Does anybody know if there is a way to turn on the back up camera without putting the car in reverse. The gear shift must activate a switch to turn the back up camera on when in reverse. I would like to add a switch somewhere to be able to turn on the back up camera when ever I wanted. I had a 2007 Acura TL that I was able to do this to. The back up camera was tied into the reverse lights so I just had to put a switch between the light to turn on the camera. I was cool to turn on when someone was tailgating me.

 

When the car is placed into Reverse gear, a signal is sent to the AV control unit which then sends power to the camera, or camera control unit depending on your specific model. You would have to wire in a switch to intercept and mimic this signal. Check the FSM for your year and model to identify the wire for the Reverse Signal Input.

However, keep in mind that even if you were to successfully turn the camera on and off with a switch, if you are driving past a certain speed the image will not be displayed on the screen.

 

Thanks ILM-NC.

It sounds like a little too much trouble. In the Acura I just had to add a switch to provide power to the reverse light circuit. It was simple.

 

I'm just lurking... because soon I am going to look into doing this, but can you please tell me what the speed of the vehicle has to do with the rear camera? My 2012 G37 with Nav doesn't have RCA inputs... does that make a difference?

 

Has anyone done this and have pictures or videos? Also anyone know what speed makes it unable to view?