WantA997

I was on Facebook earlier and Business Insider posted a little article on a new rearview camera startup founded by ex-Apple employees called Pearl. As someone who daily drives a car without a backup camera/sensors, this caught my attention.

Seems like a pretty simple solution--install the rear license plate frame which includes the camera and have it stream the video to your smartphone. The downside? It costs $499

So I'm curious to know if anyone else has installed a backup camera they would recommend? In a perfect world, it would stream the video from the PCM unit but something tells me that's not possible?

Thanks in advance!

jsalah

I recall a few threads here on this if you do a search. At least one person got it to work to the PCM if I recall... saw the Pearl ad too. Thought the same as you. Great idea -- when the price drops to $100 or less, which is the only reasonable price for something like that. $500 for that tech is absurd.

gasongasoff

I like this Pearl device...I wonder if there's a way to interface it with an aftermarket HU

kellen

It has been talked about in a separate thread. Someone had it wired into the head unit but it was roughly $1000 to have done. The pearl at $400-500 is an easier solution, but my big issue is having to have my phone out, with the app booted up. With bluetooth I leave my phone in my pocket most times and would find it rather annoying to get in, get the phone, launch the app. I want something seamless where I shift to reverse and it shows. Wouldn't mind it on my phone but would prefer the OEM screen.

Let me know if you find something else.

MaddMike

Not as slick as the Pearl, but I'm sure someone can get this to work and it is $100.

http://www.costco.com/.product.100167674.html

ilko

I have Pearl in my Mercedes family car. I live in NYC and a back up camera is a must if you want a pristine rear bumper. I had been looking for a good back up camera solution for years. I was skeptical about Pearl at first but after I saw the camera demonstrated at Werks Reunion last August I ordered one on the spot. They were only doing pre-orders back then and I waited over a month to get it. Well worth the wait! It's really, really well done. Not just the camera itself but the sound alerts too! I keep my phone on the dash so it's seamless. And frankly, the price may seem high but anything else you buy would require you to dismantle the interior of your car in order to install it. The Pearl camera took under 10 minutes to install including downloading the app and going through all the software steps pairing the device w the phone, etc. The other benefit is that if you ever sell the car you can keep the camera.

TurnOne

Seems neat but pricey.
One concern is that is uses the OBD port so I can't use it for Torque app. Maybe a pass through OBD connector would work, but at that price, I'm not wanting to experiment. They do seem to have a 30 day money back guarantee.
Another concern is I don't care for license plate frames, but something has to give.

07Carrera

Here's another possibility....

http://www.tadibrothers.com/products...-backup-camera

jsalah

Wonder if possible to get this one to work with PCM:
($90, currently on sale for $40)

https://www.amazon.com/Esky-Viewing-...s=pearl+camera

sf_c63

Can you confirm the app needs to be launched on the phone to see the backup camera?

It would be cool if the app sent a push notification when the car is in reverse so you can quickly launch the app.

FLA 997

I'm using the Pioneer AVIC8000-NEX head unit with rear backup in my 997.1
It works wonderful!

ilko

That is correct, you need to launch the app. I believe that the app sends you a push notification when you attach the phone to their proprietary magnet phone holder, but I use a different one so I can't confirm it. I don't find it to be a big deal, I just push the app button when I need it.

That said, they are working on more software updates and something like what you're describing could be in the works...

ilko

I think there was a guy on 6 Speed who did that and it worked.

LC997C4s

So is the camera always on thru the phone app or through the OBD port the unit knows when you are in reverse and it comes on then.

Also I see its solar powered. My car is 95% of the time in my garage, what has been your experience with relying on the solar power, holding a charge, etc.

max540i

I've had my unit for a little over a month now, so I'll take a shot at some of the issues ...

As noted above, with recent software upgrade pearl app will send you a notification when you come into range that permits a (slightly) easier launch from locked screen. (No requirement for their magnetic mount which doesn't work particularly well in a 997)

It will bind both w/ Bluetooth and WiFi. The WiFi binding will give you superior video. Downside for my setup (iphone near house), is that to bind w/ wifi i have to go to settings and select the pearl WSID to deselect my home network.

Don't know about the aesthetics, but I'm pretty sure I read that an OBD splitter will work.

Since my car spends a lot of time out of the sun, I charge mine once a week. (I vaguely recall reading you can go a month w/o solar charge). Charges from USB power source (like smart phone). Only takes maybe 20sec to take off / mount bracket.

The display comes up if app is running and it doesn't think your moving faster than something like 10 mph.

For my 997.2 c4s the display has a couple of quirks. (1) Those protrusions to either side of the 997 license plate clip the wide angle view a bit. (2) And when I back up at night I backup w/ lights out because night lighting on rear of the 997 washes out the display. For my driveway exit procedure neither of these are major issues.

I use my car for a DD and part of my routine is to mount my iphone. Per wifi issue, only hassle is the visit to the "settings" to connect to pearl wifi. Pearl app has nice feature that facilites launching app (eg Waze) after your done backing up. The guidelines work pretty slick. If your normal procedure doesn't include mounting your smart phone, then this device may not be for you.

The Pearlvision site has an online chat which (for my one question) was pretty responsive.

Finally, for all of December I saw a bunch of (cookie-based) ads for $75-$100 discount.