I bought and tested four backup/rearview cameras; Yakry, Amtifo, Rohent, and Dohonest. Each of their viewing angles varied, but none of them could be considered โwide-angleโ cameras. None of them could be used as BOTH a back-up camera AND a rearview mirror camera. That is; 1) the camera could be aimed down to include seeing your RVโs bumper, but it would only see back 10-25 ft and couldnโt see traffic behind you (unless you were at a stoplight or were a millisecond from being rear-ended), or 2) the camera could be aimed to see the horizon and all traffic behind you, but it would only see forward a short way and you couldnโt see your bumper. In other words, every camera could only be used as a back-up camera OR a rearview camera, but could NOT be used for BOTH functions. Put another way, none of them compete with Furrion cameras. You get what you pay for.
I have seen other reviewerโs photos of their camera monitors for some of these cameras and the viewing angles were much better than what I experienced, but as I mentioned, none of the cameras I tested performed that way. Iโm not sure why that is.
The manufacturers claim viewing angles of 120ยบ, 150ยบ, or even 170ยบ, while one just says โwide-angleโ. I measured the viewing angles and distances. Hereโs what I found:
YAKRY: 84.3ยบ horizontal viewing angle, when aimed to see the bumper the vertical viewing angle would only see rearward 11.1 ft from the bumper.
AMTIFO: 89.4ยบ horizontal viewing angle, when aimed to see the bumper the vertical viewing angle would only see rearward 13.0 ft from the bumper.
ROHENT: 93.5ยบ horizontal viewing angle, when aimed to see the bumper the vertical viewing angle would only see rearward 15.3 ft from the bumper.
DOHONEST: 105.2ยบ horizontal viewing angle, when aimed to see the bumper the vertical viewing angle would only see rearward 26.5 ft from the bumper.
None of the viewing angles were anywhere near the claimed viewing angles. Not even close. Talk about false advertising!
Each cameraโs 7โ monitor had a great, high-def, 1080, picture and the setup Menus were very close to each other. The menu functions varied and some functions didnโt work as advertised but the system was still useable. The adjustable green, yellow, red distance graphic was only useful when the camera was aimed at the bumper. This function was worthless if the camera was aimed higher to include traffic behind you.
All of the cameras had the necessary parts to connect to the Furrion-ready housing and wiring. All of the cameras were easily installed in less than 30 minutes.
But the limitation in the viewing angle of every camera forces you to make some decisions;
– Which camera to buy? (The Dohonest has the best viewing angles.)
– Use the camera as a back-up camera?
– Use the camera as a rearview camera?
– Do you even want to buy one of these cameras? (Iโm returning them all!)
If you decide to buy one of these cameras and are thinking about which way to aim itโback-up or rearviewโconsider this. If you count up all the hours you will be driving your rig, how much time is spent driving on the road versus how much time is spent backing up? I think you will get the most out of the camera as a rearview unit. Youโre going to be able to see that guy who is tailgating you before you hit the blinker and start to slow down to make a turn, or change lanes. Whereas if youโre backing up your partner can hop out and help or you can get out and check your clearance yourself until you get it parked. To me, the consequences of a mishap at 50-60 miles per hour with other vehicles moving at the same speed all around you far outweigh bumping into a parking stanchion, tree, or other vehicle at 1 or 2 miles per hour!
One option you may consider is this. A couple of the manufacturers offer additional equipment at no charge. All you have to do it ask for it. You could get an SC card, a side-view camera, or even an additional back-up/rearview camera for free. So why not mount two cameras on the back of your RV; one aimed at the bumper and one aimed at the horizon. Because every one of the cameras have monitors that can show up to four cameras in the system. This way, you could have your cake (a back-up camera) and eat it too (have a rearview camera, as well) and itโs still much cheaper than a Furrion.
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