Backup camera kits available?

[Pulnaway]

What backup camera kits do you guys like and how are they are holding up? I need one to help line up my car and boat trailers.

[wheelhop]

I'd like to put one on the back of my trailer to see what's coming up behind me when I'm driving and also to see where I'm going when backing up.

[PxTx]

A guy I work with has a quadrasteer Denali pick-up. He has a wireless camera setup and hooks to a trailer nearly daily. At first he thought mounting the camera on the tag frame was good. Later he realized they can break.

Hindsight being 20/20 he's felt it is better to mount the camera to the trailer. What is nice about that, you could certainly make it so that you could mount it on the front for hook-up, then move it to the rear so see what is behind you when towing.

Resolution is weak on the cheap camera kits, so I would assume you get what you pay for.

[Blorgo]

I've been looking at these for the past year, and not too happy with my choices, or more precisely with the cost/features spectrum.

Dedicated backup cameras:
--Wired cameras - need to run wires, cheapest. Less interference.
--Wireless cameras - need a receiver near the monitor, don't run wires. (Could be moved to trailer if power could be worked out, then moved back to vehicle)

Multiuse cameras
I.P. cameras - have a webserver showing what the camera sees. Often used for plant security, etc. Need a laptop/netbook/etc (maybe a router too?) to display.
-- Wired, use an ethernet cable
-- Wireless, use 802.11 frequency.

All cameras need a power supply so putting a wireless one on the trailer might be a problem, unless you have a battery on the trailer (a boat or camper might).

Monitors: Do you want too small/low res., or too expensive :-( ? A cheap car DVD player monitor might work if the inputs were worked out. Dedicated backup camera monitors are usually too small for my taste (3-4 inches), I think you want a 7 inch (diagonal) screen at the minimum. And then where are you going to put it? Some better GPS units have a camera-in port, the wireless receiver or wired camera can plug into that.

I'm thinking of a wireless IP camera that I can mount anywhere - I can use my iphone to see the picture, or a laptop. Then I can use the iphone or laptop as a navigation device too. But unless I get a built-in car computer or something I'm expecting to be partly unhappy with whatever I choose. So I've not done anything.

For simply backing up to a trailer, something like this ( http://hitchingguides.com/ ) will work - or you can make your own from spare magnet-mounted antennas and tennis balls.