Index
1. Why I LOVE my EH05 rear-view camera
I've always wanted a rear-view/ reversing camera for when I am towing my caravan because it's a stressful business not being able to see clearly what's behind when pulling away or traveling down the motorway. Yes, I have my wing mirror extensions but whilst they sort of lets me see what's down the side of the caravan they don't give a clear view of what's behind. You don't realise how much you rely on the internal rear-view mirror until you find yourself looking into that rear-view mirror only to find you're looking at the front of your own caravan. Anyway, I have solved that problem now, after trying all types of rear-view/ reversing cameras from wired types to wireless basic and digital types to this Wifi battery powered one which I purchased in July 2020. I have given you a review of my experience with this WiFi rear-view camera below for your reference. The WiFi range with this camera is excellent and that is partly because it has its own removable antenna. The original antenna gives up to 50 meters, that's 164 feet (in open area) and it works perfectly at the rear of my Coachman 4 berth caravan (7.54m 24' 9") with my 8" tablet as a monitor on the dashboard of my Hyundai SUV.
The video above shows my EH05 rear-view WIFi battery powered rear-view camera streaming the camera's image to my Huawei 8" tablet which is safely fixed to my dashboard with the aid of my new mounting bracket. The bracket is featured in a separate review on my website
2. Quick overview
I'll be honest; whilst this is not one of the cheapest wireless cameras on the market it is, however, the best one that I have managed to find and test. In my opinion, this is a quality battery powered WiFi camera with a impressive range of functions and features that really works reliably and I feel it is therefore worth it's money.
The camera gives a clear and stable colour image with a 100 degrees horizontal field of view suitable for reversing or when the camera is tilted up, it gives a good view of traffic behind your caravan, motorhome or vehicle with restricted or no internal rear-view mirror. Since the camera has a magnetic mount with angled tilt and swivel it can be temporarily positioned on any vehicle that has a ferris metal body or fixing plate and can be removed without any fuss.
The camera offers two WiFi modes of operation, option one gives you the ability to connect the EsiCam EH05 camera to either an Apple IOS or Android Smartphone or Tablet device to use as your monitor. This is referred to in the user guide on page 7 as AP mode (Access Point). The second WiFi mode gives you the ability to connect the camera to your wireless router then you can use the camera to monitor for example the front or back of your home, a new baby, pets in the home as well as many other WiFi monitoring activities. This is described in the user guide's manual on page 9 as STA mode (Station mode).
The real plus point with this camera for me is that you can use your tablet or smartphone as a monitor screen. I have an 8" tablet and this gives me an ideal size image from my EsiCam EH05 camera showing the road conditions and traffic behind my caravan. I use a dashboard mount (as profiled in a review shown on my Gadgets4me site) to hold my tablet securely. See pictures and videos below to help you see if this camera system and dashboard mount is just what you have been looking for. I will also be posting lots of extra ideas on how to get the best from the functions and features of this EH05 camera system on my social media accounts like Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest.
Like all gadgets none are perfect
I feel it's my duty to inform my followers that nothing in this world is perfect and to this end I need to make it clear - whilst I love my EsiCam EH05 camera there are a few points that you should be aware of.
3. Before Switching the camera on
Note: I would recommend that you do not switch the EH05 camera on without having first connected the antenna supplied into the antenna socket on the rear of the camera as prolonged use without the antenna could cause damage.
4. The latest EH05 User's Manual
You can tell if you have the latest User's Manual by turning to the inside of the front cover; if you see APPROVAL INFORMATION page 21, then you have the latest copy. If you don't have the latest copy and would like a copy then you can download it by clicking on the Download File PDF below. By the way, you can print this user's manual if you have a printer at A4 size.
The Download above is the latest EH05 User's Manual in PDF form
5. Preparing the camera ready for use
Refer to page 5 of the original user's manual or page 4 in the new user's manual.
Yes, this camera is equipped with two Li rechargeable batteries to help make sure it will last for a good 7.5 hours if the infrared (IR) LEDs are off (IR LED's are off when the camera is in daylight).
The first thing you should plan to do after checking that you have got all the items in the camera box is put the EH05 camera on charge.
Note: I recommend you make sure the Power On/Off button switches the camera OFF so charging takes place more quickly. You can see if the camera is powered OFF by depressing the Power On/Off (at the rear of the camera) and looking at the left hand side of the glass lens cover to make sure the GREEN LED turns off. It can take up to 6 hours to fully charge the two internal Li batteries. You can see when the batteries are fully charged when the RED LED at the front left hand side of the camera goes out.
The above picture shows key pushbuttons, charging socket and LEDs of the EH05 rear-view WiFi battery powered camera
6. Downloading and Installing the EH05 Camera APP
You will need a control application on your tablet or smartphone so that you can connect to your EH05 camera. The APP will enable you to set-up a suitable WiFI connection.
The primary activity for my EH05 camera was to give me a clear view from the rear of my caravan whilst I am towing. So after some research, I realised there were two APPs available to work with this EH05 camera and each APP have some slight differences.
Having downloaded both APPs, I found that the APP referred to in the User's Manual and on the packing box called UCCAM is the least useful because whilst it is capable of controlling the camera, it has one features that is of no use with the EH05 camera.
The only APP that I have found worth installing was the SwiftWiFiCam APP because it has all the useful feature plus it has the ability of displaying Guidelines for reversing and can switch on or off the two bright white LEDs if needed. You can download the SwiftWiFiCam APP from the Google Play store for Android smartphones or tablets by clicking on the following link Swift Wifi Cam – Apps on Google Play
You can also download the SwiftWiFiCam APP from the Apple IOS store for smartphones or tablets by clicking on the following link Swift WiFi Cam on the App Store (apple.com) .
As soon as the SwiftWiFiCam APP has downloaded it will continue to install so that you can then proceed to open it.
The SwiftWiFiCam APP icon is shown above
7. Setting up the App to view the camera video stream
With the SwiftWiFiCam APP open you can continue to set up your Smartphone or Tablet to view the video stream from your EH05 camera. You can now chose to follow the steps given below or in the original user's manual on page 7 or page 6 in the later downloadable manual to complete the set up.
Alternatively, you can watch my video below showing how to set up the SwiftWiFiCam APP to connect the camera to your Smartphone or Tablet.
Follow the steps given below: -
Yes, I bet I can hear you say that was a bit drawn out, well it may have been of help to some people so I am not going to apologize for explaining the steps in detail.
You can see my video example of this procedure if you prefer to rather than reading the steps above.
This is a 2 minute video demo of how to connect the EH05 camera to an Android tablet
8. Specification list
I have re-listed the EsiCam EH05 rear-view battery powered camera specifications in plain english as they can be a little less easy to understand on some other sites
9. Optional USB Extension Power Cable & DC to DC convertor Kit
Amazon stock a 12/20 volt DC to DC convertors that give out 5 volts DC via a USB socket. This device can be used with a car or lorry to deliver 5 volts DC via it's USB socket to power and keep the EH05 camera charging the whilst it is being used.
The one that caught my eye was the TOPINCN DC-DC Adapter Intelligent Security Protection 12V/24V to USB 5V 3A with USB output connector. See the picture below for reference. You may also be interested in an extension USB plug to socket lead and Amazon have a range of lengths to choose from.
The picture shows a 12/24 volt DC input to 5 volts DC output convertor with red and black DC input feed.
The above picture shows a 5 meter USB plug to plug extension lead
This extension lead can be used to connect the output socket of the DC convertor to the input socket of the special EH05 camera power lead.