If you’ve purchased a dash cam that includes a rear cam, then there are several things to keep in mind when you are deciding where to install a rear dash cam. In this article, we’ll help you decide the ideal location
Separate Rear Cam or Combined with the Front Cam?
The first thing to consider is whether the rear dash camera is a separate camera from the main unit or combined with it.
If the rear dash cam is a part of the main unit, then in most cases you should mount it on the windshield. The only time I would deviate from this setup with this type of dash cam is if you were installing one on the front windshield and one on the rear window/windshield.
Type of Vehicle You’re Installing the Rear Dash Cam In
The type of vehicle you’re installing a rear dash cam will dictate its placement and even the type of camera you would want to buy. The three types of scenarios I can think of are:
- Car
- Truck
- Box/Semi truck
Choosing a location to install the rear dash cam on a car or truck is pretty straight forward.
You basically pick a spot on the rear window that gives you coverage of the rear of your vehicle. You don’t want the camera angled too far up at the sky, so its a good idea to keep the field of view (FOV) low enough to where part of your car or truck can be seen in the video.
If you’re installing a rear dash cam on some type of box/semi truck, then you’ll obviously need to figure out a way to install the camera at the end of whatever you’re hauling. Dash cams targeted towards commercial drivers are usually a better option than most of the dash cam systems designed for use in regular cars and trucks.
Some things to consider when installing a rear dash cam are:
Does the rear window move or roll down?
If the rear window moves from side to side, like you might find in a pickup truck, then you will want to make sure your dash cam doesn’t interfere with the opening and closing of the window.
If the dash cam does interfere, then you’ll either have to accept that interference or find a way to attach the dash cam to something other than the window.
This might mean installing it on one of the panes of glass to either side that is fixed and doesn’t move or might involve fabricating some type of assembly to install it to the car/truck body.
Similarly if the rear window rolls completely down, then you’ll need to find a way to mount the dash cam to part of the body of the vehicle and make sure the dash cam doesn’t get in the way of the opening and closing of the window.
Is there a Rear window/windshield?
If your vehicle doesn’t even have a rear window or windshield, then you’ll need to look at getting a dash cam with a waterproof camera, since it will have to be outside in the weather. I suppose you could cut or a drill a hole in your vehicle for the rear dash cam’s camera lens, but this doesn’t seem like a very good solution.
The dash cam systems that have waterproof cameras tend to be targeted towards commercial vehicles or motorcycle riders. You’ll need to find a way to route the cable from outside where the camera is to inside your where the main unit is located.
You Don’t Want to Obstruct Your Rear View Mirror
Assuming you have a rear window/windshield in your car, you want to be careful to not obstruct your view when looking out your rear view mirror. I’ve never found this to be an issue with my car and the rear facing camera of my dash cam, but it might be a consideration for other vehicle types.
My personal experience is that the rear camera takes up such a small area of the window that it doesn’t really create a blind spot. You definitely want to make sure the same holds true for your vehicle.
Doesn’t Have to Be Centered
If for some reason mounting the rear dash cam in the center is not feasible, then you should be able to mount it off-center and still maintain good coverage of the rear of your vehicle. You just need to verify the coverage is getting the video coverage that you want.
Less than ideal coverage of the rear of your vehicle is better than no coverage.
Routing of Cables
If your rear dash cam plugs into a main unit that is attached to the front windshield, then perhaps the hardest part of installing your rear dash cam will be running the cable that connects the rear dash cam to the front dash cam.
I’ve found it’s very likely someone else has already figured out how to take apart the trim of your model of vehicle and either written an article online or posted a YouTube video online. Although dash cam specific tutorials can be quite rare, there are lots of people who are doing audio/speaker installations/upgrades.
Car audio installations tend to require access to some of the same areas you’ll need to run your dash cam cables and are really valuable if you can’t find a dash cam tutorial specific to the model of your vehicle.
If your vehicle is the current year’s model, then you might be able to rely on guides from older vehicle model years.
Although the exact process may be different for your exact model, there can be quite a bit in common. It’s a lot easier to see how to do 80% of an install and figure out the 20% that is different, than figuring out how to do 100% of an install.
Conclusion
To conclude, when you’re deciding on the placement of your rear dash cam you just need to make sure wherever the location you choose provides coverage for the rear of your vehicle, doesn’t interfere with the opening and closing of the rear windows, and doesn’t obstruct your vision when you’re looking out you rear view mirror.
Please leave any questions or comments below and I’ll be sure to get back to them.