Furrion wireless review camera - no signal when engine running.

[kathytony1985]

Fender,
We got our 21NE last month. Our rear camera works flawlessly. We really like being able to see what is behind us while driving and parking.

[BobG]

It appears most people do not have problems but many people including myself do have problems. Whether you have a problem could depend on where Furrion sourced the parts for your camera or it might even depend on how new your tow vehicle is or the make of it or the type of lighting system it uses or whether it monitors for non operating lights.


Years ago brake controllers had a problem with vehicles that monitored for inoperative lights and they quickly addressed it. I think some of Furrion's cameras have a problem with this. You can buy aftermarket $10 fix like I did or $126 fix from Furrion or design your own fix like others did.


A good option is to hard-wire the camera to the trailer electrical and then use the camera as a security camera when not towing.

[kathytony1985]

Yes BobG,
Every situation is unique. Prior to ordering the camera option we did research to ensure it would work with our TV. We felt confident it would work, and it does. Like with everything else a person spends their hard earned money on, one has to do their research. Don't think just because it works for someone else it will work for you. :-)

[Ron in BC]

Originally Posted by BobG

I wish I could redo the circuit for my exterior lights and camera to have this functionality but it is too difficult.

I take it that you now have a 19. Your profile says that you're looking for one.

If so, are you aware that on the 19, certainly Gen 1s, it's not too difficult to fish wire down the driver's side from the panel to the rear bed area? Retro-fitting a dedicated wire from the panel to the rear camera isn't all that difficult.

Ron

[BobG]

Thanks Ron,



Due to life changes we never took delivery of the 19 in 2017. This year I bought a new 21NE. I have not had the trailer out yet other than to tow it home. I was getting ready to take it out for shakedown and my car got clobbered. Hopefully I will have it back in another month or a little longer.



I will change my profile.

[Ron in BC]

With the 21NE having the same general layout as the 19 there probably still is a path for retro-fitting wiring running down the driver's side from the panel to the rear.

Handy way of getting wires back there while keeping them safe and out of sight.

In the future if you want to explore the possibilities take a thin flexible piece of something handy, lot's of items work, and try working it down the side between the f.g. liner for the bathroom and the trailer shell. Then attach wires to it or do as I did. I ran a cord over the twice the length required and could use it multiple times to pull wires aft or forward.

Ron

[BobG]

Ron, That sounds doable. I bought a little bore scope camera to look around back there. Some day I intend to do it. I would like to be able to turn on the outside lights with 1 switch and also turn the camera on with a switch for security reasons. I might also want to add an additional camera or two. I haven't really thought it out but it would be good to have a motion camera to catch wildlife.

[Ron in BC]

I understand.

On my 19 I installed extra lights on all 4 sides and on my 21 I changed things a bit so that my door light still works from the original switch and lights on the other 3 sides work from a second switch.

Sometimes it's nice to be able to have a look all round outside without opening the door. Lot's of options to make it the way that suits your style.

Ron

[LibertasRay]

Just FYI - and I know Furrion can't necessarily support this - but here's what I did to get the camera going on my 2015 Ford Transit Connect:

Opened Rear Access Panel where Parking Assist and Towing Module are located
Cut The Brown Wire from the Towing Module (lights)
Attached Brown Wire to Constant 12V power also located in same panel
Tested Camera in On and Acc Position - works perfect now as power doesn't come from Module.

Added a Switch in place so I can fully shut power to trailer from inside the vehicle - just incase!

While I know this isn't a method Furrion can get behind - it’s a great work around!
Ray

[Shiny]

Originally Posted by Shiny

Just an FYI... I replaced the 12V plug on my monitor and my system worked well on our last outing. It cut out once and when I cycled the power to the monitor it recovered.

My conclusions:

- 2018 Silverado power to the camera is fine.. at least was not my issue
- Interrupted power to the monitor was a likely cause

Seems Furrion could add a 50-cent capacitor to both the camera and receiver power inputs and improve customer satisfaction.

I do like the camera.

Revisiting as the camera again cut out during our last trip in the fall and I think it may be related to the 7-pin connector which is not very secure. After it repeated a few times I re-positioned the 7-pin cable and the camera was then fine.

Is there an easy way to assure the 7-pin connector doesn't wiggle and risk an intermittent open? On my truck, there is only a tab on the connector cover that prevents the trailer's connector housing from falling out. It seems only the friction of the contacts is actually maintaining a good connection and the heavy cable from the trailer will shake it around.

[BobG]

Other than furrion cameras not working with a lot of cars without adding a capacitor to the circuit, some of their screens don't work when they get warm. I thought I had the camera system fixed after installing the capacitor but found that when driving in the desert SW, the screen overheats and quits. Unplugging it for a while and moving the screen to the shade gets it working again.

[Shiny]

Thanks BobG - Noted and will watch for display overheating.

I'm still looking for a way to secure the 7-pin connector. I'm going to clean the contacts and spread the blades on the truck connector but I would feel better if there was a locking mechanism to keep the housings engaged.

Last fall, the cord had fallen "outside" the tailgate and was obviously putting a load on the connector.

I may open a separate thread.

[Shiny]

I decided to buy an extension harness and add a 7-pin connector inside the truck bed.

Has anyone else done this? Where did you put the connector and how did it work out?

Mike

[Ken G]

Same with mine it gets its power when the headlights are on and trailer plugged in

[cschelp]

Alternative placement of power correcting circuit for rearview camera.

As mentioned earlier in the thread by others, I too had the issue of the camera not being happy with the power it was receiving from my tow vehicle (Mercedes Metris). I followed an earlier link to the small diode and capacitor circuit on Amazon and purchased a similar one. However, on my 21NE, the wiring does not appear to drop down inside the rear corners of the trailer where I could reach them. In desperation I pulled off the camera from the back of the trailer and noticed that there is space behind it in the camera mount. With some soldering and use of shrink wrap to keep it weather tight, I spliced the circuit directly into the power lead on the back of the camera. Everything fits within the mount and the camera works great. So if you can not find the power leads to the camera inside the trailer, you can still fix the power problem without having to buy the Furrion built 7-pin adapter. Given the shaking and motion the power cord takes between the trailer and tow vehicle, I would rather not add yet another pressure fit connection there.

[BobG]

Yeh, Furrion's fix is stupid. They could make the camera work for 2 bits instead of peddling a sketchy and unsafe patch for $100+.


It would be interesting to know if Furrion's fix blocks operation of the tow vehicles circuit that monitors for inoperative lights.

[Sean2a]

Having this issue with my 17B, same TV as OP. I ordered a simple module that should fix the problem, but I'm having trouble determining which set of cables under the rear dinette is the backup camera. If I have to unplug every 12v plug that's bundled together until I find it, I will, but I thought perhaps since it runs off the vehicle power, it may not be bundled with the other 12v wires. Any tips?

Also, after noticing the system supports up to 4 cameras, I'm playing with the idea of getting a few more cameras and wiring the circuits directly to my 12v system in the trailer so it's always powered and I can use it as a bit of a live-view security system while inside the trailer. I leave my trailer powered while in transport so I'm considering what the point of using the TV power is.

[Shearwater]

We contacted Escape and they sent a wiring schematic for our 5.0. Our camera wiring came down behind the rear driver's side corner. We just removed the verticle trim piece and there they were.

[BobG]

I also contacted Escape. They told me where to find the wires for my 2021 21NE. They were also behind the rear driver side corner trim piece.


If you are going to get into the wires, you might want to consider taking the camera off the tow vehicle light circuit and wire it directly into the trailer wiring with a switch so you can use it while camped or maybe be able to switch it between the tow vehicle, off, and trailer wiring.

[Sean2a]

Originally Posted by BobG

I also contacted Escape. They told me where to find the wires for my 2021 21NE. They were also behind the rear driver side corner trim piece.


If you are going to get into the wires, you might want to consider taking the camera off the tow vehicle light circuit and wire it directly into the trailer wiring with a switch so you can use it while camped or maybe be able to switch it between the tow vehicle, off, and trailer wiring.

Okay, thanks. It sounds like in all likelihood my wire will be behind the drivers side corner piece as well. I don’t think Escape likes to reinvent the wheel if it’s not necessary. I think a switch makes sense in the off chance I tow with batteries disconnected.

Thanks