Always on Camera Solution - NAViKS

[Brutal_HO]

Thanks to member @RBarrett there appears to be an aftermarket solution available.

(9-18-2020 UPDATE): @RBarrett is working with NAVIKS to resolve some found issues with the 2020 12" Uconnect, so stay tuned to the thread for updates.

(12-23-20 UPDATE): @RBarrett's Install and use thread (under construction) HERE

I am doing exactly what 20Limited3500 has done on my camper. Got the same camera he did but I found a cheaper source for the housing. I puchased from mnrelectronics.com their part #250-8665. It was not listed on their website but after a phone call was told it was the correct housing for the 19-20 surround 360 application. It was $140 and looks exactly like the one used by 20Limited3500 above. It fits the camera perfectly and has the same 3M adhesive pad, cable and connectors ETC as the camera-source one. I think I will also buy the naviks unit to give me all cameras in motion with no 10 second time outs. Their $375 unit is expensive but looks pretty slick and also gives you full nav functions while in motion. Without that part the whole tailgate camera relocation thing to the back of my camper will be less than $300. Perfect solution for me!

Awesome find! I've been hunting for a solution since March and hadn't seen the NAViKS solution.

2019 - 2021 RAM 1500 Uconnect 4C (12" Screen) 360 Surround-View Camera System In Motion + Motion Lockout Bypass Lockpick

2019 - 2021 RAM 1500 Uconnect 4C (12" Screen) 360 Surround-View Camera System In Motion + Motion Lockout Bypass Lockpick

naviks.com

 

[Phil T]

That looks very promising since that is what we all were looking for when we got our trailer cameras working. Now we just need the transparent trailer like Chevy has.

 

[AFF]

Looks like the same features my lockpick had. It's nice to have the rear camera on for extended time.

 

[Rich]

Naviks finally emailed me back suggesting the 375 dollar version. Of coarse the most expensive. I emailed them back and asked what's the difference in the 250 dollar version because I don't care about being able to type while I'm driving, the vr in mine gets my voice pretty spot on. Just need to be able to see out my camera uninterrupted plus I'm a cheap sob.

 

[Zeroday]

I've contacted them to see about the availability of a kit for those of us with an 8.4" screen, will let everyone know what I find out.

 

[Savin yours]

In


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[Zeroday]

I've contacted them to see about the availability of a kit for those of us with an 8.4" screen, will let everyone know what I find out.

They could produce these if they used my truck as a test mule. I'm considering the trip up there, depending on how long they'd need it for. Wonder if there's anyone but me who got all the cameras but opted for the smaller screen...

 

[RBarrett]

I am trying to get my 12 inch screen off to make way for the naviks unit right now. I have pulled pretty hard on the top after removing the two top screws but so far it hasn't budged. I am ready to buy the $375 camera/nav unit as soon as I know I can get it in behind the screen. I wonder if there are enough people interested in this naviks unit to get several at once at some discount. ???? BTW my understanding is the $250 nav in motion unit is all NAV functions while moving not the cameras. They also have the $325 video input in motion thing that might be rigged up for some type of camera input but then you you're back up there in $$$ again.

 

[Rich]

I am trying to get my 12 inch screen off to make way for the naviks unit right now. I have pulled pretty hard on the top after removing the two top screws but so far it hasn't budged. I am ready to buy the $375 camera/nav unit as soon as I know I can get it in behind the screen. I wonder if there are enough people interested in this naviks unit to get several at once at some discount. ???? BTW my understanding is the $250 nav in motion unit is all NAV functions while moving not the cameras. They also have the $325 video input in motion thing that might be rigged up for some type of camera input but then you you're back up there in $$$ again.

I emailed them asking about what the differences are between the 250-375 version and they won't answer my question. I even sent about a dozen pictuers wich they requested. Liked I explained to them, I don't care about typing while I'm driving, just want the camera to stay on. Sounds like they got us on the 375 version, go figure, that's too dang much

 

[Brutal_HO]

I am trying to get my 12 inch screen off to make way for the naviks unit right now. I have pulled pretty hard on the top after removing the two top screws but so far it hasn't budged. I am ready to buy the $375 camera/nav unit as soon as I know I can get it in behind the screen. I wonder if there are enough people interested in this naviks unit to get several at once at some discount. ???? BTW my understanding is the $250 nav in motion unit is all NAV functions while moving not the cameras. They also have the $325 video input in motion thing that might be rigged up for some type of camera input but then you you're back up there in $$$ again.

Pull harder. Contrary to what you might otherwise enjoy, a quick jerk is better than a long slow pull.

I'd be in for a group buy, but as long as everyone understands HDRams has no affiliation or liability (as stated in the buy/sell section).

If you want to find out how many they would need, we could just put it up in the buy/sell section. They also need to agree that each buyer can register for warranty and support individually. This is typically handled by them offering a private discount code that can be applied for a specific period and only when the qty is reached.

 

[Phil T]

Here is the instructions from Maviks

Hi, the unit will work on your car. The device is plug and play its one
harness that connects behind the radio. To access the radio you need to
remove two screws on the top of the screen hidden by a rubber coin tray.
Once the screws are removed the whole panel with the monitor comes out
and you have to remove 4 more screws to remove the radio unit and access
the harness we are going to attach our connectors to. Thank you


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[RBarrett]

I had a few questions for them that I was going to call on come Monday. I will ask about a multiple unit purchase. If anything positive comes of it we can see how many are really interested and see if any of the other forum guys might also want to buy these. I cross the country between Colorado and New Hampshire twice a year on the most back roads I can find and I want these functions on my truck before starting home in September. I don't mind the $375 but any discount of course is better.

 

[jsalbre]

I know the Tazer Nav in motion stuff causes issues sometimes because it works by cutting the vehicle speed information from the vehicle to the Nav system. Does the Naviks thing do the same?

 

[Phil T]

I personally don't care about the built in NAV. Tried it. Sucks. Google Maps is king of nav.

 

[RBarrett]

I don't know the answer to that but I will ask. What sort of issues does it cause? Thanks for the heads up.

 

[Rich]

I'd be interested only if it was a significant discount. Wich I can't imagine happening, normally just 15%.

 

[Brutal_HO]

$375 seems reasonable to gain the full-time cameras and the turn signal activation once & for all. Picture the amount of work that went into those devices.

In fact, I feel a lot better now after someone here discovered the solution and we all gained the option to "throw money at the problem" if that's what you want - when it was really starting to seem kind of hopeless.

Whenever I need to invest $375 or more on something as functional as this, I buy it anyway (maybe skip a fancy dinner or two) because I know that even if it were twice as expensive, the solution would be working on me every time I was towing. Besides, one close-call lane-change or backing into something solid would have me dialing the phone ready to overpay after the fact...

Surrender Rich... and then you can enjoy your self-indulgence for years to come.

Yup, cheaper than my deductibles.

That said, I have a few questions for NAVIK after reading a similar (Ford truck) thread on a Grand Design forum.

Backup Camera on a Solitude with a F-450 - Grand Design Owners Forums

We have purchased 2019 Solitude 3740BH and a F-450 Truck to pull it. I am looking to add a backup camera to the Solitude and would love it to connect directly to the Ford Camera system, but not sure if this is the best option. Any ideas on what to buy? Or advice on what to do? We are new RVers...

gdrvowners.com

I don't think #2 is likely to be applicable with the RAM NAVIKS, particularly with the NAV in motion model.

(#1) Does the NAVIKS affect or disable any camera view gridlines (tailgate or bed camera) or dynamic backing guidance? In the video, I do not see the bed cam guideline (but need to check if this is only displayed during backing)
(#3) Does the NAVIKS install affect Uconnect voice command in any manner?
(#4) Does the camera view return to the last selected camera after turn signal activation?
Additionally, if that is AUX1 or AUX2 does it return to the specific AUXn if pre-selected?
Is there any way to disable the turn signal activation if desired? This isn't indicated in the RAM video, but is in the Ford video.

ISSUES
1) Doesn't work with Ford's Trailer Reverse Guidance
I tried the Trailer Reverse Guidance (TRG) feature but I could not get the last step ("calibrate") to work. I tried everything I could think of...refused to calibrate. As a last resort I removed the Naviks harness and the trailer calibrated within ~100 feet of putting the truck in drive.

Whether the TRG is worth using is a debate for another thread--I am posting this experience here so anyone who may be considering the Naviks harness goes in with "eyes wide open".

One more note--after calibrating the trailer I reinstalled the harness and the TRG continued to work. It was the "calibrate" step when adding a new trailer that refused to work.

2) Impact on Navigation Feature
Switching between the Naviks camera views and the Sync 3's Navigation screen disrupts the Ford's GPS input. As I was traveling along I-10 just west of Tallahassee the nav showed us up in Alabama, traveling a straight line headed northwest. After a rest stop and power-cycling the truck the nav found my correct location.

As a test I again selected a Naviks camera view and then went back to the Nav. Again, the GPS lost my location but within a few moments came back.

BL--if the onboard Nav is your choice for guidance, I'd skip the Naviks.

I'm also disappointed that when the truck is put in reverse the front camera (even when deliberately chosen as the source) flips to the rear camera. When I was recently parking my 315RLTS at my home for the first time, I needed to see in FRONT of me, not behind, as I got straightened out before backing through my double-gates. Quite annoying it kept turning off as I alternated between Reverse and Drive.

3) Voice Command Disabled
With a view enabled via the NAVIKS the Sync 3's voice command is disabled. As soon as I turn off the NAVIKS'-enabled camera view, voice command returns.

4) Turn Signal View Wonky Activation
I've found one more issue with the NAVIKS. In the features list it says you can turn off the left and right side cameras when the turn signal is activated. That's true if you're NOT viewing a camera. With a camera activated (usually the one on the back of the camper so I can see behind me) when I activate a turn signal the view switches to the corresponding camera (left or right side). I can't consistently get the camera to stop switching--I want it to stay on the rear camera. What's double-annoying is when the turn signal is turned off the view switches back to the default rear view--the camera on the tailgate. The DW keeps busy switching the view back to the camper's camera so I can monitor what's going on behind me.

I called NAVIKS and sent them videos. They acknowledged it was an oversight in their testing--no resolution to date.

Sometimes when I engage the rear camera when I activate the turn signal it does not switch (as described in the previous post). Sometimes it does. I can't figure out why. <Edit: Still doesn't work consistently to this day, but it is only a minor annoyance.>

 

[MikeXM]

I would definitely be interested there was more information available.
Like how it works, do you loose any functionality, is it bulletproof against a future uconnect update, install video, etc.

 

[lovegolf44]

I would definitely be interested there was more information available.
Like how it works, do you loose any functionality, is it bulletproof against a future uconnect update, install video, etc.

Same here. Looks very intriguing but need more info before pulling the trigger.

 

[RBarrett]

I spent quite a long time on the phone with Naviks this AM. They are a small company with applications for numerous vehicles and don't necessarily have experience with all variations of those applications. In our case for example they don't know how their $375 unit will work on my truck that has Aux1 and Aux2 cameras. That unit was designed and tested only for the 5 camera surround plus one Aux camera. For that reason the products are sold with a no questions 30 day return policy. However they would like to work with vehicle owners about what doesn't work for them so they can improve future products. I tried to address all my questions as well as ones you guys had and find out about a group buy discount as well.
As for the questions:
The Nav unit keyboard entry is triggered on and off by the left steering wheel buttom as per the video. It tells the vehicle that the speed is 0mph and all NAV functions resume as normal after keyboard entry in finished and left button is used again to exit.

The Cameras in motion is triggered on and off by the right wheel button. Once this function is entered the last camera viewed is what will be seen after the left or right turn signal triggered camera is viewed and shut back off. This signal triggered camera can be disabled if desired. The grid lines for the back up and centerline for bed cameras are unaffected.. After shutting down the cameras the radio returns to whatever was on the screen before. They do not know if the camera use while in motion disrupts the Nav futons but have not received any user complaints so far. They do not know if anything else can be used in the split screen function other than the "controls" screen shown in the video.

Uconnect voice commands are not affected. They have had some form of Ram applications going back to 2013s that have gone thru numerous radio updates with no issues. There are no other factory radio functions that they are aware are affected by the units installation.

They will entertain a group buy for 10 people minimum for $300 per. If I understood correctly this is the minimum size they feel comfortable with given the return policy.

Naviks is in NY and they are interested in working with vehicle owners in person with their products. I am in NH and will be going to CO in near future and am investigating meeting up with them in PA with my truck. It is only of value if I have experiance and feedback to give them based on actually using it.

So... who is interested in this thing at $300 ? I am definately going to get one so anyone interested in quickly finding 9 others either here on Cummins forum etc to get a group together? If we can get this number I will see how Naviks would like to approach the actual purchase.

One final note. A good bit of this info came from a back and forth between the rep and the software developer while I was on the phone. I only know what I heard.