Stereos
Reversing Cameras for Utes, Vans and Motorhomes
Reversing cameras on utes, vans and motorhomes are a different job to fitting one on a hatchback. Longer cable runs, harsher mounting environment, and in the case of anything you tow with, a problem the standard kit does not solve. Worth understanding before you buy.
Why these vehicles need one more than cars do
On a sedan you can see most of what is behind you. On a high-sided van you can see none of it. On a ute with a canopy, the mirrors show you the sides and nothing at all directly behind the tailgate.
That blind zone behind a van or ute is measured in metres, not centimetres, and it sits exactly at the height of a small child, a bollard, or a trailer coupling.
The longer cable run
A camera on the back of a long wheelbase van can be six or seven metres of cable from the dash. That distance matters for two reasons.
Signal degradation. Cheap thin cable over a long run gives you a soft, noisy picture. The camera is not at fault. Use cable rated for the distance.
Interference. Long runs pass near more of the vehicle’s electrical system. Routing the video cable away from high-current wiring is more important here than on a small car.
Mounting on a work vehicle
Utes and vans live rougher lives. Reversing lights get caked in road grime, tailgates get slammed, and the back of a van is where things get thrown.
Practical consequences:
- Metal body cameras earn their money here. A plastic housing that survives fine on a commuter car is exposed on a work ute. Our Atlia Vision 3 uses a metal body specifically for this.
- Mount high and central where you can. Above the door aperture on a van rather than in the bumper, which keeps the lens further from spray and gives a better viewing angle down.
- Seal every entry point. Any hole drilled in the back of a work vehicle is a water path. Proper grommets, not tape.
Field of view matters more here
On a car you want a moderate field of view so objects appear at usable size. On a van or motorhome you want it wider, because the blind zone is wider and you are often manoeuvring in confined spaces where the danger is at the corners, not straight behind.
A fish eye lens like the Atlia Vision 1 makes more sense on a large vehicle than it does on a hatchback for exactly this reason. The edge distortion you would notice on a car is an acceptable trade for seeing the corner of the van you are about to reverse into a post.
Towing: the problem nobody mentions at purchase
Fit a reversing camera to the back of your ute, hitch a trailer or caravan, and your camera is now filming the front of the trailer.
Two ways around it:
A second camera on the trailer or caravan, with a switch to choose which feed you see. Best result. Requires wiring the trailer too, or a wireless link.
A hitch-view camera aimed down at the tow ball. Does not help you reverse the combination, but makes hitching up a one-person job instead of two.
If you tow regularly, decide which of these you actually need before buying, because retrofitting a second channel later means going back into the dash.
Motorhomes specifically
Motorhome owners often want the camera running continuously as a rear-view mirror substitute rather than only in reverse. That is a wiring change, not a camera change: the camera takes switched ignition power rather than reverse light power, and the screen needs to accept a permanent feed.
Tell us if that is what you want, because it needs to be specified before install rather than changed afterwards.
Fitted at our Auckland workshop
Touchstone Automotive fits reversing cameras to utes, vans, motorhomes and trailers, including long cable runs, sealed entry points, dual camera setups for towing, and continuous-view wiring for motorhomes.
Tell us the vehicle, whether you tow, and whether you want the camera on all the time or only in reverse.
