Installing a rear view/back up camera - Fiberglass RV
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Old 02-13-2021, 02:35 PM   #1
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Name: Debra
Trailer: Casita 2019
FL
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Installing a rear view/back up camera

I purchased a rear view/back up camera for both purposes, driving and back up parking at an RV site --- from Tadi Brothers. It is wireless but still requires access to power for the camera and the screen. Where do you suggest I mount the camera? I have recollection of reading somewhere that it is better to place it higher on the trailer. I have a Casita 17 foot Spirit Deluxe.

I did not want to put holes in the fiberglass to mount the camera and purchased a suction cup mount but both installers I consulted with (Tadi Brothers will give you a list), advised that they felt it would be more secure to mount the camera using the metal mount and putting silicone to seal the holes. I have three questions but welcome any other comments:

1. Where do you suggest I mount it for the best visibility and safety while driving.

2. What are you feelings about putting holes in the fiberglass and how to best seal them.

3. What might be the best power source for the camera. (I am wired for TV).

Many thanks in advance for your input.
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Old 02-14-2021, 12:17 AM   #2
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In our Scamp I mounted the camera inside pointing out the rear window. Power was easily obtained from a 12 volt outlet.
Best of luck.
Dave & Paula
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Old 02-14-2021, 05:04 AM   #3
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Originally Posted by David B. View Post
In our Scamp I mounted the camera inside pointing out the rear window. Power was easily obtained from a 12 volt outlet.
Best of luck.
Dave & Paula
Debbie, I also mounted mine inside on the bottom of a cabinet and pointing out. However, I rarely, and I do mean rarely, travel in darkness and I always stop for the night while it is still light. These cameras have infrared capabilities for “night vision” and infrared rays bouncing off the glass render the camera useless for backing into a dark campsite. However, in a well lit area (especially in daylight or or a well lit parking lot) they work. If driving at night and if wired to use as a rear view camera and not just a back up camera, you will be able to see the headlights of vehicles to your rear. Anyway, before mounting it inside, consider WHEN it might be needed. And if mounted with a suction cup, it WILL fall off. Screw or bolt it to the fiberglass for an outside mount and seal with a product like Proflex. Unlike silicon, Proflex will stick to itself if resealing ever becomes necessary.
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Old 02-14-2021, 12:13 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Debbie in Florida View Post
I purchased a rear view/back up camera for both purposes, driving and back up parking at an RV site --- from Tadi Brothers. It is wireless but still requires access to power for the camera and the screen. Where do you suggest I mount the camera?
I put a LeeKooLuu backup camera on my Casita. I got it from someone during one of the rallys. It included a night vision camera, 4.3” monitor and a wiring harness. I added an inexpensive wireless transmitter/receiver that I bought from Amazon.

I mounted the camera on the belly band just above the spare tire, ran the wiring in a wiremold tucked under the belly band to a point just above the left taillight into a fiberglass electric box suspended from the belly band where I placed the wireless transmitter on the outside back of the electric box. Using the rest of the wiremold, I ran the wiring from the electric box down the Casita and into the side of the backup/brake/running light assembly where I spliced it to the backup light wiring. Finally, I used silicone caulk to seal the electric box & cover and the pinhole into the backup light assembly. (No hole in the fiberglass was needed!)

When needed, the monitor and wireless receiver is a plug/play connection in my tow vehicle’s cigarette power jack.

I have found that it’s best to use my TV’s side mirrors when backing into a campsite without the backup camera. The camera is great once I get the Casita lined up in the campsite to insure that I’m not backing in to far or into something. I do not use the camera when driving.

If you want to use the camera when driving, you could wire it into the tail lights rather than the backup lights and then turn your headlights on.
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Old 02-14-2021, 12:24 PM   #5
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Before you drill a hole make sure that the wireless (presumably wi-fi and not bluetooth) will work over the distance you need.
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Old 02-14-2021, 05:07 PM   #6
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I made a bracket to mount the cam on my licence plate holder. It is a wired camera, no holes in the FG shell, the signal and power cable runs the length of the trailer along the frame up to the tongue, where it has its own 4-pin connector. The 12V also comes from the TV, so the cam is only powered when hooked up to the tow vehicle.
I don't use it much for backing up, the wide angle makes it hard to judge distances and turn angles but it allows me to see my wife and her hand signals. On the road, I find it very useful for lane changes and general situation awareness.
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Old 02-15-2021, 09:05 AM   #7
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Debbie, Here's what I (Jon MB ) did for our 17 SD.
The wireless camera at the back of the trailer was confirmed to have enough signal strength to be received by the monitor on the tow car. There's no sense in making modifications if the system isn't sufficient.
License plate mount location was out for me. It's offset to one side and too low down. The trailer is tall and I wanted to be aware of low hanging branches when backing into a site.
I didn't want to make any changes to the trailer, no holes, no patches, no stickers. That limited my options.
I didn't want something that wasn't easily removable and easily re-installed.
I ended up with what's shown in the attachment at the bottom of this post.


The camera is mounted to a few pieces of surplus aliuminum angle pieces I had laying around. I doubled up so that the thickness fit securely into the rear window slide channel. The mount slips in and slips out of the channel easily. It allows the camera to be mounted near the trailer centerline. Gravity held it secure even on rough roads, however... the bicycles we took last trip obstructed the view so I flipped the camera on the bracket and stuck the bracket in the window's top channel. The dental floss keept it from slipping down.


The camera is powered by the 12 volt TV's 'lighter' socket power. The camera is always transmitting. The IR supplemental night illumination can be an issue at night because it reflects back off the rear glass. I generally haven't towed at night so I don't have a problem. The current floss security was a one time remedy and will need something more practical.
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Old 02-15-2021, 12:29 PM   #8
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Name: Debra
Trailer: Casita 2019
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Thanks...any other shared experiences most welcome

Thank you all for taking the time to write and for all your suggestions and pictures too. I plan to see the installer on Friday and will share all these ideas with him. I think, with your input, I can avoid drilling into the body of the Casita. Any other ideas are still welcome. Thanks again. I will share the outcome.
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Old 02-24-2021, 11:30 AM   #9
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Name: Bob
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Camera on Scamp 16'

I also have a Tadi Bros camera. I mounted it high on the back of the Scamp with the provided mount. Sealed it thoroughly as recommended. Brought the signal wire in for electronics to be inside. For power, I found a part of the 12v. system to a water pump and wired into that with a switched circuit. I can switch that on and off on its own so I don't have to mess with the light sensitive auto light circuit in the truck. The system works well - the broadcast range is robust. I am having some trouble, I think, with the power draw in relation to the recharge of the battery, i.e. I seem to lose battery charge if I use the camera for a long drive. Warm weather will allow testing on that coming up.
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Old 02-24-2021, 11:35 AM   #10
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Here's the review I wrote on the camera I got. In there I talk about how I mounted it. I do make sure to unplug the camera from the Scamp's power plug when I'm not traveling so as to avoid draining the battery. Also note that I covered up the IR nighttime lamps on the camera so it doesn't reflect back into the camera. : https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R2F7LCDE7E1DD8/ref=cm_cr_getr_d_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B07S2Y1MNM.


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Old 02-24-2021, 01:43 PM   #11
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Originally Posted by fusedlight View Post
Here's the review I wrote on the camera I got. In there I talk about how I mounted it. I do make sure to unplug the camera from the Scamp's power plug when I'm not traveling so as to avoid draining the battery. Also note that I covered up the IR nighttime lamps on the camera so it doesn't reflect back into the camera. : https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R2F7LCDE7E1DD8/ref=cm_cr_getr_d_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B07S2Y1MNM.

Hi Gary, With your camera mounted inside, does the infrared work for night vision? I've considered this option to avoid drilling a hole in the shell but really want the night vision capability to work.
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Old 02-24-2021, 04:47 PM   #12
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Hi Gary, With your camera mounted inside, does the infrared work for night vision? I've considered this option to avoid drilling a hole in the shell but really want the night vision capability to work.
I can answer that question having mounted mine inside: NO, the infrared bounces off the window and all you see is one big glare. I suppose it matters if you frequently back into campsites after dark. I don’t so on the few occasions I do, I simply have my spouse guide me. I put my phone on speaker mode and she tells me which way to make the trailer move (or not move) with three words: driver (side), passenger (side), and STOP.
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Old 02-24-2021, 09:15 PM   #13
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Name: Cliff
Trailer: Casita
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Option for backup camera for Casita

I had a Type S backup camera from Costco that I used on an older vehicle that did not have a backup camera. Kept it after getting rid of the older vehicle and tried it out on my new Casita Spirit Deluxe. Does not need power to the camera as it runs off batteries (you can charge it with micro US charged by built in solar panels on the license plate frame. Works off bluetooth between camera and display unit, so no wiring required. Was concerned may not work due to distance from rear of Casita to my dash, but tried it out and it works great. You plug the monitor into a lighter socket and turn on the monitor just by waving your hand over the screen. Night or day, you can see what is behind you. Since the Casita license plate frame points left, I used a spacer on the left side to minimize the angle left. It is a wide screen view so you can see a lot of what is behind you (note objects you see are closer than they appear on the screen).
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Old 02-24-2021, 10:45 PM   #14
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Yup... what Carl said is true. With the IR on, all you see is the glare. I just used some opaque electrician's tape to cover up the LEDs. If you want to see behind you at night while backing up, I'd recon just someone in back with a good LED flashlight would do the trick. Even without a lamp, the camera is plenty sensitive.
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Old 02-25-2021, 05:06 AM   #15
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Yup... what Carl said is true. With the IR on, all you see is the glare. I just used some opaque electrician's tape to cover up the LEDs. If you want to see behind you at night while backing up, I'd recon just someone in back with a good LED flashlight would do the trick. Even without a lamp, the camera is plenty sensitive.
While I haven’t covered the IR lights on mine due to my “infrequency of need,” it just occurred to me that if you find yourself without an assistant with a flashlight, covering the IR lights AND either temporarily attached a good battery powered light (such as the Ryobi Worklight) to the rear bumper when backing in at night or even illuminating the area from the side of the campsite it would be possible to obtain the protective benefits of mounting the camera inside while overcoming the problem of reflected glare.
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Old 02-25-2021, 10:09 AM   #16
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Originally Posted by CPW View Post
While I haven’t covered the IR lights on mine due to my “infrequency of need,” it just occurred to me that if you find yourself without an assistant with a flashlight, covering the IR lights AND either temporarily attached a good battery powered light (such as the Ryobi Worklight) to the rear bumper when backing in at night or even illuminating the area from the side of the campsite it would be possible to obtain the protective benefits of mounting the camera inside while overcoming the problem of reflected glare.
My thoughts exactly!
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Old 02-25-2021, 11:39 PM   #17
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Name: Frances
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I also need to mount a backup camera..
None of the answers really helped me much. I would like to know what camera is popular, I like the idea of mounting off the back window slider, but the picture you showed Debbie is a little too close for me to get a perspective of what you actually did?
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Old 06-01-2021, 07:21 PM   #18
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While it's mounted inside, doesn't the window screen interfere with the picture? I've tried it and you can definitely see the screen mesh not allowing for a clear picture.
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Old 06-01-2021, 09:36 PM   #19
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Originally Posted by Maria in MD View Post
While it's mounted inside, doesn't the window screen interfere with the picture? I've tried it and you can definitely see the screen mesh not allowing for a clear picture.
Nope. The screen doesn't cover the whole window. I'm aimed through a non-screen part.
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Old 06-07-2021, 12:59 AM   #20
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Name: Alex
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Trying one out myself

I thought I’d found all the posts about rear view cameras but just found this one so will share what I’m trying. Ive been doing lots of research on rear view cameras (my wife would say obsessing but couldn’t find anything that was ideal.
I was in the same boat- wanted a camera always on (while driving) to monitor behind us, and didn’t want to drill any holes.
I’ve picked up a type s flex mount wireless backup camera-

https://cantireapp.page.link/J1brArbkJYC4oh5e9

Battery lasts 5 hrs so should work for most of a good driving day (we’re probably going to max out at 6 hrs with the 2 little ones this summer).
Still trying to figure out where to mount it. I have a suction cup mount (bought separately) for inside of window, but may not work as angle isn’t enough and battery actually makes the camera fairly heavy. Magnet would mount on bumper but I’d like it higher. License plate mount not ideal as it’s low and off to the side. Crazy that even without having to consider getting power to it this is still a challenge... might try to rig something up on the inside or outside of the rear window. Stay tuned!
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