- 4.3'' TFT/ LCD Video Monitor Built-In into Full Size Rearview Mirror with Built-In Anti-Glare -
- Dual Video Inputs AV1 (DVD, TV, GPS, ETC) AV2 (camera) with Automatic Reverse Line Trigger - Low Lux Night Vision Camera with CMD sensor
- Touch Screen On Screen Display - Signal System: NTSC/PAL/Auto Switch - 170° L/R Viewing Angle
- Universal Clip On Over Existing Rearview Mirror - Contrast Ratio: 300:1 - Power Supply DC 12 Volts
- 16:9 Wide Screen Video Format - 2.4 Gig Hz Wireless Video Sender
- Receiver Allows for Wireless Video Transfer from Rear Mount Camera to Front Mount Video Monitor (Max Distance 25 Meter/ 82.02 Feet) -
- Screen Dimensions: 3.03''W x 0.98''H x 10.78''D
- Resolution: 480(H) x 271(V) - Universal Mount Micro Sized Video Camera - Camera Dimensions: 0.59'' x 0.82''
1. The mirror, with its built-in LCD, fits over the existing mirror, and seems to me to be likely to fit a wide variety of factory models. The problem is that it is a little darker than a standard mirror.
2. You can mount the camera wherever makes sense, rather than being locked into, say, the license plate rim. This is a huge benefit for a car like ours, a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, with its massive spare tire smack in the middle of the back end of the car. We ended up mounting it atop the center brake light. High up so it gets a good view, and it's not blocked by anything, including the Thule bike rack (T2 with extension, tray model).
3. You can choose to use the wireless transmitter and receiver, or the wire, to connect the camera to the screen. We chose wired because everyone we spoke with said that wireless was spotty, suffering interference. We didn't test that, so I am only reporting what we heard. But it's hard to argue with the idea that a hard-wired system will provide better performance than a wireless system. And although there is less effort required to configure it as wireless, that is only one of the many steps/connections in the overall process. So I am not sure how much time (or money) you save.
4. Installation was a bit daunting, and I am pretty handy. We ended up getting it installed professionally, about $200 or $300. Yeah, that adds to the cost! But they did a very nice job. If you think you'll do it yourself, just make sure you either have experience or have time to learn.
5. Performance is good, not perfect. The screen is relatively small. In daylight the view is pretty good, while at night it is poor. You can still see, given the light from the brake and reverse lights, but it's not exactly crystal clear. It would be nice to have infrared, or even white LED light, but you can see something. The grid lines are not to scale (possibly because of where we placed the camera?). But it's OK, a definite improvement over the terrible visibility rearward from the front seat of the Jeep.
The bottom line: OK system, flexible in many ways, big improvement if you have terrible visibility, not super-easy to install. I guess I'm glad I bought it and got it installed, but it was fairly expensive in the end. Hopefully it will help us not crunch into things...I installed this Pyle wireless backup mirror system about 3 months ago and am very satisfied with its performance. I bought one of the like new returns when price was below half the new price. The return came without the original box, but included all the wiring and the instructions.
The main reason I selected this unit over the others brands and models was that the clip on screen is nearly the exact size of a standard rearview mirror. This was important as I park in a public transportation parking lot during the work day and did not want the unit easily visible for fear of theft. The parking lot is also the reason I needed the camera in the first place. The second reason was that this unit has a wireless and wired option which no other unit on Amazon seemed to have. I was surprised, but the wireless option worked fairly well for an F-150 (transmitter mounted in the bumper and the receiver in the kick panel). I do get some static on occasion, but this is usually cleared up by tapping the brake. My only other complaint is that the mirror is slightly darker than the original mirror and the screen has low brightness (probably for low power useage) so it can be hard to view in a bright setting (from other reviews this is a common issue with other models as well). The mild static and reduced visibility of the mirror is why I give it 4 stars. Overall I highly recommend this unit.
One note is the stock Amazon picture is wrong the 4.3" display is not in the middle, but is on the right side of the mirror which I like.
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Some install notes for those interested:
First of all the directions that come with the unit are fairly short and generic so you need to do some research on your car's wiring. What is essential is determining the backup light wire color for your car. I have an F-150 and after 15 minutes of searching on the internet I found a forum that posted the correct color wire (for a 97-03 F-150 the backup light wire is black with pink stripe). For tools I would suggest wire (I used 22 gauge), wire strippers, needle nose pliers, wire taps red, wire nuts, wire loom, electrical tape, zip ties, and a volt meter. Also, for testing I used a 12V DC converter switch in the cigarette lighter to power the receiver and screen ($8 from radioshack). Overall I got everything hooked up and tested in less than an hour. Mounting the units and camera just the way I wanted took about 2 to 3 hours as I built a bracket to mount the camera within the bumper and wanted the wiring tied down neatly.
As for the other reviewers who complain that it is complicated I have to disagree. I may be an engineer, but it is not rocket science. There is a wireless transmitter, wireless receiver (both labeled), a camera, a wire for the screen connection, a yellow composite video wire for the wired install, and an alternative power wire for the camera (if you choose not to use the wired option). Transmitter and camera go to the rear of the car while the receiver and screen power wire go to the front.
In the rear of the truck I mounted the camera and transmitter n the bumper. The F-150 had a small hole near the license plate for a sensor that was perfect for the camera. The backup wire and ground wire were really easy to find as it goes to the trailer hitch. I used some wire taps, wire loom, electrical tape, and mounting putty to put everything in the bumper securely.
For the screen install the wire from the mirror was just long enough to run up around the top of the windshield and down to the driver side kick panel. Here I used the 12V cigarette lighter to power the unit. After about two months of use I decided to hook it up permanently. I found a permanent 12V source for the mirror (don't worry about battery drain as it is low power and powers off after a few minutes without video input). The same 12V backup light wire was also present in the kick panel. Here I hooked up the wireless receiver and the green wire from the screen to the 12V backup wire. The green wire from the screen tells the screen to power on and switch to camera input any time you put the car in reverse (or anytime there is a 12V on that wire). PLEASE NOTE: I highly recommended using a volt meter to test the wires to ensure that they is either constant 12V or 12V when the car is in reverse before connecting the electronics.
The video connection is pretty obvious AV2 is for the input from the camera receiver (or the provided composite video wire). This is what the screen automatically turns to if you hookup the green wire. There is a secondary video source that can be selected which can be used for another camera or alternative video source such as a ipod or dvd player connection. Hope this helps.
I bought this camera/mirror for my ranger because I needed to replace my factory mirror due to it being broken, and also because I have a camper shell on my truck and cant see very well behind me. It was super simple to set up and install. The instructions were a little lacking, so I decided to make this video to help others see how simple and easy it can be. I changed the way that it installed so that I could turn the camera on at any time and see what was going on behind me. The picture is incredibly clear and detailed. I really wasn't expecting the high quality. I use it every day, and it works great! I love it!!While I like the clarity of the camera and monitor, as well as the distance lines, this product only gets 3 stars from me for the following reasons:
As mentioned by others before, the instructions are very lacking in detail.
The Amazon website images, the original packaging and the images on the Pyle website are misleading in several ways.
1. The form factor of the actual mirror/monitor is different.
2. The monitor is not in the center of the mirror, it is towards the right side.
3. The "mirror" section of the unit isn't mirrored at all. It is simply glass on a black background. While Pyle may call this "anti-glare", it is actually anti-mirror. I have factory tinted windows on my Tundra and factory tinted back-glass on my truck cap and this lack of mirroring makes the mirror part useless except at night, and only then because other vehicles have their headlights on. Yet, the factory Toyota mirror can see through the tint just fine at all hours of the day or night.
I would more-correctly call this a factory-mirror-obscuring-video-monitor-mount.
Don't get me wrong, the camera and monitor work just fine, but I wonder if sacrificing the use of my rear-view mirror is worth it?
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Compared to previous models, the installation is so much easier with fewer wires to run. The system worked the first time. I only had one hole to drill and the connections were made with wire nuts. I especially like the line scale in the display that estimates the distance to objects.
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