Anyone install a Garmin GPS 55 with wireless backup camera BC-40?

any feedback from anyone that has used or has the BC-40 wireless backup camera ?

I just bought the newer version Garmin 55 that supports the wireless backup camera.

 

I have zero experience with the Garmin product in particular, but I bought a

DoHonest Wireless Backup Camera HD 1080P 5“ Split Screen Rear View Monitor Kit Night Vision Waterproof Bluetooth Reverse Cam Stable WIFI Digital Signals for Car Truck Minivan Small RV Two Channels S23

cheap wireless backup camera so I imagine this would be similar.

Wireless backup cameras are generally dead simple to install and use. All they need is a 12v power source for the camera, and once the camera has power it can be paired to a head unit or standalone monitor/receiver. Most people tap into the reverse light.

I can't speak for the quality of the Garmin unit. The camera I bought included a standalone monitor that was already paired to the camera, so if anything could go wrong then it's the pairing part. But aside from that I get a strong signal and clear picture just as good as if I had gone through the effort to run a wired camera. I tied the antenna to the existing wire loom that runs under the bed to the tail lights, no signal problems. The technology is plenty reliable enough for a small truck like this, so if it claims to be compatible then there's a good chance it'll work out fine.

Possibly not an issue for everyone, but in my case the connection to the camera was a bit flaky for the first few days I had the camera installed. I had incandescent reverse bulbs at the time, and a few poorly-spliced wires from some previous owners' experiments. Once I redid the wiring and switched to LED reverse bulbs the problems went away.

 

Thanks for the input,
I ordered the backup camera anyways, so we will see how it works.

The Garmin backup camera doesn’t wire into the reverse switch or lights.

It comes on with motion going reverse and or it has a icon that turns it on with a touch.

So you can turn it on when driving forwards too.

Thanks for the input

 

Yeah on a second glance it appears the camera uses batteries for a power source rather than 12V. You don't even have to tap into anything, this should be really easy.

 

Will report back next week, I like this option because it’s being added on to my existing GPS device that I use all the time as it is,

 

Very happy with it,
It actually was super easy to pair with the garmin,

So the backup camera works with the garmin GPS

It has a camera icon on the top right corner that turns it on and at start up it automatically turns it on.

You can also be driving forward, on the highway and turn it on for 10 seconds before it closeout, kinds cool

 

Yes, it just pops out,
BUT if you cut the side tab brackets off you can JB WELD it into the main bracket that is screwed into the metal bracket and still have access to the battery covers on both sides.
And you can get anti thief bolts/nut.
This way it would be pretty hard to get off without damaging it.

You could also use two plastic tie straps that lock in place,

You could makeup a hose clamp from the back with whole bracket off too,

So there are other options

A stolen used one is only worth 50.00 or so.

If someone wants to steal something off a truck they will.

 

Anti theft bolts,nuts

 

I stil have a wireless (not Garmin) camera in the box - I uninstalled it after using it few times. I did not want one more monitor in my truck (to much distraction), the camera was crappy and whenever I was driving by a store with security cameras my monitor showed the inside of the store instead of what is behind my truck.

Now I have wired camera with zero interference. And the display is in my double din unit.

 

The Garmin bc40 is a more high quality unit, the video is very good, the Bluetooth has to sync with the head unit so it doesn’t pickup other Bluetooth signals,
There are plenty of cheap junky ones for sale

It works with the GPS garmin so I wasn’t adding another monitor, so it’s idea for me

 

I totally understand the hesitance to try another wireless camera, they were indeed terrible in the past. But I was hanging out with a buddy earlier this year and he showed me a Furrion wireless camera that he used for towing. This was a great experiment because it was a brand new truck that came with a backup camera already integrated into the head unit, so we could see both displays running together.

I was impressed by the performance of the Furrion, it was responsive and got the job done well. The only difference was the quality of the display was lower, and the image was basically a tiny bit fuzzier. If it helps for perspective, it kinda reminded me of backup cameras from 4-5 years ago, whereas 2021 models with integrated cameras are almost as detailed as top-of-the-line smartphone cameras from 4-5 years ago.

Based on what I saw with the Furrion, a more expensive but known brand, I was cautiously optimistic about buying a cheaper unit from Amazon. And I mean if you really care that much about it, you probably will notice some occasional hiccups or lower framerate on a wireless camera than you do with wired. There is some compromise here, the question is how much of that matters for your use case. For me, I think it's perfect for the price point.

 

I have the BC40 and Garmin Drive 55. Haven't taken the camera out of the box yet, but plan to this weekend. Glad to see the Camera clarity is as high as they suggest

 

There are 3 different quality settings that you can choose from in settings area

 

I had thought about mounting the camera up high on my Leer cap to help see backing up a trailer. I saw a YT vid of a guy using it on a large RV in a similar way, also as a fwd looking camera.

 

Is it significantly better than the BC30? I wired up a BC30 since I was worried about theft with the BC40 but the camera quality is pretty shiet. But it does work seamlessly when backing up and its easy to tell at least if youre gonna hit something or not.

 

Yes, it works seamlessly and video quality is better,

Yes you can adjust the degrees any way u want