Reversing Camera / Backup Camera Retrofit - PCM 3.1 991.1

Reversing Camera / Backup Camera Retrofit. PART 1.....

Difficulty rating – 6/10 – Extremely time consuming trying to run wires from the back of the car. All cameras will require power and potentially an earth (some use the RCA as an earth). There are wireless options but most people choose a wired route as they are deemed more reliable so that is what I have focused on here. If you are unsure on fitting DIY then best to get a professional to fit.

Please note this is not a full retrofit installation guide (but I have provided links to other guides and added a few useful comments based on my experience). This is to help explain a little about the varied camera options available and more importantly camera choices and put these into one resource and so you can make your own mind up.

Background:

There have been a number of posts recently asking about Reversing Camera retrofits and how to add this functionality to your car. On the 991.1 range the option for a Reversing Camera was not available until late 2015 so most 991.1 cars do not have this option from factory given the 991.2 cars came out from 2016.

The native 991 PCM requires additional cabling with a module or an additional PCB (Printed Circuit Board) fitted to the car to add this functionality to the factory 3.1 PCM unit.

Camera Kits are available and popular options seem to be the NAV TV or the Empirical kits. Both similarly priced around the £300- £330 at time of writing with a £60 refund on the Empirical kit for the return of the programmable OBD Module, making it a very cost effective DIY option.

Please note that some of these kits require the original PCM to have software version 4.5 or above to work so please check your PCM if this is the route you are going to take.

You can check your PCM version like this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEOHLpWNwwA

Professional fitting is an additional cost but average cost of a supply and fit camera service seems to range between £550 - £750 dependent on kit used and time spent on the physical installation.

See below links:
https://www.nav.tv/manufacturer/porsche-991-reverse-camera

https://www.in-car-install.co.uk/sh...ter-981-pcm-3-1-reverse-reversing-camera-kit/


However if you are fitting a PCB module to the PCM unit it's probably worth thinking about making full use of the install and going down the Joyeauto/NM Automotive route which adds Apple Car play/Android Auto functionality as well as the option to fit cameras.

See my post here:
http://911uk.com/viewtopic.php?t=146206

These units allow you to not only fit a reversing/backup camera but also a front camera should you so wish.

However this is where the challenge first starts for the (DIY) route – Camera choice, where do you start?

If you look on line there is a huge selection of cameras to choose from so it can be extremely difficult to figure out what to purchase and at what price point you should be looking at. Cameras range from £10 to £100.

- For example is a £10-£15 camera the same as a £20-£30 option (i.e. Are they just more expensive/ marked up price for the same item) or do you get what you pay for?
- Is a branded camera better than a non-branded option?
- What's best a licence plate light replacement option or a dedicated camera that you either centre mount or drill to fit?
- What functionality is important?
- What resolution, angle and does it matter?


In this post I am hoping to help people reduce the time spent on contemplating what type of camera to purchase and answer a few basic questions. I have completed a bit of research and not just looked at 3 different camera options but have purchased them all to trial (severe delays in postage prompted me to choose a different model and before I knew where I was I had 3 to choose from!).

So with that in mind I am hopeful I can provide some useful feedback on the differences given my unique (some will say... mad) approach and help future people decide what route to take for your own retrofit given I have gone through the analysis.....

Camera Choices:

Before we go any further I am going to list UK websites and list UK prices which are correct at the time of writing. Of course there are other routes to take like Aliexpress that may well provide even cheaper options but you will need to factor in the time delay for physical delivery from China ( it was bad enough UK to UK for me during June 2021!) as well as a lack of support / return options. Also the physical quality of these cameras may or may not be different to the following listed. So I will let you decide if that's a route you wish to personally go down.

So how did I end up with 3 cameras?

My first idea was to order a central mounted wedge shape camera to provide an OEM look. But I was initially overwhelmed with the sheer choice! Literally you can spend £10 through to over £100 on a camera. So when ordering the NM Automotive Apple Car play unit I chose their recommended Camera which is a number plate light replacement option (the safe / easy route) which they provide to see how this both looked and faired in operation. It's priced at £50.

I also ordered an Ebay option as curiosity was getting the best of me and I was hopeful it would arrive in time so that I could choose between the two cameras at time of fitting the NM Automotive unit. But of course that did not happen, delays in UK postage meant that I received the NM Automotive product long before the centred mounted camera physically turned up, despite alleged 48 hour UK delivery on the Ebay camera.

I fitted first NM Automotive light replacement camera and when the Ebay camera finally turned up I started to compare the two and decided the cheaper end of the Ebay scale was not for me. Hence after more research I ordered the branded Connects2 option. So that's how I found myself in the unusual situation to be able to compare 3 different reversing/back up cameras.

So I am hoping someone will benefit from this.

£50 Option – NM Automotive LED Light Replacement / Angled- degree unknown:
https://742d6f80-4768-4b92-8ba0-cbc...d/7fd4cc_7e1058f4bc134188877f60be8f443951.pdf

Given I had bought the NM Automotive Carplay unit, they also supply a reversing camera option. This is a LED Light replacement item which does not require you to drill/alter the rear bumper in anyway other than swap out one of the number plate lights. You could probably fit this item without removing the bumper (it would however be a lot easier to do so). I wanted to try this option as it would be easier to fit (given no drilling) and I was curious as to how it would look and operate compared to a more OEM centre mounted option. I was also curious to see how it looked at night as matching the OEM number plate light brightness/hue can be tricky and has been mentioned on other Porsche threads... see 997 forum.

http://911uk.com/viewtopic.php?t=142510&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=carplay&start=0

On the 991 (mine at least) the number plate hue/brightness was a close match. Not perfect but extremely close to the point where the average person would not notice any difference.


Resolution: Unknown
Pixel Rating: Unknown
Image Sensor: Unknown
Waterproof Rating: Unknown
Low Light Performance: Unknown
Parking Lines: No
Cable: Supplied with 6.5m Video and Power cable for easy installation.
Connection Type: RCA Video
Postage Time: 48 Hours quoted, posted with NM Automotive unit when purchased together.



Initial thoughts:
The unit supplied by NM Automotive is very discrete. The actual camera is small in size and comes supplied with all of the appropriate cabling which all seemed to be high quality. There are no specs with the camera or fitting instructions and is why I have listed above as 'Unknown". However fitting is self-explanatory in that you simple replace one of the number plate lights which uses the existing factory fitting as well as the new wiring harness for the camera.


Picture Quality:
The picture quality is very good both day and night and parking lines are not provided automatically by the camera (this I later found out is a good thing!). The NM Automotive Apple Car Play unit gives you the ability to add these in as well as the steering lines and sensor display if your car already has them. If you were using this product with a different connection point (ie not the NM Automotive box but say an aftermarket stereo) you might want a different model that allows you to add/remove the parking lines by cutting a wire. Just like the Connects2 range item further below.


The view from the camera is a wide view when using it to reverse and the picture creates a good representation of what is behind you. Its good clean image both in width and height enabling you to see everything clearly behind you. It's a great option.


£10-£20 Option - Centre Mount / Angled 170 degree – Non Branded:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/333721084875


At this low price point there is a huge amount of choice and many of the options between £10 and £30 look identical with the vast majority being non-branded. Therefore it is extremely difficult to gauge if you are truly getting a better camera at the higher of the range compared to the bottom of the range. The chosen example is a camera from the cheaper end of the market priced at £12.59 from Ebay. It is a non-branded angled 170' design with nut/bolt fitting to fix the camera in place to the car.

This looks very similar to the Nakita version (link below) as used by Auto Amateur in his You Tube install and so got my vote: https://www.amazon.co.uk/NATIKA-Backup-Camera-Waterproof-Reverse/dp/B07H852D49

Resolution: 480 TV lines (NTSC)
Pixel Rating: 720 X 580 pixels
Image Sensor: - Not stated
Waterproof Rating: States waterproof but no rating
Low Light Performance: Not stated in listing but included literature states 0.01 LUX
Parking Lines: YES
Cable: Supplied with 6.5m Video and Power cable for easy installation.
Connection Type: 4 Pin Power + RCA Video
Postage Time: 48 Hours quoted, took 7 days.


Initial thoughts:
The 4 pin power connector drew me to this camera along with the nut/bolt fitting. When it arrived it was packaged in a very small jiffy bag, (i.e. very little protection), but it had survived the post. The actual size of the nut and bolt fitting is extremely small and only a 10mm spanner is required. For some reason I was expecting the nut to be much larger than 10mm so it came as a bit of a surprise when I pulled it out of the bag and it was so small.




TO BE CONTINUED DUE TO PICTURE AND POSTING LENGTH LIMITATIONS !

PART 2....

The quality of the physical camera seemed ok, with a decent weight to it. The quality of the wiring looked and felt normal although the red power cable and black earth cables were multi strand copper looking cables and seemed thin/cheap. Installation onto the car of this camera would require a small hole circa 7-8mm in the bumper, along with rear bumper removal. You would then bolt the camera into place using the 10m nut.


Picture Quality:
The picture quality when I tested the camera was good with parking lines permanently shown. Image quality in low light was more than acceptable and overall the camera was better than expected. However as the parking lines are fixed and cannot be removed this makes it a real shame and something I had initially missed in the Ebay listing. Point to note for future reference!


TO BE CONTINUED .....


Conclusion – Cheap Camera:
I bought this camera out of curiosity whether a cheap camera could really deliver, in short the answer is yes. This camera does what it states, it provides a cheap solution (sub £13 delivered) that appears to have decent picture quality with fixed parking lines. The fixed parking lines are bright in colour and if they were just green, amber and red would probably look fine, but with the addition of the bright neon blue do look a little cheap to my eyes (sorry no offence meant if others have this).

It lacks the thrills that you get from more expensive options (read below about ability to flip picture/add remove parking lines etc) does not have a branded lens and is a slightly bulky physical unit in comparison to others (listed below). Now you have to remember this is in comparison to the other cameras. If you had nothing else to compare it against, I'm sure once mounted the camera would look and work extremely well.

For some people if this was the only camera you purchased and had nothing to compare it to it would be hard to complain at the price point. The only real negatives are the fixed bright parking lines which cannot be removed and the thin / cheap power and earth cabling. The small nut to hold the camera in place does include a locking washer but I would probably still use a sticky 3M pad to ensure it didn't come unstuck and would probably use resin over the nut inside the bumper to eliminate it coming loose.

The reason the removal of parking lines is so important is that you may want to overlay your own parking lines/ steering lines from an aftermarket head unit or Car Play unit like the Joyeauto/ NM Automotive. Or just have a plain picture with no guidance lines. Therefore removal of the stock camera items is necessary to eliminate duplication which would make the image too busy.

Although the camera has a 4 pin connector over a standard RCA connection the camera still requires a separate RCA connection for the video input. So I cannot see the benefit of this fitting for this particular camera.

PART 3

£35-£50 Option - Centre Mount / Angled 170 degree – Branded Camera:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/372205233884 or https://www.dynamicsounds.co.uk/con...g-fixed-angle-rear-view-reversing-camera.html

In this price bracket popular choices seem to come from the Connects2 range, something like the CAM-16, CAM-9 or CAM-17. The main differences between these cameras are mounting options (whether they are surface mounted like the CAM-16 which screws into place, or flush mounted like the other two) and the number of TV lines. The CAM-9 has the highest number @ 700 providing a true Hi-Def image if mated to a Hi Def Screen – Note the PCM 3.1 in the 991.1 is not one!

All of these cameras come with a very good 1099 HD image sensor with enhanced low light performance and the ability to remove parking lines (although many websites do not state the CAM-17 has removable lines the manufacturer's website does).

The cameras also have the ability to be rotated for different uses with image rotation (not required for our purposes but worth noting). I plumped for the CAM-9 which is the most expensive of the three options, but I probably would have chosen the CAM-17 if it wasn't for the lack of physical stock in the country at the time of ordering. The CAM-17 is circa £40 vs CAM-9 @ £47.


Resolution: 700 TV lines
Pixel Rating: 976 X 496 pixels
Image Sensor: 1099
Waterproof Rating: IP68
Low Light Performance: 0.1 Lux
Parking Lines: YES Removable
Cable: Supplied with 6.5m Video and Power cable for easy installation.
Connection Type: RCA Video
Postage Time: 48 Hours quoted, took 48 Hours

Initial thoughts:
The CAM-9 camera was well packaged and came in a small box that included a user manual, 20mm Drill bit and a sticky pad for creating a water tight / weather seal. The quality of the physical camera seems very good with a similar weight when compared to the cheaper Ebay item above but with a significantly flusher mount. I imagine the internals are mounted more in the larger 20mm diameter housing mount rather than in the actual head, therefore providing a neater minimalist look and potentially closer to OEM.

The quality of the wiring immediately felt better in the hand with improved stiffness and a marginally thicker core (although the pictures do not show this) over the cheaper Ebay option listed above. The red power cable and black earth cables were also marginally better quality cables.


Installation into the car of this camera would require a 20mm hole with the appropriate drill bit which did come supplied. You would have to remove the bumper to fit this camera. The camera comes supplied with additional cut cables for reversing/flipping the image and adding parking lines. (It is supplied from factory with them turned off).


Picture Quality:
Once again picture quality is good, parking lines are not shown unless you cut the additional cable, therefore providing the ability to remove / add back in during installation. The image quality would probably shine through even more on a later PCM 4.0 system allowing a true Hi-Res image, but the 3.1 PCM is limited @ 800 X 480 pixels. But even so image quality is good and of course more than adequate for the job.

An immediate observation when fitted is the view is a very wide view (almost fisheye) from the camera when using it to reverse and reflects a wider image than that seen from the NM Automotive light replacement option. It certainly enables you to clearly see what might be lurking off to either side behind the car. However although wide it does not show as much detail in terms of height. The NM Automotive option reflects more height in the picture and gives you a good overall image with less fisheye effect. It's quite noticeable that when comparing images from both cameras mounted to the car you see more height from the NM Automotive LED camera when compared to this camera but you see more width with this camera and can see the rear bumper with this camera. This might have something to do with the angle of the mount as well as the degree of the wide angle lens used in each camera. But it's worth noting. See picture.


Just like the NM Automotive camera, this camera worked fine even if the PCM was in factory mode. So worth noting that the rear view camera works even if the AUX setting is not used on the PCM when used in conjunction with the Apple Car play NM Automotive unit.


TO BE CONTINUED.....

PART 4....

Conclusion – Cheap Ebay vs Branded centre mounted camera:

This Connects2 camera is clearly a better product (as you would hope given it's 4 times the price of the cheaper Ebay alternative!). The physical camera body is smaller and will sit flusher to the car and the physical wiring is better quality over the cheaper Ebay option.



These camera's come with a multi-year guarantee and will work in a wide temperature range of -20C to + 70C. The fitment to the car requires a perfect tight fit hole but the supplied 20mm drill bit and the locking pins along with the sticky pads ensure the perfect long term fitment of the camera.


TO BE CONTINUED.....
The parking lines are removable which is a huge plus point over the cheaper Ebay option. If physical stock is available and if fitting to a PCM 3.1 I would plump for the CAM-17 over the CAM-9 given its cheaper price point. I also like the single 6 pin connector on the CAM-17 to the camera over the RCA connectors of other models although these are quality items on these cameras.

Link to CAM-17:
https://c2vision-eu.com/product/uni...iewing-angle-ip68-full-colour-high-res-image/

PART 5...

Final Overall Conclusion:

LED Licence Plate light replacement Camera:
For many people the number plate replacement option is going to be a great choice. It does not require you to alter your original bumper, just replace one of the number plate LED fixtures. At night on a 991 the colour hue/brightness is a very close match to the stock LED fixtures but it's not perfect, (but it's barely noticeable on my specific car, see pic).


On an older 997 model the colour hue of the LED number plate light may well be different and there may be more of a pronounced difference, but on a 991 it is certainly more than acceptable – most would not even notice but I was being extra picky and explicitly looking out for this given the 997 forum threads on the subject.

I used the camera for 2 weeks and had no complaints day or night. The view from the camera is excellent and provides a really good picture both in terms of height and width from the back of the car which allows you to identify objects and people behind the car. In terms of what you can see from the camera it is noticeably different to the Connects2 camera, which did surprise me.

I took some comparison pictures, where you can see items in the rear view camera that were higher up in my garage, despite being closer to the wall, ie shelving unit that you could not see in the Connects2 CAM-9 camera. In the second comparison you can see more of the houses in the background in the NM Automotive LED light replacement camera, whereas the Connects2 CAM-9 you had a wider image showing more of the bushes and exactly what was on the floor directly behind the car. You can see this clearly if you count the number of bricks visible in the two pictures despite the car being parked in the same spot.

The NM Automotive camera reflects 12 bricks across the back of the car/driveway.
The CAM-9 Centre mounted camera reflects 15-16 bricks across the back of the car/driveway.


My only other comment is that if you have OCD the camera not being centre mounted and therefore symmetrical might give you a complex when looking at the rear of the car. Given its location it's clearly not OEM looking.

In most situations in use the camera being mounted to one side makes no difference when backing/reversing up. What I did noticed is that if you are reversing at a very tight acute angle, clearly the picture does not fully correspond to obstacles that you might approach as you are seeing them more/less from one side – as the camera is mounted appx 3.5 inches or 9cm off centre. But like I said in most situations this was not an issue. Comparison of location below.

As an addition to the NM Automotive Car Play unit, it works seamlessly with the unit either in Car Play mode or normal PCM mode and is a great option to have. Given you do not need to drill the bumper and the car is fully reversible to stock (should this ever be required in the future) it's a huge plus point to this option.


Cheap vs Expensive – Non Branded vs Branded:
I think it's fair to say you get what you pay for. Given any Porsche that was probably worth north of £85,000 – £100,000+ new, in my eyes it's worth spending just a little more and purchasing a branded camera. Given you are only talking about £40-£50 and the difference of £20-£30 over a cheaper non branded option it's a no brainer. There was nothing wrong with the cheap Ebay item, but you can see where your extra ££ are going, especially in the quality of the wiring loom. The Connects2 cameras may well be slight over kill given the optical ability, but the quality of the cameras and cabling is worth that alone compared to the cheaper end of the market.

A centre mounted option does provide the car with an OEM look and keeps a symmetrical appearance which for me is paramount (and probably anyone else with OCD) and what has driven me to swap out the number plate light for a centre mounted version.


The Connects2 camera options appear to provide good quality items at a reasonable price point (sub £50) and should remain reliable for the life of the car. The CAM-17 unit is hard to fault at its price point presuming it performs as well as the CAM-9 that I purchased.

My only negative comment is that although it provides a good wide image, compared to the number plate light replacement option you see less height in the image, so for example you will see pedestrian legs behind you rather than a full person like you do from the number plate light option.

Points to note when looking at Cameras:

- Look at the NAV TV or Empirical Kits if not using a Car play unit/ Aftermarket Head unit to connect to. They both have good feedback. Note the Empirical kit seems to be the only option that shows a Porsche car image and the correct model – ie Convertible vs Coupe etc. Other options appear to provide a stock car image
- Decide if you want a centre/flush mount or Licence plate replacement aftermarket camera
- Choose the correct mounting option for your needs: Nut/Bolt vs Prongs/Sticky Pad vs Screw Fitting
- Choose a camera that offers the ability to remove Parking lines (You do not want to duplicate and make the image look busy)
- Choose a branded option or one that states image sensor quality
- Note that on a PCM 3.1 image quality of the camera is limited by the PCM screen
- Presuming you can afford it, spend £35-£45 to get a good quality camera – Connects2 cameras seem very decent and come supplied with drill bits

TO BE CONTINUED......

FINAL PART

Installation:

I am not going to complete an installation write up as there are YouTube videos and several forum items detailing installation instructions. Removal of the rear bumper makes installation easier as does removing the wheels to access the top screw holding the bumper in place. But if you choose a number plate light replacement camera this may not be required so could speed up the installation process by about 30 mins. You will still need to remove the rear tail lights though to access cabling.

What I will say is do not underestimate the amount of time required to physically route the cables from the rear of the car, up inside and through to the front, especially on a Coupe vs a Convertible. Clearance and route choices are very limited. There really is very little room to work inside the rear of a 911. I can see why Auto Amateur You Tube chap took the cable route he did externally mounting the cables the majority of the way along the outer bottom side sill.

Once again similar to the NM Automotive Car Play unit I worked with Alex from Vag Car Coding on the installation and we looked at the options for cable routing. In the end Alex found another way into the car which we both felt was better than all of the options below. I am sorry I cannot share but Alex spent a lot of time finding this route and it's only fair this stays with him on a professional level rather than providing this for a DIY install. If you want that option please contact Alex @ Vag Car Coding for installation services.

Alex @ Vag Car Coding
07950 737 899

But here are some popular routes/guides for reference and below some pics from my install:


Installation Guides: - This is a popular route into the car, but make no mistake getting to the grommet at the inside back of the car and enlarging the hole is a very difficult thing to do.


http://plenums.blogspot.com/2014/12/diy-2014-porsche-991-911-rear-view.html

Auto Amateur Route – Run cables around rear wheel arch liner and along external side sill.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6L1yrxkhExw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_GratOS1pY

Rusty S Route – Up and over top of engine through grommet into car.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqxFypXCKNw


YOLOfotos route - Convertibles – Front and Rear Camera installation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoOJmKqSbws


Pictures of install:



Top Tips:
If I had to give a few top tips it would be:

- Make sure you do not over torque the factory bolts along the bumper and especially on the rear lights.
- Have a spare set of bolts that hold the rear lights in place at a minimum, you stand a good chance of stripping at least one. The factory items seem to be made of chocolate and almost feel like single use items. Heat cycles and potential dealer over torqueing mean that these bolts are very prone to stripping. I had to replace mine completing the installation and the two of the original items had to be machined off in order to remove – adding 1 hour to the installation process. So save yourself some pain and have a set of these handy just in case!
- Raising the rear of the car and removing the wheels as well as the bumper makes the installation process much easier for a central mounted camera.
- Removal of the bumper is easier as a 2 man job, possible for 1 person but so much easier with two sets of hands.
- Make a pilot hole before drilling out a larger hole.

Hope the above helps people on Camera choice and helps people looking for installation guides.

Having a reversing / back up camera is another item which is not only extremely useful for you as the current owner but also a plus point to potentially help distinguish your car when it comes to resale.

DIY install is very possible but like many things you need to way up the time spent vs a professional installation which albeit more expensive I have no doubt would be quicker. Installing a rear camera took far longer than I expected (as most of these jobs do), but well worth the effort.

All the best
Jungle

Amazing work and well done, very comprehensive write up too :thumb:

Schuey-M said:

Amazing work and well done, very comprehensive write up too :thumb:

Click to expand...

Thank you Mr Schuey. 👍

That's a lot of patience to do the long write up !
Thanks :worship:

Slayer said:

That's a lot of patience to do the long write up !
Thanks :worship:

Click to expand...

Thanks, never a truer word said. The forum is not the easiest to interact with especially when its a long post. 😁👍

Possibly one of the longest (and best) step-by-step and comparative reviews ever on this Forum. Well done indeed. Absolutely top notch stuff. :thumb:

I want to re fit my reversing camera and was thinking about what replacement camera to buy so i I enjoyed your post and it has been of immense help so well done.

You sure like typing/pasting, OP....

After a few logged out sessions I ended up typing it out in Word and pasting back onto the forum. I had also filled the swear box up 😉👍

Glad its being useful.

Thx
Jungle