Backup cameras are a popular category at Audio Designs & Custom Graphics here in Jacksonville, Florida, and interest in them seems to grow by the day. There is a lot of misinformation about backup cameras floating around, so we are providing this article to help you in making an educated and informed buying decision.
Custom Solutions For You And Your Vehicle
The first thing to know about adding a backup camera to your vehicle is that what worked best on a friend’s vehicle might not be the best solution for you. Modern vehicles come in many different trim levels. When coupled with the physical design of the body and the interior, the only way to know that you can use the exact same system as your friend is if you have the exact same vehicle. That means year, make, model and options list. The good news here is that you don’t have to worry. We can install a backup camera system in any vehicle. Let’s explore some of the most popular options.
Integrating Backup Cameras Into Factory Screens
Once the system is installed in your vehicle, what you are going to see on a daily basis is the screen that displays the camera image. If you are fortunate to have a vehicle with a color display in the dash, we often have a solution to display the camera image right there, avoiding the need to add an external monitor.
Replacement Rear View Mirrors
If your vehicle doesn’t already have the option to display the image on your factory screen, a popular option is a replacement rearview mirror. When the install is completed, you will have what looks like a stock mirror, but embedded inside of it is an LCD monitor. Under normal circumstances, the mirror looks and performs like your original mirror. When you put the vehicle into reverse, the monitor turns on and you have a beautiful image of the world behind you. This is a logical place to have the image displayed since you already use the mirror to see behind you.
We have several popular options when it comes to the mirror itself – basic mirrors with integrated monitors, ones with auto-dimming capability, and models with built-in outside temperature displays and compasses.
Standalone Monitors
If your vehicle does not have the option of using the factory screen in the dash or a replacement rearview mirror, we also have add-in monitors that will work in your vehicle. Screen sizes on these monitors range from a compact 3.5” all the way up to a big 7”.
When you do business with Audio Designs & Custom Graphics, you never have to worry about where we can mount an external screen. Our in-house fabrication department can take that monitor you choose and make it look like it came from the factory.
Choosing Quality Backup Cameras
Once that you have chosen the monitor, you have to decide on a camera itself. While all parts of a backup camera system are important, the camera is definitely the most important piece of the puzzle. Cheap cameras fail often, have lousy resolution and can’t focus well at night, if at all. That means you might spend good money on something designed to make you a safer driver – but it doesn’t work properly. You will never experience any of these problems here because Audio Designs & Custom Graphics pride ourselves on offering the best-performing products we can find. Our team spends hundreds of hours every year on researching and testing all of the products we offer our clients. This way we can ensure they are getting something that will give them years of reliable use.
Styles Of Backup Cameras
When it comes time to choose the actual camera, we have many different styles, so we are sure to have one that will work properly for you. Whether a license-plate camera will work best or a model designed to mount on the lip above your rear tag, to a model that fits inside your tailgate handle, we have them all.
One very important thing to know is that backup camera systems have become so popular that the market has been flooded with low-quality, flea-market–grade products. You do not want this stuff installed on your vehicle! These products constantly fail and image quality is lousy. Quite simply, they are not worth your time or your money. You are making an investment in your vehicle to protect yourself and your loved ones from injury, and your property from damage. Never shop the lowest price when it comes to safety.
Exceptional Installations
Once you choose the product, it is time to get it installed. This is another area where we shine. Many shops are so focused on how fast they can complete a job that they cut corners. We never cut any corners. And when you factor in the exceptional knowledge, experience and quality of our employees, our installations are two steps above the competition. Audio Designs prides itself on performing installations that meet, and often exceed, the standards of vehicle manufacturers. Things like soldering and heat shrinking connections may seem overkill to some people, but to us, that is just a normal install. If it is the standard for car manufacturers like Mercedes and BMW, it is the standard for us.
Stop By And See Your Backup Camera Experts Today!
We invite you to stop by Audio Designs & Custom Graphics in Jacksonville and get to know us. One of our team members will go out to your vehicle with you and look it over, and then will ask you several questions. This will give us a good feel for how you use your vehicle in an average week. At that point, we will work up what we feel is the best solution for your specific needs. Let us show you why Mobile Electronics magazine consistently names us one of the Top Retailers in the Nation year after year.
You can Contact Us Here for more information about any of our products and services.
I didn’t realize that rear view cameras could be displayed on the mirror you use to back up with. I can see why this would be really useful. I’ll have to remember this when I decide I need a back up camera.