Using Side/Rear Cameras for Security

[Trashguy]

Has anyone tied into their cameras for security when parked. It would be nice to see if someone is around the motorhome without turning on the signals or putting it in reverse.

[Bigd9]

A lot of motorhomes have side and rear cameras that are active when the ignition key is in the 'on' or 'accessories' position. Mine is that way. So when in areas where one wants to observe what is going on around you, all you have to do is turn the key on. A lot of the time, this is a setting in the camera system that is installed in the motorhome. I read where some people leave the cameras on all night.

BTW, I use my rear camera all the time as a rearview mirror is used in a car. I can see from the toad hitch area, all the way back about a football fields in length behind me, and 2 lanes left and right of where I am driving.

[alank]

On our Discovery, with the proper settings, you can see all the outside camera's on the TV. The front of the motorhome is the only place you can't monitor. You have to have the radio/camera monitor turned on, then do the proper in put on the TV.
The two down sides are that you can't see the front of the coach, and you have a hard time watching a TV program. I think I would prefer to to stay in a park where I'm not quite so concerned about what's going on outside the coach.

[Trashguy]

I can access the rear camera with the rig off but the side cameras have to have ignition on and the turn signals activated. Would be nice to be stealthy.

[777 Driver]

On my '18 Entegra, it's easy to display the rear and side cameras on any TV in the coach. I'll routinely have those cameras displayed on the front TV and am then able to watch normal TV entertainment on all the other TV's.

The newer Entegras have a front camera, as well. I presume that the front camera can be similarly displayed on the TV's.

It is kind of a handy feature.

Take care,
Stu

[YC1]

I have a switch that allows me to turn the radio on without the ignition switch being on. It is a factory setup. The switch just toggles the input voltage to the radio from chassis power to house power. Chassis power is through the ignition on as mentioned.

If you have the same setup, you could find the hot wire coming from that switch and and connect it to the camera power input. Of course you will need to turn the radio off manually.

There is a radio switch in the bedroom as well in mine but no radio controls there. So the switch setup is like going into a room with lights that are controlled by two different switches. The switches however will not always be up or down. For example, you turn the lights on going in by flipping the switch up and leave via another route that has a switch. That switch might be in the down position. You then push that switch up and the lights go off.

You re-enter the room at the first location and the switch is in the up position which is normally on but the lights are not. You now flip that switch down to get the lights to come on.

So what you need to find is the wire that feeds the light hot. In this case you will be looking for the wire that feeds the radio in my case.

Connecting to this wire will allow you to activate the radio/camera system from either switch. Of course you have to go to the monitor to view it unless you get creative and feed some monitor output to something that will allow you a phone app etc to access.

And now you have just added to my to do list of modifications.

[hohenwald48]

Originally Posted by Trashguy

Has anyone tied into their cameras for security when parked. It would be nice to see if someone is around the motorhome without turning on the signals or putting it in reverse.

On my camera system in my Newmar you can select cameras via the on screen menu. No need to use turn signals or reverse gear to select them.

[YC1]

With my Voyager system I too can select various cameras or all three.

Long ago the turn signal input to the camera system was removed. Having one of the left or right cameras pop up when signaling was not a great thing. When in traffic and I am concerned about the blind spot on the right I enable the main screen looking back as like a rear view mirror and then have the right camera next to it.

My rear view camera will tilt up and down but the way it came from the factory it would not look up and back far enough to see past my toad. I could see my hitch ball but no traffic behind the toad. It took some remodeling to get it to look up properly but it is one of the best mods ever done on my rv.

[skitime]

Originally Posted by Trashguy

Has anyone tied into their cameras for security when parked. It would be nice to see if someone is around the motorhome without turning on the signals or putting it in reverse.

I have assembled a motorhome backup camera system that doubles as a security system.

I built an offroad Jeep with 8 cameras to assist me seeing around the Jeep while offroading. With that learning experience and our new motorhome I decided to go beyond the 3 camera B&W camera system. I replaced the 7" B&W backup monitor and B&W cameras with 12.8" Android Car Stereo capable to do everything that Android phone can do like GPS, Pandora, Bluefire for Motorhomes and hands free phone and running multiple apps at once. I built the camera system from 3 cameras to a total of 13 cameras. The cameras can be displayed one at a time or 2 or 3 or 4 at one time. The cameras can be shown on the living room and/or bedroom TV even with the motorhome engine turned off. On top of that the camera images are recorded on a DVR to cover security even while we are away.

[Dav L]

All the cameras on my rig will be connected to a NVR (network video recorder) and viewable on any browser device including the head unit and any of the TVs in the rig (or outside of them). Primary is the head unit while navigating parking lots and campgrounds. And is used as the "rear view mirror" while driving.

[Trashguy]

Originally Posted by skitime

I have assembled a motorhome backup camera system that doubles as a security system.

I built an offroad Jeep with 8 cameras to assist me seeing around the Jeep while offroading. With that learning experience and our new motorhome I decided to go beyond the 3 camera B&W camera system. I replaced the 7" B&W backup monitor and B&W cameras with 12.8" Android Car Stereo capable to do everything that Android phone can do like GPS, Pandora, Bluefire for Motorhomes and hands free phone and running multiple apps at once. I built the camera system from 3 cameras to a total of 13 cameras. The cameras can be displayed one at a time or 2 or 3 or 4 at one time. The cameras can be shown on the living room and/or bedroom TV even with the motorhome engine turned off. On top of that the camera images are recorded on a DVR to cover security even while we are away.

That is sweet

[Photobug]

Originally Posted by skitime

I have assembled a motorhome backup camera system that doubles as a security system.

I built an offroad Jeep with 8 cameras to assist me seeing around the Jeep while offroading. With that learning experience and our new motorhome I decided to go beyond the 3 camera B&W camera system. I replaced the 7" B&W backup monitor.

Care to share details of your build or what sources you used to develop your system? I would like to add 3-4 cameras and a monitor on my rig.

[chet Allen]

Originally Posted by Dav L

All the cameras on my rig will be connected to a NVR (network video recorder) and viewable on any browser device including the head unit and any of the TVs in the rig (or outside of them). Primary is the head unit while navigating parking lots and campgrounds. And is used as the "rear view mirror" while driving.

What camera would you recommend

[NXR]

Originally Posted by Trashguy

Has anyone tied into their cameras for security when parked. It would be nice to see if someone is around the motorhome without turning on the signals or putting it in reverse.

No one can help you until you give us your motorhome's model year, exact model, and the make and model of the radio/camera display. It's not listed in your profile or in a signature line.

Ray