Wireless Backup Cameras & Monitor Added

BrianZ

I just finished installing the following wireless monitor and backup cameras on our 2018 T@B 320S and 2005 Sienna..

LeeKooLuu LK5 RV Wireless Backup Camera HD 1080P with 7 Inch Monitor DVR System IP 69 Waterproof 170 degree Wide View High-Speed Rear View Camera Observation System for RVs,Trailers,Trucks,5th Wheels:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07D55S48W

Leekooluu T2 License Plate Camera for Car/Truck/SUV/Pickup,Compatible for LK5,LK7 System:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08PCX5Q29

I mounted the backup camera at the rear base of our AeroFlo rain cover over the roof vent, because I wanted a view that shows where the back end of the T@B is in relation to the space I'm backing into..

The ladder support I made for easier roof access to mount the camera was described here:

https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/13695/ladder-support-for-roof-access

My goal was to power the cameras using the 12V running lights, such that I could easily turn them both on at any time using the light switch in the car.   As previously discussed, that circuit is the green cable shown below, located above the wheel well under the driver's side bench seat where it exits the black conduit that runs from front to rear of the trailer..

https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/13705/running-lights-power-access

I think this is an ideal location for running a power line up to the roof camera, because there is a roof vent located directly above, which I have previously shown for routing a radio antenna cable..

https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/comment/127687#Comment_127687

Fortunately, the kit provided a 10ft extension cable for the camera that was just the right length to reach the power line, and a connector like the one shown below for tapping into it..

There was just one problem - the wires inside their cord were so thin that they could not make good contact in the connector tap, and the camera failed to connect.  To fix this, I soldered on a piece of thicker 16G wire like the one shown at bottom above & used the end of that inside the connector & problem solved.

Below is the view on the roof showing how I routed the camera cable over to the vent.  I just stuck one end of the pliers handle into one end of the flat vinyl conduit previously installed & pried it upwards to pop the top off.  See previous link for more details.

And here is a shot of the monitor view (obscured by the ladder, but the only view I have so far)..

Note that the curved (from wide angle lens distortion) roofline obscures the rear corners of the T@B.  It would have been nice to see where the corners are, but in lieu of that, I taped a pair of the old backup yellow balls on an antenna to each corner of the T@B to see where they line up.  Then I stuck the little triangles of white duct tape to the edge of the display screen for future reference when backing up. 
EDIT: The added green dashed line is where I envision the side edges of the roof & back end to be; and the red strap appears to confirm this, since it is tied to the corner handle.  The ladder reaches the ground about 5ft behind the trailer, which is about the extent of the ground that is visible.  With these landmarks (and "screenmarks"), I should have a pretty good idea of how close we are to objects, though having a spotter to the rear will still be a good idea to avoid any nearby objects.  Also, as you may have noticed, the camera is mounted about 1.5" off-center & very slightly angled towards the driver's side, due to the structure of the mounting location, but I don't think it's enough to limit its useful range.

Below is the other backup camera installed on the car (it was offered at half price when purchased with the other camera/monitor package)..

I installed it at the bottom of the license plate, so as to get it as close to the hitch ball as possible.  It's tilt adjustment is really designed for a top mount, and with it mounted upside down, horizontal is the limit, so I simply bent the metal mount downwards to the desired angle to get the view below showing the hitch ball..

The near wire is the antenna, which I taped in a circle to the back of the license plate.  The black cable is the 12V power line, which is routed through the piece of trim covering the lights above the plate.  I found youtube videos showing how to get access from the inside on our model year of Sienna van by removing trim panels from the rear liftgate.  I was able to remove the 4 pieces by hand, starting at the top.  Then there are 5 nuts inside to remove from bolts holding the outside trim piece on, which gives access to a rubber grommet where the cable goes through the door to the outside electronic gate latch handle.  I simply cut a new X-shaped hole in the sturdy rubber grommet to feed the camera power line through.  Inside the rear gate, I tapped into the 12V line going to the license plate lights.  It works well.

The display monitor has a good sharp image with adjustments for contrast, brightness and for flipping images up/down or right/left for mirror images.  The two channels allow displaying each/both camera's views, either full screen or side-by-side.  They provide two different flat-mount bases for attaching to the dash, but neither was a good fit for our curvy irregular dash surface and made the large screen sit up higher than necessary.  So instead, I adapted a bean bag dash holder from our old Garmin unit to hold the display flush with the dash surface so it doesn't obscure the view.

I'll need to update this later when I put it all to the test with some actual driving.  Reports seem to indicate a reliable signal range for longer trailers, so we shall see.  

cyoung

I have the same camera, works great at high way speeds and clear picture.

BrianZ

Good to know @cyoung, thanks.
I found your writeup in another topic - always good to hear positive comments on something you've got.

Lawyerboy

I hooked up a Bluetooth camera at the bottom rear of my cs-s. Ran the power underneath to it and have an sae connector like a solar or trickle charger connection. When not using the camper, the connection at the battery is on the trickle charger.  When in motion, the connection is to the camera. The brand I bought on amazon was yakry and they gave me the extra camera for free, which I didn’t know about when buying. It’s a good setup to have.  Good luck

BrianZ

For the first time time hitching up & driving to the gas station, the cameras both worked great.  Here is hitching up..

This was the first time I have ever backed up to the trailer and into the exact right spot on the first try (but then our 15 y/o Sienna van never had a backup camera).
The trailer rear view camera also worked great while driving, with a real-time video image that never stuttered or lost connection.  I was very pleased & impressed with its performance.

BrianZ

Just a followup from a recent trip to CT & ME, when I got plenty of use from the backup camera mounted on the T@B roof.  It was very handy, not only for backing into campsites, but also for keeping an eye on traffic behind us when changing lanes.  Below is a sequence of frames extracted from a 3-second Samsung "motion photo" showing the view behind us on Interstate 78 near Kutztown, PA.  It shows the "LeeKooLuu" monitor display sitting on the dash (which I prefer to call "LooKeeLuu"), with a partial view through the windshield on a rainy day..

The view is reversed L-to-R from what the camera actually sees, in order to give the same view one would see in a rear view mirror.  The traffic going in the opposite direction appears at the left, both in the display & through the windshield.  So, we are traveling in the left (passing) lane & had just passed the black pickup in the right lane.

In the above shot, the top of a truck can be seen through the windshield approaching from the opposite direction, then passing by in the next photo.  The rear-facing camera is angled slightly towards the driver side and gives a nice wide view of all lanes, as well as the top edge of the roof at bottom of screen.  The white triangles of tape remind me where the actual rear corners of the T@B are located.

I was impressed by the sharp hi-res view in this 7-inch display, and how clear the camera lens remained even on this very rainy day (better than the windshield, though they can't be fairly compared in this photo, since the camera is focused on the display).  I guess the air flow over the roof helps, plus the camera has a built-in hood above the lens, but I never saw any water drops on the lens.
Like any wide-angle lens or mirror, the old adage applies that "objects are closer than they appear",but still, I found the camera just as useful while driving as for backing into campsites.

PS:  And don't worry, I had more of a view through the windshield than what you see here - my wife was taking the photos, not me.