Camera's

[Alie&Jim's Carrilite]

Looking toward the future-

We currently have a Levithan Holdings 4 camera system, wired, that works great.

Question is-

At a dealer yesterday I asked if the factory would be willing to install a camera system if I provided all the parts.

What the answer was, is that they use the Voyager system but are moving to the Garmin camera system that also comes with GPS.

Does anyone have this system? It's wireless, so that gives me reason to pause to start with.

The rear most camera will be 60' from the monitor. (And I'm not sure I need another GPS telling me where to go)!

 

So do you trust the factory or do you install your own later. My brain says "I'll do it later", my body says "Let someone else route the cables, climb the ladders, drill the holes"

[SpaceNorman]

So do you trust the factory or do you install your own later. My brain says "I'll do it later", my body says "Let someone else route the cables, climb the ladders, drill the holes"

 

While my body certainly doesn't enjoy ladders any longer - I view the decision about whether drilling holes thru the outer roof/outer wall of my coach myself or having a dealer do it as being one about risk reduction. I have zero experience with drilling thru multiple layers of disparate material ... so I can't say with any degree of certainly how it will behave. I also have no idea of "what lies beneath" (i.e., exactly where rooftop air ducts are, where the existing wiring runs, etc.). So if I grab my drill, run a hole thru it ... and do unintended damage in the process - fixing that damage is unquestionably my issue to deal with.

 

Conversely, if I take have a dealer handle the install ... and they do some unintended damaged in the process - I've got a fighting chance of having it address on their dime and on their time. Passing such risks onto the dealer is worth something in my book. Saving the wear and tear on my fat old backside is just a bonus!!!

[Mark and Dale Bruss]

When we ordered our trailer, we asked for a conduit to be run from where the rear camera would be to the gooseneck area. The manufacturer wanted to run the cable that we were going to use. Since the decision on what camera system had not been made, we wanted the conduit.

 

The problem of working through the dealer is there is miscommunication. What we wound up with was a #14 pull wire. That did the job of pulling some CAT-5 wire which is what we would up using for the camera. But the CAT-5 wire would not be a good pull wire if we ever needed to change the cable.

 

The conduit would have been better.

 

In hind sight, there are a couple of places we would have had conduits added for future wiring. We tried to add all the wiring e thought we would need for satellite TV and Internet.

 

We really don't trust wireless cameras on long rigs. They maybe okay for shorter rigs.

[Jack Mayer]

I've yet to see a reasonably priced wireless system that works on longer 5ers pulled with an HDT. I HAVE seen one that worked and was consistent but it cost over $1000. Not what I would want.I prefer wired, especially since you have to wire the power anyway. Perhaps the newer technology works better than the older wired cameras. I don't want to be the experiment though, because adding wires later can be "challenging". I'd love to play with a Garmin on my current 45' trailer feeding my 30' truck with metal back wall and large metal drom. If it worked there it would likely work anywhere.

[Alie&Jim's Carrilite]

Thanks Mark and Jack, that's exactly what I have been thinking. As much as I hang out here and have read, I have heard no happy reviews of wireless systems. I might wait and wire it myself. We are considering a DRV Full house, so at 44ft, plus the truck with as Jack mentioned the solid metal back wall, I think the wired is the best way, but I'm willing to listen.

[Helipilot]

The Garmin I am familiar with has a 30' extension cable for the camera transmitter, thereby moving the transmitter antenna almost to the front of most units giving the transmitter a shorter distance to make a connection with the receiver on your dash. I have used Garmin for a long time in my aircraft and on my Adventure Motorcycle (ADV Riders) and have had very little problems with them.