Many new cars are now coming with built-in back up cameras. You have even seen us review a couple here. What about those of us who want the added safety of a backup camera in our older vehicles, or vehicles that didn’t come with them standard. The folks over at CrimeStopper have come up with a simple and easy to use solution. With their SecureView line and the SV-9156 Rear View Camera. This is a factory replacement for your car’s rear view mirror. Lets check out how well it worked.
The SV-9156 is a direct replacement to the mirror already in your car. It uses the mounting bracket that is already attached to your window. The SV-9156 comes with everything you need to hook your mirror up and get it ready to run. Included in the box are the mirror, mounting tab (if you choose not to use the factory one), and power cable.
To install the Mirror Monitor, just remove the screw holding your factory mirror in place. Slide off the factory mirror, the replace it with the SecureView Mirror Monitor and tighten the screw. Next, run the wire from your mirror to a place that you can easily secure the small power box and wires. To hook the mirror up, you just need to connect the mirror to a power source, ground, and if you so choose, a remote wire that is activated when your car is placed in reverse.
The SV-9156 has a 4.3″ LCD screen built-in. The screen is invisible until the reverse camera, or the second input is used. When the back up camera is activated the screen automatically turns on and displays what is on the camera. While using the backup camera, you can adjust the brightness of the screen by pressing the power button. The SV-9156 also has a second input that you can use to display a secondary device such as another camera, DVD Player, video game system, or any other device that uses a RCA Video Output. The secondary screen is activated with the use of the power button. The resolution of the screen is 480 x 272. The screen works great for both a backup camera and if you happen to want a second smaller screen to see what your kids are watching on their DVD player. I strongly advise against using this as a monitor to watch video while driving down the roadway.
When the screen is not in use, the mirror functions like any other mirror. Aside from a very faint outline for the screen (if you’re looking really hard) you would never know that there was a screen in the mirror. The mirror also uses anti-glare technology to keep you from being blinded by cars behind you at night.
The SecureView SV-9156 comes in three models, The SV-9156 that we have tested, the SV-9156 BT that includes Bluetooth for hands free-calling and caller ID, and the SV-9156 C that includes a Compass.
Overall, this mirror was very easy to install and gives you and extra level of protection that may not have come installed in our car. Check out the CrimeStopper website for this and all the other great products they offer.
