[Min Pin]

Ever since I started to drive (and park) Insight since last September, I began to develope this fear of smashing the front fender into a concrete parking block. I was parking my car about 2 feet away from the front curb. My other car is Jeep Wrangler so I have no problem when I park that car.

I finally installed a remote camera, and now I can see.

It's not easy to tap into the fuse box and bring the wire out without drilling some hole into the box, so I used a separate 12-volt Lithium-Ion Battery I had for RC toys. The camera I used is made for a backup viewing so it is not made to stay on all the time. Also, the image is left to right reversed, but that does not matter in this usage.
I used remote control switch to turn on/off from inside the cab without drilling any holes through the bulkhead wall.
Insight has layers of sound insulation so I did not want to damage any of that.

Digital RF Remote switch, iMBAPrice 12v Car and Boat Remote, $14.79
Camera, Yada Wireless Backup Camera, $78.99
Battery, Thunder Power, LI-Polymer 3 cell rated at 25A continuous. about $50.00 a few years back.

The usage of this battery is temporary test case. The remote switch draws .005A at standby and .1A with camera on, so I will need to recharge my small Lipo battery every 2 weeks or so. I will need to look into a better way to tap into the 12V Insight battery for more permanent solution.

 

[insightfully]

ever since i started to drive (and park) insight since last september, i began to develope this fear of smashing the front fender into a concrete parking block. I was parking my car about 2 feet away from the front curb. My other car is jeep wrangler so i have no problem when i park that car.

I finally installed a remote camera, and now i can see.
[...]
the usage of this battery is temporary test case. The remote switch draws .005a at standby and .1a with camera on, so i will need to recharge my small lipo battery every 2 weeks or so. I will need to look into a better way to tap into the 12v insight battery for more permanent solution.

Cool idea and application! Maybe once @geiser figures out how to connect an upsized horn to the 12V battery, the same connection approach can be used for your front-end camera.

It's too bad that the parking sensors don't have a wider (hi/lo) reading range, rather than being for 'straight ahead' objects. I've been backing into MANY more parking spots lately (or intentionally looking for spots without parking blocks) to avoid the risk of front fender grinding...

 

[Wifey'sInsight]

I'm buying 2 similar white silicone frames from another brand on Amazon. Good excuse to replace the dealer frames and have them match the color of my license plate/car. :grin:

(Picture from an Amazon reviwer)






I saw a SUV with the bumpshox and told myself I would rather risk damage than have that ugly box protruding out the front bumper. lain:

Honestly shocked no one has come out with a front plate cover aftermarket add-on with some sort of audible sensor to indicate that you are getting close to the vehicle in front of you. I mean a camera would be the ideal solution, just no good way to add it to our infotainment screen yet.

 

[Verdier]

I can't remember the name but there are systems that do exactly that. Aftermarket stuff that usually fits on the lp and offers parking sensors, camera, and cross traffic.

 

[andrew28]

Honestly shocked no one has come out with a front plate cover aftermarket add-on with some sort of audible sensor to indicate that you are getting close to the vehicle in front of you. I mean a camera would be the ideal solution, just no good way to add it to our infotainment screen yet.

https://www.gen3insight.com/forum/97-2019-insight-news/2740-2020-honda-insight-arriving-dealerships-tomorrow-7-16-2019-a-3.html#post19276

Honda actually made a front camera system for the Japanese Insight discovered by @insightfully here.

 

[Wifey'sInsight]

Question #1, does it use the infotainment screen?

Question #2, do we think it's something we could add, or would we need to have Japanese insight software?

 

[Verdier]

Question #1, does it use the infotainment screen?

Question #2, do we think it's something we could add, or would we need to have Japanese insight software?

Cool to have, but the front parking sensors could help you out too.

 

[andrew28]

Question #1, does it use the infotainment screen?
Question #2, do we think it's something we could add, or would we need to have Japanese insight software?

Yes, if you watch that video on the website.


The Japanese Insight's display audio tablet does run a different user interface compared to ours. Not sure if it runs on the same OS and if the front camera system requires it.

 

[Wifey'sInsight]

Cool to have, but the front parking sensors could help you out too.

Honestly more for my significant other. The added utility of the front camera set up, is enticing for me though. Given the cost of the parking sensors, it made no sense for us. The back-up camera has been more than sufficient for parallel parking.

 

[Wolverine51]

One feature I would dearly like to have (surely not expensive, but still very rare on any vehicle), is a front view camera that would let me safely park close to something ahead of me (like a wall, a tree, another vehicle, etc.)

Where can I best place this post in the forum that might get the most attention ?

 

[insightfully]

One feature I would dearly like to have (surely not expensive, but still very rare on any vehicle), is a front view camera that would let me safely park close to something ahead of me (like a wall, a tree, another vehicle, etc.)

Where can I best place this post in the forum that might get the most attention ?

Added your question/mention to this thread on 'front remote camera' which offers one suggested solution that works.

In Japan, Honda offers an OEM license-plate mounted front camera, which has a view that is integrated with the infotainment screen.

https://www.gen3insight.com/forum/19276-post28.html​

 

[andrew28]

One feature I would dearly like to have (surely not expensive, but still very rare on any vehicle), is a front view camera that would let me safely park close to something ahead of me (like a wall, a tree, another vehicle, etc.)

Where can I best place this post in the forum that might get the most attention ?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07TC1H7K7/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A36E1YBFSPUNWD&psc=1
^Possible aftermarket solution.

 

[Wolverine51]

That camera sure has good reviews for its price. But for me personally, I'm not into smart phones yet.

I'm really interested in promoting the front view camera as a feature on all new cars. I've never understood why this hasn't been asked for by more buyers.

 

[Verdier]

That camera sure has good reviews for its price. But for me personally, I'm not into smart phones yet.

I'm really interested in promoting the front view camera as a feature on all new cars. I've never understood why this hasn't been asked for by more buyers.

My guess is more manufacturers in the US are opting for front parking sensors instead.

 

[dtusia]

Ever since I started to drive (and park) Insight since last September, I began to develope this fear of smashing the front fender into a concrete parking block. I was parking my car about 2 feet away from the front curb. My other car is Jeep Wrangler so I have no problem when I park that car.

I finally installed a remote camera, and now I can see.

It's not easy to tap into the fuse box and bring the wire out without drilling some hole into the box, so I used a separate 12-volt Lithium-Ion Battery I had for RC toys. The camera I used is made for a backup viewing so it is not made to stay on all the time. Also, the image is left to right reversed, but that does not matter in this usage.
I used remote control switch to turn on/off from inside the cab without drilling any holes through the bulkhead wall.
Insight has layers of sound insulation so I did not want to damage any of that.

Digital RF Remote switch, iMBAPrice 12v Car and Boat Remote, $14.79
Camera, Yada Wireless Backup Camera, $78.99
Battery, Thunder Power, LI-Polymer 3 cell rated at 25A continuous. about $50.00 a few years back.

The usage of this battery is temporary test case. The remote switch draws .005A at standby and .1A with camera on, so I will need to recharge my small Lipo battery every 2 weeks or so. I will need to look into a better way to tap into the 12V Insight battery for more permanent solution.

How did you mount that extra monitor in your car?

 

[andrew28]

That camera sure has good reviews for its price. But for me personally, I'm not into smart phones yet.

I'm really interested in promoting the front view camera as a feature on all new cars. I've never understood why this hasn't been asked for by more buyers.

I wonder if it's technically possible for Honda to give us a live feed of the camera behind the front windshield streamed to the infotainment system. I think that would be better than a front camera on the outside because it would be prone to obstruction from ice/snow and flying rocks.

 

[Verdier]

That camera sure has good reviews for its price. But for me personally, I'm not into smart phones yet.

I'm really interested in promoting the front view camera as a feature on all new cars. I've never understood why this hasn't been asked for by more buyers.

I wonder if it's technically possible for Honda to give us a live feed of the camera behind the front windshield streamed to the infotainment system. I think that would be better than a front camera on the outside because it would be prone to obstruction from ice/snow and flying rocks.

I was looking into adding a camera to my left mirror and was hoping I could have it show up in my infotainment center like my right hand lanewatch camera. Unfortunately Adam informed me that he has tried this on several vehicles with no success. Unfortunately these infotainment connections are usually data lines rather than straight power connections and he hasn't been able to figure out how to do it. He feels that it would be more of a software hack along with a hardware hack to make it work. In other words I doubt it could be done easily without Honda's direct help. Which of course they won't provide.

 

[Wolverine51]

I suppose sensors would somewhat be cheaper.

But I'd really like to see broken glass, nails, depth of holes in the road, height of curbs, etc., there in front of me.

 

[insightfully]

I suppose sensors would somewhat be cheaper.

But I'd really like to see broken glass, nails, depth of holes in the road, height of curbs, etc., there in front of me.

Honda's parking sensors are only helpful to the extent that the object(s) ahead are within a ~1 ft vertical band/range of the sensors, and 20" (front) to 70" (back) in horizontal distance from the sensors. They definitely don't prevent curb rash.

Did you have or use something different on your prior cars? Or are you finding the Insight's hood too long to view over? Or the Insight's clearance too low for curb clearance?