Gary Lewis Posted September 23, 2021 Share Posted September 23, 2021 (If there's a thread this should be part of please let me know. I thought there was but can't find it.) As some of you know, I've come to the realization that I need a "camera system" for Big Blue. And by "system" I mean both a rear view as well as a front view camera. The rear is obvious, but the front requirement came up on the trip to Ouray as we crested many a ridge where we could NOT see where the trail went ahead of us. So I'm doing my due diligence and want your thoughts as well. Today I called Crutchfield and told them I want a rear view mirror with at least two inputs. Nate, the advisor, suggested the Voxx RVM740SM, which has a dedicated backup camera input as well as a pair of other inputs. So I've read up on it, including the Quick Start manual, but have gone back to Crutchfield with several more questions. The system has a lot more bells and whistles than I need, including the ability to bluetooth to a phone for hands free, and to connect to the radio via FM so it can use the vehicle's speakers. In fact, it can have a GPS antenna and it has some form of navigation in it. But it runs Android and I have an iPhone so I'm not sure how they'd interface. But the main thing I'm interested in is its ability to show the feed from several cameras. According to the manual it can use the backup light circuit to show the rear view, and can use the turn signal output to bring up the side views if you had cameras mounted on the mirrors. So I was thinking I could use something like the hazards to bring on the front camera and not have to add a switch. Anyway, what are your thoughts? Do you have other suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reamer Posted September 23, 2021 Share Posted September 23, 2021 so you need individual cameras for any angle you need? do they come with it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted September 24, 2021 Author Share Posted September 24, 2021 so you need individual cameras for any angle you need? do they come with it? Yes, you need a camera for each view. But I don't know if it comes with any of them. I asked the Crutchfield tech that last night and he's not answered yet. Maybe today was his day off. It looks to me like it comes with one harness to connect to a rear camera as well as the backup light circuit. And another harness to connect to side/mirror cameras as well as the turn signal circuits. But I think all I want are two exterior cameras, one for the rear and one for the front. So I'm happy to have the backup camera come on in Reverse, but am wondering about the front camera. As said, maybe the hazards? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckuske Posted September 25, 2021 Share Posted September 25, 2021 Wow, I had no idea such a thing existed. Cool! As much as I want to keep everything in the truck "1984", this is pretty tempting. I get spoiled by my Accord's rear camera these days, and the Bluetooth would be nice as well for phone calls. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted September 25, 2021 Author Share Posted September 25, 2021 Wow, I had no idea such a thing existed. Cool! As much as I want to keep everything in the truck "1984", this is pretty tempting. I get spoiled by my Accord's rear camera these days, and the Bluetooth would be nice as well for phone calls. The features on that system are amazing, but there are some gotcha's. For instance, it looks like since the mirror doesn't have any speakers, when you use the hands-free to call you have to have the FM on your car radio set to the same frequency the mirror is broadcasting on to hear the party to whom you are speaking. I may have that wrong, but that's the way I read the manual. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckuske Posted September 25, 2021 Share Posted September 25, 2021 The features on that system are amazing, but there are some gotcha's. For instance, it looks like since the mirror doesn't have any speakers, when you use the hands-free to call you have to have the FM on your car radio set to the same frequency the mirror is broadcasting on to hear the party to whom you are speaking. I may have that wrong, but that's the way I read the manual. Yeah, I read the same. Having a preset on my factory radio for this would be ironic in the best manner possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted September 25, 2021 Author Share Posted September 25, 2021 Yeah, I read the same. Having a preset on my factory radio for this would be ironic in the best manner possible. Yes, that would be ironic. Bring it into the 21st century via FM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted September 27, 2021 Author Share Posted September 27, 2021 Yes, that would be ironic. Bring it into the 21st century via FM. Time for an update. This is a REALLY frustrating quest as there's no where near enough info on what is available. And the vendors aren't helping either: The manufacturer of the Voxx RVM740SM unit hasn't returned my email in two business days Nate from Crutchfield hasn't returned my email in three business days But, I think I've found something, and that is an Intelligent Car Video Switcher 3-way Input 1-way Output for the Car Camera. It is only $26 and would allow me to have up to three cameras connected to it and then it would connect to the mirror. So now I just need to find a nice mirror that has a reasonable cost, attaches to the mirror bracket on the windshield, and is a large as possible, and has an RCA connector for the camera. And one I'm looking at is the Wolfbox 12", but I haven't yet figured out if it has RCA connectors or if it attaches to the windshield and not the existing mirror. Sure would be nice if they provided copies of the owner's/installation manuals to prospective customers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted September 28, 2021 Author Share Posted September 28, 2021 Time for an update. This is a REALLY frustrating quest as there's no where near enough info on what is available. And the vendors aren't helping either: The manufacturer of the Voxx RVM740SM unit hasn't returned my email in two business days Nate from Crutchfield hasn't returned my email in three business days But, I think I've found something, and that is an Intelligent Car Video Switcher 3-way Input 1-way Output for the Car Camera. It is only $26 and would allow me to have up to three cameras connected to it and then it would connect to the mirror. So now I just need to find a nice mirror that has a reasonable cost, attaches to the mirror bracket on the windshield, and is a large as possible, and has an RCA connector for the camera. And one I'm looking at is the Wolfbox 12", but I haven't yet figured out if it has RCA connectors or if it attaches to the windshield and not the existing mirror. Sure would be nice if they provided copies of the owner's/installation manuals to prospective customers. Well, hold on a minute, the consultant from Wolfbox just got back with me and said they have a new mirror coming out that has three cameras: a rear camera that can be mounted on the rear bumper, and two in-vehicle cameras, one of which is the front view and the other is the "room view" showing the inside of the vehicle. And she sent me the prelim owner's manual. I've gone back to her asking a slew of questions, but two are key: If the "front view" camera isn't weatherproof can I buy a 2nd rear camera? (If so then I'd put it on the bumper or grille to see the bumper and the trail directly ahead. It would take the place of the "room view" camera.) The buttons show one that is said to be the "Image Switch", as shown below. Does that mean I can rotate through front, in-car, and rear cameras to view on the mirror? (Man, that would be slick as it would mean I won't have to have the outboard switch and can just touch the button on the mirror to bring up whatever view I want.) And yes, it has a GPS receiver and not only shows speed and direction, but also records the lat and long so you can tell exactly where you've gone. We may have a winner! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdavidsmi Posted September 28, 2021 Share Posted September 28, 2021 Well, hold on a minute, the consultant from Wolfbox just got back with me and said they have a new mirror coming out that has three cameras: a rear camera that can be mounted on the rear bumper, and two in-vehicle cameras, one of which is the front view and the other is the "room view" showing the inside of the vehicle. And she sent me the prelim owner's manual. I've gone back to her asking a slew of questions, but two are key: If the "front view" camera isn't weatherproof can I buy a 2nd rear camera? (If so then I'd put it on the bumper or grille to see the bumper and the trail directly ahead. It would take the place of the "room view" camera.) The buttons show one that is said to be the "Image Switch", as shown below. Does that mean I can rotate through front, in-car, and rear cameras to view on the mirror? (Man, that would be slick as it would mean I won't have to have the outboard switch and can just touch the button on the mirror to bring up whatever view I want.) And yes, it has a GPS receiver and not only shows speed and direction, but also records the lat and long so you can tell exactly where you've gone. We may have a winner! It looks to like this one clips over your existing mirror. But I really like the features. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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