Why a camper van needs good cameras
Before you think about where to position cameras on a camper van, it helps to be clear on why they earn their place. A camper van is a large, valuable vehicle, and for many owners it only comes out at weekends and holidays, so you are not handling its size as often as you handle the family car. It also goes to demanding places, narrow lanes, busy campsites, ferry decks and packed car parks, often with no one outside to guide you back. On top of that it is your holiday home, so a knock can mean more than a dented panel, with repairs that take the van off the road in the middle of the season.
Cameras give you the confidence to place a big vehicle where you want it, and help you avoid the costly mistakes that spoil a trip.
Start with what you cannot see
Good camera placement starts with the parts of the vehicle you cannot see from behind the wheel. A motorhome has a solid rear wall, high sides and often a bike rack or storage box that blocks the view even more. Mirrors help along the flanks, but they leave the area directly behind you, the lower nearside, and the inside of the van uncovered. The main camera positions, rear, side, front and internal, each fill one of those gaps. TrafficAngel supplies and installs системы камер for vans and larger vehicles, so the setup can be matched to the vehicle rather than bought blind.
Rear cameras
The rear is where most people start. A задняя камера sits high on the back of the van, above the number plate or near the roofline, angled down so you can see the ground close to the bumper as well as what is further back. That is the view you want when you reverse onto a pitch, back off a narrow lane into a passing bay, or line up a tow hitch on your own. Mounting it high keeps the lens clear of road spray and gives a wider picture than a low fitting camera.
The Highway Code states to check the blind spot behind you before reversing and to get someone to guide you if you can’t see clearly, which is exactly the gap a rear camera fills when you are parking up on your own.
Боковые камеры
The nearside is the hardest area to judge on a long vehicle, and it is where a side camera works very well. Fitted on the passenger side, it covers the blind spot down the flank, which helps with kerbs, cyclists, low posts and awning fittings, and with pulling out when your mirrors cannot show the whole length of the van. On a longer motorhome, a camera on each side takes the guesswork out of tight turns and narrow site roads.
Front cameras
When you think about where to position cameras on a camper van, the front is easy to overlook. A front camera does two jobs. It records the road ahead, which is useful if there is ever a dispute about an incident, and it shows the ground immediately in front of a long bonnet, where a low bollard or a child can drop out of sight. On a tall van the nose sits higher than a car, so a front view helps in car parks and at barriers where judging the front overhang is awkward.
Cameras inside the van
Not every camera faces outward. An internal camera lets you check the habitation area, and many owners use one for peace of mind when the van is parked and they are away from it. This is more about security than driving, and it overlaps with how you protect the van when it is left. If that is your main interest, our guide to choosing a security system for your camper van covers that side in more detail.
Bringing the views together on one screen
Fitting the cameras is one half of the job. The other is how you see them, because several cameras only help if the view you need is in front of you at the right moment. Most setups feed into a single monitor in the cab, and on a multi camera system the feeds can be shown as a split screen, so more than one view is visible at once.
They can also be set to switch on their own, with the rear view coming up the moment you select reverse, or the nearside view appearing when you indicate to pull in, so you are not reaching for a button mid manoeuvre. Many systems can record at the same time, which means that if something happens on the road or on a site, you have the footage to back up what you saw.
Mounting, wiring and screen placement
Where to position cameras on a camper van is only half the job, because how they are fitted matters just as much. Outdoor cameras need to be sealed against weather and washing and mounted where they will not be knocked. The wiring has to be run neatly through the bodywork so it stands up to vibration and damp. In the cab, the monitor needs to sit where you can glance at it without it blocking your view of the road. A clear low light view is worth checking too, because a lot of arrivals and departures happen in the dark. These are the details that decide whether a camera does a real job or just becomes another screen.
Where to position cameras on a camper van
Positioning the cameras comes down to the views you need the most and matching the setup to the vehicle and the way you use it. A van that mostly tours and parks on pitches has different priorities from one kept on a driveway or stored over winter, and the camera plan should reflect that.
The build of the van counts too. A compact panel van conversion and a larger coachbuilt motorhome sit differently on the road and give you different places to mount a camera, and anything fitted at the back, such as a tow setup, a spare wheel carrier or a rear garage, changes what you can see and where a lens needs to go. A quick look over the van is the easiest way to see which views are worth having.
To talk through what would suit your camper van, Свяжитесь с TrafficAngel for advice or call 01825 768 555 Чтобы заказать демонстрацию.
Связаться с намиЧасто задаваемые вопросы
High on the rear, above the number plate or near the roofline, angled down so it shows the ground close to the bumper as well as the area behind. Mounting it high keeps it clear of spray and gives a wider view, which is what you need when reversing onto a pitch.
The nearside is the hardest part of a long van to judge, so a side camera is worth having. It helps with kerbs, cyclists, awning fittings and pulling out, and on a longer motorhome a camera on each side makes tight turns easier.
Yes. Internal cameras let you check the habitation area, and they are often used for security while the van is parked and unattended. You can read more in our camper van security guide.
It depends on the van and how you use it. Many owners start with a rear camera and add side, front or internal cameras as they need them. TrafficAngel can match the setup to the vehicle rather than fitting more than you need.
Yes. TrafficAngel supplies and installs camera systems for vans and larger vehicles, including camper vans, and positions and wires them to suit the vehicle.
