Camera Systems

[timmil]

Hey everyone, I am wondering if anyone has installed any type of sideview/backup camera systems on their cars and if so, which ones? I ask because I am blind in my right eye and I always get nervous looking over my right shoulder when changing lanes. I was thinking it would be helpful and probably safer if I had a monitor in my console connected to a camera that displayed the lanes to the left and right of the car. Or better yet a wireless camera that connected to my phone as it would be easier to get a mount for a phone then trying to mount a monitor.

Look forward to the input!

Tim

[Derald Rice]

Makes perfect sense to me. My back is totally fused, and I also have a hard time turning to look over my shoulder.

I was looking the other day and found quite a few camera systems that have a rear view mirror as the monitor, wired so that the camera view is full time, not just when the car is in reverse. That way, you would not need to invent a monitor mount for your phone, and it would be in the car full time. I even thought about mounting the camera on the roll bar, or on the rear wall of the cockpit, looking over the deck lid.

Here is one of the first ones that came up with a quick search, but there are a bazillion other choices available.

https://www.crutchfield.com/S-q5mE6L...SABEgJSnPD_BwE

[WIS89]

Tim-

I understand and empathize with your predicament. I have spent a modest amount of time looking into this myself, and like Derald mentioned already, there are so many choices!

Based on what you describe, I think you would want a system for both side views as well as the rear view. As Derald also mentions, it is common for these systems to have the video shown on the car's rear view mirror, negating the need to figure out camera/phone interaction, and mounting the phone or a separate monitor of some type. I think this is the best and most useful solution .

The good news is that I have seen systems where you can easily mount the camera on the side view mirror, and another where a rear view can be useful. The images come to the rear view mirror (monitor), which is split into three views, one for each camera. Based on the systems that I have seen, it would not be difficult to mount the side view cameras on the car's side view mirror in a way that would not interfere with your normal use of the mirror. However, one thing I have read that may want you to reconsider this placement, is that the side view mirrors (the bullet style), when mounted where it is recommended, show a great view of the car's hips, and not necessarily the actual side view of the car.

A couple of things I have considered to compensate for this are, 1.) Mounting the side view cameras in the upper corner of the windshield instead. This would provide an unobstructed view of the side of the car, even with a passenger present, as you would want to aim it in such a way that you wouldn't be shooting through their head anyway. 2.) Buy one of the many aftermarket side view mirror choices that mount to the side of the windshield, and mount the cameras to those mirrors. I think that either of these options will provide the unobstructed view that you would want/need to provide you with the best visual.

I offer these things to share some of what I have done on this subject. I have not gone too much further, other than to search for the systems themselves. I hate telling people to do this, but I really think this is really the best place to start; I would begin with our friend Google, and begin narrowing down based on your individual needs. I am confident that you will find a large number of choices that will work great for you. Hiding the wires may present your biggest challenge, rather than finding a system that will work, because you should have myriad choices to do what you are looking to do. I hope this helps a bit.

Good luck, and please let us know what you end up doing.

Regards,

Steve

[shackf16]

Tim,

Like you I have no sight in my right eye and am in the process of overhauling my Mk 3.1 and adding in 3 cameras. I had my daily driver (Ford Escape) updated to provide the right side view camera on the stereo head unit whenever I turn on my right turn signal and greatly appreciate it. I'll include the links to the items I purchased through Amazon, but I haven't installed everything on the car yet since the body is still off the car. I have tested it all and everything works pretty awesome. My plan is to have a rear-view camera mounted on the license plate, and the 2 side-view cameras mounted in the engine vent/louvered areas to get the necessary angle without being obviously seen. I'm pretty sure I'll be able to get the angle I need, and the cameras I bought have a lot of adjustability. My biggest worry is that the louvers might be in the way so I may have to change the angle of them to gain a clear view. Since I also plan to use my hardtop frequently, this setup will be almost required anyway.

All 3 cameras feed into a separate interface unit that is triggered by left/right turn signal or reverse light, then that unit provides the video signal and a trigger to the head unit to display the appropriate camera image. Note: This setup only provides for a single camera view at any given time, but that is sufficient for my needs. (There are other systems that can display up to 4 cameras simultaneously.) I am using an Alpine head unit for the video signal mounted in the center console that I got from one of the vendors here. You could do the same thing using a rear view mirror that has the display built in - the interface unit outputs a standard RCA video signal and "trigger" signal simulating the reverse circuit being hot which causes most of the aftermarket displays to activate the camera input and display the video image. The nice thing about the iBeam unit that I am using is that it works fine with the pulsing signal from the turn signals - video is stable and doesn't blink with the turn signal like some other units do.

Here are the links to the cameras, head unit, and video signal interface:
Auto-Vox Cam 6 Rear View camera https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
RAAYOO L002 2-in-1 Universal Camera for the side view cameras https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
iBeam USA TE-TSI Turn Signal Video Interface https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Alpine iLX-W650 with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay https://www.amazon.com/Alpine-iLX-W6...e%2C284&sr=1-1
MicroBypass Override since we don't have a parking brake electrical signal - this is necessary to access the settings of the Alpine head unit https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

There are other head units, cameras, and video interfaces out there, but this combo worked best for me. I don't plan on spending a ton of money on the music/audio side of this system since my main purpose was for the camera capability and Android Auto.

Good luck!
Shack