Install A Wireless Car Backup Camera Yourself!

The RearVision Car Backup Camera was one of our favorite gift suggestions for Moms in our Top Tech 10 Christmas Gift Ideas for Moms guide.  If you have a car without a backup camera, chances are you don’t know what you’re missing…or maybe you do.  My husband has one in his car and now he can’t stand to drive my car, because I don’t have one.

Sure, you always have the option to go to your car dealer or Best Buy and have one installed, but here’s why this isn’t always such a good idea…

1. The price is costly, around $700+.
2. They will need to connect wires through your car to reach from your license plate all the way to the front of your car in order to keep it powered.
3. Once installed, that’s it.  No updates come with it.

The RearVision Backup Camera Solution

Ideally, you get a rear backup camera with your new car…but how many of us can afford a new car just to get a backup camera?  Pearl Auto has come up with an amazing solution…and it works!  I have been using it for the past three weeks.

The RearVision Backup Camera comes with a license plate holder for the back of your car containing two video cameras.  The video camera’s view displays on the Pearl Auto app on your smartphone.  There’s no need to buy an expensive display screen, you already have one!

It took my 11-year-old son and I 15 minutes to take off the old license plate holder, attach the RearVision Backup Camera license plate holder, plug a Car Adapter in my car’s OBD port, download and register in the Pearl app, and begin seeing behind my car!  I couldn’t believe it.  

The gray almost heart-like device at the top of this picture is the Pearl Car Adapter I plugged into my OBD Port – it was just above my brake pedal

The RearVision Backup Camera shows an amazingly clear, full view of everything behind my car.

I know what you’re thinking.  But what about wires?  There are absolutely no wires!  You see, the RearVision Backup Camera doesn’t need electricity from the car.  It powers itself through solar panels and even houses power in the license plate cover for rainy days!

The RearVision Backup Camera is a well-thought out product with many features, developed by three previous Apple employees who worked on the iPhone and iPad.  They knew technology needs to be simple and DIY-friendly if people are going to embrace it.

You may be asking, will I  have to turn on the app each time before backing up your car?  Yes and no.  If you have an Android phone, once you turn on your phone and place it in the included Pearl phone mount, the Pearl app begins.  Once opened up, it communicates with your car and you can see everything behind your car.  It’s a beautiful, easy process.

Because Apple locks down certain options on the iPhones, you will need to turn on the Pearl app on your iPhone before driving.

Features:

• Has 2 HD rear view cameras
• See up to 180 degrees view behind the car
• Incorporates a Night mode
• Uses gridlines to help the driver assess where they are backing up
• Visual and audible alerts if backing up near an object
• Theft-resistant
• Easy-to-install
• Comes with phone cradle with interchangeable bases for vent or dash
• No wiring needed, it’s solar powered!

Pros:

• It’s very easy to install yourself – anyone can do it
• With two cameras, you actually get a wider perspective of the view behind your car
• It uses a special screwdriver to install, making it hard to steal
• Within minutes you have a beautiful view of the back of your car, you see everything
• Guidelines help you see the path of where you are backing up
• Because it uses an app, you will continue to get upgrades with new helpful features
• The audible alerts are very helpful and get more intense as you get closer to an object
• No drilling is needed for wires to go from the engine to the back of the cameras
• RearVision gets its power from the sun and stores it for rainy days
• The phone mount incorporates a trigger to turn on your app once you cradle your phone in the Pearl cradle (Android only)

Cons:

• If you have an iPhone and some Android phones, you need to turn on your phone and app before backing up
• Sometimes there is a disconnect between the cameras and the Pearl app, it can take up to 5-6 seconds to resolve
• A $499 price tag may not be affordable to everyone, but it is still less expensive than having one installed

Pearl RearVision is available from the Pearl website for $499.99, although right now, it’s on sale for $479.99 plus free 2-day shipping.

A Mom’s Perspective

RearVision is the best thing since automatic windows and heated seats for the car! No more worries about kids, cats, or puppies behind you, you can see everything as you back out of your garage.

RearVision is also great for backing into parking spots, parallel parking, backing up right to the spot where you want to load things into your car, and more.  

I love that I can turn on my RearVision Backup Camera even when I’m not backing up.  I sometimes turn it on when waiting for a passenger in the parking lot or to see how close a car is behind me.  You can even take screenshots of the live view if you need to.

I’m excited that I don’t need to wait for my next car (which is probably 4-5 years away) to get a backup camera.  I can have it now and I’m loving it.  Initially, I was disappointed that RearVision didn’t have grid lines to show you the path you’re headed when backing up.  

But recently, Pearl released a new update to their app and they included gridlines!  You can see one of the gridlines above with the white line.  There is a red frame around this picture I took because I was very close to the trashcan.

That’s the beauty of using an app along with your backup camera – Pearl will continue to make useful updates that are included as a part of owning RearVision.

So what do you think, could your car use a backup camera?