Alpine ilx-w650 and backup camera
Instructor
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 210
Likes: 1
From: Johnston Rhode Island
KBoltz, I have that HU and use a Natika backup camera. The price of the HU was nice (think I paid a little less than what I see on the Crutchfield site right now). I took care of the wiring harness myself, mostly because I figured it would be somewhat fun to tackle, but if I were to do it over, I'd probable pay them to handle it. They did have to send me a second HU because the first was DOA, but that was a minor annoyance and their customer service was great. I have a flush mount USB extension cable epoxied behind the ashtray door where the lighter normally resides, and I have my library on a USB drive.
Couple of complaints I have with the HU are 1) glare is pretty bad, and 2) the shuffle function seems to repeat songs way too frequently (have a few thousand on the USB drive). I didn't do anything with the stock speakers (car is a 1LT), and must admit the tunes on the USB haven't all been ripped/procured with the same settings, so there is some inconsistent playback. I very rarely listen to anything on the radio, but when I do there are no issues. I haven't gotten into Apple CarPlay or SiriusXM yet.
In my opinion, there is no need to pay a few hundred for an Alpine backup cam. The Natika unit I bought was around $45 and it does everything I need it to do. I installed it right next to the trunk button and ran the wiring under the interior trim along the passenger side. If you're still looking at a budget of $700, you might consider a cheaper camera like the Natika and a better HU than the iLX-W650. But then, I'm no audiophile, and I'm not a car audio expert, so YMMV.
Couple of complaints I have with the HU are 1) glare is pretty bad, and 2) the shuffle function seems to repeat songs way too frequently (have a few thousand on the USB drive). I didn't do anything with the stock speakers (car is a 1LT), and must admit the tunes on the USB haven't all been ripped/procured with the same settings, so there is some inconsistent playback. I very rarely listen to anything on the radio, but when I do there are no issues. I haven't gotten into Apple CarPlay or SiriusXM yet.
In my opinion, there is no need to pay a few hundred for an Alpine backup cam. The Natika unit I bought was around $45 and it does everything I need it to do. I installed it right next to the trunk button and ran the wiring under the interior trim along the passenger side. If you're still looking at a budget of $700, you might consider a cheaper camera like the Natika and a better HU than the iLX-W650. But then, I'm no audiophile, and I'm not a car audio expert, so YMMV.
Anymore pics you can send me or write ups for the back up cam install?
Racer
Joined: Dec 2020
Posts: 355
Likes: 200
From: North TX
Originally Posted by mastercoryd;
seen this setup before but can’t find the write up
Anymore pics you can send me or write ups for the back up cam install?
Anymore pics you can send me or write ups for the back up cam install?
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...up-camera.html
...with pictures at posts #9 and #15. The camera I installed is the same as in TxTom's first photo.
Also:
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...cameras-4.html
...post 77 shows my camera wire running through the factory grommet. Pretty simple to poke through with an awl, and I sealed the hole with RTV.
Camera has been there for almost 2 years without issue.
Should say, I don't really have a write-up with any additional photos, but beyond mounting the camera and pushing the wiring through the factory grommet, it's pretty simple. Once thru the grommet and inside the car, I ran the wiring down the passenger side, under the trim pieces. You do have to remove the rear carpeted bulkhead piece just to get to the wire access point, but that's pretty easy. And, I believe I also removed the door sill piece to run the wiring below it. From there, snake the wiring up behind the glove box (think I put mine into 1/4" loom for some added protection) and to your HU connections.
Last edited by msm07c6; Feb 6, 2023 at 06:42 AM.
