I’m looking for a wireless camera to see inside my horse trailer. I have a two horse trailer and I primarily haul locally, but I also haul up to two hours for lessons, vet, etc. My horse sometimes like to move around inside the trailer, and I would just like to keep an eye on her.
My trailer is steel and I would prefer to not have to hook up any wires, but if push comes to shove, I can have the camera installed. This also goes for budget: I would prefer staying under $150, but if I need to go over my preferred budget for a higher quality camera, I can. I also don’t mind buying a baby monitor or something similar.
I have one I bought from Amazon. I’ve used it for several 6-hour trips, and it works flawlessly. I mount it at the top of one of my rear doors near the center. In my straight load, I get a great view of both horses. It works really well at night, in the dark, too. Battery life is excellent. Magnet is very strong, no shifting.
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I have this model too and have been happy with it!
Amazon.com: Iball Digital Pro Wireless Magnetic Trailer Hitch Rear View Camera : Electronics
The camera has a big magnet on it to stick it wherever and it is rechargeable. The screen plugs into the lighter. It works great in my 2 +1 with a tack room.
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Maybe I can tag onto this thread because I’ve been meaning to research this topic but haven’t gotten to it yet.
I just had a Pioneer stereo with a 7" screen installed in my old truck. The specs says it is configured for 2 or 3 cameras. Would something like the first linked camera work with that? It does have Android Auto, and I connect my phone through a micro USB.
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I’m not sure. The unit sends out its own wifi signal, which shows up on your phone’s list (or maybe your radio’s list?) of available networks. Once you connect through the app that you will have downloaded, the camera with the video of the horses pops up. For security’s sake, I make sure I’m signed out of everything, and I do nothing else on the phone while I’m connected to that network.
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I have the IBall setup that @bingbingbing posted a link to above. It is my fourth trailer camera over the past 20 years so I’ve some experience.
Pros:
.clear picture with no interference
.easy setup
.monitor can be stored in console or glovebox
.no wires required for monitor so it is a very clean setup.
Cons:
.very small monitoring screen
.monitor plugs directly into cig lighter outlet and vibrates a fair amount.
.camera battery life about 2-3 hours.
I’d buy it again. I made a simple support to hold the monitor steady and prevent shaking. I ran power to an outlet I installed in the back of my trailer so camera battery life is not an issue. I have the camera magnet up to install the camera hanging down from my trailer ceiling, so the camera is upside down. Not a problem since a simple press of buttons on the monitor flips the image, but it defaults to factory display when off so I need to flip the picture each time I use the camera. When the rechargeable camera battery finally died, I was very pleased to find it uses a commonly available battery and it is held inside the camera in a battery clip, so no soldering required. Battery access is 4 screws, the camera back comes off to reveal the battery so my battery change took 5 minutes.
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Thank you, I had not thought about the security aspect of using my phone. I was so happy that my 25 year old truck was looking more modern and tidy with just the one unit that can do everything.
Hmm, 2-3 hour battery life might be an argument for getting one of the sets with >1 camera so they can be swapped out for longer trips. Magnetic is good for me because I just added a tool box in my truck and now I can’t see the gooseneck hitch through the back window, so I could use a camera for hitching the trailer too, but it needs to be removable.
More research needed, but this thread has been helpful!
I’ve had one of these cameras for about 18 months. Went to FL and back with it and it was super. The connection occasionally is a little fiddly, but now that I know how to make it work well, I’ve been very happy.
https://www.trailereyes.com/store/TE-0117-WiFi-Trailer-Cam-p2047914
I’ve been using the IBall cameras for years.
I got an iBall off recommendations here for a 2-horse Hawk and I love it. Battery lasts somewhere around 6 hours. I sometimes have to keep tweaking the position of the monitor in the cigarette lighter to get the best picture.
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I’ve been very happy with this one:
Wireless Backup Camera Solar… https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C58SGGVW?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
