Updates on Wireless back-up cameras?

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by Silver Goose

Yep, they've got several of them running around also... Heard the only accidents have been when the human panicked and took control. At least that's the story they're sticking with.

About a decade ago, there was a 6-episode Japanese sci-fi anime series about an entire society that never learned how to drive, because they relied solely upon driverless cars. Until the cars started going berserk, and only the world's few remaining licensed drivers, in manually-driven sports cars, could run them to ground and stop them before they caused an accident.

Quite entertaining, in a juvenile way. One episode lasted about as long as it took to wash a load of clothes, and two episodes took about one dryer cycle, so that series occupied my time through a couple of loads of laundry. Though admittedly, the most entertaining thing about the show was my cute Japanese upstairs neighbor, who loaned the series to me to watch.

I do kind of wonder why Hollywood never tried to make a B-movie using the concept; they adapt everything else, from headlines to comic books…

Apologies for still being off-topic. I'll stop now.

[SteveSueMac]

Originally Posted by cwf

Love my RVS 4 way

Can you say more?

[lsbrodsky]

Swift Hitch is coming out soon with a digital version that will eliminate interference from Bluetooth and such. I understand it will retail for $279, same packaging as their SH02 model. I think it will become the "go to" magnetic mount backup camera.

Larry

[PharmGeek]

What I want is a one of those quad copters with a wireless camera to hover to give an arial view while backing

We have so far as newbs done fine backing and hitching the propride without the camera but I think it would be nice and handy to have one

[lsbrodsky]

I installed an OEM camera in the tailgate and it makes hooking up very simple. The Swift Hitch will be for the back of the trailer.
Larry

[m.hony]

I love the backup camera on the truck.
Now I want one on the back of the trailer.

[SteveSueMac]

I'm having the voyager installed on my trailer at the Mothership in April.

[m.hony]

Tell me more...
I am going to the Mothership in September.
Maybe I can add that to the list.

[rodsterinfl]

The Voyager wireless works well.

[moosetags]

We have a Voyager WAOM562 wireless rear view camera system that came with our 23FB. I have now had the chance to use it for 3,000 miles of towing. The picture on the 6" screen in the tow vehicle is excellent with no distortion. The camera is powered from the Airstream's tag light. I leave my running lights on at all times while underway. Therefore, my camera is always active. It works so so well that no longer need to pull out the mirrors on the Silverado, or mount the tow mirrors on the Suburban.

The only issue that I have with this system is that in the rain, the water drops distort the image on the screen.

Brian

[SteveSueMac]

Originally Posted by m.hony

Tell me more...
I am going to the Mothership in September.
Maybe I can add that to the list.

I have some warranty work and something like dkottum's recliner upgrade scheduled and I asked them about the voyager. They have in stock and will do the install. Are you talking with Chris Burch there to set up your appointment?

[andreasduess]

$800 for the wireless Voyager - not cheap.

We use the GoPro Hero 3 at work for aerial videography, mounted on a quadcopter drone. It has a, reported, 600' wifi range and streams live video to a smartphone app. I haven't tried it myself yet, but with wifi there is of course always the potential for a slight lag - I don't know how severe it might be and if it would make the camera unusable for our purposes.

I'll try and install one this spring, probably on the inside of the trailer back window.

That way I can leave it plugged in and, with the wide angle view, still get a good view of what's happening behind.

[rodsterinfl]

$800 for the wireless Voyager - not cheap.

Got that right; however, I purchased a Chinese system that failed on me for almost $300 (for hitch and trailer) and I lost all that money with only two uses.

I paid, I believe $565. I got a nice 3rd party monitor rather than the voyager monitor. (see pic) it works well and the speaker is loud. You can hear back there too.

Moosetags, I see wing nuts. How/where do you mount your camera? You mention the tag light- how? I ended up drilling into the sacred end cap to get it high enough to see (note pic of viewing area).

[andreasduess]

Originally Posted by rodsterinfl

Got that right; however, I purchased a Chinese system that failed on me for almost $300 (for hitch and trailer) and I lost all that money with only two uses.

Yes, that's always a potential problem. I've had some great successes with Chinese knock-offs, but I've also had the opposite experience, with stuff breaking out of the box.

I usually gamble when the price is really low, like less than $10 for my OBDII bluetooth connector, but buy from a reputable source for expensive stuff.

[m.hony]

Originally Posted by SteveSueMac

I have some warranty work and something like dkottum's recliner upgrade scheduled and I asked them about the voyager. They have in stock and will do the install. Are you talking with Chris Burch there to set up your appointment?

Yes, I am talking with Chris Burch.
We are getting warranty work done, too.
Also, I am getting an aluminum backsplash in the bathroom.
I'm not sure I want to go $800 for the Voyager.
I think I can get a much less expensive wired system with the camera on the license plate bracket of the trailer from a car stereo store. There would be the video cable to plug in- one more step- who knows? They may have wireless systems, too.

[moosetags]

Originally Posted by rodsterinfl

Got that right; however, I purchased a Chinese system that failed on me for almost $300 (for hitch and trailer) and I lost all that money with only two uses.

I paid, I believe $565. I got a nice 3rd party monitor rather than the voyager monitor. (see pic) it works well and the speaker is loud. You can hear back there too.

Moosetags, I see wing nuts. How/where do you mount your camera? You mention the tag light- how? I ended up drilling into the sacred end cap to get it high enough to see (note pic of viewing area).

My Voyager camera is permanently mounted to a piece of L brace aluminum stock. This piece of stock has two stainless machine screws mounted in it and a 3/4 inch hole drilled in the center. This hole allows the camera's power cord and plug to pass through.

There is a similar piece of aluminum L brace stock permanently mounted to the Airstream centered on the trailer just below the rear window.

The camera bracket mounts to the trailer bracket with the two machine screws with the stainless wing nuts.

The plug-in power cord for the camera is wired into Lucy's tag light. Her running lights need to be on to power the camera. This is not a problem for me as I always run with the trailer's clearance lights on.

The original owner of New Lucy came up with this mounting system, so I can't take credit for it, but it works very well. I most often remove the camera and put it inside the trailer every night. The darn thing would be so expensive to replace that I don't want to take any chances. I have sometimes even removed the camera while shopping at Wal-Mart when I didn't get a good feeling about the neighborhood.

Here are several pictures of Lucy's camera set-up.

Brian

[m.hony]

Just ordered a Rydeen wireless backup camera video system from my local car stereo store.
It retails at 199.99.
The display will show up on my Alpine 7" touch screen DVD/navigation/SirusXM/iPod control/backup camera monitor.
The camera mounts to the license plate bracket of the trailer.
There will be a toggle switch to choose truck backup camera for hitching or trailer rear view camera.
There is a wireless transmitter that goes in the trailer and a receiver that goes in the truck.
It has a range of 250'.
The man said the equipment could be in as early as Tuesday morning.

[rodsterinfl]

Yes, that's always a potential problem. I've had some great successes with Chinese knock-offs, but I've also had the opposite experience, with stuff breaking out of the box.

Me too. The problem with "Chinese knock-offs" isn't that it doesn't work but what happens when it DOES quit. There are no parts or much recourse. The company replaced the DOA monitor, then the cable quit working, then one of the cameras. They replaced all-one time. That was at installation. Then when the monitor stopped working again they said I had spilled something on it- nope, not when it was attached to my windshield. When I got the voyager, the first monitor quit working right away. They sent me another without question and then explained what had failed to after they looked at it. They also sent me a new battery cover when right after install I had the trailer over at the house and when I went to link the camera to the receiver, I dropped the cover in the grass and lost it. So far they have been very helpful

[ghaynes755]

I to have used the GoPro for a flight camera. Really not viable for a flight first person (pilot) or backing camera. About a six second delay on the wifi to ipad/iPhone.

[nickmeloy]

Originally Posted by rodsterinfl

The Voyager wireless works well.

I am considering the Voyager WVOS713 system and have several questions.

(1) Is the viewing angle satisfactory? our biggest concern is that the camera has a relatively narrow field of view (117-degrees diagonal) when compared to Voyager's hardwired cameras (150-degrees diagonal). That's an attribute that you need to consider: You will be trading a smaller field of view for the convenience of wireless.

(2) How did you attach the camera to the top of the trailer? Did you drill holes and use sheet metal screws?

(3) We have Bluetooth active for a cell phone link and listen to satellite radio. Will this cause any interference?

(4) Was there plenty of slack in the center light wire to pull it out and connect to the camera?