Customer Reviews

back up camera system

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

This took me an hour to install on my truck. It works perfect, and for $100 I'm very pleased with the picture.

This camera system comes with three main parts:

-The camera (mounts to license plate)
-The wireless transmitter (needs to be mounted somewhere weather-proof)
-The LCD monitor (mounts somewhere you can see it)

Here's how to install this on a 2006 F-150 (this would apply to most trucks, cars will be different):

-Mount the camera using the upper holes on your license plate and with the provided hardware.
-Route the camera wire over the top of your plate and let it hang behind the bumper
-Working from under the rear bumper, you'll see a group of wires in plastic tubing running above the frame over to the left taillight. This is where you will route the camera wire in a few minutes.

-Open your tailgate and remove the two silver screws that hold your left taillight in place. Once those are removed, pull the taillight straight out. Do not wiggle it, you could snap the plastic retainers on the light. It is tight, but pull it straight out. Once it comes out, remove the upper and lower light bulbs by twisting their housings one half turn, they will pop right out.

-You want to use the lower light, which is the reverse light. It will have one black wire, and one black wire with a violet stripe.

-Crawl back under the truck, and run the camera wire along with the other wires you see above the bumper towards the taillight, then up through the hole towards the taillight. You should clearly be able to see daylight from where you've removed the taillight. Once you get the wire pulled up through the taillight hole, let it hang there. You'll want to secure the camera wire that runs under the truck to other wires using cable ties and possible some plastic tubing to offer it good protection.

-At this time you'll want to disconnect the NEGATIVE (black) cable from your vehicle battery.

-The next step is to run both the camera wire and the wireless transmitter's power wire from the taillight into the bed of the truck. If you stand on the left side of your truck and look at the taillight area, you should see a good 1/2" size hole that goes into the truck bed. This hole comes out just below the top of the bed rail, very close to the tailgate. In my truck the hole is covered by the side of the bedliner, but the liner easily pulls back enough to expose the hole.

-Push the loose end of the camera wire (with the white connector end) through that hole from the taillight side and into the bed of the truck. Now push the end of the transmitter power wire through the same hole, just as you did the camera wire. Both white connector ends should now be inside the truck bed, and you should have the loose red and black wire ends to connect to the taillight wires in the taillight housing.

-Using the two red connectors that came with the camera, place one over the black wire of the taillight and one over the black/violet wire. Now take the black wire from the transmitter cable and place it in the red connector that contains the black taillight wire, and make sure they are sitting securely before clamping the connector down with a pair of pliers. Place the red wire into the red connector that holds the black/violet wire, and do the same as before. Make sure these connections are secure.

-You can now replace the taillight connectors back into the actual taillight, and replace the entire unit back onto the truck. Don't forget to put the two silver screws back into the side of the light housing.

-Now inside the truck bed, you should have two white connectors coming into the bed. Route those up the side of the truck to wherever you are going to mount the wireless transmitter. I placed mine in the left corner of the camper shell, just above the camper shell lip that sits on the top rails of the bed.

-Connect the two white connectors to the wireless transmitter, and then you can push any additional wire length back into the hole the wires come out of, which will push it into the cavity behind the taillight. After doing this, I placed some plastic tubing over the wires to protect the short run they make from behind my bed liner to the transmitter.

-Now RECONNECT the negative battery cable.

-Inside the cab, plug the monitor into the cigarette lighter. You should see the blue light slowly blink. This means the monitor is in stand-by and is ready to receive a signal. Start your truck and put it into reverse...your display should now be showing you the view from the backup camera!

I bought this to use as a camera behind my 30' fifth wheel RV. I tow a Seadoo behind my trailer and cannot see it, so I thought this would be perfect to keep an eye on it while driving. The problem is when you put the transmitter more than 15' or so away from the 7" screen the picture starts to go bad. The cable from the camera to the transmitter is about 15'. I called the tech number and told them my problem. I asked if they had an extension cable to get the transmitter closer to my truck. He said he gets about 8 calls a day for the same problem and no, they don't make an extension cable. I ended up splicing 40 more feet of cable onto the system myself. I mounted the camera on the top rung of my ladder on the back of my trailer. I made a bracket out of aluminum to point it where the Seadoo trailer will be. I ran the cable down the ladder, underneath the trailer, and up to the 5th wheel kingpin box. This is where I mounted the transmitter. Now it is about 8 feet from the 7" screen and the picture is perfect! If you plan on splicing and extending like I did, be careful because the wire is shielded. The technician from Peak told me it couldn't be done! HaHa

This 7" version, until now, was only available at Sam's Club, otherwise all you could buy was a lesser 2.5" version at Amazon.

We use one on the rear plate of our tow vehicle to see while connecting to our Travel Trailer Hitch.

We then added one to the top rear of our Travel Trailer, so we could see behind us while driving on the highway.

My wife and I each have a color 7" LCD on our sun visors, so we can both see the action.

The first camera is activated by putting the car into reverse, the second by turning on the parking lights. (First click on light switch.)

Adds to the safety of our trip. Also, very much fun to see around us.

The uses are endless.

In general the system seems ok, but the headache I wanted to avoid was elimination of wires. It's got a bunch because the wireless transmitter is separate from the camera. So both the video and power must be run to the transmitter separately and of course the transmitter needs to be mounted somewhere. It's not really built for external conditions, so plan on putting it somewhere inside. Be prepared to punch holes to accomplish this (another thing I specifically wanted to avoid.) It doesn't have a handy method of mounting other than a license plate. That didn't work on my RV with the plate on the left side cutting off my view on the right.

In short, its not as "wireless" as I would like. The camera and transmitter should be integrated into one unit and a battery option provided to eliminate the power requirement. It could easily have a "wake up" mode for the camera when the display is active.

I have used this backup monitor system for about a year. I installed it in a pickup truck with a service body. The system is not wireless, having a power wire for the camera/transmitter and a separate cable connecting the camera and transmitter. The monitor has a separate wire for power. The camera is located on the rear and the transmitter located outside at the back of the cab. Concealing the wires required drilling holes and some creative routing of the wiring. The system worked fine for about 8 months until moisture condensed on the inside of the lens and the image on the screen became blurry. I carefully disassembled the camera housing, replaced the tiny cheap silica gel dessicant pack inside, dried out the inside and reassembled the camera and silicone sealed the camera housing. I would recommend sealing the housing seams without disassembly on any new unit.
If I installed another one, I would put a power switch inside the cab for the camera/transmitter so that it could be used anytime, and would seal the camera to improve moisture resistance. Also, the mounting bracket for the monitor has an adhesive back which has failed to hold the monitor. I would probably buy another one considering the price but I would make the modifications when installing.

I just received this camera, and plan to use it in my travel trailer to see if any cars are behind me. I am not very keen on tying this into the trailers parking or reverse lights. On a hunch, I tried to hook the wires up to a 9-volt battery. Lo and behold, we have a picture! I am currently testing to see how long the battery lasts (and it is an old battery). So far, it is still transmitting after 30 minutes. If it lasts a long while, I'll have to find a 9volt connection from an old radio, snip it, and splice the wires together.

I just bought 2 of these and installed them. The installation is easy considering I know how to remove panels and do basic electrical work. No holes were drilled or punched. I simply routed the camera wire through the existing holes for the license plate lights. The reception is great and the angle is wide. I am very satisfied with this system.

Works great, very clear. I mounted mine above the license plate and made a little hole for the wire to pass inside the rear door. All the electronis fit into the rear door (Honda SUV) - there was a small access panel that popped off easily. I tied wrapped all the electronics to a the inner metal frame inside the door. I also used a grommet for the wire hole so the wire won't get cut. Power for transmitter comes from the light above the license plate. The screen is strapped to the passenger side sun visor (straps included in this kit, dashboard mount also included but I didn't use this-looks a little difficult to get it on, have to line it up and slide down, but easy to get off, click slide up). Comes with everything you need to attach or mount. It comes with a cigarette lighter power plug but I wanted the wiring to be hidden so I ran it behind the glove compartment and cut the power plug off and just wired to existing 12v wiring (the kit comes with two wire taps so you can tap into existing wiring with just a pair of pliers to squeeze the taps). I used a volt meter to find a 12v wire. I chose a wire that is completely off when the key is out of the ignition because when this camera is off, it still draws about 27mA (draws 160mA when on), so if you go on vacation for a few weeks, it could drain the battery. Both the transmitter and receiver were put on the parking light circuit so that they are both completely off when the key is out of the ignition. Had several days of heavy rain since installing and works fine - no fogging, can see the water drops but after drying out, still fine - didn't have to wipe it, seems to be water proof. Slight fisheye distortion but that's to be expected from a 110 degree view.

Works great, really clear view, before I had difficulty backup up - always ended up about 3 or 4 feet ahead of the rear car because I can't tell how far the rear of my car is from the car behind. Now, I can easily park accurately within 1 foot of the rear car without bumping it. And I can see everything, any kids or toys or anything behind the car is clearly visable. Screen is much bigger than I thought, it just fits on the visor (a bit too bulky) but on the other hand it gives a very clear view. I saw a much smaller wireless camera at Kragen for $55 but it's only a 2.5" screen and I didn't think it would be as easy to view. I'm very happy I chose this one. Thinking of getting another one... Just wish there was a cheap combined product with GPS and maybe MP3 or video.

This is my first purchase through Amazon, very satisfied.

I installed this camera in a full size sedan. The backup lights are in the trunk lid, so all wiring runs were short. I drilled one hole (through plastic) for the camera cable. I attached the ground wire to a nearby bolt, and stuck the hot wire into the plug for the backup light. I did not want to glue the monitor mount to the glareshield, and experimented with several locations for the monitor. Either side of the sun visor was too close, and the transmission hump was too far. I ended up building a light wood tray that I set under the rear view mirror. This is a good location. It also permits the monitor to be moved to avoid sun heating or attracting thieves. I have been using the camera for several weeks, and am still learning to apply depth perception to a flat display. I am very satisfied with the unit.

As others have indicated, this system does NOT install in minutes, and Amazon would do well to put an end to allowing it to be advertised as so. Installing it on my Ford Explorer posed a number of problems. Trying to mount it on the license plate, which is in the middle of the rear hatch door, proved next to impossible. Just too involved to get the interior panels of the rear hatch off so the wire could be run up to the hinge on top of the door, then back over to the liner panels at the rear window. And I wasn't thrilled with the idea of the wire attaching to or being close to the hinge.

I ended up mounting the camera just above the hitch receiver, which allowed me to route the wire under the car over to the left taillight then up into the area behind the taillight and into some vent holes and on into the rear of the vehicle. I needed to drill no holes at all anywhere for this installation. I mounted the transmitter inside the car, on the rear window pillar. I ran the wire from the camera up through the vent hole and behind a liner panel on which I had stuck the transmitter. I ran the power wire from the transmitter back down the same route the camera wire had followed up to the transmitter and made the connections to the backup light behind the taillight assembly. This was not a procedure which took minutes.

The system works pretty well. It's clarity is not HDTV quality to say the least, but for $75., what can I expect.

I found the instructions poorly written, incomplete, and, at times, confusing. The instructions seem to suffer from some crummy translations here and there, doing more to baffle than to help.