Costco: VR3 Auto Rear View Camera $99 [Archive]

View Full Version : Costco: VR3 Auto Rear View Camera $99

charge

Apr 5th, 2007, 11:24 AM

Picked this up at Costco last night, can't find it at costco.ca.

The VR3 Car/Truck Rear Back-Up Camera mounts discreetly on the upper border of your license plate. The included color LCD monitor mounts anywhere in your car allowing you to back your car up safely. There are no wires to send through your car; the system is wireless.
Link (http://sewelldirect.com/VRBCS300W-wireless-backup-camera.asp)

Seems like a great idea for RVs.

Haven't taken it out of the packaging yet to check the image quality, but since its from Costco...

himanlam

Apr 5th, 2007, 11:30 AM

Picked this up at Costco last night, can't find it at costco.ca.

Link (http://sewelldirect.com/VRBCS300W-wireless-backup-camera.asp)

Seems like a great idea for RVs.

Haven't taken it out of the packaging yet to check the image quality, but since its from Costco...

Please provide your feedback on it once you installed!

Thanks

ibear

Apr 5th, 2007, 11:47 AM

it's been available in costco for a while. i also would like to know how is the quality and how difficult it is to install.

golden

Apr 5th, 2007, 12:12 PM

The LCD monitor looks pretty ugly IMO.

jory29

Apr 5th, 2007, 12:14 PM

The LCD monitor looks pretty ugly IMO.

Maybe, but if 'ugly' can save a life by seeing someone in the blind spot, etc., then great!! :razz:

Edited to add:a couple of months ago, I was driving my car and was at a complete stop, waiting to safely turn left. A person driving a truck suddenly reversed, and backed up into my lane, and right into my car, before I even knew what had happened. They had not even seen me. Had there been a pedestrian there, something ***much*** worse could have happened. If they couldn't see a car, they certainly wouldn't have been able to see a pedestrian. This would be a good device for all vehicles to have!

TeriyakiJack

Apr 5th, 2007, 12:42 PM

Some of the problems with these is that some drivers rely on on them after awhile and don't turn around to look out that way.

dlander

Apr 5th, 2007, 01:53 PM

Thanks OP.

I tow a tent trailer with a Volvo sedan. Gonna check this out. Last year I just wouldn't reverse without a spotter.

Pseudo Nim

Apr 5th, 2007, 02:22 PM

The LCD does look pretty ugly, esp when compared to a in-car entertainment system. However, the wireless idea is great. Has anybody tried disassembling the LCD to see if the wireless receiver can be hotwired to a pair of RCA cables and fed to an existing install?

BB88

Apr 5th, 2007, 02:27 PM

Some of the problems with these is that some drivers rely on on them after awhile and don't turn around to look out that way.

If you have a clear view of the back + blind spot, you really don't have to turn back. Cuz I usually think turning around to look and ignoring the front is dangerous as well.

golden

Apr 5th, 2007, 02:30 PM

Well, when you're backing up, why the front is a concern to you?

If you have a clear view of the back + blind spot, you really don't have to turn back. Cuz I usually think turning around to look and ignoring the front is dangerous as well.

g_goo_goo

Apr 5th, 2007, 02:33 PM

Some of the problems with these is that some drivers rely on on them after awhile and don't turn around to look out that way.

You're right, lots of ignorant drivers out there, either ignorant or unskilled. I was driving on the 401 and people pass inches from me (i was at 120km/h) without looking back a their blind spot; and doing all this while driving > than my speed, and talking on a cell phone, like it was their most intimate conversation.

They should make headsets mandatory for drivers who need to use their cell phone, that extra hand can save your life if you lose control, and it only takes 1 second.

Gogi

Apr 5th, 2007, 02:50 PM

Please leave some feedback after installing it :)

[H]ackerK

Apr 5th, 2007, 03:04 PM

$99 is a good deal (but not Hot enough IMHO)

Last X'mas someone got me one for X'mas Gift and was hoping I can hack it....

But because of work keeping me busy and I don't think it worth $150+ (tax incl) I took it back to WalMart for refund (and now I have a gift card instead)

During the days I was using it... The image is very clear. (BTW I didn't install it, I just use it around the house) You can also rotate the image as well as flipping it (mirror)

The only down side is the LCD gets hot if you let it on for too long. Afterall it was design only to be on when you back up your car.

Also there is a warning lable saying you shouldn't use bluetooth when using the device... and I tested it, yes, bluetooth does cause interference with the image (at times it even blanks out the screen)

The install according to instruction is pretty stright forward and I think most people can get that install in less than 30 minutes... (or even 15...)

[H]ackerK

Apr 5th, 2007, 03:06 PM

They should make headsets mandatory for drivers who need to use their cell phone, that extra hand can save your life if you lose control, and it only takes 1 second.

This gets kinda off topic... But anyways, I think I will rephase that.

"That extra hand can save not only you life, but other drivers around you."

Many times driver change lanes w/o signal because the other hand is holding the phone..

hightech

Apr 5th, 2007, 03:10 PM

dealtaker

Apr 5th, 2007, 03:13 PM

ackerK;4911135']This gets kinda off topic... But anyways, I think I will rephase that.

"That extra hand can save not only you life, but other drivers around you."

Many times driver change lanes w/o signal because the other hand is holding the phone..

Actually most of the people that don't signal don't signal because they are idiots.
How many times have you seen some moron eating a bowl of soup or cereal while driving?
Bowl in one hand and spoon in the other.
I know I have seen it more times then I would like.

[H]ackerK

Apr 5th, 2007, 03:50 PM

jm1

Apr 5th, 2007, 07:53 PM

I had checked into this model when it was promoted in a CdnTire flyer last year. Many people complained that there was interference whenever they used it because it's wireless. Some people had no problem. Most likely it would depend if you were parking in a big suburan parking lot (not much interference) vs. a busy area with a lot of wireless signals. Therefore, I decided not to get it and if I ever saw a wired one, I might consider it, since I have no problem with ripping up a bit of carpet to lay some cable.

Since Costco's return policy is excellent, you can buy it and try it out with all the places you normally park to see if you get interference.

v82slo

Apr 5th, 2007, 10:13 PM

For those wanting a review of this unit I've installed one from Walmart and returned it last month (exact same as Costco unit).

For $99 it's a great unit and I'd recommed it if you can live with the faults I found with the unit.

- image quality is excellent, really, color is good and image looks great considering it's a small 2.5" screen.
- unit is wireless and you ocassionally get small amount of static (snow effect).
- screen is normally off until power given to camera and this triggers screen to turn on. Ocassionally you get a static signal which turns on screen even when no power to camera.
- screen has button to invert and mirror image.
- quality degrades with distance but I was able to run with good quality image in my minivan (about 7-10' distance from camera to screen)
- install is easy, simple power to camera (when in reverse) and power to screen.
- Costco and Walmart units have 4 button screen (contrast and brightness added). Some advance CDN tire versions have 2 buttons (newer model) but opt for the 4 button as it allows more control of image quality.
- Occasionally my screen would pickup signals from store security cameras.

*** BIGGEST PROBLEM: This camera does not work well in low light settings. This means in underground parking, dark settings and night parking you simply can't see anything. That means for 50% of the time I use it, I couldn't see anything. I returned it because of this problem.

For <$100 it's a pretty good toy to have. I actually thought of buying one for my bike to replace the mirrors. I'll probably get another once I find a project use for the setup.

willy

Apr 5th, 2007, 10:31 PM

A very large pic ... http://www.thomas-pr.com/136/photos/VR3%20Wireless%20Backup%20Camera.jpg

I think there is one more problem with this thing ... particularly during winter in Canada. I have seen drivers cleaning the camera lens in the school parking lot (for example, Honda Odyssey Touring model). The dirty snow would simply block the camera lens in no time.

Rehan

Apr 5th, 2007, 10:42 PM

I think there is one more problem with this thing ... particularly during winter in Canada. I have seen drivers cleaning the camera lens in the school parking lot (for example, Honda Odyssey Touring model). The dirty snow would simply block the camera lens in no time. Good point. The back of my Mazda MPV gets surprisingly filthy whenever there's water/slush/snow on the road... it would be a pain to have to clean it all the time.

dinb

Apr 19th, 2007, 11:54 AM

ES_Revenge

Apr 19th, 2007, 12:37 PM

Personally I would like to get video cameras that are attached to the front and back of the vehicle. This way, if you get into an accident, you have video evidence that can be used. I suspect some lawyer would try to dismiss that as a privacy issue so that their client can get off.
Privacy issue? That wouldn't work. If you're outside you can't expect any privacy. Whatever you do in public cannot be considered a matter of privacy. You chose to go outside in public, therefore you waive any expectation of privacy. I.e. If you go out and drive your car on the road you can't possibly have any expectation of privacy. It's not like you're driving your car in your own home, lol.

scoutermike

Apr 19th, 2007, 01:16 PM

Walmart has this for $97.97 something, same or similar unit.

Frequency

Apr 19th, 2007, 01:23 PM

Do you have to drill a hole for the power supply to the camera? Haven't bought a unit yet, but I took off my license plate to see if there was a way to run the power supply to the camera and I didn't see one.

Quant

Apr 19th, 2007, 02:36 PM

You could probably run the wires from the holes leading to bulbs lighting the License Plate. The wires will have to be routed to the reversing lights though, for the camera to turn on only in reverse.

moebius

Apr 19th, 2007, 02:55 PM

Actually most of the people that don't signal don't signal because they are idiots.
How many times have you seen some moron eating a bowl of soup or cereal while driving?
Bowl in one hand and spoon in the other.
I know I have seen it more times then I would like.

Actually I have never seen that. They also say that it doesn't matter much if you have a headset or not. The thing is that you are not concentrated on driving the car, but talking on the phone. I just got hit in the back (fortunately it was a very small speed) by a driver that was talking on the cellphone. She "forgot" to stop, although it was red light and I stopped way before her.
You can't concentrate on driving while doing other tasks. That's why I don't look at my passengers if I am talking to them, I only change discs when I am stopped and I never answer a cellphone while driving.

willy

Apr 19th, 2007, 02:58 PM

Actually I have never seen that. They also say that it doesn't matter much if you have a headset or not. The thing is that you are not concentrated on driving the car, but talking on the phone. I just got hit in the back (fortunately it was a very small speed) by a driver that was talking on the cellphone. She "forgot" to stop, although it was red light and I stopped way before her.
You can't concentrate on driving while doing other tasks. That's why I don't look at my passengers if I am talking to them, I only change discs when I am stopped and I never answer a cellphone while driving.
"There're a lot of Kims/Cindys out there" :cheesygri