Backup cam and dash cam install

Three weeks ago I started an installation of a backup/rear view camera and a dash cam with a rear camera. I finished it last weekend. It took a while - partly because of scope creep and partly because I can’t work on things without a bunch of interruptions. (I take care of my disabled son and wife.) The scope creep was adding insulation to the roof plus a structural repair - reconnecting the roof skin to the support. That bit is in a different thread.

I took me three weekends to complete the project. Someone with more knowledge of the headliner and roof AC system could probably cut that time in half. A cargo van would speed things even more by not having either of these to deal with.

The cameras
The rear view camera system is from Rear View Safety. It includes a replacement high mounted brake light with camera attached, a monitor (I chose the one that replaces the stock rear view mirror), a control box that can switch between 3 different cameras and powers the system, and the necessary cabling.

The dash camera is a Rexing V1LG dual camera system, purchased from Amazon (on sale for Prime Day). It came with the front facing camera which controls the system, a second (typically rear facing) camera, a cable to connect the two cameras, and a cigarette lighter power adapter.

I bench tested both of these systems before attempting the installation. I wanted to make sure everything worked correctly. The last thing I wanted to do was to have to take everything back out because of some manufacturing defect. They both worked great right out of the box. The instructions for both cameras were minimalistic, but adequate. They are probably written for experienced installers, not the weekend diy wrench turner.

I’ve got a boatload of videos of the process. I’m going to get those edited up a bit over the weekend. As they’re done, I’ll link to them here.

I’ll skip to the end by saying the rear view camera came out great. The dash cam verdict is still out. No problems with the equipment. I connected it with the positive and negative wires reversed, and blew up something. I did run it briefly off it’s internal battery before the mistake, and it all worked fine.

By far, the hardest part of the job was the R&R of the roof AC ducts and headliner. Figuring those out chewed up a huge amount of time. And that was after reading and watching all of the instructions I could find. I ended up needing another pair of hands to reinstall the large headliner piece that covers the forward portion of the passenger area.

Would I do it again? Absolutely yes, if I didn’t have a headliner. Without that, the job is pretty easy. With a headliner, I’d probably stick to loosening the rear headliner to make the necessary connections there, then just stuff the wires in around the edges. (Although even that may not be very successful because of the headliner design.)

Keep watching for more details over the weekend. I want to get this info down before I forget too much.

I'll start with a look at what came with the Rear View Safety camera kit. It included a camera mounted to a replacement center brake light lens, a control unit, a monitor which replaces your rear view mirror, and the necessary cabling to connect it all up.

Most of these items are available separately, but buying the kit gets a small discount.

Here's a video showing all of the components. Although keep an eye out in the middle - I think some of the items I show may not actually be included.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C32NXA9FLao&t=0s&index=2&list=PLWGnX_9Q6ybb_p45pjsccvKKyYjRYm7kx

For those who don't want to wade through a video, here's the text and single photo version.



Starting at the left, there is the monitor with hardwired cable, a 10 meter cable, instructions, center brake light lens with attached camera, remote control, multiplexer control box, and wiring harness.

Most of the Rear View Safety cameras are based around their multiplexer control box. That box allows you to connect up to three cameras. Those cameras have individual trigger wires that can automatically switch the monitor to that camera. When you connect a trigger wire to a 12 volt (or 24 volt - these systems will work on 12-24 volt vehicles) source, the box will switch the video output to that camera.

A typical use would be a backup camera that comes on when the vehicle is put in reverse. The typical trigger would be the backup lights on the vehicle. For a side view camera (perhaps for blind spot monitoring), you could use the turn signal.

In my case, I wanted to use it as a replacement for the rear view mirror. So I connected the trigger wire to a constant power source (basically just connected it to the main power feed for the unit).

They have two different cameras that can be integrated into the brake light. I picked the larger camera because the camera itself can be adjusted up, down, left, and right a bit. And this camera included infrared lighting, so it works a little better at night. The other camera option is much smaller, lacks infrared, and is not adjustable. Strangely, they cost the same.

They also have several generic cameras which would be good for a box truck or RV. You'll need to screw those into the exterior of the vehicle.

They also have several different monitors. This one is a replacement for the rear view mirror. There's a version of the same monitor that clips to your existing mirror. Plus they have several monitors that can be mounted wherever you see fit. I wanted something that looked good, and didn't trust a clip on monitor to stay in place. So I went with the mirror replacement. This monitor is pretty big, with a 7 inch diagonal screen. It is strictly a monitor - they have some that have a mirrored surface which can still function as a rear view mirror. Those generally have much smaller monitors.

One thing to note is that this monitor did not mount to the existing button on my windshield. My button was something that appears to be unique to Sprinters. It's a plastic with ridges in it. This monitor needed the more standard metal button. I had to pick one of those up at the local auto parts store, along with the two part adhesive to attach it. The 3m tape that came with the metal button wasn't at all up to the task of holding this heavy monitor.

Next step was a bench test of the backup camera system to be sure I understood how it works (and to make sure it actually worked!) I wanted to know this before I finalized my installation plans. I didn't want to have to figure out how it works while installing the system.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlP-iPLSZUk

In spite of some of my comments in the video, I ended up connecting the camera 3 trigger wire to constant power. If I ever add another camera (a front view for parking would be my likely choice) I can revisit this decision.

Oh man, thank you for the detailed videos!

How did you connect the camera to the vehicle?
That's the information that's hard to come by.
Happy Holidays!
Dmitriy

dilit said:

Oh man, thank you for the detailed videos!

Click to expand...

Thank you for reminding me that I need to edit up and post more of this write up.

How did you connect the camera to the vehicle?

Click to expand...

The camera is built into a replacement 3rd brake light lens. Pop the existing lens out, transfer the lights inside to the replacement lens, feed the wires inside, and re-attach the lens with camera to the van. That was by far the easiest part of the job. The hard part for me was removing the entire headliner to run the camera cable from the back of the van to the front and re-installing it.

I'll try to get back to telling this tale over the weekend. Video editing is still painfully slow for me. That's a skill I haven't learned very well yet.