I'm looking at installing a back-up camera to work with my JVC dvd head unit. I'd prefer to keep it as simple and clean looking as possible but the picture needs to be good enough to be worth my while. Has anyone found a license plate mounted one that works well? I've seen some guys replace their trunk lock with a camera but I'm not sure I want to go to those lengths. Any thoughts on this are appreciated.

 

Audiovox makes a decent license plate mounted camera. The quality is not HD but you can see what's behind you. I'd recommend using different screws than what comes with it though

 

Thanks, I'll look into it.

 

Hi, I just installed a Koolertron Backup Camera. It attaches to the top of the Liscense Frame or plate with an elongated housing . It has led's for night vision, and Guidelines for distance. It is a very inexpensive unit costing less than 14.00 on Amazon. It comes with all the wires neccessary, and instructions that are mostly worthless. But it is easy to figure out how to install it. The quality of the image is ok. Not great or HD, but good enough to see day or night. The guidelines seem accurate. I read on Amazon that some people complained that it wasn't as waterproof as it should be, so I used silicone clear caulk on all seams. Most buyers felt it was well worth the money. My impression is that it does the job more than adequately. If it lasts a few years, I would buy another at that price.
I have also used a BOYO Chrome license frame type on my subaru. It did not have guidelines, and the image was no better than the Koolertron, it cost me 124.00, and so far has worked well for 2.5 years. I prefer the Koolertron because of the price and the image, and guidelines. Longevity is yet to be seen.
How I installed it on my 2006 GT Convertible
I cut about 2" off of both sides of the unit's housing, and then placed it on my Mustang LOGO chrome frame where I wanted it, so as to not block any of the plates numbers or state name. I drilled 2 holes into the unit's housing and matching holes on the chrome frame. I mounted the unit to the frame using black screws and blind nuts, I cut off the screw flush with the back of the plate and smoothed it out so as not to scratch the car.
2, Then mounted the frame, plate, and unit to the car in the traditional holes. I put blind nuts behind the bumper to secure the screws a bit better.
3, I ran the wire from the unit which has 2 rca plugs on the ends and is about 3ft long, through the license plate light cavity, to behind the bumper, then a bit to the right and into a rubber grommet the carries the light harness into the trunk. I had to cut the grommet a bit to get the ends through, so I sealed it up with clear caulk and waterproof tape. Put the light back and put the push fasteners back in the housing. It works out great, and you can not see the wire at all.
4, Pulled out the trunk /spare tire cover, it just pulls out. Pulled out the lower part of the back seat, by pressing in and up on the front of the seat at about the center of the 2 seat portions. The seat lifts right out. Now I had access to get the long cables,a 17ft rca ended cable for the image,[supplied by koolertron]. and 1 black and 1 red 18 guage primary cables that I supplied, from the trunk area to the head unit, a pioneer avic x940bt. The 2 cables are the plus and minus open ends on both sides . I wired them to the head units switched 12v, and a ground, this enables me to use the hu's "camera on in driving mode" to monitor behind while driving forward. If I wanted to use the camera for just backing up, I could have used the Koolertrons supplied power cable, about 3', and wire to the bu lights and a ground. But my hu has an option for back monitoring, so I decided to use it. On the trunk side of these cables I wired it to the koolertrons supplied power cable,[a 3ft cable with red and black oper ends and an rca on the other end to plug into the matching rca from the unit. The other cable supplied by Koolertron, the 17 ft image cable with rca's on both ends gets plugged into the hu's rca backup camera input, and the koolertron's rca input in the trunk.
Running the cables is as follows
along the trunk floor along with the main harness, into the back seat area along the side panel, shoved under the side panel to the sill plate area, pulled up the sill plate pass side, they are just held on by clips and tape, pull up carefully and the will come up. Now under the carpet edge to the pass side kick plate, shove under the kick plate and bring out by the firewall, then over to the hu, used some zip ties to keep it all neat.
The entire job took me about an hour, but I did have the hu out because I was installing it at the same time. If I had to take the hu out to plug in the wires, it would have been about another 30 mins.
Semper Fi

 

Been trying (unsuccessfully) all over to find out how to get the video wire from the trunk area into the cockpit on my 2006 GT convertible - finally the answer ! Thanks.