wifi rear view camera Newb questions - Page 2

TrailManorMan · 12-28-2016, 12:11 PM

Padgett, your link is to the one I returned, worked great in open space, not so mounted on my license bracket. Tried another brand from eBay, most seem to be the same product with different names. I'm really interested but may go to a wired system,have to plug and unplug the TM anyhow.

**Bill** · 12-28-2016, 12:46 PM

I cannot find the post - perhaps someone can help me. But I am sure that one of our members bought a unit with an external antenna stick at the transmitter/camera end (like most of the units linked in this thread, though not the one in Post #1). He removed the stick and substituted an external antenna on a short length of coaxial cable. Easy to do. I think that the new antenna was mounted high enough to peek over the top of the TM. Or perhaps he simply remounted the original antenna higher up. Either way, results were good. Anyone remember?

Bill

TrailManorMan · 12-28-2016, 01:29 PM

Sounds like I need to try that, hadn't seen the post.

BrucePerens · 12-28-2016, 02:24 PM

RF cable will lose at least 1 dB per meter at 2.4 GHz. That run must be short. Running the video to the front of the trailer would be better from a loss perspective, but you will need a video ground loop isolator to keep noise out, about $5 on Amazon and not necessarily waterproof. If you put the transmitter on the front of the trailer aligned with the tow vehicle rear window, you will probably avoid weak signal problems.

**Bill** · 12-28-2016, 08:34 PM

Bruce -

I'm not sure which post you are responding to. If mine, the idea (as I recall) was simply to move the antenna about a meter upward to the top of the TM's rear wall, and mount it on the aluminum roof skin, making it a monopole over a somewhat mis-shaped ground plane. From there, it can shoot across the top of the TM toward the tow vehicle. In this configuration, the aluminum roof skin becomes the ground plane, rather than being a barrier or shield in the propagation path. This barrier seems to be the difficulty in most of the weak-signal discussion above.

If your thought is to move the antenna forward to a position nearer the TM tongue, I'm sure it would work electrically. But I'm not sure that I would want to run a cable, either video or RF, along the entire length of the TM. The mechanical difficulties - securing it against flapping in the wind, crossing the divide between the rear and front shells, etc. - would be annoying, though not insurmountable.

Could you elaborate a bit more about your approach?

Bill

**inghamm** · 12-28-2016, 09:19 PM

I liked my camera except that it had a well deserved reputation for not being waterproof. I tried various means of waterproofing and finally gave up. The amazing thing was that after the water evaporated from inside the camera it still worked, so I moved it underneath the back of the AC. From back there I do have a bit of the top of the rear shell of the TM in my picture, but I can still see cars behind the trailer, so that part is working for me. That necessitated a move of the transmitter to the front shell, so I put it on the front of the front shell. Before it was on the side at the top rear of the rear shell, which actually worked pretty well. I do have a wire going across the top of the front shell, but it has been working fine.

stormpeakco · 12-29-2016, 07:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill

I cannot find the post - perhaps someone can help me. But I am sure that one of our members bought a unit with an external antenna stick at the transmitter/camera end (like most of the units linked in this thread, though not the one in Post #1). He removed the stick and substituted an external antenna on a short length of coaxial cable. Easy to do. I think that the new antenna was mounted high enough to peek over the top of the TM. Or perhaps he simply remounted the original antenna higher up. Either way, results were good. Anyone remember?

Bill

____________________________________________
Bill, not sure if (sorry if you were referring to different post) you are referring to a post back in '15 when I installed a full time wireless rearview camera from rvrearviewcamera.com.
Spendy though thus far we've been totally satisfied with this set up (to the point we remove the drivers side suction cup mirror extension to improve line of sight for pedestrians etc. in our '13 Jeep GC with side traffic avoidance warning alert)....not sure what refinements (and if costs have dwindled) have been done by the Massachusetts based co.
Additionally, there are no reverse image issues and the Sharx camera has proven to be durable, both water and snow proof. Only loss of signal interference are brief, under a half second long and occur on occasion when stopped or driving through some intersections with traffic/security cameras.

TM forum-search term rvrearviewcamera, begins on page 6 with follow up on page 7 & 8.

**Bill** · 12-29-2016, 11:30 AM

Aha! I bet you are referring to a long and very informative thread that begins here
http://www.trailmanorowners.com/foru...ad.php?t=15074
and continues on for three pages. Lots of good info here, and some really helpful pictures. Thanks for bringing it out of hiding!

Bill

BrucePerens · 12-29-2016, 12:44 PM

I have a lot of wires running to the rear top shell, especially with solar, but I agree it's complicated and somewhat un-aesthetic even if it's only on the street side. A monopole will probably work with a short wire run.

Having looked through Amazon and eBay, I agree that a lot of the 2.4 GHz transmitters seem to be the same model, with different claims being made for them and different costs.

**Bailey'sMom** · 12-30-2016, 11:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stormpeakco

Spendy though thus far we've been totally satisfied with this set up (to the point we remove the drivers side suction cup mirror extension to improve line of sight for pedestrians etc. in our '13 Jeep GC with side traffic avoidance warning alert)....not sure what refinements (and if costs have dwindled) have been done by the Massachusetts based co.
Additionally, there are no reverse image issues and the Sharx camera has proven to be durable, both water and snow proof. Only loss of signal interference are brief, under a half second long and occur on occasion when stopped or driving through some intersections with traffic/security cameras.

TM forum-search term rvrearviewcamera, begins on page 6 with follow up on page 7 & 8.

So glad this thread came up again. Still pricey, but glad to know it works. I will have to remember this come spring. I would love it for backing into site.

How is the infrared at. Night?