VueSMART RV and Trailer Backup Camera - Wireless - Universal Mount - 152-Degree View

by: John11/22/2023

Didn't work as promised, led light always came on annoying people following, Suburban towing 24' trailer didn't work. Tried contacting Hoppkins no reply. I would not recommend, as a rear view camera ok just remember to turn off led lights as if your actually using it you will as when there on it is almost unusable.1695447

Jenny N.

12/8/2023

I reached out to Hopkins and found that the default will be that the LED light will be on when the camera is on since it was designed to primarily be a back up camera. You can turn them off using the camera App where it says LED brightness. It also sounds like the camera signal was not strong while using. A solution for it is to mount the antenna as high as possible to obtain the best signal.

by: Thomas 11/05/2022

Camera resolution is very good, but antenna is too short to broadcast through my 21' camper to my iPhone 14 Pro Max . . . I had to purchase a wired game antenna mounted on front of air conditioner to get reliable Wi-Fi signal (most of the time). Installation was fairly easy.1463712

Tom P.

11/6/2023

Camera worked better after mounting the wired game antenna to the front of my air conditioner.

The back up camera works great, from iPhone to camera is 48 feet reception was perfect. Not only do I now miss low hanging tree limbs and can always see my ground guide but I can now see what's behind me on the road while traveling. I have purchased from E trailer on a number of occasions, and I have always had great service and helpful people. thanks and keep up the good work.1730069

Superb, top-of-the-line CUSTOMER SERVICE from etrailer!! System installed quite easily on my Jayco Skylark. Engineering of camera and installation accessories, along with instructions, seemed top-notch to me. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality signal that my iPhone received from the camera transmitter. Perhaps I can add more once I get connected and set out for our next camping trip.1096347

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Larry

7/18/2022

Product is working fine. In my own case, an amout of left-to-righ adjustment would have, but I am still happy with my purchase.

by: Rod10/01/2023

I concur with many of the other reviewers here- the concept is great, but in practice could be improved. I installed this unit on the rear of our new 25' trailer, pulled by an F150.
First off, with today's bluetooth technology, why would one choose a totally separate wi-fi network setup? Makes the unit very cumbersome to use.
The unit will not stay connected to my i-phone SE, 5G in the cab of my truck, even after jumping through hoops to disconnect from Car Play, excluding the truck from the list of available wi-fi networks, and connecting for what seems to be less than a minute each try, only to have to do it all over again, it is very aggravating.
I was excited when I found this camera system that did not need a dedicated screen in the truck, but after wrestling with it all year, I've given up, and resoted to having someone guide me into where I seek to park the trailer.
Sorry, but I wold not recommend this unit based on the connectivity/ operational issues I've experienced.1675718

by: Michael08/11/2022

I LOVE IT!!!! JUST NEED TO REMEMBER THAT IT WON'T WORK WITHOUT LIGHTS TURNED ON. HAS A SLIGHT LEARNING CURVE BUT I AM NOW ABLE TO BACK INTO MY STORAGE SPOT OR CAMPSITE WITHOUT ASSISTANCE EVERY TIME. I HAVE A 30FT. TRAILER AND ANOTHER 15FT. UP TO ME IN THE CAB AND RECEPTION HAS ALWAYS BEEN
RIGHT ON. INSTALLATION IS EASY TOO. GREAT TOOL!!!1352754

Michael

9/5/2023

STILL WORKING GREAT!! NO PROBLEMS. MONEY WELL SPENT!

Mike L.

10/24/2023

@Michael Good deal, we're glad to hear that your # HM34FR camera system is working well for you!

Wow - The VueSmartRV and Trailer Backup Camera is exactly what I needed! It’s like a Body-cam for my highwall popup trailer. I cannot see behind the trailer at all, when in reverse. This saves me from having to get out to assess and reassess my surroundings. The WiFi signal easily connects to my Moto Z2 (Android) phone through the Hopkins Towing Solutions App. What I like about the camera is that it provides a clear picture of the view behind my popup and there’s no delay or choppiness in its motion. I reversed the bracket so that the marker light is located under the camera. In my case, I benefit most from such a setup since my spare tire blocks the lower portion of my field of view on the screen.898063

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Kyle D.

10/7/2021

The product still works very well for my purposes a year in. The only issue Ive experienced is that at night-time, there is an LED light that stays on, and because it is white, it blinds those behind me. I wound up selling the trailer a few months ago and sold the camera with it. Although I never tried it, I came to understand that that there is a setting inside the App, which can turn that light off.

by: Kenny12/10/2021

After receiving I did not install on my trailer for several months until after I removed the fading stickers and re-polished the exterior.

I was very excited to buy and receive until I installed it and started using. I am not very happy with the camera. I installed it on the back of my 24’ trailer and tapped power from the top center running light. The video display on my IPhone is grainy, choppy and freezes after about a minute of use. During daytime use I have to turn the running lights off then back on to reset the camera after about a minute of use. I cant see at all when I am backing up if its dark, even with the extra lights I installed on the back of my trailer.

I wish I was happier with the performance.

I do not recommend.1221678

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Jenny N.

12/16/2021

I reached out to the manufacturer about the grainy signal that you are receiving. The best solution is to mount the antenna as high as possible to have the best signal. You can also purchase a longer antenna if the antenna cannot be mounted higher. You will want to keep the length of the antenna under two feet.

Scott S.

8/21/2022

Where can I purchase a longer antenna?

Heather A.

9/26/2022

You can use the antenna extender part # WVOSAPANTEXT both systems have the same connection.

Wiring is too small to connect easily . . . camera and app work fine, so far, but not mounted yet because of the wire problem . . .1731386

The VueSmart RV camera system was easy to install and set up. I'm not the most confident camper backer, but, with this camera system, I feel a lot more comfortable about doing it.1664693

Light gauge wire for install, doesn’t pair correctly. Read the other reviews, this item is not robust and a waste of money.1728100

does not work with tablets that the mfg said it would.already bought 2 different tablets that don't work with camera1727521

Katrina D.

2/15/2024

Can you please list the tablets that you have attempted the VueSMART Back up Camera on? I see that these cameras should be compatible with Google, Apple iPad, and the Samsung Galaxy Tablets.

by: Bill05/01/2023

I was not able to get this camera to work properly. Before attaching it to my trailer, I hooked it up to 12 volts, and didn't get a picture on it. I called etrailer to get help, but didn't get anything useful.1568675

Jenny N.

5/15/2023

I sincerely apologize that you did not receive assistance the first time that you contacted us. I reached out to Hopkins directly and they wanted to know if you had recently uninstalled and reinstalled the app? There were some recent updates to the app that may help. If this does not help, please reach back out to me as we can work with you in regard to the warranty on the camera.

by: Rick07/05/2023

This camera works as described. By using cell phone for rear vision and a GPS, this frees up a lot of dash space. Only issue is that transmission is short range so plan on adding an antenna with and extension cord to position the antenna closer to vehicle and above the roof line for better reception. Main issue is when travelling at highway speeds with signal interference creating intermittant screen freeze.1615475

by: Mike11/05/2022

Camera works well very nice when backing up not able to see well in the night time, but all in all a very nice camera Nice for its price.1463756

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This is a pretty easy install and has the means of adapting to many types of trailers. I’ve attached mine to my car hauler. With the drip rail below the center lamp, I didn’t want to mount it with the entire bracket, as it would then place the camera above the lamp and the lamp might distort the camera image at night. So I cut the bracket and mounted the camera below the drip rail. From watching the installation video, I didn’t even want to attempt to cut the wires to splice them and possibly loose a wire. So I chose to use the scotch-lock type connector with crimp on blade connector on the camera pigtail after drilling an access hole below the drip rail and feeding it up through the center lamp opening. See pictures attached.
The video seems okay. There is a lag here and there.
I will put it to full use this weekend when I return from a car show.1042449

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by: Kaivon12/10/2021

I use it in co junction with iPhone X to mainly keep an eye on my bike rack behind the camper. It's OK for my application but not great. Nice picture, good installation video with nice tips on etrailer.com. Major problem is encountered should your phone go into sleep mode or you get a call or switch apps or lose wifi connection. Then I have to shut down phone and -connect all over again as the video freezes due to one of these events. Also as you drive through towns with roadside businesses that have strong wifi signals, then you lose wifi connection resulting in picture freeze and need to shutdown phone and start up phone snd camera all over again - major pain.
I use this camera in conjunction with my iPhone X. My travel trailer is 30’ long and I do not have any signal connectivity issues at this length. I use it primarily to keep an eye out on my bike rack mounted on the trailers rear hitch and at times when reversing into a parking space. Picture quality is very good. Installation was fairly straight forward. I recommend watching the etrailer.com video on this as there are a couple of helpful hints that will make installation go smoother. I did have an issue with the camera losing WiFi signal as I went through towns and settlements with stronger WiFi signal along roadside businesses than the WiFi signal from the camera resulting in the camera to freeze and in turn required me to shut down the phone and restart the application. Jenny from trailer.com reached out to the manufacturer and came back with the manufacturers suggestion to turn OFF the phones option to automatically connect to WiFi signals (in your phones settings under WiFi). This will take care of this issue. What great customer service!!! Very nice product for the price and even better customer service from etrailer.com”1221671

Jenny N.

12/14/2021

I reached out to Hopkins about the issues with the backup camera that you are having. With how the WiFi connection is set with the camera it can be interrupted if the phone is set to auto join with WiFi networks. You can turn this off in the phone settings and make sure that the Hopkins app stays connected while using the camera.

Kaivon

12/11/2022

It is working better since turning off the phones wifi auto-join wifi feature which used to result in picture freeze when the phone would switch to another wifi signal while driving near businesses with strong wifi signals. So no more picture freeze and needing to turn the phone off and on again due to loss of wifi signal. The problem still exist should you get a phone call while using the system unless cellular signal is turned off too but those are infrequent. So I would say that its not without its limitations but for the price its a pretty good system and the picture quality is very good. I use it every time and happy with it. If you can pair your phone with the newer cartrucks built in dash screen or just install the app on your cars infotainment system, then the view behind your trailer is dramatically improved on the larger screen and this issue of freezing should you answer a call is a thing of the past. I would by it again and its a bargain compared to other systems.

by: David T05/15/2023

1 year into purchase. attached to the top center light on a 2015 rockwood roo 233s.
The antenna mount didn't like the winter cover. I reattached it and will take it off next year. I use an old phone and leave it connected while driving and I can see the 20-25' immediately behind me. that is due to the angle. I have it pointing mostly down due to mounting height.

picture runs about 2-3 second delay good enough to back into a campsite, or at home by myself. Nice product1579530

by: Terry11/30/2021

The first camera that I received, the lights were not bright enough for the lens to pick up what I was supposed to be seeing after dark. Through the support of etrailer and several conversations with Hopkins Manufacturing, the camera was replaced. The new camera enabled me to see behind the trailer after dark somewhat. There is a haze of light around the picture on the phone that still makes it hard to see behind at night. This is important to me as I travel by myself and have no one to help guide me. The fortunate part is that I usually do not have to get into my spot after dark.
With both cameras, I had a lot of pausing of the picture when I was looking behind the camper going down the road. I just gave up and accepted that is the way it was. I recently upgraded my phone (from a Samsung Galaxy S-7 to a Samsung A71). All of a sudden, most of the pausing disappeared and I became a lot more impressed with the camera and how it functioned.
I have noticed also, that the backup lines in the camera are not correct for my rig and make them virtually useless, but the picture is still clear enough that I can make it into my site without embarrassing myself. It would help if the backup lines were adjustable.
Overall, the camera is decent for the price point, but it does have its flaws that I manage live with.1214664

Terry

12/1/2022

Having the camera to use for the full year, I find that my original review was very accurate. While I still use the camera, Im not any more impressed with it today as I was when I wrote the review.

Bought this to mount on an older Roadtrek RV. The hardest part of the installation was figuring out how to get power to it. That solved, the camera is brilliant. WiFi range is outstanding. At 50 yards out I still had 3 out of 4 bars and the picture was still fine. I'm thinking about mounting another one on the back of my equipment hauler.924622

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Camera worked as described and installed easily where the previous Cana was and was able to use existing wires to the trailer, goes on and off with the running lights..893738

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Set up in my office and downloaded software Tomy android phone, connect to it's WiFi and walked around the house and could still see the image. Planning to use on a portable mount so can hang on my tailgate on either of my older trucks without backup cameras. And attach to back of pontoon boat when putting in water.1046102

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I have it installed, but have not had a chance to test it much. Seems to be as described.1745648

by: Russell12/10/2021

Camera is very good, no issues and like the product very much. But I inquired if I could purchase the mounting bracket as a separate item...the answer was no. If I could have purchased separately I would have given the rating a 5 star. I have a number of trailers and the ability to purchase an additional bracket would enable me to mount the camera on another of my trailers when in use. I consider this a Big Value Add -- short sighted on the part of Hoppy.1221773

Russ B.

12/11/2022

The camera is excellent and has worked completely for a year now. I would like Hopkins to off the camera mounting bracket as a separate item so I could move the camera to one of my other trailers.

by: Kurt 06/16/2023

The camera is a big both parking the trailer and watching for tailgates going down the road. You can't be safe enough.1602317