This product installs in a fairly straightforward manner if one possesses a few basic skills. It was necessary to drill a hole through my vehicle's skin behind the license plate in order to fish the video and power cable into the interior of the end gate. I used an ample amount of silicone sealant to ensure the install would remain will required fishing a longer cable up through the end gate, through the tubular rubber "chase" to access the vehicle body, over the headliner and down the A pillar to get the video into the front cabin under the dash. I did replace the RCA video cable supplied with the product with a Steren 25' Python Home Theater RCA-RCA Video Cable, also available from Amazon, because I wanted a heavier-duty cable that would withstand the abrasion of fishing through tight spaces in the vehicle and also would not likely present issues of degradation image quality due to the length of the run, though it's reasonable to presume that Esky has provided one of sufficient quality to provide adequate video quality, albeit somewhat flimsy and not likely to be so resilient to physical abrasion.
The power cable run was not complicated. In my vehicle, the backup light is in the end gate. It's necessary to remove all the interior trim pieces so as to be able to get into the end gate. The power and ground wires were readily identifiable once that was accomplished. In my case, in a 2013 Ford Escape, the positive wire to the reversing light is blue and the negative ground is black. I simply stripped off some of the insulation on both, wrapped the appropriate wire from the camera around it and then soldered the connections, after which I insulated them well with electrical tape. I also took some care to tape the entire assembly to another cable in the area so as to prevent the weight of the cabling combined with vehicle vibration to potentially cause a separation or other issue over time. In my particular installation, the trim went back on easily. There are several clips that, with some care taken to achieve proper alignment, allow everything to go back on without much trouble.
The camera produces a clear image and there is a grid that delineates the distance quite well. The camera can be positioned up and down by loosening a setscrew and then retightening after adjustment. In my case, I did it without assistance, so the process required two such repositioning attempts to get it exactly where I wanted. That wasn't much of a task.
I've had the installation in place about a month now and, thus far, it's saved me from at least one situation where a car was backing out of a parking space immediately behind me on the other side of a parking lot travel lane and I did anticipate a person with a shopping cart so as to stop a little sooner than I might otherwise have done without its benefit.
Additionally, I would say this: The camera is a good augmentation to other existing safety devices, as well as one's own faculties. There is a bit of a learning curve to integrate the camera image into one's usual backing routine. It's important to remember that there are rear view mirrors on one's vehicle and that they are there for a purpose, so one should be mindful of them and utilize them with which to back up as safely as possible. If one should become solely dependent on this backup camera, ignoring the other available options, there is a significant risk that safety will actually be degraded as a result, especially for pedestrians in a parking lot. It's also important to realize that, if a driver is ignoring caution in a parking lot, he or she may approach one's vehicle from the side at relatively high speed, and this device isn't likely to provide an advantage in anticipating that situation, so it's best to be looking around as one proceeds in reverse as well. Even though this camera has a fairly wide angle of view, it does not supplant the driver's faculties, such as turning one's head to each side of the vehicle to observe any potential oncoming vehicles to the right and left, especially in a parking lot situation, or the use of outside mirrors to increase the field of view. However, for people and objects that may be positioned directly behind one's vehicle, especially if one's vehicle limits visibility directly behind due to a high rear window position, such as mine, this camera can augment other means of viewing the area into which one may intend to back up. It's just not a panacea for all backup situations and should not be relied upon exclusively. It certainly doesn't hurt to turn one's head around side-to-side to be certain one has all the information possible before and during a reversing maneuver. Good luck and safe driving.
| Manufacturer | Esky |
|---|---|
| Brand | Esky |
| Model | FBA_EC170-09 |
| Item Weight | 1.55 pounds |
| Product Dimensions | 13.5 x 7.9 x 1.5 inches |
| Item model number | FBA_EC170-09 |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Manufacturer Part Number | FBA_EC170-09 |
| Voltage | 12 Volts |
