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
The description says this is to assist with trailer hookup. Did you just try it for your purposes and it worked? I’m surprised it has such a long lasting battery.
@Lmurf I read a recommendation that someone else had posted for use as a trailer cam and figured it was worth trying. My friend’s trainer wanted to test its range recently when we went to his place. He was wondering if it would work in his looonnngg rig and possibly as a foal cam. I walked nearly a quarter mile before I lost the picture. I’ve been very pleased with it.
Thank you for the reply. It sounds good. I think I’ll try it.
You can also use a wireless baby monitor that has a video feed. With strategic application of dual lock tape to various areas, the camera will stay put and the receiver will too.
For example:
Is the tech still bluetooth? I had issues with it when I first got one 15+ years ago with all the other cars on the road using bluetooth, because it caused interference. Also one time at a horse show when I was parking, as I was backing up my camera swapped to another person’s iBall camera because my straight load was suddenly a slant 
It was just closer to the receiver as I parked, it was the trailer next to my truck versus my trailer that was behind my truck.
And the battery life is really, really, atrocious. It often died mid-trip on me.
I have an IBall with a 2H BP and I just acknowledge that the picture flickers some. The only 2 issues I have with it are:
- I have a vehicle without a cigarette lighter so I have an adapter and it can vibrate itself off the adapter, but that also happened with the old vehicle and it plugged directly into the cigarette lighter
- The picture goes to white static when I drive past a prison and one other location that must have something interfering with the signal
I’ve only done 5 hour round trips so far and the battery lasts for that. I charge it each time the day before the trip.
It uses a 5.8GHz band wireless transmission to avoid 2.4GHz Bluetooth interference for a more stable and clearer viewing option. Battery life will last me for about 3 hours of continuous use.
I have eliminated the battery life problem by having a wired power outlet at the camera location so that the camera runs off of tow vehicle power supplied to the trailer via the 7 pin vehicle to trailer outlet and plug.
When I disconnect the trailer then the camera will continue to run on the internal battery until (1) I manually turn off the camera by using the camera power switch, or (2) the internal camera battery is discharged. The internal camera battery recharges during use the next time I tow. The wired power circuit delivers enough power to run the camera and to charge the internal battery simultaneously.
which model? the 89 or 109$? thanks
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=eway&crid=24IC0GM7DDYH1&sprefix=eway%2Caps%2C208&ref=nb_sb_noss_1
