Where a camera goes on an RV or a trailer

Why a rig is a different job from a car

A car is small, and you turn your head to see the curb, but an RV or a fifth wheel is a different machine entirely. The back wall sits ten or twelve feet behind the driver. A trailer adds another twenty or thirty feet of metal behind that, so you cannot see what is back there from the mirror. The height of the rig blocks your view of low obstacles, and the width fills the lane so you often back up alone. Half the time there is nobody standing behind the rig to wave you in. You need eyes at the back when you line up the hitch.

The cameras in this range are built for that distance. The open-air signal travels about three hundred feet on the Furrion-bracket kit while the other two RV systems reach roughly nine hundred feet and nine hundred ninety feet. That reach is what lets the camera sit at the far end of a trailer and still reach a monitor in the cab. Put it on the tow vehicle and you are watching the load. Put it on the back of the trailer and you are watching the road behind it. Those are two different questions, and the answer decides where you drill.

The blind spot behind a long rig is large enough to hide a small car, and without a camera you are guessing at it. The monitor puts that space on the dash while you are still moving into it.

High mount or plate mount, and what each one actually shows

Two mounting positions matter on the back of a rig. The first is high on the rear wall and looks down the length of the vehicle while the second sits low in the license plate frame at bumper height. These two heights see different worlds, so the choice depends on what you need to see most often. You can install both if the system allows it.

The high mount is the one for hitching. It shows the ball and the coupler in the same frame so you can line them up without getting out of the cab. It also shows traffic behind a long vehicle. The car approaching on the interstate appears in the monitor so you see the vehicle in your blind spot. The plate mount is the one for parking. It shows the bumper and the ground behind it because the curb, the rock, or the post sits below the sight line of a high camera. This view fills the gap at the rear and shows the dog or the toy left behind the tires. Precision is possible when you can see the pavement inches from the rubber.

Night vision in the range comes in two types, infrared, which gives a gray picture with no visible light, and white LEDs, which keep the color in the dark by casting a small amount of visible light behind the rig. Both show the scene. Only the LED picture tells you that the jacket behind you is red, and on a dark pitch that is often how you tell a person from a post.

Power: running lights against the reversing light, and what that decides about towing

Power at the back of the rig can come from two sources, the running lights or the reversing light. Both are used in this range so the choice decides when the camera is awake and what it records during the day while also affecting how you tap into the vehicle wiring.

A camera fed from the running lights gives a picture while you tow, so the trailer and the road behind it are on the screen for the whole drive rather than only in reverse. It is a view of the load, not a mirror: the mirrors are still what you use to change lanes. It draws power constantly while the lights are on. A camera fed from the reversing light gives a picture only in reverse, waking up when you shift into reverse and sleeping the rest of the time, which saves power and reduces distraction on long drives. The wiring taps into the taillight harness near the bumper.

If you want to see the trailer while you are driving you need the running light circuit. If you only need help backing into the campsite the reversing light is enough. Some owners wire both and use a switch to choose between constant power and reverse-only power so the monitor stays dark until you need it, or it stays on for the whole trip. Decide based on whether the camera is a driving aid or a parking aid because the installation differs slightly for each choice, and both require a solid ground connection. Wire colors differ between makers and between model years, so check the wiring diagram for your specific rig before you tap anything.

The pre-wired bracket case, and how to tell whether you have one

Some campers leave the factory with a bracket already installed, so look above the rear window because a Furrion pre-wired bracket sits there on certain models. It is a small plate with a connector built in and the power is already there because the factory ran the wires during assembly. You do not need to open the wall or splice into the taillight.

One kit in the range drops onto that plate and uses the power already there. Nothing is drilled or run and the camera clicks into place and works immediately. This saves an hour of labor and the worry of sealing a new hole in the wall.

To check your rig, open the rear cap storage and look for a plastic plate above the window which may have a Furrion logo or may just be a blank plate with four screws. If you see it you have the bracket so order the kit that matches it. If you do not see it you will drill and wire like everyone else. The bracket is usually mentioned in the manual if it came from the factory so check the paperwork before you buy tools because it saves a trip to the hardware store. The pre-wired kits are specific to that bracket shape and do not fit other mounts. Verify the model year of your camper before ordering because manufacturers change brackets between seasons.

The second camera: where it goes, what it costs you in wiring, what split screen is worth

A second camera changes what you can see. It usually goes on the curb side of the rig or on the trailer itself which means that location needs power at that end of the vehicle. You will run a power lead along the frame to it, or take power from the running lights at that end. The choice depends on how long the trailer is and how easy the wire route is because the curb side view shows you the blind spot when you merge.

The RV systems use seven-inch monitors, and split screen puts two cameras on the screen at once so the back and the side appear together on a clear display without toggling. The largest system supports up to four cameras, so the back and both sides fit on one screen, and the monitor switches between full-screen views with a button press. The screen is large enough to see detail but small enough to fit on the dash.

Add-on cameras pair with the system they were built for and with nothing else. The system code is printed on the back of the monitor so an LK8 camera does not pair with an LK10 monitor. Check the code before you order an expansion. The wrong camera never pairs, so what you get is a blank half of the screen and a return. Write the code down before you climb out of the cab.

What to check before you drill into a rear wall

Mounting height on a rig usually means working from a ladder. The fixings go into the rear wall so sealant matters where a rig is concerned because water intrusion rots the wall from the inside out. The hole you make for the camera is a permanent opening in the shell. You cannot undo it easily once the bit goes through so plan the location carefully before you climb up.

The cases are rated IP69 and IP69K, which is the high-pressure, high-temperature wash-down test. That is what the housing is measured against. It does not protect the wall of your camper, so while the camera is sealed the wall is not and the sealant is your responsibility.

Before you drill, check for wiring inside the wall with a stud finder. Mark the holes, then drill slowly and apply sealant to the screw threads and around the base of the bracket after the camera is aimed. Use a generous bead of the sealant recommended for your wall material because the wall is thin fiberglass or aluminum and the hole is a risk that lasts for years. Do this work on a dry day so the sealant cures properly, and check the sealant every season for cracks or shrinkage.

Positioning the monitor for daily use

The monitor mounts on the dash or hangs from the windshield with a suction cup. The screen is the center of the system displaying the feed from the camera or cameras you have installed so the image appears automatically when the camera wakes up. The power comes from the cigarette lighter or a hardwired connection. The cable is long enough to reach the fuse box or the power block behind the dash.

Place the monitor where a glance is enough without taking your eyes off the road for long. The display shows the view from the back, and the buttons on the side switch between cameras for a closer look.

During solo hitching the monitor replaces the spotter. The ball and the coupler come together on the screen so stopping happens before the bumper crunches because the camera sees what the mirror cannot. It works in the rain and in the dark. It is a tool that removes the guesswork from backing a long rig since the picture shows the ball and the coupler in one frame. That view saves multiple trips out of the cab to check the alignment.