Using the Furrion RV Backup Camera While Camping
RV backup cameras are great for when you are reversing or driving. They allow you to see what’s directly behind your RV and if you have a few side cameras they can also help to eliminate any blind spots.
These kinds of cameras are usually connected to the running and reverse lighting system.
That means they only power up when you’re in reverse, have your lights on, or in some cases, have the engine running.
Related Product: We use the reliable VMAX 100Ah AGM battery (click to view on Amazon) in our RV.
Because of the dependency on an engine, RV backup cameras are mainly used for driving purposes only.
But what if you want to use your Furrion RV backup camera as a way to see what’s going on around your RV when you’re inside of it?
Campers don’t usually have windows on every wall. Sometimes you don’t have a way to see behind your RV when you’re inside.
If you hear something going on outside you could use your rearview camera as a way to look around without having to go outside.
If you have a recording backup camera like the Haloview (click to view on Amazon) you could even use a backup camera as a security camera.
Related: How Does A Wireless RV Backup Camera Get Power?
To power an RV backup camera without using a vehicle, you are going to need to wire it directly to a battery. The RV batteries are perfect for this.
But you don’t want to kill the RV battery if you aren’t connected to power. So it’s a good idea to calculate the power usage to get an idea of how long you will be able to power the camera.
Different Furrion RV Backup Cameras Power Usage
In the table below is the max power usage of each type of Furrion RV Backup camera and monitor in watts.
To power the monitor inside your RV you can use the 12 volt plug inside that’s hardwired to the RV battery or get a portable power station with a 12 volt outlet like one of these (click to go to review).
Last update on 2024-04-18 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
I’ve calculated using the largest 7 inch monitors and the cameras using all of the features like the IR cut filter.
You can save a few watts here and there by turning off the IR cut filter or the backlight on the monitor.
Note that the version with the rear marker light/camera combo uses the same amount of power as the standard backup camera.
How Long Can a Battery Power a Furrion Backup Camera?
It depends on the capacity of the battery you want to use and how many other appliances are going to be draining it as well.
Even when everything is turned off there are still appliances that leech power at all times.
Related: What Will The RV Battery Run?
As you can see in the table above RV backup cameras like the Furrion don’t use a ton of power, but over time the watts can add up.
If you leave the monitor and rear camera on for 24 hours 264 watt hours will be drained from the battery.
If the 12 volt battery that’s being used isn’t being charged the camera and monitor alone can drain it completely in just a few days.
For example, a 100ah 12 volt flooded lead acid or SLA deep cycle battery can safely output up to 600 watts.
You only want to discharge a lead acid battery to 50%, after that it will start to take damage and lose capacity over time.
If you only connect the RV backup camera and monitor to it the battery will be drained 50% in just 2 1/4 days (54.5 hours)
If you’re using your RV house batteries it will be drained even faster since other appliances are also using some battery power.
I recommend getting a solar panel to charge your RV batteries to help make up the difference, even if it doesn’t sound like a lot of power it adds up over time.
Related: Best Portable Solar Panel Charger For RV Camper/Boondocking
To find out how many watts you can safely use for your own RV battery multiply the amp hours by the voltage. That will tell you the watt hours.
Ah x V = W
If it’s a lead acid battery you can use 50% of those watts safely. If you have a lithium battery it can use 80% of the total watts safely.
Take the total watts from the table above for your specific camera setup.
Divide the total watts your RV battery can discharge by the watts the camera will use.
That will tell you the number of hours the battery can run the camera and monitor before it starts to get damaged.
Usable Battery Watts / Camera Set Up Watts = Hours Battery Can Power Camera
Using the Furrion RV Backup Camera as a Security Camera
One of the main downsides to Furrion cameras is they do not have a recording feature.
Because of this, they don’t make good security cameras because you won’t be able to monitor anything while you’re gone and the cameras won’t save what they see.
One way to get around this would be to get a recording RV backup camera system like the Haloview (click to view on Amazon).
It might seem a little crazy but one way to use the Furrion RV backup cameras as recording security cameras is to get a simple recording security camera like the Wyze Cam v3 (click to view on Amazon).
You could point it at the Furrion monitor so it’s recording everything the screen sees.
If you have wifi you can connect the Wyze camera to it and see what the camera sees through your phone no matter where you are.
It’s maybe not the prettiest solution but it’s a way you can see what’s going on around your RV when you’re not there without having to get new cameras.
Have any questions about Furrion RV backup cameras? Leave a comment below or check out some of these other Furrion posts.
