Best Wireless Reversing camera

Good question LL

I await the responses with interest.

What I'd like is a wireless or bluetooth camera that can transmit to an iPad or Nexus7 (already in use for navigation). It would automatically switch on when reversing, but could be toggled on when moving forward. Zoom and Pan functions controlled with touch screen gestures.

Bob

After trying most systems known to man and ditching the wireless ones as next to useless I bought a wired system and fitted two cameras which were switchable as to the one in use. Remember metal is the enemy of wireless and there is a lot of metal in a truck.

I also tried several different screens and found out the rearview mirror one was worse than useless so ended up with a screen on the dash, ( This was before Ipads etc)

Try Safety Dave for a system Most seem happy with him

We have a dual wired camera system one is fish eye the other is plain and It runs all the time as a rear vision system. It then changes to fish eye to back up. You can overide the auto select as needed.
The other thing I did after must frustration with the curved mirrors is replace them with clear view ones. Best money I ever spent.

Wireless was useless to us at the rear of the caravan. Fine for back of tow vehicle and even worked inside the caravan but adding another layer of aluminium to the exterior and the picture broke up. Although sold as wireless we were able to hard wire the cameras.

The main thing to watch for is the focus and angle for your needs. A reversing camera has a close focus and is usually set pointing at the ground so you can see what you are about the run over. These are of little use as vehicles behind you will not become visible until about the pass.

If you want to see down the road behind you and see approaching traffic you need a rear view camera which is focused and aimed down the road. This will be of some benefit when reversing.

Just following on from Motherhen's comment, if you just want to avoid running into stuff behind you, and look out for children, then get a wide angle camera - usually has a 120 to 170 degree field of view.
If you want a dual purpose camera (see vehicles close behind you, then get a 90 degree camera.
If you just want to see the traffic behind you then get less than 90 degree camera - I've seen 80/70/60/and 30 degrees for sale.

I think I've only seen the wide angle lenses with the wireless kits.

I use a Safety Dave's 90degree wired camera on the caravan with 7"screen on the dash infront of the steering wheel and it does everything I want - see the vehicles coming up behind you soon after you first see them in the mirrors. But you see them as soon as they go to overtake, and when you are overtaking, the camera shows you when you are past the vehicle you are overtaking.

People like to bag wireless but most have little idea of how it should be installed to get the most from it.
I run two wired cameras on the back of the tug plus a wireless on the back of the camper. The tug cameras give me a shot of the hitch for reversing (displayed on my navigator) plus the standard reverse shot displayed on a separate monitor on the dash. This monitor has 2 inputs so I can also choose the camper wireless camera and leave it on whilst touring..

Where most people fail is trying to get the tiny little signal from the cheapest gear they can find all the way through a lump of a caravan plus the truck. Lots of metal there, all of which attenuates the signal to death. Add to this that they probably also bought analogue systems with no encoding so can effectively pick up the neighbors camera as well.

What you need to do mount the camera on the rear as you would, but run fixed wiring from the camera all the way to the front. Mount the transmitter in a plastic waterproof enclosure externally so there is no metal between the transmitter and the tug.
In my tug, I have the receiver fixed to the top of the rear window on glass so no attenuation involved.

So where you might have 6 or 7 meters of transmission distance plus a heap of steel blocking the signal, I have about 1.5 meters with nothing in between. Line of sight between transmitter and receiver with the maximum signal to noise ratio.
Good pics all the time.