I occasionally have to back a small trailer up, and there are dedicated remote cameras to do that, but I was thinking . . . If I could have a Wyze can sending to my phone, that would work as an alternative. Mounting wouldn’t be an issue, neither would be getting 12VDC to a car USB source. Possible? Thanks for any input, this place is always such a great resource!
Been there done that, posted about it somewhere here.
Basically IF you can set your phone up as a WiFi Hotspot it works EASY
Set up the hotspot
Put your cam on the hotspot network
enjoy
BUT
If you have a weak WiFi Hotspot it can be a problem.
I’m in Northeast MS. Very poor reception for my phone at times. The first time it took a short while for the camera to connect to Wyze when it read the bar code. The second time, a few days later, it would not connect.
I would recommend a power supply close to the camera, they can be finicky with long USB cords.
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Thanks, I tried to see if the topic had come up but missed that post.
Besides trying my phone, I do have an Elipsis Jetpack WiFi hotspot, I could try that, but I need to make sure it’s not 5G only.
There is always-on power available in the trailer wiring when attached to the vehicle, or use the running lights power, and I would install a waterproof outside receptacle to plug a car adapter into, which would be a nice addition anyway, it should be able to reach the camera with the standard length cord.
I’d just plug it in upon arrival at the destination. I was considering having it always on while driving, but a waterproof housing would just make it too complex. Much simpler to just put a metal disk on the ramp and mount it only when needed.
Thanks again, appreciate the reply.
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@oogiewa
Two small comments/suggestions:
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for powering the Wyzecam from your vehicle wiring harness, you could use a dashcam wiring kit to convert the 12VDC into 5VDC. There are models that have a microUSB cable, just what you need to connect to the cam.
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As @gemniii mentioned, you can use your smartphone’s hotspot to connect to the camera. But, it may not be obvious that the phone needs to have cellular data service. In order for the camera to start up, it has to make a connection to Wyze servers. If you and your trailer are out in the boonies/mountains/valleys or other locations with no/poor cellular data coverage, the app won’t be able to view the camera, even though they are almost side-by-side.
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For power I’d just use a USB portable battery pack used to recharge phones. Should be easy enough to tuck that in somewhere near the camera for these type of tasks.
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Both good suggestions. I do have a USB charger already, just put some Velcro on the door to mount it. And most of the places we are likely to be going to would have good cell service.
I’m actually not that bad at backing the trailer if I take my time and have a good spotter, but last night was a good example of how a camera would be handy. I was by myself, backing a trailer full of our band equipment into a space between the pavilion we were playing in and a playground . Because of all the little kids running around, I’d back a foot or two, stop, get out and walk around back to make sure it was clear; repeated that about a half dozen times before getting to where we wanted it. I’d still go slow and check a few times, but it would be better at least having some clue as to what is going on back there.
Too bad there isn’t a sub-app that would allow directly reading the cam data if on the same network.
Thanky kindly again folks, spot on comments.
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