phill900r Posted February 10, 2013 Share Posted February 10, 2013 Hello, I was just wondering if anybody would be interested in a "How To" install a rear view camera on the back of their Caravan/Motorhome. I have installed one on our Car & Caravan, on the car for hitching up & on the Caravan to aid in seeing everything going on behind me whilst towing. you will still need to use towing mirrors (by law) but the added advantages with having the camera fitted, you get to see right behind you not just down the sides. full costs will vary depending on cameras, monitor, & personel choice of the items used, as there are so many different kits out there . Mine cost roughly £70 for everything needed all bought from ebay.co.uk Car: 7" Monitor & Camera Kit £38.99 5mtr Single RCA lead £3.49 12v 4 pin Relay 2.5mm Wire Female Spade Crimps Caravan : Wireless Camera £14.99 you will need a small amount of wiring knowledge & a few basic tools it took me about 8hrs on & off to install everything & get it working. If I receive enough interest I will post the "How To" so people can get an idea of how easy it was to install, sadly I never took any pictures of the installation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted February 10, 2013 Share Posted February 10, 2013 Hi Phil - welcome to the Out&AboutLive forums. Why not post your "How To..." guide anyway? There is plenty of on-line discussion about fitting a rear-view camera system to a caravan. But most of it seems to involve argument about why anyone would want to do this (though I should have thought it's bleeding obvious!) and I don't think anyone has provided detailed installation advice. The potential challenge with a caravan - if a wireless camera is used - will be to provide a 12V power-supply to the camera. This may be straightforward if the camera has reversing lights and the camera system is to be used only when reversing. However, if the camera is to provide a continuous rear view while driving, it will need a continuous power-supply. I've seen it suggested that this supply come from the caravan's tail-lights circuit, but that involves the car's and caravan's tail-lights being switched on whenever the outfit is being driven, day or night. Though I'm not a caravanner myself, I'd be interested in how you've addressed this issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jam151 Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 i have a rear view camera fitted on my mitsubishi shogun, ive also got a wireless camera sitting in the shed doing nothing, i thought about fitting it to the cvan but had the same questions about how to power it. 1 suggestion i had was to wire it to the battery & fit an isolation switch in line the only down side would be that ive heard some wireless cameras are only designed to operate for a short time as they could possibly overheat if left on, also i would be interested to hear more about this & if the wireless camera has a long enough range to go from van to dash. i look forward to reading your report jamie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave225 Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 I look forward to reading how the job is done. However, I must admit I would never fit one as I do not see the necessity for my particular outfit. If I am reversing a caravan I always have someone at the rear guiding me, yes, SWMBO. But it is much easier as she can also see what is happening around the back, not just what is directly behind me and can spot kids running in from the side etc. As for driving along I am far more interested in what is happening in front of me than behind. If some idiot wants to tailgate me to look in the back window, I am not going to be able to stop him, and when it is a 40 tonne truck and I can see them looming in the back window, I do get worried but still feel a camera would make no difference. Yes, if you have a blank rear wall van then it may be helpful, but I don't. Sorry, not trying to pooh pooh anyone doing it, but I do not really feel it is a priority when towing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CliveH Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 I bought a wireless camera some years ago and it works a treat - it is designed to be used on a car primarily but I checked its range and simply run a 12v connection from the 12v socket in the c'van so that the camera and its integral aerial can be mounted in the rear bathroom window of the c'van. You could just as easily mount it on the number plate and take power from the lighting circuit then run with the sidelights on. When mounted on a car - you are supposed to wire the camera into the reversing light circuit so that the camera and screen only work when reverse is selected. One HUGE advantage that I found with my set up was that it has four frequencies on the screen and flicking through them i was surprised to find video signals other than that which my camera was sending. It was picking up two of the security cameras on the site! Now I have it in the c'van and sometimes amuse myself by "checking out" the site cameras 8-) Not seen anything yet that I shouldn't 8-) - but I live in hope (lol) (lol) (lol) The whole set up was not expensive - and has worked faultlessly for many years. For towing I would recommend it wholeheartedly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 An increasing number of vehicles now use a camera system rather than interior mirrors for rearwards view while driving. There are also rear-mounted cameras that either have two lenses (one for rearwards view while driving forwards and the other for a downwards view when reversing) or can be swivelled (by the driver or automatically) to look backwards or downwards. A potential snag with inexpensive wireless camera systems is exactly what you have described as an advantage - the receiver in the monitor-unit can be affected by signals other than those coming from the camera. If you are lucky this won't happen, but there have been plenty of reports of wireless systems being prone to interference from external sources. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CliveH Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 Yes - I can see that happening Derek if you pass something that is transmitting on the same or very close frequency - but to be fair to it - it has never proved to be a problem. To switch views on the receiver you have four pre-set frequency options. Not once have I experienced any form of interference on the setting for the camera. The signal seems too strong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HiggsBosun Posted March 7, 2013 Share Posted March 7, 2013 I thought about fitting it to the cvan but had the same questions about how to power it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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