Back up camera position

[jonb2]

Hello all,

Going to install a back up camera to connect to my Pioneer NEX head unit. Was considering attaching the camera to either the bottom of rear bumper or flush mount into the bumper cover. Then run wires along trailer wiring harness under bumper, through grommet and up into the hatch area and go from there.

Has anyone installed a back up camera in either of these positions and how well does it work?

thanks!

 

[Bluesky 07]

Hello all,

Going to install a back up camera to connect to my Pioneer NEX head unit. Was considering attaching the camera to either the bottom of rear bumper or flush mount into the bumper cover. Then run wires along trailer wiring harness under bumper, through grommet and up into the hatch area and go from there.

Has anyone installed a back up camera in either of these positions and how well does it work?

thanks!

Mine is on the bottom of the bumper. Works fine, no issues. Click the backup camera link in my sig to see a writeup on the wiring. Hope this helps.

 

[jonb2]

Looks good. I like the idea of not having to deal with the hatch and fishing wire through as much.

How is the image quality?

Mine will be mostly used for parallel parking and tight spots (no towing). Can you see how far the rear bumper is from objects as you reverse?

 

[Terminator03]

In ever thought about mounting it that way, that’s not a bad idea if it avoids the hassle of dealing with the moving hatch. I want to add one mainly for hooking up my boat trailer, since it’s hard to move the trailer if it’s not exactly lined up.

 

[Whytey]

Hello all,

Going to install a back up camera to connect to my Pioneer NEX head unit. Was considering attaching the camera to either the bottom of rear bumper or flush mount into the bumper cover. Then run wires along trailer wiring harness under bumper, through grommet and up into the hatch area and go from there.

Has anyone installed a back up camera in either of these positions and how well does it work?

thanks!

I would think it depends on what you use it for. If it’s for backing out of parking spaces and you want to see what’s coming then maybe beside the hitch works. If you want to use it for towing/hooking up a hitch or getting as close as possible then I would recommend mounting it up higher. The higher the better I think.
The problem I see with it mounted low beside the hitch is you will hav no depth gauge to how close an object is. Yes you might get used to it after a while but essentially the object on screen is just going to get larger and more distorted the closer it gets. But there won’t be a clear distance you’ll be able to gauge. I just installed a new stereo head unit and bought a backup camera with it. I am waiting until I get a spoiler then I’m thinking of either installing it into the spoiler or behind it where my current 3rd brake light is. This will give me a “birds eye view” for backing up. And with how wide these are I should get a clear view of what’s coming further back and to the sides. But mounted that high it will give me a very clear view of the distance from my bumper to the object. Each object is a different height and I think mounted up high gives you the best chance to gauge that distance.
Just my thoughts.

 

[jonb2]

Mine is on the bottom of the bumper. Works fine, no issues. Click the backup camera link in my sig to see a writeup on the wiring. Hope this helps.

How is the view when backing up in reverse. Can you determine how far you are from objects while you're backing up?

 

[Bluesky 07]

What [MENTION=143805]Whytey[/MENTION] says is accurate. It’s not as easy to judge distances with the camera mounted low but 1) I use mine to be extra sure it’s clear when I back up and 2) I wanted the wiring as simple as possible. The low mount worked on both counts.

 

[simple]

Quality of camera matters too. I have an install thread and used the tailgate. First camera was a camera integrated into the license plate light cover. But the camera was cheap and gave a very small point of view. I upgraded to a better camera, and used the same mounting area and it’s awesome. Gives me a wide view and I can see my bumper which is huge.

Moral of the story is get a good camera regardless of where you mount it, but if you’re going to mount it low, look into an adjustable camera as it may be pointed down and provide an awful look.

 

[Bluesky 07]

Took some screenshots; forgive the poor quality (pic of a screen will do that) and lighting (the sun came out between the 2nd and 3rd pics and these cams don't do contrast well).

The target is my car wash bucket, and for reference, it's about 14" high and 16" wide.

Target at 10 feet:

5 feet:

2 feet:

 

[4RunnerIdiot]

When I did mine I was super lazy and mounted it into the head liner looking out the back window. It's not ideal, but it gets the job done.

 

[DaMonkey]

I mounted a very cheap $13 unit exactly where Bluesky did on bottom of bumper. It's on 3rd gen, but same situation.

It is not good for depth perception, but generally I can see when my hitch might hit something behind me as I get close.

I wanted it for hitch ball hookup and it's perfect for that.

 

[ZebRuaj]

I may be in the minority. I toyed around with mounting it on the bumper and on the license plate. Didn't like the viewing angles. My cheap $20 amazon rear cam is now 3M taped to the underside of the spoiler, a few inches under the 3rd brake light.

I tow a bit with a utility trailer, wanting to see down to the hitch while still having some fish eye angles to the sides for mall crawling.

Doesn't look the most pleasing where it's mounted, but gets the job done.

 

[4RunnerIdiot]

Here's what my headliner mount looks like, and the view I get. Although I do like the bottom of spoiler idea.

I may be in the minority. I toyed around with mounting it on the bumper and on the license plate. Didn't like the viewing angles. My cheap $20 amazon rear cam is now 3M taped to the underside of the spoiler, a few inches under the 3rd brake light.

I tow a bit with a utility trailer, wanting to see down to the hitch while still having some fish eye angles to the sides for mall crawling.

Doesn't look the most pleasing where it's mounted, but gets the job done.

How'd you run the wires up there?

 

[wc11]

I'm old school. Turn my head and use my mirrors.
Having said that, I mounted mine inside in the head liner as well.
License plate style so I can pivoy the lens.
It's not perfect no but the best part is never having to clean the lens.
Auto adjusting so with my tinted windows so there's no exposure issues.
1st pic is window up, 2nd is window down.

 

[ZebRuaj]

^^ that's not actually bad. I may have to rethink my under the spoiler location. I'm on camera #3 now in a year, but luckily all replaced by the vendor.

Maybe placing it inside will help it last longer. And I would no longer need to clean it off during winter.

 

[jonb2]

I like the idea of mounting the camera on the headliner as well. That definitely is an option. I wonder whether the license plate mount camera or a smaller surface mount camera would be best. Maybe it doesn't make a difference?

 

[wc11]

I used the license plate version because it allowed the ability to rotate the camera barrel to the best viewing position. You can't do that with fixed mounts.

Also as it's inside, you don't need anthing expensive as it's protected from the elements.

My windows are tinted pretty dark so in extreme cases, I just roll down the rear window a bit for better vision at night.

I also at times roll down the window if covered with snow.

I just bought a cheap eBay thing like this....

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Waterproof...ision-Camera/302808387419?hash=item4680c94f5b

 

[smyles1632]

I like the idea of mounting the camera on the headliner as well. That definitely is an option. I wonder whether the license plate mount camera or a smaller surface mount camera would be best. Maybe it doesn't make a difference?

If your camera has LEDs, their reflection off the rear window will blind the image in most situations. A license plate one like the above will be in your way when reaching for the hatch opener.

I mounted mine next to one of the license plate lights. Routing wires through the rear hatch isn't that difficult, just need to zip tie to the existing harness to avoid contact with the sliding glass.