The reversing camera is one of the invocations for the car that offers more possibilities not only in the movement of the vehicle itself, but also in terms of safety, so it is important to be able to incorporate it. If you want to put it in your car, you should read this article to know all the necessary information and thus get the best one for you.
When we put a reversing camera in a car, we do it to be able to maneuver when parking more safely, since we will be able to see what is happening behind us.
But it can also be an important security measure, since when leaving any place we will see our surroundings, being able to decide whether to move or not and being able to be aware, not only of the cars that are coming, but of people who could chase behind us.
For all this it is so advisable to have this device in the vehicle. Obviously, if you are going to buy a new one, our advice is not to even think about it and request that it come with this accessory. In the event that you have a car, but it does not come with this system, it would be something that would be a great advance for you and your safety.
Fortunately, there are several different models of reversing cameras that we can install in our car to make it safer and much more affordable when making movements that can be as stressful as driving in reverse.
The problem comes when this accessory is not very well known, since the number of opportunities on the market can also be a double-edged sword and get lost among so many options.
That is why we want to give you all the necessary information so that you not only better understand how it works and its parts, but also so that you know what you should look at when buying one.
Types of reversing cameras
The types of reversing cameras can be grouped into two aspects such as the type of installation and the type of receiver.
If we look at the type of installation we will have to divide them into two clearly differentiated options:
- With wiring: are those that need cable to connect the different parts. That is, the receiver and the camera itself go with a cable that runs through the car.
- Wireless: This means that the receiver and the camera are connected through a wireless system, through Bluetooth.
If we look at the type of receiver that can be mounted in the car, we can use several possibilities, since in this case the variety is quite wide.
The wireless system allows more freedom when it comes to connect with bluetooth, , because you can choose more possibilities by not having wiring. Pairing is almost always done on the 2.4 GHz
Still, the wired system also offers almost the same optionsbut with more assembly work.
The main recipients are:
- car screen: if our vehicle already has a built-in screen, it may be the case that the image can be seen through said panel. It all depends on compatibility.
- auxiliary display: in some cases an installable monitor may come, which will be the receiver of the reversing video signal. It is usually placed on the dashboard of the car.
- Rear-view mirror: Another possibility is that the signal is prepared to go out through an adapter that is placed above the rear-view mirror.
- mobile terminal: In the case of those that broadcast via Bluetooth, several models can make our mobile terminal the receiver and we can see the image of the reverse gear on it.
Installation of the reversing camera
Normally, the rear camera system is made up of three different elements, which are the camera itself. camera, a transmitter and a receiver.
Starting from there, the way to install is practically the same in all cases:
- The normal thing is to make a small hole in the bodywork to pass three cables, one of red color, another black and a third yellow RCA type. The red cable must be connected to the reversing light, the black cable to the ground of the car and the yellow one is in charge of sending the image to the interior screen.
- The normal thing is to place the camera above the license plate, in an area of the bodywork, the bumper, in the trunk door or above the third brake light.
- If it has a cable, it is usually long (5 meters or so) and we must move it from the trunk to the front of the car in areas that cannot be seen.
- When the system is wireless, the yellow wire is replaced by 2.4 GHz transmission.
- In the case of the receiver, what we must do is plug in the three cables that come with the system. The wire red is attached to positive of contact, the black connects to ground of the car and the yellow to the other wire of the same color of the camera.
What to look for when buying
There are several parameters that we should look at when we go to buy a reversing camera system, to get the best one.
We must be sure that it meets our expectations, since it is a system with a fairly great importance as we have seen before.
Field of view
Having a reversing camera that allows us to have a wide field of view it is a big advantagesince we will see much better and more widely what is around us when parking.
It is also clear that, if we have to go backwards from somewhere, as the image is wide, we will be able to see not only the cars that are coming, but also people who could cross us,
Receiver
If the receiver we are using is a mirror adapter or a dashboard monitor, we need to make sure that it has several parameters that may be of interest.
These are:
- Screen size: It must be large enough so that we can easily see what is happening behind us and not lose any detail. It is useless to have a reversing camera, if we do not see well through the panel. The most frequent are diagonals of 5, 7 or 10 inches.
- Picture quality: This is also important. It doesn’t have to be 4K, but it does have to have a good image to recognize what’s behind our car without any problems.
- Information: on the screen we see the typical yellow stripes that mark the field of action of the car. But if we have any more, such as marks of a different color that indicate that we are approaching the bodywork or stripes that indicate the angle of vision, then much better.
sensors
These cameras have two types of sensors as they are CCD or CMOS.
The CCD is analog and has better image quality, adapting better to different situations such as light changes, but it is more expensive.
CMOS consumes less power, is cheaper, and looks better in low light.
Waterproof
This is a section that all should have, that is, all cameras that come prepared for the exterior of the car should have protection against water as a minimumbut if it has some coating to protect them from the sun, snow or humidity, then much better.
It’s something you can’t stop looking at something very importantbecause if it happens that it does not have protection or it is excessively low, it could be a problem, especially if you live in an area with a lot of rainfall.
Other considerations
You can consider having infrared vision for when you have practically no light and you can continue to use it in a simple way.
In those systems where the receiver is a mirror, it may carry a frontal camera to be able to see the front and even record it if necessary.
The best thing is that we don’t have to be the ones Let’s activate the system when we put reverse gearsthat is, to do it automatically.
There may be cases in which the camera integrates sound, something that is not essential, it does not even make much sense at first, but it may be useful on very sporadic occasions.
With everything you have read, you already have all the arguments to choose the best reversing camera for you and your needs.
If you want to tell us which one you have opted for, you already know that you can put it on our social networks and that way we will know your opinions.
George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism