapter so I could get power to the monitor. Works fine now. Your installation instruction need some major corrections.

The instructions also list a line that says 'required drill cutout tool INCLUDED) but wasn't included.

I recently purchased this nightvision backup camera for my husband whose friend has a factory installed one on his 2007 Honda Pilot. He couldn't believe how easy it was to install on our 2002 Ford Focus SE Wagon. He said the most difficult part of the installation was the temporary removal of this car"s inside trim and molding, and it really wasn't that hard to do. This was necessary to run and hide the video cable from the camera mounted on the trunk lid to the LCD screen mounted on the dash. The LCD screen ONLY comes on when the car is shifted into "REVERSE" and he still can't believe the clarity, especially at night. It's so easy now to hook-up to anything he has to trailer. It's a one person chore that's really no chore at all now. Thank you so much for such a wonderful, affordable and easy to install nightvision backup camera.

I've had this unit for about a month now and use it all the time. As a basic backup camera, it works great. The video screen unit is a little on the cheap side, but for the price, it really works well and it makes hooking up to a trailer really easy.

I bought this particular model because the video head unit is hard wired to the camera. I have a full-size pickup and was concerned about some of the reviews I read regarding the remote sending unit being too far away from the receiver and hard to mount on some pickups. It was extremely easy to install and hook up this unit and run the wiring. It must be noted that no useful wiring instructions whatsoever come with the unit.

A few tips: Make sure you have your polarity correct, hooking the power up backwards on the camera will not power it up. The wiring on the head unit and camera is really thin; I found it best to solder all connections because the wire gauge was so small traditional crimp-type connectors are very difficult to use. I bought a 12-volt male adapter at RadioShack to get power to the head unit; the adapter I bought has a convenient switch on it so I can turn the head unit on and off. I powered the camera through the license plate light so the unit will work as long as I have my lights on. I just love having the peace of mind to be able to check on the trailer ball and hook ups when I'm towing.

I liked it when I got it new. But it rained a couple weeks after being installed, an got full of water. It says it is "water resistance". Since it goes on the rear licence plate, it has to keep rain out. But moisture got in it and now I can't see anything in the monitor.

Item didn't come with instructions. Website stated "manual coming". Overall, it has a clear view, (needs to be cleaned when it rains) and it serves the purpose.

Review of the Pyle PLCM36 rearview camera with night vision.

I have just completed the installation of the Pyle PLCM rearview camera on my 2010 Ford F-150 Super Crew Pickup. I did not want to spend the money for the GPS/Rearview camera that was available as part of an accessory package. It was just too much money. So I decided I would check out an after-market unit. I found several and chose this product.

The installation process is complete and I can say that I am very pleased with this unit and it is working However, I felt that I needed to warn prospective buyers of what to expect in the installation of this unit.

As you may have read on other reviews, the installation instructions are just about the worst I've ever seen. A very small wiring diagram that tells you very little As I read them, I realized that this was beyond my auto-electrical experience and knowledge so I asked a good friend for his help. He is a certified auto mechanic and is really good with the electrical side of it. We planned on a 30-45 minute job...which turned into three hours! Lots of soldering and heat-sinking was done to make it all weather-proof. The main problem was that the monitor did not function after the wiring was completed. ??? We finally discovered that the monitor needs it's own power hookup!! This information is NOT provided in the instructions! Finding this solution to the problem took most of the installation time.

Also, it would be great if Pyle had added a bit more length to the monitor cables as well as the camera cable that runs from the license plate to the monitor hookup. The cables provided just "barely" made it.

One other problem is the LCD lights that surround the camera at the license plate. They are supposed to light when you shift into reverse, giving you more light. So far, this isn't working. I have written Pyle about this. Could be the backup lights are not allowing them to illuminate. Sorta of a pain.

Once we wired power to the monitor all was fine. The picture is good and very clear. The unit is small...3.5 inches but I am very happy with that. It does the job and I saved a LOT of money.

I hope this helps...

I have had my Pyle PLCM36 for several months now and am writing this follow-up to my review to let everyone know that it is GREAT..!! I added some wire to the lead to the camera behind the dash so that I was able to mount it on top of the dash in the 'tray' that exists in the middle of my dash. It is perfect at this location. I originally located it at the front of the shift console. I had to look down to see the monitor, then look up to check my mirrors, etc. Now it is up on the dash and very easy to see with minimal head movement.

Also wanted to emphasize the need to seal the connections with good connectors and rubber sealant under the vehicle to keep the moisture out. I also made a real goof when I described the little "lights" around the camera. These are not lights...they are light gathering 'cells' that allow you to see behind you at night. They really do work..!! (not sure of the exact name of them)

All in all, this has been one of the best buys I have made in a long time. It does the job and saved me a LOT of money. I recommend this product highly.

it worked. the narrow angle of view(92 degree) is not enough for all situation. connection is easy and everything looks allright. the actual view is OK. if you like to have a wide view, 160 degree and more, don't buy this.

I purchased this system for my wife as a baby camera, she wanted to be able to see our newborn son in the car. I used an old cell phone charger to wire both the the camera and the screen for a clean simple install, the picture is fantastic in both day and night vison, the camera is about a foot from the car seat with a straight on view and is so clear we are even able to see our baby breathing. I do plan on using the camera as intended when we no longer need a baby camera in the car because I am so impressed with it I may even order a second for my car. The screen also comes with a second video input that a GPS or laptop could be ran to as a second screen, maybe a small tv monitor wired to a dvd player for movies who knows. Anyway the camera arrived on time, was not damaged, and works great I was very happy with this purchase.