Where to mount rear camera on 2nd Gen Honda CRV?

[Hack_man]

I can't figure out the best place to mount the rear camera in a 2006 CRV. The window snaps open for easy access as shown in the picture and we use it a lot to gain entry rather than by opening the door.
The perfect location looks like the bottom of the rear brake light assembly, but the window opens so far I'm concerned the cable will eventually get stressed. The constant shock of shutting the door can't be good for the camera.

The only other possibility is on the headliner. There is a mounting point that I could use to somehow attach a bracket which would have to lower the camera a good 5 inches for decent visibility.
But then I have this long bracket invading the nice open cargo space that we use for carrying big things. There is just no great place for a rear camera

 

[Panzer Platform]

This won't work, but maybe it will give you an idea;

 

[Hack_man]

@Panzer Platform That actually does make good sense since the bracket won't be as long in that location.
I mighty have to mount it on one side of the brake light which isn't ideal but there is going to have to be a compromise somewhere.
Thanks for the idea.

 

[kamkar]

I would mount it on the #3 brake light housing, but that give at least 1 problem.
The dual sided tape that come with dashcams are meant for use on fairly flat glass, never the less it will hold for a while just fine, and you can get something new at the DIY store when it let go.

Second you might want to / need to space it out a little so you do not have a heater line right smack in the middle of the footage, if you have the camera lens right up against the glass, if it is in the middle between 2 lines they should not be in the footage.
this could be a piece of plastic or something like that, i actually have that right now on one of my 2 rear cameras, had to insert a +10 mm spacer to get camera lower, so it is in there with dual sided tape on either side.

Alternative mount.
You could put a neodymium magnet inside the #3 brake light housing on the bottom ( glue it in place with something ), and then with the provided dual sided tape stick a piece of metal to the rear cameras " foot " i have used this kind of setup for both side cameras and also for rear cameras for many years as my little car have a all metal rear hatch with very little plastic trim on it, i just stick the magnet to the camera and it then grip the bare metal on the frame of my little JAP 5 door hatchback.

In my car the camera is above the top heater line, having more rear cameras and i have to mount them off the glass and down lower.


Door slamming are no problem for these little cameras, aside for the plug they have no mechanical parts, so as long as you do not have a lot of loose wire dangling right at the plug into the rear camera you should be good.


DIY person advise, i find little neodymium magnets are a must have in the tool box, you can use them sort of like clamps on thinner things you need to glue together ASO.
So like Zip ties - Duct tape - CA glue - assortment of heat shrink tube for electrical stuff,,, a must have for the DIY guy.

 

[Hack_man]

@kamkar I think I could accept the door slamming not being too much of a problem for the camera (maybe) but do you see how much cable slack would be needed for the camera to move with the glass? The cable that Honda uses looks like an old fashioned curly phone cord (you can see one on each side of the window glass in my picture). It's springy and moves well with the glass. I'm probably one of the few people left who still has curly phone cords!

The cable would need lots of slack which maybe is OK but I don't think VIOFO intended for it to flex so much especially with the connector at the camera. If we never open the glass window this would work great.
The cabling inside the door is also a little tricky to get it into the cargo area but that would not be so much of a problem.

 

[kamkar]

Yeah i know in my little Suzuki hatchback the hatch open up in a similar manner, quick and fast DIY installs i just have some slack wire off to the side, but right at the plug you do want something to told the cable.
Only once have i wired in properly thru the cable grommet with the Heater wires / rear washer wires and rear washer tube, that was installing the Viofo A139 as it use little Coaxial cables and so easy to wire proberly.


But most tiomes like now too, i just have some slack wire off to the side to allow for the rear hatch opening.

I will snap a picture tomorrow / that be later today 2:45 AM in Denmark now.

actually this old video i just have wire dangling all over the place it seem.

My car in the rear look like this.

 

[kamkar]

This pic from how did you install dashcam thread in general forum, also hatchback with a setup much like i do it.

 

[kamkar]

My rear hatch a while back.

rear camera on magnet.

 

[kamkar]

Of course as your glass hinge and door / hatch open to the side, well there is just 1 side you can route your rear camera wire to.
Due to me being a dashcam addict and often had many systems in the car, well i route both R and L in my car and both front and rear.

 

[kamkar]

You can always do a dry run with a wire, just tape that along what ever route you intend to take, then you can gauge what kind of slack you will need to have where the wire transition from the rear hatch to the cabin ( C pillar )
but if you do that while the rear glass are open then i think you will be good, the rear hatch hinged to the side like that probably not add a whole lot to the slack needed.

BTW som actually route wires clear across the headliner, i have tried that too, but it is not a option in my stupid little car. But maybe you can do that in the Honda.

 

[Hack_man]

Great pictures! Gives me lots of ideas.
The door hatch opens to the side but the window glass pops upwards.
Now that I think about it, since the door itself opens to the side, I'd need a fair amount of slack.

I suppose another option is to mount the camera like you said to the bottom of the brake light housing and route the cable thru the inside plastic trim of the hatch (make a small hole?) into the door's cavity and then into the cargo cabin thru grommet near the door hinge that already has Honda wires. That might be tricky but would be the cleanest install requiring somewhat less slack.

 

[Michael23]

Hi Hack_man...
Just a quick suggestion for you to consider.

The foam sticky tape that was suggested comes with different thicknesses of foam in the middle.
We radio control people use a variety but the normal receiver mounting size is around 3 or 4 mm thick.
This gives a heap of cushioning to the items.
Just go to your local supermarket or newsagent shop & look for double sided foam tape.
Usually a brand name like "Scotch" or ?