Backup Cam Wiring Harness - Two Questions

Does anyone have any experience and opinions on this? https://tailgatecamera.com/products/2020-tacoma-hd-camera-kit-with-oem-wiring-harness

Also, the website won't sell the harness separately. Anyone know where I can get one without their camera? I think this price is a bit excessive so I'd like to get the harness and then purchase a Natika cam from Amazon. The harness on tailgatecamera.com has the same input as the Natika.

I just upgraded to a new head unit with a high resolution than the stock head unit and now the backup camera looks terrible.

 

If Toyota does indeed have a stand alone tail gate camera harness .

You can order one from Toyota.

Why the harness would not be within the tail light harness would be strange if this is a factory option.

 

Link says that camera ships with OEM wiring harness. That would be a Toyota harness? Can't you use what you have already, just replace the camera?

 

I was thinking the same thing.

If figured OP wanted another harness for some reason.

 

The housing is different on the OEM vs the other one. The OEM harness will only fit into the OEM camera. I found this - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mB3HqcU1R6o. It starts at 4:45.

 

Then to me swapping plugs is no big deal.

 

Sorry for the lack of info from my end. Here's the difference between the housings of the OEM camera and the Natika camera:

https://imgur.com/a/cwskZ8H

The camera from tailgatecamera.com is essentially the same camera as the Natika. It wouldn't be a direct plug n' play as the OEM camera. That's the difference in the harness from that site.

 

So the use of OEM harness means we have a custom harness we have built by the vendor to Toyota not sold to the general public .

 

Yep. So their harness isn't OEM.

 

It is OEM maybe . If the part can not be bought through Toyota it is not a Toyota Part.

As you pointed out the harnesses are different.

OEM just is the companies that sell parts to manufactures . Original Equipment Manufacture .

Like Denso is OEM for many companies .

When people see OEM they think better quality which might not be the case.

It can be very confusing!

 

I am lost, then.
I am reading it that tailgatecamera set comes with long pigtail that mates their camera with the existing OEM (Toyota factory) camera wiring in the back of the truck (wrong use of the "OEM harness", should have said "OEM compatible"). I do not see semblance with Nautica camera wiring.


Does you new headunit have the same video inputs as the factory one, and you are trying not replace the cable from the tailgate to the cab?

 

Confusing to say the least! Thanks for your help!

 

My ultimate goal is that when I put the truck in reverse that the Natika camera will automatically show just as the OEM camera currently does. I know there's other options but those require a button to be pushed to view the camera. There are quite a few threads here asking if it's possible to upgrade the rear camera. None have a solid answer unfortunately. Here for example - https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/upgrade-the-trash-oem-backup-camera.797132/ I think this is the closest way to make this happen except that I would be adding another camera and the OEM camera in the tailgate would become useless.

The new head unit (Sony XAV-9500) has 3 camera inputs with one of those for the OEM backup camera. All inputs are RCA. The website doesn't show what the other end looks like, but I was able to figure it out from the video above. The guy in the video did it, but he uses the camera provided by tailgatecamera.com. I could do that, and my problem would be solved, but I don't want to pay $140 and use their camera. I just want the harness they offer so that I'm free to use whatever camera I want that's compatible (like Natika). I'm guessing that website is the only one that offers it. I asked if they would sell it separately and they said no. I'm guessing that I need to just cough up the $140 to make this happen.

 

If your sony's cam input is a single RCA component cable, then the best you will ever get is a 480p signal, regardless of the camera you use. When you take the signal from the camera and convert it to RCA to plug into your HU, it will lose clarity. Also, the Natika cameras output a particular type of HD signal to a HU that can accept the same HD signal. The instructions mention the Atoto HU as an example. I have a kenwood DNR-1007XR with a 720p screen and 3 natika cameras. They only output 480 to my screen. When I cut the wire that is meant to have the camera output HD, I only get black on my screen. I had to reconnect the wire for them to function. I am using the OEM camera as the back up camera. The other 3 are left/right and front.

 

I've got this backup camera installed on my topper since my OEM cam is blocked by a swingout tire carrier. I liked this option so I was able to keep my OEM cam in place and just plug this one into the same junction you unplug the OEM cam from.

For your purpose - wanting an upgrade in camera quality - I'm not sure this is going to do it for you. The quality may be marginally better than OEM, but not by much. Plus is has those annoying backup framing lines and I can't figure out any way to get them to turn off. I'd keep looking for a better replacement if keeping the OEM mounting location.

 

You have to cut the green wire to turn the lines off. There are 3 looped wires close to where the camera connects to the power/signal wire.

 

Oh that's interesting. Thanks for the tip. I need to cut and extend the harness so I can get the cam in the center of the topper anyhow so that'll be a good opportunity to snip the green.

 

Oh wait. I'm sorry. I was referring to the Natika Camera. Not the one that you have.

 

I have this and on my fabricated bumper and it was plug and play.

 

That's super helpful. Before I read this I went through and hooked up a Natika camera to the front. It was just a slight improvement comparing it to the OEM camera on the rear. Looks like I'll be scrapping this idea.