Aloha from Hawaii!

[Mokume]

Newbie here and certainly hope I can get some installation tips.

Can anyone suggest a mounting method for the rear facing camera on my 2020 Ford Ranger SuperCab?

I am leaning towards a BlackVue DR900S 2 channel system.

The rear window has a sliding center section which slides to the right of the truck and also has defroster grids.
About the only viable glass mounting method would be on the lower left corner of the rear window adjacent to the sliding section, I've only 2 inches in height for a stick on bracket there, of course attaching such a bracket over a defroster grid is out of the question. I could also attach a stick on bracket to the top section of the glass, but I am limited to just an inch vertical clearance on the glass.

An alternative is finding a bracket which attaches to the left head restraint inner tubular post, however it has a weird bend in it.

Insights? Suggestions?

 

[country_hick]

You might be able to use a mount with a self stick adhesive onto the rear window frame.
The metal part on the bottom looks like putting a mount there might be possible.

 

[kamkar]

Yeah off the bottom lower part that are flat, more demanding but a little better would be up high, but then to mount off the round bar, you will have to fabricate some form of adapter or maybe drill & screw the camera mount to the round bar.
whatever you have to space it out some as that sliding window have that fat black edge, on the good side the heater lines seem spaced out good, still a good idea to have lens as close to glass as possible.
Another option is to get a waterproof rear camera unit, you can mount out back on the car, on the cab you will of course have a lot of your bed in the frame and you can noot see plates on the car right in front of you,,,,, that is the cars on the island have plates in the front at all ( EU boy here so used to plates front and rear )

In the front the windscreen and mirror / sensor assembly look as if it would be fine with a wedge shaped camera, maybe mount the camera off the bottom of the sensor housing that appear to be flat to a large degree.

Also look as if there is a little dotted area on either side of the sensor housing, mounting a wedge camera on that with just the lens peeking out below will also be about as stealthy as it can get.
If you mount off the bottom of the sensor housing, the profile of a wedge camera would just be like 1 X 2 inches looking at it from the outside,,,, many would probably think its just one of the sensor cameras.
Ig you mount off the sensor housing plastics, you might have to get another kind of dual sided tape, the one that come with cameras are best on the even surface of the glass, but some times the provided stuff also work just fine on the plastic trim of cars.

 

[Mokume]

Yeah off the bottom lower part that are flat, more demanding but a little better would be up high, but then to mount off the round bar, you will have to fabricate some form of adapter or maybe drill & screw the camera mount to the round bar.
whatever you have to space it out some as that sliding window have that fat black edge, on the good side the heater lines seem spaced out good, still a good idea to have lens as close to glass as possible.
Another option is to get a waterproof rear camera unit, you can mount out back on the car, on the cab you will of course have a lot of your bed in the frame and you can noot see plates on the car right in front of you,,,,, that is the cars on the island have plates in the front at all ( EU boy here so used to plates front and rear )

In the front the windscreen and mirror / sensor assembly look as if it would be fine with a wedge shaped camera, maybe mount the camera off the bottom of the sensor housing that appear to be flat to a large degree.

Also look as if there is a little dotted area on either side of the sensor housing, mounting a wedge camera on that with just the lens peeking out below will also be about as stealthy as it can get.
If you mount off the bottom of the sensor housing, the profile of a wedge camera would just be like 1 X 2 inches looking at it from the outside,,,, many would probably think its just one of the sensor cameras.
Ig you mount off the sensor housing plastics, you might have to get another kind of dual sided tape, the one that come with cameras are best on the even surface of the glass, but some times the provided stuff also work just fine on the plastic trim of cars.

Thank-You sir for your response,

Yes, 4 wheeled motor vehicles are required to display front and rear license plates in Hawaii.

Could I bother your to take a close up pic of your front camera mounting on your Ranger please?
The windshield on your Wildtrak looks identical to the federated Rangers.

On a side note, I see where the seat upholstery on your trucks lower seat cushion exhibits the same wrinkling malady as my Ranger with the pseudo leather trim. almost all Rangers here in the US with the same upholstery have the same problem.

 

[country_hick]

Another less than ideal option would be to stick the cam on the moving glass and use a coiled USB power wire so your cam can move with the window when the window is opened or closed. Naturally the cam could not be positioned perfectly at all times using this approach.

 

[kamkar]

I don't have a Ford like that, but my measly little Suzuki 5 door hatchback probably cost the same due to the high Danish taxes on cars..
That picture was just one i found on the net looking for your car model, just to see how the windscreen layout was so i was able to comment on your options.

Dont mind the American flag on my avatar its due to me using a VPN and ATM trying to pass myself as a American to American streaming services.

The Blackvue camera you have your eyes on might not be the best choice for the Hawaii climate, pretty much all the new 4K cameras have heat issues.
Though for just recording when driving i think it might be fine, but for parking mode i don't think it is suites to the islands climate.

 

[Mokume]

Another less than ideal option would be to stick the cam on the moving glass and use a coiled USB power wire so your cam can move with the window when the window is opened or closed. Naturally the cam could not be positioned perfectly at all times using this approach.

Thank-You sir for your response,

That option would be less than ideal because the defroster grid spacing on that glass is only one inch, so I would need an adhesive bracket whose height footprint is max 3/4".
The stationary section is much more practical because there is some sort of black coating (not a frit) along the lower edge of the glass, I've about 2" heightwise to play with there.

I am also a member of the Ranger 5G forum, if I am not mistaken a member there had found some sort of bracket which attaches to the head restraint post

 

[kamkar]

We have a thread where people have posted pictures of how they have installed different cameras in different cars, that might be able to give you some ideas about how to go about it in your car.

Where did you mount the camera? Post your pictures

3D wedges repositioned for side-by-side Mobius testing:

dashcamtalk.com

 

[Mokume]

I don't have a Ford like that, but my measly little Suzuki 5 door hatchback probably cost the same due to the high Danish taxes on cars..
That picture was just one i found on the net looking for your car model, just to see how the windscreen layout was so i was able to comment on your options.

Dont mind the American flag on my avatar its due to me using a VPN and ATM trying to pass myself as a American to American streaming services.

The Blackvue camera you have your eyes on might not be the best choice for the Hawaii climate, pretty much all the new 4K cameras have heat issues.
Though for just recording when driving i think it might be fine, but for parking mode i don't think it is suites to the islands climate.

Lol, I thought it was odd that you should be based in Denmark, yet the American flag is displayed on your avatar, I don't mind it at all, one does what is needed to get by.

Actually this truck leads a somewhat pampered life, I've owned it for 2 months now and have driven it just 220 miles. There are times when I will use it for home improvement center runs where it will be exposed to sunlight for a couple of hours, other than that it will be parked in a covered carport. With that in mind, heat exposure will not be excessive, I estimate that it will be undercover for 90% of its total life. While parked at my home, my primary concern is surveillance, it is my intent to use just the rear facing camera as it is the end of the truck most accessible to the open carport.

A Blackvue system is not cast in stone yet, I abhor manufacturers which design their products to function solely by use of their grossly overpriced components, in this case a memory card

Another feature I am looking for is notification on my mobile device when activity is sensed by the camera thereby enhancing my proposed POe home security cam system.

My daily driver is a 2002 Honda CR-V, probably more lowly than your Suzuki!

 

[jokiin]

Lol, I thought it was odd that you should be based in Denmark, yet the American flag is displayed on your avatar, I don't mind it at all, one does what is needed to get by.

forum software adds the flag based on the IP address you connect from, @kamkar1 is using a VPN which must be in the US right now