Parcival

Hey all-

hope this helps someone!

Though i don’t regret giving up my ‘17 GS A8 in 3LT for a 1LZ C7Z (‘17 m7 non-z07 ccb, pdr), I did miss the front curb cameras. So, I didn’t give up on finding a seamless solution that plays through the factory head unit screen. I think I’ve got it.

What made it possible is apple iOS 13 finally supported Carplay, which I’ve found mirrors and runs all my iPhone apps seamlessly. It then hit me that I could mirror a wireless iPhone camera on the Vette head unit screen using the Carbridge app.

I






leaned heavily on the progress of CF brothers in prior posts on:
1. a cheap wireless front camera
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums/c7-general-discussion/3828010-cheap-front-camera.html

I bought these products:
Youmei Car Backup Camera Realtime... $43

Peizeen Backup Camera, HD 8 Night... $18

2. ground terminal within the fuse box (87 position vac fuse; post 56)
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...post1592473862

3. Setting up Carbridge is the missing piece. I did it for iOS but I’m sure an Android phone would work too. I got my software from this site for $5:
https://repo.packix.com/package/com....p.carbridge13/

Let me know if anyone doesnt know how to install Carbridge (eg, you need to jailbreak for a Cydia downloader, etc.).

Once I tested both components powered on using a spare car battery, I used a Micro2 fuse add on circuit and spliced the power wires to fuse 30 (seat fan). Ground was the position 87 on the vac fuse.

Finally you need to install the version of WIFIAV iPhone app that is matched to the transmitter. I tested two other versions (all written by Chinese programmers so it’s confusing) which didn’t connect to my unit. The unit sends out a WiFi signal so you look for “WIFIAV” on your iPhone and connect. There’s a password so that helps if you’re concerned about privacy.

The WiFi actually mounted up within seconds of turning on the car. Open the WIFIAV app and you should be able to see the image right away. I calibrated the parking lines so I know where the yellow and red parking lines put me. See pics.

So, $66 altogether for this project plus 45 min to install. which as you all know is much cheaper than Navtool!

pros:
-software working well so far (mounted quickly, didn’t randomly freeze or quit in 30 minutes of testing)
- easy to install if you are handy at all with wiring (stripping wires, testing voltage, add on fuse circuit)
-runs all the time and it looks pretty cool on your screen
-records and takes stills (I have a pdr but this is a cool vantage point)

cons:
- camera was programmed only as rear so you get mirror image (you can buy a different camera that has front capabilities, but I like the five star reviews on this one, was cheap, plus it doesn’t bother me as curb camera)
- resolution could be better (think 903w format is only VGA?)
-with only one camera you lose a little bit on the other side of the camera (because of the car’s nose but fine for going straight in)
- still testing if this affects other data-heavy apps running on the phone

Parcival

test video

Parcival

Just a quick note on the stability of this hack a few weeks later:

I found the video occasionally crashed and then Carbridge would stopped working. I pinpointed it was because the Cydia app stopped working and disappeared as an app from the phone. It's not Carbridge's problem per se. This is a known problem (google the topic) of Cydia crashing after using the "checkra1n" method of jailbreaking the phone for Cydia. Luckily, there is a fix for the Cydia isssue.

Google for a post on how to install "filzaescaped," which is a iphone file viewer, to fix the checkra1n - Cydia issue. Follow the instructions but basically, there is a Cydia "meta" file you need to find and delete through the filzaescaped app. This temp file is causing Cydia to crash, preventing Carbridge from being loaded.

edit: in case it does crash due to Jailbreak, luckily checkra1n is semi-tethered so all your software is intact just need to restore... the way is 1. Connect phone to Mac laptop and run checkra1n application (1 minute), 2. Open checkra1n app on iPhone and reinstall Cydia (1 minute), 3. Open Cydia app on iPhone and RE-“modify” (meaning RE- install) the Carbridge iOS 13 package (1 minute).

Since I learned all this over a week ago, the system has been stable for crashes.

An issue that remains unresolved after the system has been running awhile (long drive) is the video will lag a second every once in awhile prolly because I'm running on phone data and I presume there's significant memory buffering. Not an issue for parking obviously.

A second issue I'm working on is how to delete stored video in the WIFIAV app since the app doesn't seem to have this function. Just haven't had time but I presume I can locate the files through a file viewer like filzaescaped.

ZishanM

Excellent detail.

Y2KFirehawk

Being an IT dweller, I applaud your dedication to the cause and your ability to adapt and overcome.