tgodrich

Thanks for the input Christopher. As I said, my goal here is to get to a wireless solution. And hopefully in the process end up with a camera that has some night vision capability as well. I am really hopefully I can adapt my Furrion wireless camera that is already on the back of my trailer to the truck somehow. SDI carries audio too, but I don't care about that aspect of it. Just the video. It would seem logical that Chevy would be developing a wireless solution, or perhaps some other aftermarket camera maker (Furrion?) may work on it. The problem is that so far only Chevy is doing this (that I know of), so the market is limited. I am not sure yet what the video is in the Furrion monitor that is the other half of my camera system. Since it is winter and I am not camping much, this may be my opportunity to open up the monitor and see what is there. I am also hoping for some input on this forum on the video connection within the truck (e.g. where are they?). I really do not want to take much apart on the new truck without knowing if I am going the right direction.

I have not yet looked into this per my prior post, but if this is indeed triaxial then that would allow for the camera bias voltage on one wire, the video on another, and the ground common to both perhaps as the outside shield. Triax is not all that difficult to deal with, just 3 conductors instead of two. Coax video typically has the video signal in the middle shielded with a ground outside wrap. These are also impedance sensitive and are usually 50 ohm or 75 ohm. My suspicion on the triax connection needs to be verified but that would be easier for Chevy to implement a camera bias as well as a video signal with a common ground. I am assuming that the camera is isolated and does not need a trailer ground to work. Many trailers are fiberglass shell, and as such not conductive, so you would have to run a ground wire to the camera if the mount depends on a trailer ground. I also have another question... Where do all the video camera connections come into the dash display? Is it behind the dash, or perhaps on the truck computer somewhere. There are numerous cameras on the truck, so those video feeds have to go somewhere. I am curious as this may be a point to feed the wireless video from my Furrion camera to the truck, and bypass the rear connector altogether. I still want a wireless solution. I really want to be able to use my Furrion camera as it works at night too. Such an oversight on Chevy's part.

OK, so I have a 2020 Chevy 3500HD. I do not like having to string a cable from the rear of my 34' trailer to use the camera option. From my understanding, the cable has a DC bias for the camera with the video riding on this voltage. This allows one coax cable to supply both the video and the DC needed to bias the camera. I currently have a Furrion wireless camera mounted on the back of my trailer. I am hopeful at some point a wireless adapter will be made that could plug into the camera plug on the bumper and talk to the camera, sans the cable. Not sure why a wireless camera is such a problem on a truck that has wifi, bluetooth, satellite, and can be a cell hot spot. Seems it should have been wireless from inception. My wireless Furrion rear trailer camera has been around for years. What a concept. However, I am an electrical engineer, so I am thinking the following in the absence of a commercially available solution... This is video signal we are trying to get to the camera plug. I may open up my little monitor that came with my Furrion wireless camera and see if I can add a video connection where it connects to the monitor and bring that video out to a plug I can deal with. The monitor does not have a video out (it's built in to the monitor), so I am essentially making a video out. This will keep the camera wireless, and I do not have to buy another camera. The Furrion was about $350 too. But wireless and works at night. The mount came on my trailer (Grand Designs Reflection) and included the 12V needed for camera bias (I added a switch because the 12 volt camera bias wire is always hot, keeping the camera on all the time). I haven't measured the DC voltage at the camera plug on the bumper of the truck yet. I would suspect 12 volts, but Chevy may have this a different voltage. By adding a simple filter on this plug connection, I could block the DC and pass the video. This would allow me to make a short cable from the wireless monitor with the new video out to the camera plug. I may find the camera coax in the truck's wire harness and bypass the camera plug on the bumper altogether. Anyway, this will likely be a winter project. I will post if I get it working. I agree with the prior posts that paying $350+ for a GM camera system that does not have IR for night vision is a shortfall. Such an easy addition. And having to string a wire is also a shortfall. In fact, Chevy could have simply made their trucks compatible with the Furrion wireless cameras already widely available and in use on trailers and this could seamlessly interface to the truck video computer system, and wirelessly, and syncing just like the Furrion camera already does to its monitor. But that would have been way too easy. Come on GM engineers, get with the program. This is not rocket science. You could still charge us customers by making this option something you would have to pay the dealer to enable (an electronic key of sorts).