Furrion Back-up Camera Power?

[Bladescb]

We have a 2016 Montana 3710FL with a back-up camera. Does anyone know where there power comes from? I would lie to put an in-line switch for the power because it is always on, whether connected to the truck or not, it is always on. We are on our second camera because the first stopped working and I think it me be due to always be powered on. Thanx

[jsb5717]

In theory it should be powered by the running lights, which should only be on when connected to the truck with the trucks running lights turned on. If your camera is always on, and if it is connected to the running lights, then your running lights would also be on all the time.

I would be tempted to pull the camera and trace the wires to see if it's wired to the running lights or another source. It shouldn't be too difficult to reconnect the wiring directly to the running lights if they aren't already.

Are you the original owner? Is it possible that someone else connected the camera to a different source and there is a switch somewhere?

[wed]

I don’t think it should always be on I think it comes on when your lights come on are turn them on.
Check with customer service at Montana in goshen

[Bladescb]

I am not connected to the truck! The camera is always on. That is why I would like to find out where it is getting power from so I can switch it. I have pulled the wire that the camera plugs into and it goes behind the out RV outside wall and disappear someplace!

[scuba dude]

I had the same problem once and cut a small hole in the back wall inside the cabinets and used a clothes hanger wire to fish the wire to the camera out and installed a rocker switch in the wall in the cabinets to cut the power to the camera, worked well. I never figured out where the power was coming from mine either.

[DutchmenSport]

You could take the time and remove each one of those automotive type fuses in your converter/breaker/fuse box. I understand this would be time consuming and those fuses are a pain to remove and put but, but if you go through all of them, then at least you know the camera is NOT wired through the converter/breaker box. The Furrion camera is 12 volt DC. So, if you remove all the fuses and the camera is still active, you know the camera was wired directly to the camper house battery. Look at the battery and see if there is a single wire attached to one of the junction points coming off the positive side of the battery. Check the color scheme of the wire and if it's the same color as the wire on the camera, that is probably the wire. Then unhook that wire from the battery connection and see if the camera goes out. If it does, that line should have a fuse on it (automotive style - 12 volt) and may have an on-of rocker switch. More than likely, that switch will be in somewhere in the front bay near the battery on that same wire.

If that does not work, then I'm clueless.

If you find a fuse in the converter/breaker box, that kills the camera, then the camera has been wired into a light (probably) somewhere in the camper.

Furrion cameras are customarily wired so they are activated when the tow vehicle running lights are turned on. This is how they are factory installed and how pre wiring is done for those that are not installed. So, if someone installed the camera after market, they connected the original wire running directly to the battery.

One more possible clue? When you wired in the camera, was the camera wires attached to the trailer wires with a plug. Pre wired camera prep always comes with the female end plug that matches the Furrion camera. Those should be wired into the trailer running light.

If the wire connection was spliced, meaning the wire in the camper had no plug on the end, and you had to cut the male plug off the Furrion to splice it to the trailer wire, then that's a good indication the first back-up camera was installed by the previous owner and is wired directly to the battery.

[Bladescb]

Originally Posted by DutchmenSport

You could take the time and remove each one of those automotive type fuses in your converter/breaker/fuse box. I understand this would be time consuming and those fuses are a pain to remove and put but, but if you go through all of them, then at least you know the camera is NOT wired through the converter/breaker box. The Furrion camera is 12 volt DC. So, if you remove all the fuses and the camera is still active, you know the camera was wired directly to the camper house battery. Look at the battery and see if there is a single wire attached to one of the junction points coming off the positive side of the battery. Check the color scheme of the wire and if it's the same color as the wire on the camera, that is probably the wire. Then unhook that wire from the battery connection and see if the camera goes out. If it does, that line should have a fuse on it (automotive style - 12 volt) and may have an on-of rocker switch. More than likely, that switch will be in somewhere in the front bay near the battery on that same wire.

If that does not work, then I'm clueless.

If you find a fuse in the converter/breaker box, that kills the camera, then the camera has been wired into a light (probably) somewhere in the camper.

Furrion cameras are customarily wired so they are activated when the tow vehicle running lights are turned on. This is how they are factory installed and how pre wiring is done for those that are not installed. So, if someone installed the camera after market, they connected the original wire running directly to the battery.

One more possible clue? When you wired in the camera, was the camera wires attached to the trailer wires with a plug. Pre wired camera prep always comes with the female end plug that matches the Furrion camera. Those should be wired into the trailer running light.

If the wire connection was spliced, meaning the wire in the camper had no plug on the end, and you had to cut the male plug off the Furrion to splice it to the trailer wire, then that's a good indication the first back-up camera was installed by the previous owner and is wired directly to the battery.

Getting closer! After pulling fuses one by one, #3 back bedroom fuse, was the one that killed the power to the camera. After looking at the wall switch, lights in clothes closet, TV amplifier connection etc. I can not find the wire connecting to the camera. Next step is to go under the rear of the camper to see if they wired it down the outside wall and into the lights that are in the bed slide. Someday!

[PSFORD99]

Originally Posted by Bladescb

Getting closer! After pulling fuses one by one, #3 back bedroom fuse, was the one that killed the power to the camera. After looking at the wall switch, lights in clothes closet, TV amplifier connection etc. I can not find the wire connecting to the camera. Next step is to go under the rear of the camper to see if they wired it down the outside wall and into the lights that are in the bed slide. Someday!

Having been into the wiring on two different fifth wheels to wire in a trailer plug ,its a nightmare underneath that belly , but that's been in the rear living floor plan . did not seem to be any method of madness on color coding on the wires for lights , directional signals etc.

[jsb5717]

Rather than go through all of that, are you able to pull the camera off of the exterior wall and also pull the middle running light? Then you could attach wires to the running light wiring and easily fish them to the camera and rewrite to that. It’s only a simple 2-wire system…hot and ground. Does’t get much simpler. That’s what I would be doing and then the camera would work as it is supposed to work.

[DutchmenSport]

Ok, now that you've identified the fuse, you could simply drill a small hole all the way through to the inside of your camper, directly behind the camera so you don't have drill an additional hole on the outside skin.

Splice one wire, both ends now, through that hole, and simply attach a toggle switch inside the camper.

Looing at photos of your make and model, you could put a simple toggle switch directly above the rear window, trim it out so it looks like it belong, and then you wouldn't have to do a lot of rewiring.

You'll have to remove the camera when you do this, so get a flashlight and look into the hole where the wire comes through and make sure you are not hitting a wall framing stud. You could start with a very, very fine drill, go all the way through the wall to the interior of the camper, and then see from the inside exactly where it came through. If the position is not right for a switch right there, you then, at least, have a path to get the wire inside the coach you can place it wherever you want.

If you are pleased with the location, then drill the hole a little bigger from the inside, big enough the wire can come through. Drilling from the inside will keep the surface of the wall paneling and wall paper from scaring up.

If the location is not good, then you just have one tiny hole on the inside of your camper wall to put a dab of goo or a putty, or a matching drop of colored caulking, smooth it out, and the spot will be so tiny, it will never be noticed by anyone but you.

Well, it's just a suggestion for the path of least resistance.

Good luck.

[RetiredandRollin]

I can only speak for mine, it only turns on when your headlights are on the ON position. The cameras will not work if you leave the truck lights in the auto position. Of course, this all only happens after you have synched the cameras with the on board monitor.

[RetiredandRollin]

Oh snap, didn’t read the full post, that’s a problem. I did see a video on YouTube for a hack that in retrospect may be part of your problem with out you even knowing it. On that video (Jared All about RV’s) he has a hack that if you place a fuse on your 7 pin cord and hit your PIN light it will close the circuit for your camera as well and essentially allow you to use your cameras as a security system. In your case, you may have a short in your 7 pin cord that’s causing your problem.

[bcrvman]

Originally Posted by wed

I don’t think it should always be on I think it comes on when your lights come on are turn them on.
Check with customer service at Montana in goshen

Ummmm, Montana customer service ONLY deals with dealers. Good luck.

[Bladescb]

Just a follow-up. I pulled the fuses until the camera turned off. Fuse #3 which is the rear bedroom fuse. I removed anything the was always "hot" (lights, thermostat, etc) in the bedroom and found were no extra wires coming from the camera. Then I looked under the RV and found nothing extra that may go to the camera. So, I pulled the camera and mounting bracket off. There was factory wiring right there that was always "hot"! I cut the camera wires off and rerouted it to the upper clearance light directly above the camera (12"). Now, tow vehicle lights on, camera on!

[Niknik35]

Hi!

I just purchased 2016 Montant 3711FL and the camera is mounted on the rear of the camper but there's no screen for the truck. The previous owners couldn't find it. They said that it came with the camper when originally purchased so where do I get the replacement screen? There's no information in the folder they gave as to what model it is. I assume furrion from other posts.

[Mikendebbie]

Niknik - the OEM Furion system that came with my rig “worked” I suppose - but it dropped signal all the time while I was moving and the screen was low res. You should shop for a new system. I bought a VisionWorks HD system to replace my Furion but it looses signal way too often…basically it does not work for our LONG units.

I have seen a YouTube video by a guy that owns a 2022 Montana pulled by a Ford F350 (so it’s a big long rig!) and he says the Haloview BT works! It has 2 high power antennas on the camera and the signal gets to the monitor in the truck cab.

[Bladescb]

This is the camera we use with our 2016 Montana
3710FL.