Alternate to Auxiliary trailer camera

[DFrank]

All the threads I found were archived so not open for a reply, but who has figure out a camera hack to

A) Use a cheaper camera than the +-$600 Mopar unit, and B) improve the quality of the image.

I purchased one shortly after buying the truck, started to hook it up, and immediately noticed that the quality was significantly inferior to the other on board cameras, and promptly returned it for a credit.

The one thread I read suggested that the quality aspect might be due to too many connections in the system.

My main trailer that i want to for is a 20' enclosed sled hauler, but I'd like to figure out how to use cheaper cameras, and be able to make a few of these to leave on various trailers, without buying the $600 Mopar kit.

Decent little cameras are super cheap, so it's just finding the right wire and the 12 pin plug (it only uses 5 of said pins anyway) that goes into the upper part of the trailer connection.

And While I'm bashing on this Mopar unit, who was the genius that decided they needed to flip the 7 pin on the bumper upside down to marry these two ports together?

Did they keep doing this after 2019 model year? Just seems stupid to have the right on the left and vice versa...


thanks

Dave

 

[Turbo Terry]

I bought a Rosca camera for my 8 ft box and 8,5 ft slide in . Tailgate comes off when camper goes on. Just plug it in. Works great . Very useful mounted high up on the back of truck camper. $300 check them out

 

[DFrank]

Thanks terry. I really want to use the aux trailer port, as your method would give up the tailgate camera, which I’d like to maintain.

I’d like to take the camper you suggested, or ideally a cheaper one that doesn’t suck, and add a five wire harness to a plug end that fits the auxiliary triller camera port, which seems not to be molar specific.

anyone know what that upper half of the newer, combined bumper port is called?

thanks.

 

[AH64ID]

This is still how the current trucks are, but there are a couple changes including the option for a trailer 360° surround view with a digital system that uses the 12 pin. Aside from that, the camera is still analog for the 12-pin and not great quality.

I’ve been looking into it a little since I don’t want to put a more expensive camera on the back on the trailers I don’t tow often, so the 12-pin seems perfect. On my 5th wheel I’ll be using the wired tow-mode camera for the rear view mirror and will be moving that connection to the bed.

 

[DFrank]

Thanks. Keep us posted on progress.
I know someone has this dialed in.
I don’t have the patience to do much research or experiment with this, but I have a few older backup cameras in a box, some wired, some wireless, so if I knew what that connector was called, and a better understanding of what harness was needed, does. It need a coax portion, or would a long 5,6 or 7 wire trailer cord carry this data?

I’m just loosely thinking that co-ax means a shielded outer, over a ground, like you see for tv cable. Is this what’s needed? As in it could be a three wire extension cord paired with a tv cable, or am I missing the way co-ax is being used? I’d strongly prefer one line, but a pier taped together would work, especially if it allowed use of all easily acquired, if not salvage parts use.

I assume there is NOT a screen hiding in the mirror of my 2019.

maybe the route would be to add a screen ove the mirror, that only comes out when towing.


We did this on a camper on the ‘05, but it was a low quality wireless and it failed rather quickly.



Thanks

 

[SSchang]

When you take your tailgate off to install the camper, you unplug the camera and the camera stays in the tailgate. I bought a factory camera, exact same as the one in the tailgate, and a mounting kit that has a surface mount box for the camera that comes with 15'(?) harness. I mounted the camera on the rear of the camper, at the same height as the camera in the tailgate. I plug the harness into the connector that the tailgate camera was plugged into. It works exactly like the tailgate camera. Cost about $230.

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[DFrank]

This is great for a camper, but far from ideal for a trailer, as I like to use the tail gate camera to hook up the trailer.
Also, it would be a pia to do this every time I hook up a trailer.

 

[Topzide]

I’m just loosely thinking that co-ax means a shielded outer, over a ground, like you see for tv cable.

It's the opposite. It's a shielded ground over inner that carries the data/signal. Main thing that you need is the coax extension, then it's just a matter of power and trigger for reverse. Haven't seen where the coax hookup is on these trucks, but if easy to get to, back up with tailgate camera the unhook and plug in trailer camera. Need to get this solved for the many others that what to do this. Who will be the first one to take the leap?

 

[DFrank]

The coax attachment spot must be in the upper 12 pin connector, as that was the only wire in the mopar unit.

So, if those two are data, then the other two are power, ground and reverse trigger, or is the reverse trigger the power for the camera?

is there a way to override the screen and force the camera image to it, when the truck decides I should now be looking forward?

A hack for this would be great just for daily use and especially for trailer hook up. It is frustrating to lose the camera screen in forward when doing a small adjustment when trying to align a trailer, but we can’t be trusted to pull forward two feet, while paying attention to the rear view screen, I guess.

 

[AH64ID]

The coax attachment spot must be in the upper 12 pin connector, as that was the only wire in the mopar unit.

So, if those two are data, then the other two are power, ground and reverse trigger, or is the reverse trigger the power for the camera?

is there a way to override the screen and force the camera image to it, when the truck decides I should now be looking forward?

A hack for this would be great just for daily use and especially for trailer hook up. It is frustrating to lose the camera screen in forward when doing a small adjustment when trying to align a trailer, but we can’t be trusted to pull forward two feet, while paying attention to the rear view screen, I guess.

With the 12-pin you don't need to worry about a reverse trigger, it does it by iteself.

There are options on the Uconnect to turn the camera on anytime you want, but it only lasts for a certain amount of time depending on the speed.

 

[bcbender]

Need to get this solved for the many others that what to do this. Who will be the first one to take the leap?

When (iff) i ever get some free time I'll bite!... I would like to add some how tie into this so I could switch from remote to tailgate but use the same camera type as MP. I don't have the fancy 360 camera or trailer tow cam options so I assume I don't have the wires either.. ( I tried to add the 110v A/C plug a while back and do not seem to have the connector on the rear harness hence my assumption). Id simply like to add coax switch inline then add the extension to the wire and run it on my 5er, she's 44' so the 15' lead wire might be a tad short, but with a switch I could use the tail gate cam when unplugged with out connection back / forth..

Just my thoughts right now.

 

[John Jensen]

My 2020 HO has all the surround camera coax connections terminating under the driver seat, at the back side. Easy to get to.

I added an auxiliary camera using the camera and mount as mentioned in post #6. That site has a variety of kits.
For a coax extension, I used Bingfu Fakra Z Female to Male Vehicle Antenna Extension Cable.
I have a Leer shell making the Cargo Camera useless. So I used the Cargo camera under the driver seat coax connection to power my aux camera. The cargo camera connector is an orange connector (5th connector from the left when looking at the connections). And I use the OEM Carco camera selection to view the aux camera.
Hopefully, this answers some of the above questions as it is doable.