Looking for a backup camera? There are a lot of aftermarket "wireless" cameras out there, but they come with a hidden "feature" (in manufacturer-speak that's an unintended problem renamed). Most of these cameras are powered from the backup light wiring, so the camera only comes on when you select "reverse". Unless you wire your receiver into the same circuit, your monitor will be on all the time. Some camera kits even come with a cigarette lighter plug. Be ready to turn your monitor on and off when backing up.
Why? Isn't the monitor only receiving a signal from the camera? If it's off, what's the problem?
Ah, young Padawan, much to learn you have. Most inexpensive wireless security cameras still use the 2.4Ghz and 5.8Ghz frequencies common to household appliances like baby monitors and wireless handsets. So do most wireless backup cameras. You may have already figured out where this is going. If you drive down the street with your backup camera's monitor on, you're apt to start picking up signals from every wireless camera within about 50 to 75 yards. That means you are going to be receiving pictures from inside homes you pass by.
If that isn't creepy enough for you, consider the homeowner who needs to put on a robe before checking on the baby. Certainly you don't fry bacon in the nude, but the security camera in your kitchen will provide you with
another good reason not to parade around the house less than fully dressed. What the manufacturers and sellers of these "wi-fi" cameras won't tell you is that your channel is not your own - you are broadcasting pictures to the entire neighborhood, so the "security" you thought you were purchasing, isn't. In fact it's gone over to the other side.
So when installing your wireless backup camera, be sure that your monitor is switched with the backup lights,
not with the ignition. There are some things you just don't want to see.
If you are a homeowner with a wireless security system, look into some of the newer digital systems that at least provide a selection of channels or some rudimentary encoding to prevent you broadcasting details of your homelife to the neighborhood.