It's easy to get up and running with the QuickVu Digital Wireless Backup Camera, making it the perfect choice if easy installation is your top priority when looking for the best backup camera (opens in new tab). Whereas most backup cameras need wiring into your car’s rear lights for power, the QuickVu is battery-powered, making it fast to install. Five minutes is the most it should take to get this backup camera attached to your vehicle, and you won't need to drill any holes in your car either.
QuickVu Digital Wireless review: Set up
If the mere mention of toolkits, connections and wiring bring you out in a cold sweat, the QuickVu Digital Wireless is the one for you. Simply bolt the camera to your vehicle at the top of your license plate, plug the monitor into your cigarette lighter outlet, and you're ready to go. There's no holes to drill, no messing with electrics, no routing wires through your car, and there definitely shouldn't be any need to spend time and money on an auto technician.
What the lack of wiring does mean is that you will be a little more inconvenienced when the two AA batteries need replacing. However, with the system only activating when you turn your car on, and for a set period of time, recommended lithium primary batteries should last for around a year, if you use the camera for four 30-second intervals every day. You get to determine how long the camera stays on for, so if you're speedy at parking, set the live time low and the batteries will last longer.
QuickVu Digital Wireless review: Camera
The QuickVu camera has a wide 150 degree diagonal viewing angle that delivers on its primary purpose of assisting reversing. As the camera, wireless transmitter and batteries are all housed in a single bar that mounts above your license plate, it's not possible to adjust the camera angle while you're backing up. However, the camera is weatherproof and equipped with LEDs that automatically illuminate the area behind your vehicle when it’s dark.
While these features make the QuickVu an effective device for checking your rear blind spot, it's fair to say that there are backup cameras on the market - such as the Yada Digital Wireless (opens in new tab) - that offer better video clarity and night vision. However, it's the convenience that most people look to the QuickVu for, so a compromise on quality is usually a trade off that's willing to be made.
QuickVu Digital Wireless review: Monitor
The QuickVu backup camera comes with a dedicated 4.3-inch LCD monitor that plugs into your car’s cigarette lighter outlet. The slender pedestal mount attaches to your dashboard using adhesive, or you can buy a suction-cup mount separately, which will prove a wise investment if you're planning on sharing the backup camera between vehicles.
The camera and monitor connect using a digital wireless signal that remains reliable across a transmission distance of up to a quarter of a mile in the open air and with a direct line of sight. This makes the QuickVu suitable for use on trailers and trucks too. While the picture is clear, you may experience a slight lag in the display, but nowhere near enough to hinder your ability to park. When it comes to operating, menus and options such as turning the distance scale lines on and off are all easily accessible via buttons handily placed on the monitor.
Should you buy the QuickVu Digital Wireless Backup Camera?
If you're at all nervous about installing a backup camera, and don't want to spend getting a professional to do it, the ease with which the QuickVu Digital Wireless can be fitted to your car will appeal to you. You don't need to splice into wiring and won't need to drill any holes - the only real inconvenience will be changing the batteries every 12 months. While there are backup cameras that deliver a better quality image and have more features, if you're simply happy to have a decent level of parking assistance, and want to avoid the hassle of a long and complicated installation, the QuickVu is ideal.
