2019 GM trucks and Wireless Backup Camera

[devilsbox]

Apparently there is a snafu with 2019 GM trucks interfering with Wireless devices.

We bought a new 2019 Silverado. Now the backup camera monitor for our 2017 27 FB blinks off and on with a consistent regular rhythm.

We just got home from a 16 month trip, towing with a 2015 Silverado, and never had a problem.

Airstream basically told me I'm on my own. Chevy dealership has no idea. Little to no information with a google search.

Yikes!

Larry

[mtbackpacker]

Yes, same issue here. If you want a quick fix instead of waiting for GM to figure something out you can use a relay inside the front corner of the trailer where the 7-wire plug comes in to switch the parking lights via relay to the 12v constant hot... use the parking light line and a resistor to put load on the line to deal with the overly fancy computer thinking the lights are out due to lack of load.

I am personally going to wait a little longer for a software fix or similar which I expect to be coming since they are using a similar system on the 2020 HD trucks as well as the LD models.

Too smart by half... so many issues with this little computer that manages the trailer lights. This past winter it would cause flashing dash screens and errors indicating a trailer was disconnected and connected repeatedly when the temps were below 30F.

[dznf0g]

Do you have wifi subscription and turned on in The truck? Is your camera system a 240mhz system?

[mtbackpacker]

I have all of the WiFi/LTE stuff on my truck. Lots of suspicions were gone through over on the GM trucks forum but the root of the issue is a dirty PWM signal on the 12v line to those lights.

These easiest way to check (presuming you do not have a Spectrum Analyzer handy is to simply plug the trailer into another truck and keep the WiFi monitor in the new one next to it. Works just fine.

The FCC would be extremely interested if the new GM trucks were leaking random RF that caused cameras to cut out... I mean just driving down the highway every time one past anyone using a camera it would interfere...

[dznf0g]

I am not following your prior post, nor this one. Why would a 12 volt feed to the trailer running lights be PWM?
What you are describing sounds a lot like interference between wifi and an analog wireless camera. Both those items are assigned frequencies around the 240mhz spectrum, and thus interfere with one another. My old camera (and one portable I still use for hitching) are very suseptable to nearby wifi modem/routers.

[mtbackpacker]

Why would there be a dirty cycling 12v feed indeed... perhaps part of the trailer bulb monitoring functions.

More here: https://www.gm-trucks.com/forums/top...camera/?page=3

[DonRyc]

From what I’ve been following the problem is with the new 2019 GM trucks with TPMS and a conflict. GM has no fix or plan to fix in the short term.
I think it’s a Bluetooth frequency issue but in the meantime good luck.

[juliesAS22]

Has anyone with this problem contacted the monitor manufacture to ask if their monitor is "hardened" to radiation at 240MHz? This could be an issue and worth investigating.

Also, have you tried moving the monitor around on your dashboard? If this is a radiation issue, your monitor may be in a "hot-spot" on the dash. It's worth a try to move the monitor around to see if the problem lessens.

[dznf0g]

Originally Posted by juliesAS22

Has anyone with this problem contacted the monitor manufacture to ask if their monitor is "hardened" to radiation at 240MHz? This could be an issue and worth investigating.

Also, have you tried moving the monitor around on your dashboard? If this is a radiation issue, your monitor may be in a "hot-spot" on the dash. It's worth a try to move the monitor around to see if the problem lessens.

Bingo! That's where I was going, but got a bit of an aggressive response, so I dropped it. In my experience, the PWM theory is bunk. It's all about radio frequency.

[Geseaman]

I have the same problem and I did move the monitor all over the truck and was not able to avoid the problem. I turned off the Truck WiFi and still the same problem. Here is a summary of the testing I have done to date and response from GM and Voyager.

2019 Airstream Globetrotter 25ft with Voyager model WVOM541AP factory installed

Truck A = 2018 GMC Sierra 2500 SLT
Truck B = 2019 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali

Testing/Results:
1. Connect 7 pin to truck A & plug voyager monitor into truck A = monitor works
2. Connect 7 pin to truck A & plug voyager monitor into truck B = monitor works
3. Connect 7 pin to truck B & plug voyager monitor into truck B = monitor does not work properly (works for 2-3 seconds then buzzes and says no signal for 2-3 seconds, repeatedly back and forth)

Experienced Tech at the GM dealer says it has something to do with the new trailering app on the 2019/LED lights on the trailer/Not enough voltage going to the camera. He says they have an incident logged with GM.

Guy at Voyager said they know about the issue and are working with GM to resolve it. I wasn’t convinced he really understood my problem.

[dznf0g]

Originally Posted by Geseaman

I have the same problem and I did move the monitor all over the truck and was not able to avoid the problem. I turned off the Truck WiFi and still the same problem. Here is a summary of the testing I have done to date and response from GM and Voyager.

2019 Airstream Globetrotter 25ft with Voyager model WVOM541AP factory installed

Truck A = 2018 GMC Sierra 2500 SLT
Truck B = 2019 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali

Testing/Results:
1. Connect 7 pin to truck A & plug voyager monitor into truck A = monitor works
2. Connect 7 pin to truck A & plug voyager monitor into truck B = monitor works
3. Connect 7 pin to truck B & plug voyager monitor into truck B = monitor does not work properly (works for 2-3 seconds then buzzes and says no signal for 2-3 seconds, repeatedly back and forth)

Experienced Tech at the GM dealer says it has something to do with the new trailering app on the 2019/LED lights on the trailer/Not enough voltage going to the camera. He says they have an incident logged with GM.

Guy at Voyager said they know about the issue and are working with GM to resolve it. I wasn’t convinced he really understood my problem.

Are you able to move the monitor closer to the camera? Perhaps with a portable power supply. I still cannot fathom a reason for the power feed th cause any problem. I still maintain there is a frequency interference problem. Bringing the monitor closer to the camera could tell us a lot.

[dznf0g]

Also, to eliminate nearby wifi signals, try your experiment away from any hotspots. I have two systems. The first is a cheap chinesium magnetic camera I use to "deadeye" my stinger into the Haha head. The second is the GM accessory in-dash camera utilizing the OEM hid screen (my truck is a 15, and that option was not available). The hitch system has all sorts of interference issues. The GM accessory will have a momentary freeze or "hitch" when passing, for example" a rural farmhouse with (presumably) wifi. In cities, it is much more frequent. Unfortunately, the FCC has wifi and wireless cameras right on top of one another, frequency wise.

[Geseaman]

Originally Posted by dznf0g

Are you able to move the monitor closer to the camera? Perhaps with a portable power supply. I still cannot fathom a reason for the power feed th cause any problem. I still maintain there is a frequency interference problem. Bringing the monitor closer to the camera could tell us a lot.

I will do more testing. I think doing a fourth test: Connect 7 pin to truck B & plug voyager monitor into truck A (with Truck A near the camera) would tell us if it's the connection to my truck (2019) and the crazy electronics GM has built into it. Will test this weekend and post back.

[mtbackpacker]

Originally Posted by dznf0g

Bingo! That's where I was going, but got a bit of an aggressive response, so I dropped it. In my experience, the PWM theory is bunk. It's all about radio frequency.

Sorry for coming off aggressive. The trailering issues with this piece are pretty frustrating. That said this isn’t the first group of people to work through this. The trailering module is not a simple relay and is not providing consistent power as indicated by the camera manufacturer engineer in the gm truck forum thread I linked. The inconsistent power is pulsed (PWM).

Good luck with the RF theory, with a clean 12v connection the camera works fine... The two truck test above is a pretty clear example without changing wiring. One of the guys on the GM forum went so far as to hold the monitor right next to his camera using an external battery power supply.. Same results.

[mtbackpacker]

Thinking about how I can make it easy for someone else to prove that the truck power is the issue since the online evidence presented isn’t enough...

Here is a super simple way to test it for yourself. Take a short fused link with bare leads, refer to a wiring diagram for the 7-wire plug (the two pins you want are ‘at the top’ next to the keyed part of the plug). Short the 12v line to your parking lamps (the fused link is a nice safety precaution. I used a 15a fuse).

This will turn on your parking lights and power the camera. Now head to the truck and plug in the display. Turn on the iginition, display will power up normally and quickly connect if it is like mine. Start truck, play with radio, WiFi, put in gear, whatever you like. Monitor will be fine in my experience.

Shut down truck, remove jumper and plug trailer into truck. Same cycling behavior begins again.

How’s that for a ‘bunk’ theory.

[lsbrodsky]

I find this discussion very interesting, so much so that I read a number of threads on other forums that document this issue. Electronics are just too complicated these days and problems always seem to crop up, problems that can NEVER be solved by the available local technicians. The preponderance of evidence does seem to show that a 12v supply not through the truck lighting system is a work around...sheesh. I am glad my truck is a 2017 and it works properly. GM isn't going to solve this if their proprietary camera system works on the 2019's, I would guess. So some enterprising company needs to market a black box solution for under the hood.
I just get frustrated with my inability to keep up with the electronics that I used to understand. I have been unemployed for a dozen years now(read retired) and the tech development has been incredible.
Larry

[dznf0g]

Originally Posted by mtbackpacker

Thinking about how I can make it easy for someone else to prove that the truck power is the issue since the online evidence presented isn’t enough...

Here is a super simple way to test it for yourself. Take a short fused link with bare leads, refer to a wiring diagram for the 7-wire plug (the two pins you want are ‘at the top’ next to the keyed part of the plug). Short the 12v line to your parking lamps (the fused link is a nice safety precaution. I used a 15a fuse).

This will turn on your parking lights and power the camera. Now head to the truck and plug in the display. Turn on the iginition, display will power up normally and quickly connect if it is like mine. Start truck, play with radio, WiFi, put in gear, whatever you like. Monitor will be fine in my experience.

Shut down truck, remove jumper and plug trailer into truck. Same cycling behavior begins again.

How’s that for a ‘bunk’ theory.

Does it matter if park lights on and key off, accessory on and park lights on, ignition on and park lights on, or engine running and park lights on?

[Andrew T]

The 2019 GM trucks send a pulse signal down the running light wire to know if a trailer is connected. This pulse messes with the backup camera.

The fix is really simple on an Airstream. Takes less than 1 hour.

In the front corner where all the wiring comes in install a simple fog light relay along with a pair of incandescent bulbs.

Cut the green running light wire. Use the end from the plug to power the coil on the relay and the incandescent bulbs.

Feed power to the common terminal on the relay and connect the trailer side of the green wire to the normally open terminal.

I guess this is what happens when you buy vehicles the manufacture did not intend to be used for towing(couldn’t resist)

We did one yesterday. It solved it.

[dznf0g]

Originally Posted by Andrew T

The 2019 GM trucks send a pulse signal down the running light wire to know if a trailer is connected. This pulse messes with the backup camera.

The fix is really simple on an Airstream. Takes less than 1 hour.

In the front corner where all the wiring comes in install a simple fog light relay along with a pair of incandescent bulbs.

Cut the green running light wire. Use the end from the plug to power the coil on the relay and the incandescent bulbs.

Feed power to the common terminal on the relay and connect the trailer side of the green wire to the normally open terminal.

I guess this is what happens when you buy vehicles the manufacture did not intend to be used for towing(couldn’t resist)Attachment 343162Attachment 343163

We did one yesterday. It solved it.

You are very close to exactly correct...although specific to your unit. There is more info as to why an how. Not complicated.

[66Overlander]

Originally Posted by Andrew T

I guess this is what happens when you buy vehicles the manufacture did not intend to be used for towing(couldn’t resist)

You should have resisted. GM added a LOT of trailering features to these trucks. No way they could have anticipated every possible way they are used and very possible rear camera.