Review on 📷 Hopkins Smart Hitch 50002 Backup Camera and Sensor System by Dustin Keller

I bought one of these for my truck and my wife liked it so much she asked if I could put one in her car. Installing my truck wasn't a problem, but my wife's 2013 VW Beetle wasn't that easy. I pulled out the tail light to figure out which wires to connect. I installed and tested everything freely. Works great so I put everything back together. When that was done, the camera turned on backwards, but the screen was solid blue. Some research online has shown that low voltage at the camera/display is the likely cause. Your car uses 921 bulbs for the reverse lights, each consuming 18 watts. In my first test, the left rear light was off, so the missing bulb provided enough power to run the camera/display. After everything was connected, the voltage dropped too low. At first I thought of the relay, but then decided to go with the LED version of the reversing lights as they use less energy. It worked great and all I had to do was change the bulb. I bought the cheapest available because the more expensive ones incorporated resistors to mimic the current draw of an incandescent light bulb. Some vehicles will issue an error code if the current draw is interrupted and more expensive LED bulbs try to prevent this. In my case, I needed less power draw to leave enough power for the camera/screen. Hope this helps if someone else runs into the same problem. One last thing: cheap LED bulbs only work if they are installed in one direction. Bayonet lamps like 921 or 194 can be connected in two ways. If they don't work at first, just pull them out and flip them over. I like the camera, the monitor and the sensors. Great design as others have mentioned.