Now this caught my eye and I knew I just had to know more. This is the first Backup camera system that has come my way that is an affordable hybrid of Ultrasonic reverse parking sensors and a color backup camera all in one system.

The price seemed fair as well at about $130, after all I thought a basic backup camera system such as the VR3 or the Winplus reviewed last time would be around $90 and Reverse parking sensor system should be about than $50, SO I though “why not?”

But it was hard as hell actually finding anything in detail about the device! Here’s what I could glean however. Essentially instead of the familiar licence plate mounted camera the device comes with a tough plastic plate that mounts behind your licence tag and sports a camera on a sliding and swiveling mount center and two ultrasonic sensors fixed at the far corners.

The usual cable hooks the device to the reversing lights and a second much longer cable is run to the forward screen. The camera is low light sensitive but has no added IR Leds to boost night time sensitivity. But then it doesn’t really need them because of the parallel Ultrasonic sensors. These have the standard audio alarm as they pick up things behind them but interestingly they also work in tandem so you get a left right middle hot zone behind the vehicle. What happens is that at intervals of about 18″ are scanned behind the car anything a foot and a half away makes a red box appear on the display camera. If the obstruction is 19 to 36″ away an amber box appears (along with the audio beep) an object is further away out to around 5′ you get a green box. I pulled an illustration of this off the manufacturers website:-

An excellent idea all round especially as the twin ultrasonic sensors are also on a swivel mount for optimum positioning. I wish the manufacturers well and eagerly await some more feed back on this ingenious device. So you know the drill if you have one please let us know here at Backup Camera Systems.net

I managed to find a copy of the devices install flysheet in pdf format as well which I repeat here. It doesn’t add too much to what I have said but at least it offers further visual guidance to the device package.

You may recall I was raving about the excellent no holes needed Magnetic sensors a short while back? Well I have managed to source these direct now so that anybody from around the worls can obtain these innovative devices.

I strongly advise you to take a tour of the site, I shall be looking at their stuff in greater detail as I have time so stay tuned for further reviews as they happen.Follow the fllowing link to check out the full details on the manufacturers website

Now this is an interesting indeed parking sensor device. Using a totally different technology from the standard ultrasonic sensor this device has a far more precise (if slightly shorter) range.  The claim is that you can get as close as three or four inches with this device.

This reverse parking sensor works by running a special magnetically sensitive strip alongside the inner part of the bumper of your vehicle. When hooked up to the revesing light the sensor strip projects a field several feet behind your vehicle that reacts to the mass of anything behind you. So thin barriers like a chain link fence or perhaps a single broken stick that has fallen into your parking bay and could scratch your paint, will get detected by this projected field. To be fair some ultrasonic sensors might also pick up on those types of barriers but many would not as they would not reflect the sonic parking sensors sonar like emissions back in sufficient amounts to trigger the alert.

So far it appears this ingenious little device is only available in the UK, which is a shame as it requires much less modification to your vehicle so I think it would be a good seller here in the USA. I have written directly to the manufacturers asking for more details just in case. But for now the product can be had online at Amazon UK and comes in three variations:-

A basic rear sensor strip a similar but slightly different one that can be attached to the front bumper as well (for those really hard spots in a big city no doubt!) and a delux version which has a gratuated LED display showing relative distance on the dashboard of your vehicle.

This Reverse Parking Sensor was just too interesting.

Personally I  have had far more experience with audio sensors than camera’s. When I was driving my Van through the narrow (and occasionally cobbled) streets of Norwich England it was kinda nice to be able to look through the rear windows exactly where I was going while listening to that reassuring (if slightly manic) bleeper telling me how close to the wall I was getting as I shoe horned my way into some improbably small delivery bays.

But I admit in that job I was lucky to have a Van that had a center mirror but very often I was so full at the start of a run I couldn’t use it as the goods blocked the view. So I was delighted to see this device (and a few others like it reviews and comments to follow!) on sale. It combines the honest audible alert that I personally found so comforting to a heads up sensor built into a kind of clip on mirror. While most Reversing sensors seem to be limited to ten feet or less this one has a reported range of up to fifty feet!

Well that’s the theory anyhow. My sources indicated that the sensors are only as good as the install job and that as I said in a previous post is dependant on how good YOU are at installation of such things (unless of course you want to shell out for a garage to install you parking sensor!) Still they are better than average and in some models extra Parking sensors can be fitted front and back  to allow for an all around coverage.  Not sure if I think this is a good idea as well if you can’t see what’s in front of you accurately through your windscreen without help… Your driving the wrong vehicle maybe. But if you have a big RV to backup  say, and know some of your vacation stops are a bit “economical” with their parking bays even this might be a good idea.  Please leave me some feed back if you have direct experience here.

Another thing that came up was that some thought the light given off by the LED’s was at times a little over bright.  I say that as long as they never came on while driving I don’t think that’s a real problem. When you maneuvering slowly you want your alerts to be big and bright I think. In the situations I have been through where my center mirror was out of action due to a heavy load I would have appreciated something like this to give me a visual guide as the side mirrors of many vehicles – and not just delivery ones, are often made with concave glass which distorts the distance behind you something fierce.  Obviously whomever thought of that design gem didn’t consider folks Backing up and parking their vehicles in a tight space!

So I add this model of Reversing sensor  or more accurately example of a type of Parking sensor to these pages, as a different example of how these devices can be outfitted in your vehicle. The one illustrated is the 4 sensor by Pyle and costs less than $60. These worthies do a six sensor model as well but I have not seen a price I like the look of for that one yet.